• Foundation is available in a very long list of shades, ranging from ivory to rose, beige, tan and honey, to name only a few.
• It also has various finishes like matte, sheer, dewy and radiant.
• Choose foundation that’s close in colour to your complexion and apply it along your jaw line. If it ‘disappears’, it’s for you. It should never look like you have product on.

• Use a compact to remove sheen and seal foundation in place.
• If using a sponge applicator, lightly press it to areas you want to mattify otherwise you’ll transfer too much of the product to your skin.
• You can also use a brush to dust a small amount wherever needed.

• Though pink is the colour of choice for many blushers, you can get them in shades of orange and tan.
• Matte blushers are very popular and are ideal for day and night wear.
• Frost, satin and shimmer finishes, on the other hand, look great for evening and night time as they highlight the cheekbones.
• A light dusting is all you need. Anything more and makeup can look overdone.

• A bronzer is great for using during cold months, when skin is paler. You can also use it throughout the year.
• Most bronzers come in a pressed powder form for dry, combination and oily skin.
• Choose a colour that’s not more than two shades darker than your skin tone.
• A bronzer with some shimmer is great for both day and night use.
• Too much shine can make complexion look unnatural and can make oily skin look oilier.

• Concealers should be matched with foundation. If used under the eyes, it should not be more than two shades lighter than your complexion.
• Include colour correcting into your makeup collection as well if redness and dark circles are to be addressed.
• Bluish dark circles can be corrected with a yellow concealer while redness can be evened out with a green concealer.
• Once you’re done correcting, follow up with an ordinary concealer that’s similar in shade to your foundation.

• For those occasions when you’re looking to add more drama to your look, shimmer and glitter can help.
• Just dab a hint to your eyes, cheeks or lips. Since the two usually come in a loose powder form, you need a base that they can stick on.
• An eye primer or a cream eye shadow in the same colour as the shimmer/glitter can help.

• No matter whether you use only eye shadow or foundation, you need make-up brushes for precise applications.
• If you’re just starting out, get a foundation brush that works with both liquid and cream foundations, and a concealer brush for precise applications.
• A blending brush, smudge brush, spoolie, blush brush and a powder brush can make up the rest of your kit.
• To clean brushes, soak them in warm, soapy water for a few minutes, rinse and leave them to dry. You can use a hairdryer on low heat as well.

• If foundation is to stay in place for several hours, or if eye shadow needs to be enhanced, a primer is the order of the day.
• You can get a face primer that also works on eyes, or go for two primers, one for the face and one especially for the eyes.
• Eye primers shouldn’t only highlight eye shadows but should also prevent creasing. A crease-free product is what you want to look for.

• You can get an all-in-one remover or if you want to go the distance, get a face make-up remover and an eye make-up remover.
• As with skin creams and lotions, you need one that suits your skin type and is moisturising.

• If you don’t want to spend big bucks on a salon or don’t have time to visit one, get a facial kit and pamper yourself whenever you can.
• Use it every three to four weeks to maintain a healthy glow. That’s how long it takes for skin to complete a cycle of exfoliation and cell growth.

• To get the best results with a bleaching cream, don’t leave it on for too long.
• 10 to 20 minutes is adequate depending on your complexion.

• Smaller eyes can be made to look larger by applying it on the lower lids and smudging it slightly with a brush.
• For a long-lasting effect with minimal smudging, a no-smudge, long-stay roll-on kajal is your best bet.
• Apply it after lightly dusting eyelids with powder. You can go over it with black eye shadow for a more intense result.

• When choosing mascara, look for one that separates the lashes and doesn’t clump them.
• A waterproof formula will promise less smudging and keep lashes looking thick and dark for hours.
• If you like applying mascara to your lower lashes but find it tricky to do so with a standard size mascara wand, look for a product designed especially for bottom lashes. It will feature a small wand with short bristles.

• Eyeliner today comes in several forms like gel, liquid and pencil.
• A gel liner offers long staying power while liquid creates more dramatic eyes.
• Pencil eyeliner offers a softer finish.
• Line eyes with a pencil to get a rough outline and use a gel liner on top. Add a coat of liquid liner and you’re all done.

• When picking eye shadow, do so keeping your eye colour and complexion in mind.
• Dark brown, neutral tones and cool hues like blue and purple go well with blue eyes, while brown eyes are best complemented by gold, green, aqua and neutral colours.
• For green eyes, violet, charcoal, bronze and green are top picks.
• People with hazel eyes can try eye shadows in shades of yellow and purple as well as brown and neutral tones.

• To reap the full benefits of eye cream, use it twice, once upon waking and once before sleeping.
• If you have sensitive skin or eyes, look for a product that’s specially formulated for the same.

• Artificial eyelashes come in several styles, some that are full-length, some that half-length, and some that are individual.
• Whichever you go for, always add a coat of mascara to blend your lashes with the artificial ones.
• If you’re buying your first pair of false lashes, go for strip lashes with nylon lash bands as they’re lightweight.

