Get glowing, get gorgeous!

The festive season is here again. And many of you aim to look gorgeous with a flawless complexion and a youthful sheen. This season, you can get glowing by paying attention to your health and following a strict beauty regime.

Skin care before and after the festival:

Skin care is very important during the festival season as the increased level of pollution due to firecrackers, excessive traffic as well as the stress your skin bears due to extra sunlight exposure (while going out shopping, sending invites and socializing) takes its toll on your skin.

You can safeguard your skin from the harmful effects by regularly applying a good moisturizer and sunscreen. It helps fight against dryness in the air, pollution and increased UV rays exposure during the festival season. New range of Lakme Sun Expert - Anti Darkening Sunscreens with SPF 15 and above can help to avoid skin damage from UVA and UVB rays. It has two new powerful ingredients - Titanium Dioxide and Avobenzone, which block the UVA rays that cause skin darkening. Go for facials, peels and gentle exfoliation as it helps to get luminous complexion and keeps your pores free from pollutants, dirt and grime in the air during the festival.

Cleanse and tone your skin regularly to keep it healthy and supple. Try Guerlain’s Issima range of toners for various skin types like ‘Purifying Iris toner’, ‘Moisturizing Mallow toner’, and ‘Success smoothing toner’ which will give your skin a fresh look immediately. Apply skin serums and creams to avoid any dryness and blemishes. Clarins introduces skin serum and creams in their ‘Multi-Active’ skin range. It aims to provide tired skin with a new youthfulness and brightness. It has age-fighting benefits and eliminates dull complexion.

Avoid sugary and fried foods which are in abundance during festivals as digesting sugar leads to a process known as glycation that damages collagen and elastin, adding years to your looks and also gives rise to boils, pimples and rashes. Smoking and alcohol intake also make your skin dry and aged. Avoid it completely during festive season.

Have plenty of water for a healthy skin as it flushes out the toxins and keeps the fluids of the body running efficiently. Do not forget to remove all traces of your make-up with a gentle make-up remover before going to sleep. Clinique’s ‘Take the day off’ make up remover is perfect to make your skin free from any hint of make up, without any damage. Apply an effective night cream for that extra doze of moisture which will plump up your skin for the next morning. Clinque’s repair intensive night cream will give your skin that moisture boost.

Once the festivals are over, these tips can still be followed for an all year round glow. Once life gets back to normal, give your skin some papmpering at regular intervals with cleansing and moisturising facials to maintain that youthful appearance.


Make-up trends:

The colours you choose for your dress plays an important part in reflecting a glowing complexion. Same applies to your foundation, blush, lipstick or eye-shadow which can affect your complexion. Your make up colours should compliment your skin tone. Try your make-up in advance before wearing it in the festival. Try to use mineral make-up to avoid any skin reactions.

Apply a make up base before starting with any make up. YSL’s Daily Protective Make-Up Base SPF 30, is the best investment that you can make this festival season. It has a silky and untinted texture to preserve the complexion’s natural radiance, enhance the skin and prepare it for make-up. It will help your make up to stay on longer so that you do not have to apply touch ups frequently. It will also protect your skin from UV rays as it has SPF 30.

To fake a glow, invest in a good bronzer as well as in liquid highlighter as it brightens up your face instantly. Revlon’s Color Stay Mineral bronzer will give your skin a natural glow in a jiffy. A good highlighter and concealer can make your skin appear bright and young. YSL’s Touche Éclat Collector, a multi-talented highlighter with a unique formula, sculpts the features and banishes shadows in a stroke. With just a few sweeps of the brush the face lights up with radiance. A make up bag essential for sure.

Make your lips fuller with Max Factor Vibrant Curve Effect lip gloss. A touch of lip gloss instantly glamourises any make up look. This range has vibrant and bright pinks and mauves, which will compliment your festival dressing as well as give you a luscious perfect pout. Lip gloss is clearly a make up bag essential for those quick touch ups. You can also adorn your lips with Chambor’s Truly Lasting lipstick range in bright and bold colours perfect for festivities and occasions. The long-wearing formula of these lipsticks with shea butter sunscreen and vitamins A and E, creates maximum colour impact and helps lips look smooth and even. Shiseido’s Perfect Rouge range has shades like Salmon Rose, Day Lily, Valentine which will add to your festive glamour.

Get your eyes bolder and beautiful with massive dark eye lashes and Kohl. L’Oreal’s Kohl Minerals Powder Eyeliner can get you the smokey eye perfection as well as work as a kohl eye liner too. Try Maybelline’s ‘The Colossal Volum' Express Mascara for that smouldering effect. This is another must have for those quick touch ups on your social visits. L'Oreal’s Chrome Intensity Eyeshadow Quad has intense colours in green and blues, perfect to go with your traditional glamorous look.

Do not forget to colour your nails in bright purple, chocolate, orange, violet, gold and rose hues. These colours are very much in, this season. These will go well with your traditional ensemble. YSL’s Manucure Couture, Colour Nail Polish Duo has the perfect shades for the festive season to keep your paws pretty.

Keep day time make up light and night make up glamourous. Always highlight one feature at a time. If your eyes are dark then keep your lips neutral and vice-versa. The traditional wear is anyday a lot of bling and glamour so go subtle with your make up to balance the look.

Let yourself shine and glow this festive season by following these tips. Get glowing, get gorgeous!


Parimita Chakravorty