TRAVEL BEAUTY - MAKE UP MUST HAVES

For those of you who remember me from my past life, remember my days of facing the camera. Days of working 24x7 , and days of being deprived of vacations but days which definitely gave me a professional high. Its been more than 6 years I guess that I faced the camera professionally. From a popular Journalist working the National Networks in India to a home maker in the large Midwest, the transition has been bittersweet.

Youtube had been a constant companion of mine during the few years. It gave me the opportunity to appreciate the work of so many like minded people. All these people who grew working on stories they wanted to work on. Not something which had been thrust on them. They had no pesky producer sending them off on random shoots or some editor asking for re-writes of scripts or retakes of PTCs.

It took me long, but I jumped on the band wagon, to begin my own process of healing.

As I faced the camera, after so long, it was difficult. Memories kept coming back of the old days, and I had to fight it all back. The once flamboyant reporter who prided herself in single takes, was clearly fumbling on her lines.

But the journey began. Of producing,creating, starring in, and also editing and publishing your own work, in your own channel. A huge thank you to a few friends of mine, who had been asking me to do it for all these years. Thank you for believing in me.

As I had just got back from a week long vacation in the Canadian Rockies, it made sense that I rambled on all that I had packed in my beauty bag. So here goes my picks for TRAVEL MAKE UP - BEAUTY MUST HAVES.

Dont forget to click on THUMBS UP in YouTube and also do subscribe to my channel to keep track of the upcoming videos.

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BRONZE EYE MAKE UP: PLAYING WITH METALLICS AND NUDES

I had always considered myself to be more of a Silver person in my growing up years. i gravitated towards Silver jewelry and so on and so forth. But as I aged, I felt I had not been kind to Golds or Bronze tones. While my jewelry tastes still remained the same more or less, I decided to branch out in terms of Make -Up.

The NAKED 1 palette form URBAN DECAy was pretty helpful in this endeavor. So I began playing more and more with combination of Bronzes and Golds and the experimentations carried on. It was then that I discovered how well a Bronzy Smokey Eye is.

It cam be toned down with a Nude Lip. Or dressed up for the Night with a  Bold Lip. The same eye color combo can look so different and yet always so put together. It became such a favorite that I kept going back to it, every now and then.

The key to any eye make up is a great EyeShadow base. I love EYE SHADOW PRIMER by URBAN DECAY .A good drug store alternative is the L'OREAL DE-CREASE. 

 I started off playing with HALF BAKED eyeshadow from NAKED 1 palette from URBAN DECAY in the inner corner and half of the eye lid. Its a brilliant Golden Bronzey Shade. Very metallic. Yet very Chic I paired that with DARK HORSE  or HUSTLE from the same platte in the outer corner. Buffed the Crease with my favorite NAKED eye shadow from the same palette.

Then I ventured off to include something which had been lying in my Make -Up drawer for quite some time. I had picked up some Maybelline Eyeshadow Trios some time back. But somehow never used them much. There's one particular Trio called GOLDEN TREASURE . I am smitten by it. Being a drug store eye shadow, its nowhere Chalky. Great Pigmentation and when paired with a good eye shadow base, lasts for hours, even if you're out dancing. Why had I not explored it, when I had first picked it up?! I used it on the inner half of the eyelid and used the similar colors on the outer corner and the crease as above.

Finished of the eyes with some BLACKTRACK FLUIDLINE gel liner from MAC Cosmetics and loads of black water proof Mascara. You can never have too much of Mascara.

For my face, I followed by FOUNDATION,CONCEALER,POWDER ROUTINE. In keeping with the Bronzy glow theme, I used COPPERTONE blush from MAC Cosmetics.

The beauty of this look, is that you can tweak it to suit the occasion. You can use it with a Black Eyeshadow like CARBON from MAC  in the outer corner to make it more vampy. You can use the Bronzey shade all over the lids and skip eyeliner and just use loads of Black Mascara and finish off with some Red Lips. It would look subtle for an at home party. So go ahead start your play with Broney colors on your eyes and don't forget to let me know how your paired it.

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DEEP PURPLE AND UBER VIOLET: FALL FESTIVE MAKE-UP

 What's not to love about Fall ? The leaves all round are changing colors, and we get an excuse to change up our make up routine. Hello Vibrant Berries, Posh Purples and Ravishing Reds. I love it all.

MAC PURE HEROINE by LORDE !!! Its sheer Purple-Violet magic on the lips. I had been waiting all Summer to rock it in Fall. I was holidaying in India, when MAC had launched this collection. So the Husband was directed to pick it from our local MAC Pro-Store at the Country Club Plaza, before it ran out.

It was Durga Puja a few weeks back. Unlike in India, we Probaashis do not have the luxury of week long celebrations. We have to squeeze in as much of worship, fun and fashion in a single weekend. So everything amps up to a zillion degrees. Its one of those annual events, which have me planning all year round. Which sarees to wear? What accessories to pair them with? and most importantly what Make-Up do I team it all with ?

