Makeup quick-fixes for Diwali night

What do you do if you are caught between a busy work schedule just before Diwali night? Will you pray for your fairy godmother to appear and work magic with a wave of her wand? Chances are that she won’t turn up because fairy tales have no place in real life. What you need are some quick-fixes that will transform you from a tired working woman to an attractive diva. You can apply a quick pack to perk you up and eye pads to remove fatigue, but your greatest ally is make-up. Use it subtly and skillfully.

After cleansing or after the face pack, take some ice cubes in a clean napkin and apply on the face for a few seconds at a time. This closes the pores and adds a glow to the face. Ice cubes work well if you are wondering what to do about a few angry red pimples. Hold the ice cube napkin on the pimple for a few seconds. Remove and repeat the procedure four-five times.

Under-eye dark circles can be camouflaged with concealer or foundation. In fact, when you apply foundation, use two shades. A lighter one for areas like under the eyes or down the nose. If you want to create cheek hollows, use a darker tone on the area and on the chin. This helps to contour the face. Another quick-fix is to apply a creamy concealer on the eyelids. This provides a base for your eye shadow and also helps to put on eye makeup smoothly.

Then apply your normal foundation on the rest of the face. Or apply pressed powder (powder compact) on the entire face. It should be close to your normal skin tone.

Smokey eyes are perfect for a gala night. Try this quick method. Use black eyeliner to line the upper eyes, close to the lashes and also the lower lid. Smudge the line and then apply a dark shadow on the lids. You can put some glitter over the eyeliner. Or go for eyeliner that has some flecks of glitter!

Another alternative for eye makeup is to use a bronze colour shadow on the eyelids. Don’t forget to highlight under the brows and on the cheekbones.

You may be dead tired after a hard day’s work but to achieve a wide awake look, use a nude coloured eye pencil to line the lower lids. The eyes immediately look open and wide….and brighter.

Most women want fuller lips with a pout. They are said to be the most appealing. There are all kinds of ways by which one can get lips that pout, but I think it’s easiest to get take the help of make-up. Light colours and glossy lipsticks make the lips look thicker and fuller.

To make lips look fuller, first apply foundation and a light touch of powder to “set” the foundation. Wait for a few minutes. Then outline the lips just outside your normal lip line. Use the same colour lip pencil as the colour of your lipstick. To give the illusion of a pout, apply lipstick all over the lips, leaving out the centre. Then apply a lighter coloured lip gloss on the centre.

Whether it is eye shadow or foundation, remember to blend well, so that the make-up looks like a whole, without lines and blotches. These are some of the tricks of the trade!