Festive look for Navratri

With an aromatic fragrance in the air, we know that the festive season has arrived. It is a season of great enthusiasm, rituals, customs and faith as we celebrate Goddess Durga with devotion, fun, songs and dance.

It is important to take care of your skin and hair during this time to elevate your look and enhance your confidence.

Women of all age groups find the festival fascinating, and there is no stopping them as they groove to the latest Navratri songs. However, long, tiring hours and makeup can take a toll on the skin. Constant exposure to sweat and pollution during long hours outdoors needs to be dealt with carefully. It is time to indulge in skincare rituals for flawless, radiant skin and look truly stunning.

While you may be ready to enjoy the festivities, are your skin and hair ready too?

Navratri is an opportunity to look your attractive best in a traditional way, especially in the evening when the weather starts to cool down. Apart from its religious significance, the nine-day festival is the perfect time to get your jewellery, makeup, accessories and traditional outfits ready.

Since this is also a chance to meet new people, it is the perfect time to showcase your beauty sense and dancing prowess.

So, here are some quick fixes to help you gear up your skin, hair and makeup before the festival begins and look gorgeous and attractive throughout the celebrations.

Your skin is called the mirror of your body. During festivals like Navratri, there are bright lights, so for your night makeup, you will need bright colours; otherwise, your face may look pale.

First, cleanse the skin and apply a liquid moisturiser. For oily skin, apply an astringent lotion with cotton wool.

Wait for a few minutes. Then, cover blemishes with a concealer before applying foundation. Alternatively, use a lighter-coloured foundation on dark blemishes and then apply your normal foundation over the entire face. If you wish to cover a pimple or spot, do so before applying foundation or powder. Concealing sticks are available for this. Using a thin brush, apply a little concealer or a lighter shade of foundation over the spot. Then, apply a little powder.

Dot foundation over the face and blend it with a damp sponge or your fingertips. Don’t forget the neck. Apply loose powder, or try compact powder to set the foundation. Use foundation with beige tones rather than pink. I feel beige suits Indian skin tones better. If you have very fair, ivory skin, go for beige with a rosy tint. If your complexion is fair but pale or yellowish, avoid pink tones and opt for beige or biscuit. Darker complexions look better with brownish-beige shades. I feel that most Indian skin tones look better with beige or biscuit shades of foundation rather than pink.

Alternatively, go for a gold-toned foundation for this special occasion. Dot it over the face and blend with a moist sponge to give the skin a golden glow. When applying makeup, remember not to smear or rub it too much. Whether it is foundation or blusher, it is best to apply it with a light touch, using your fingertips or an applicator. It can also be applied lightly and evenly with a damp sponge.

Try tinted powders in warm yellow tones. Powder with a golden tint will also work well. Apply it lightly. If you want a healthy glow without too much shine, go for a bronzing powder. Avoid applying too much. It should be lightly applied using a large powder brush.

A hint of blusher should be used on the cheeks. A powder blusher is easier to apply. Use it after applying powder. Apply it to the cheeks and blend outwards and slightly upwards. Then, apply a light-coloured highlighter to the cheekbones and blend well.

Blusher colours for the night need not exactly match your lip colour, but they should belong to the same colour family. For example, if you have worn orange lipstick, avoid pink blush. For fair skin, try pinks and reds. If you have a yellowish skin tone, avoid orange. For wheatish complexions, colours such as rose, coral and copper are flattering, while plum, wine and bronze may suit darker complexions.

For the eyes, apply a lighter brown shadow on the upper eyelid and dark brown eyeshadow in the crease to add depth. Outline the eyes with a dark eye pencil or eyeliner. For a smudged effect, a dark eyeshadow also works well on the upper lid, close to the lashes. Extend it slightly beyond the outer corner of the eyes and angle it upwards. Smudging can be done with a sponge-tipped applicator. Eyeliner or dark eyeshadow may also be applied to the lower lid and then smudged.

Dramatic and heavy eye makeup, with black eyeliner or a winged-eye look, has been a popular trend and continues to gain popularity. Go for dark eyeliner just under the lower lashes and on the upper lid, close to the lashes. Extend the lines on the upper and lower eyelids beyond the eyes for a 1960s-inspired heavy eye makeup look. Coloured liner can also be used with black eyeliner, as this is becoming a trend. Pastel eyeliners in blue, yellow and even orange will be popular during the coming seasons. For Navratri makeup, you may want to try gold, silver or bronze eyeshadow over your eyeliner on the upper lid. Highlight under the brows with gold, ivory or a light-coloured eyeshadow.

Then apply mascara. Roll-on mascara is easy to apply. While applying mascara to the upper lashes, look downwards. Apply it both above and below the upper lashes for a thicker look. Apply it to the lower lashes too. Wait for a while and apply a second coat. Then brush out the lashes with a small eyelash brush. To make lashes appear thicker, apply powder between the two coats of mascara.

Gloss is popular for the lips. Use a lip liner in the same colour as your lipstick. Apply lip gloss to the centre of the lips after applying lipstick.

For a normal Indian complexion, go for warm, earthy colours such as coral, wine, plum, strawberry, red and various shades of red. A dark pink or rose-red would look good too. Orange and shades of orange are very much “in”, from apricot and amber to coral and tangerine. You can find orange shades that suit most skin colours. Use orange to coral for darker skin, while orange and peachy shades suit fair skin. If you use orange, keep the rest of your makeup subtle. During the day, go for light orange or beige lipstick, lilac, mauve and light pink with a hint of pearl.

Clean your makeup thoroughly once you are back from the dandiya DJ celebrations. Makeup products left on your skin overnight can cause damage, particularly if you are prone to acne, pimples or rashes.

For the perfect curl, heat your eyelash curler on medium heat for only 10 seconds. Begin curling your eyelashes from the roots. Keep pressing gently through the length until you reach the ends of the lash hairs. Once you are happy with the curl, you can apply a curl-enhancing mascara.

A bindi is an integral part of makeup for festivals. Look for a decorative bindi that matches the colour of your dress. A bindi studded with small sparkling stones, combined with a bright colour, can be especially attractive.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shahnaz Husain

Shahnaz Husain[email protected]