When you have a Diva for a mom, it makes life a lot easier. Maa handpicked my Pujo Sarees and all of them are bang on. Each one of them was extra special. Thank you Maa !! If I can learn half your style tricks,and can master some of your make-up tricks, I will surely become a Super Diva.

A Purple-Indigo  Mangalgiri Saree with a broad gold border, was my choice to kick start the celebrations.  It had come with its customary blouse piece, which I had even gotten tailored to my current size, during my visit to India in summer. But back home, when I was admiring the sarees for the Nth time, I decided to go for something different. The blouse was doing no justice to the wonderful weave of the saree. So out came the big guns. A hot pink Brocade Blouse, which I had also picked up. It was the perfect contrast.

The sheer amount of compliments which came my way, when I walked into the Pujo, was proof enough the choices were more than perfect. 

For my accessories, I had picked up a purple and pink Statement necklace, which came to the rescue. It had the touch of gold, to tie it all in. A big bright blue Bindi seemed to be the perfect companion.  

Now for the make-up !!!

A sultry Purple-Violet smokey eye might be a no-no for some, but it seemed to be the ideal choice for me. Pujo comes once a year,so its alright to go for the big guns.

When it comes to Foundation, everyone has their favorites. I, for many reasons, stick to my favorite brand, MAC Cosmetics. As my skin is parched dry with changing weather, I opted for MAC Face and Body Foundation. Its  a medium coverage, water based foundation. And you can build it up for increased coverage. The best part is part, it has absolutely no flashback. I knew I would be photographed a lot during these days,so could not take any chances. I used a Flat foundation brush to apply the foundation. Then used a damp Beauty Blender, to smooth it all out.

When you have a baby in the house, you will have dark circles undoubtedly. But the world doesn't need to know that on special days, do they ! So that's where your trusted Concealer comes to the rescue. Not only does it cover dark circles,and blemishes, but also gives that woken up appearance. A concealer in your exact shade match is great for concealing blemishes and spots. For under eyes, and in your cupid's bow, its best to go with concealer, which is two shades lighter than your skin. That just works wonders. The trick is to blend blend and blend. While applying concealer, I used the Deluxe Crease Brush from Real Techniques to apply it,and then used the same damp Beauty Blender to blend it all in. Did I just forget to mention which Concealer I used ? Well, I had used MAC Cosmetics Pro LongWear Concealer, in NW20, which is in two shades lighter than mine. While I am of a warmer undertone, and fall into NCs of Foundations, for the concealer, a different undertone, will work as a color corrector.  Just a single pump, will dispense enough product for covering both under eyes,

Now Concealer is a tricky product. It will slip out on you in a few hours, if you do not take the necessary precautions. So its always best to set it with powder. While any translucent powder works, I am partial to a particular Pressed powder . With Translucent powders, there's always the risk, that they might have silica, which gives off a white flashback in photos. So I opted for MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Natural in Medium, with a large powder brush to set my foundation. I am the shade Medium. That locks in your base, so that you can party harder and harder.

And now for the Fun part ! The Eyes !! The Purple Eyes !!
For those of you who might be thinking that this post could have been a sponsored post by MAC Cosmetics, for all the products used so far, now here comes a change in the line up. For the Eyes, I used Urban Decay Primer Potion all over my lids. Let it settle down for a minute, before you start loading up your eye shadows. Since I was working with darker colors on the yes, and my base was already done, I used some loose translucent powder below the yes, to catch any fallouts. And this loose powder can be brushed away with a fan brush, once the eyes are done.

I used 'Blue Bus', Eye Shadow from Urban Decay with a flat shader brush from the inner corner of the eyes, to the middle. Then with a fluffy crease brush, I used'Gravity', from the middle to the outer corner. These colors were from a limited edition palette, so feel free to use violets of your choice.

With another fluffy crease brush, I used 'Naked' from Naked 1 palette of Urban Decay, in a windscreen wiper motion, in the crease, to buff out the harsh lines. Alternately, you can also use 'Soft Brown', from MAC as a transition color.

Blend blend so that there are no harsh lines.

I used MAC Black Track in Fluidline, which is gel liner, with a fine liner brush from Sonia Kashuk to line my eyes, and finished it off, with Maybelline Falsies Mascara. Always stick to waterproof mascara.

Nars Orgasm Blush is a wonder blush, as it is known to suit and flatter every skin tone and undertone across the g;lobe. So if you're starting your make -up collection, make sure you pick up one. That's a blush on which you can bank on any occasion. Diffuse it for a lighter look, or go heavy when you want to. Its a beautiful Peachy Pink with light gold specks in it. Its not a splurge,its an investment !

Last but not the least, the piece de resistance: MAC Pure Heroine Lipstick by Lorde. I lined the lips with MAC Nightmoth lipliner and then filled in with the lipstick.

The result as they say, is magic !!!

Whats not to love about looking good ! And Make Up can be your Best Friend !!

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