• A rule of thumb when selecting eyebrow pencils is to choose a colour that’s one or two shades away from your hair colour.
• People with fair hair can go for darker pencils to define their brows while those with dark hair can try colours that are a shade lighter.
• Before using an eyebrow pencil, make sure the tip is sharp.
• Don’t fill brows all the way; concentrate on the sparse areas otherwise they’ll look too drawn on.

• An easy way to choose lipstick colour is to go for shades close to your undertone.
• If you have a pink undertone, try colours that have purple or blue tones in them.
• If you have a yellow undertone, go for colours that are warm.
• For lipstick to last without too many touch-ups, long-lasting or long-wearing varieties should be considered.

• Make lips appear plumper and fuller with a lip gloss.
• Use it alone or over lipstick or lip liner for a more dramatic effect.
• When shopping for a lip gloss, choose a non-sticky formula as it’s more comfortable to wear.

• Prevent chapping with a moisturising lip balm that can be worn as is or under lipstick and lip liner.
• Stick, tube and pot varieties are available.
• For best results, apply balm before sleeping and gently scrub it away with a toothbrush the next morning.

Lip colour is typically more moisturising than a lip liner, which makes it a preferred choice among many. A waterproof variety with long-staying power is ideal if you don’t have time to touch up frequently.

• Lip liner, whether used alone or under lip stick, should always be applied on moisturised lips.
• They should be free of flaky skin otherwise you’ll be left with lips that look dry and chalky.

• A lip colour palette is a handy product to have if you can’t do without lipstick.
• You can get a small, handbag-friendly palette with just 3 or 4 shades, or go for a large palette that offers a huge range of pinks, browns, reds and mauves.
• A palette with a mirror is very handy when you’re on the go.

• These moisturising and pigmented products are ideal for people who are looking to make lips appear fuller.
• A creamy formula that’s infused with oil is what you want.
• As with other lip products, choose a lip cream with long-wearing power.

• While a lip stain provides colour to the lips and may last longer than lipstick, pigmentation may not be as much and the range of finishes is also smaller.
• However, if you’re looking to add a bit of colour on your lips, this is the pick for you.

• Use a lip lock over lipstick and lip gloss to help them stay on longer.
• Choose one that’s a close match to the shade of your lip product.
• A lip lock with a hint of berry colour looks great when worn alone for daytime.
• You can swipe gloss over it for evening wear.

• The best way to choose nail polish is to go with colours that are similar to your undertone. This means blue-based colours for cool or pink undertones and brown/beige/orangy colours for warm or yellow undertones.
• When in doubt, test two similar colours with two different undertones on each hand and see which looks better.

• Nail art encompasses numerous decorations for the nails and all the choices can be overwhelming.
• If you’re not too confident with a brush, get stickers and pop them on top of painted nails.
• You can also apply glitter powder.
• A nail art kit that has stencils, brushes, polish, glitter and stickers is a great pick if you want to try different looks.

• Pedicure and manicure kits should always contain key tools including clippers, file, cuticle sticks, scissors, tweezers and nail buffers.
• If you want to get more use out of them, go for kits that also contain a cuticle knife, an acne needle and an ear pick.

• Nail polish remover is available in bottles, pots and pads.
• You may want to get two removers, one with acetone and one without.
• The stronger acetone-based product can be used to remove stubborn glitter and shimmer while the non acetone-based remover can be used for nail polishes with glossy, sheer and metallic finishes.

• If you’d rather build your own pedicure and manicure kit, you’ll need to get individual tools.
• Aside from clippers, scissors, cuticle sticks, tweezers, nail buffers and files, you can look for brushes and pumice stones.

• Clippers come in different sizes so your best bet is to look for one that can clip your nails in a few snaps.
• Small clippers are also available for children.
• If thick nails are a problem, a clipper with a sharp, broad cutter is necessary. An attached nail file makes filing convenient.

• Base and top coat polishes are no longer limited to basic varieties. You can get hydrating, strengthening and nail growth polishes as well.
• Once you’ve made your choice, apply it before using coloured polish and top them both off with another coat.
• If you’re using separate base and top coat polishes, the base will be applied first and the top coat the last.

• A lightweight and quick-absorbing nail cream is ideal to prevent greasiness.
• Apply a small amount on your nails after moisturising your hands.
• Many hand creams double up as nail creams too so that you don’t need to use two products.

• Since the areas to be waxed vary in size, it’s important to look for waxing strips of the right size.
• For the legs and armpits, choose broader strips that can remove a good amount of hair at a time.
• For bikini and other small areas, choose narrower strips that let you wax more precisely.

• A wax heater shouldn’t just heat wax; it should accept wax in different forms.
• It should also have adjustable temperature, LED indicator, a removable liner, cut-off, and a heat-proof body.

• Popular designs to choose from include floral motifs, animal prints, hearts, swirls, butterflies and inspirational quotes.
• For the more experimental, shimmer tattoos and memes are a few favourites.

• Though traditionally in powder form, you can now find liquid sindoor and sindoor that’s smudge-proof and long-lasting even in the hot summer.
• Look for products that contain natural herbal ingredients to minimise risk of a reaction.
• People with sensitive skin can use hypoallergenic sindoor.