10 Basic Makeup Techniques Every Bride to Be Needs to Know!

  1. How to Apply Foundation:

I have seen girls buy the most expensive foundation on the market , slap it on their face with wide, thick strokes of their hand and then complain why it isnt doing any good. Here are my tips for applying foundation
Use very small, short strokes and spend as much time as possible. Focus on one small area, complete that move to the next. Big, wide strokes from your cheek to your chin – like you are painting a wall is a total no no. If you ever go and get a trial from a good makeup artist- notice just how much time they spend, getting into nooks and corner, covering yr face in small short strokes and being patient.
Apply it in thin layers, building it up one at a time : Thin, sheer layers are always better than thick, heavy ones. Letting your natural skin breathe through is important and it gives you an idea of how much foundation you need
Not every part of your face requires the same amount of foundation: Most of us are darker around the mouth area, with relatively spot free cheeks. You might want to spend more time concealing the darkness first, and going over that area with more foundation,and keeping the coverage on your cheeks very runny and light .

Always keep your strokes from top to bottom direction. This is something I learnt, that if you go in any other direction, you are going the opposite direction of hair growth, causing your hair to stand up and make your skin look uneven. It is good to use a polishing brush to get the desired effect. Please put foundation on your neck and Back. Do not forget it. 2. How to Conceal Under Eye Circles
 The idea behind concealing your eyes (something, I learnt ) is to apply concealer ONLY where it is dark.

3. How to achieve the Glow that every Bride needs

You are a bride, you NEED to glow . People just NEED to think that the happiness is making you glow, but actually its just highlighter. Dont tell them that though!
Mixing your foundation with a shine mixing medium is sometimes also a good tehcnique to start with. Invest in some good brand.

3. How to make your skin talk

You can get away with zero makeup, if you have gorgeous skin. So make sure you do your research about what products work for me. Well moisturized, plump skin with just liner and lipstick is probably more pretty than anything any foundation will achieve.

Increase your water intake manifold 3 months before the wedding. Drink atleast one BIG glass every hour.
Make sure you have sunscreeen on no matter where you are- its not about whether there is sun outside or not. It doesnt matter. You need sunscreen all the time.
Have a small in home facial routine- Mine involves steam, splashing face with cold water ,massaging with a cleanser, and a fresh fruit face mask.
Do NOT sleep with makeup on. The smartest thing you can do, is either invest in a solid makeup remover, or personally i just use my makeup studio make up remover. But remember as a bride you will be wearing solid makeup every night, and if you dont remove it properly you will very likely have raccoon eyes.


4. How to do a pretty basic eye :

The eyeshadow-

If you really are just not getting how to do your eyes. It doesnt get easier than that- 2 contrasting bases, one single eyeshadow.
A basic, pretty eye is simple. It just needs a sheen on the lid, and an eyeliner. You can skip all the crease color, the outer corner etc if you arent comfortable .
Invest in 1-2 pretty eyeshadow colors that work well with Indian Clothing. Something neutral and gold like Mac Wood Winked, Mac Expensive Pink. In fact, here are 6 great eyeshadow colors for indian formal wear from Mac: Mac eyeshadow range.

5. Primer for Eye Shadow

Using an eye shadow primer ensures smudge-free makeup, a must when you're wearing all white.

6. The Eyeliner

Eyeliners should really thinnest at the inner corner of the eye, and thickest either at the outer corner (if you like a slight bit of a cat eye effect), or thickest at the centre with the outer corner swept out (for a wide eyed effect)
7.The Lashes

If you can really master the art of wearing false lashes then i highly recommend you learn how to. False lashes that give that extra oomph that a regular mascara doesnt!

8. Waterproof Makeup Is Key

"If you're worried you're going to cry on your wedding Don't forget to use a waterproof mascara! "Even if you don't like waterproof," use it as an extra coat over your other mascara. And, if you're wearing false lashes, use a glue that's waterproof, too."


9. Do Some Prep Work — on Your Lips

Put lip balm on your lips before gloss or lipstick so they're not dry and flaky. Then, fill in your entire lip with a lip pencil, which will hold the color longer. "For brides who just want to wear a gloss, prepare for it to fade. "However, a lip pencil will help you keep some of that color longer."


10. Play it Safe

If you're considering making a drastic change (ie.. changing into bright hair color), think twice. Changing your look so significantly before such a big event can be a big mistake. Instead, aim to look like yourself—just enhanced.

HAIR CARE ESSENTIALS - A MUST HAVE

I get a lot of questions about hair care so I thought this post would be helpful to some of you, as I will be sharing all the products that is good to be used on your hair. For tips on how to look after your hair read this post here.

HAIR CARE ESSENTIALS


We are telling you all our hair care secrets!

SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER

We recommend you to use the mythic oil shampoo & conditioner. Mythic oil nourishing shampoo leaves hair clean soft and shiny.

Hair type : All hair types

Benefits

Works to balance hair’s natural oil levels by gently cleansing and reducing oil at the root. Hair is left feeling clean, soft, supple and brilliantly shiny.

Technology

Paraben-Free Formula

Ingredients include:
Argan Oil: used for centuries by Moroccan women, Argan Oil is rich in Vitamin E and Omega 3 oils. It easily absorbs into the hair to deeply nourish and provide control.

Cotton Seed Oil: naturally light in weight this oil adds nourishment and extreme softness to the hair with a weightless finish.

Application

This light weight formula allows for everyday use.

We recommend this Shampoo & Masque since it does make your hair really shiny. Having said that, it is totally paraben free hence good for your hair. Our favorite conditioner of all times is the Mythic Oil Masque and once you use it you will not touch anything else. It will make your hair extremely soft and will naturally lighten your hair.


HAIR OILS : MYTHIC OIL

One or two pumps are perfect, use this everytime after you wash your hair. Focus on applying more of this to the ends of your hair, as this area is more dry and damaged and then work the oil upwards to the roots. Once you have finished working the product through your hair, whatever is left on your hands gently run through the roots.

Product Description
Enriched with a special blend of avocado and grape seed oil, L'Oréal Professionnel Mythic Oil is a lightweight oil that cares and pampers all hair types. Nourishing even the finest hair, the formula leaves hair looking shiny, feeling nourished and supple.
It is immediately absorbed for a lightweight feel and finish.

Directions for use:
Depending on hair type, dispense 1 to 2 pumps of L'Oréal Professionnel Mythic Oil into your hand and apply to dry or damp hair.

HAIR TOOLS & SAVIOURS

My favorite heat protector with heat optimising technology is L'oreal professionnel techni art constructor. Spray this on damp or dried hair then work with fingers under the heat of the hair dryer to create texture.

It adds thickness and volume to the hair. Apply to shampooed and towel dried hair. Shake the can well hold it upside down and spray a mandarin - size amount of mousse onto the palm of the hand. Spread through hair with a comb or fingers. Blowdry or style with fingers.

Simply apply the mousse to the roots and it honestly adds a bit of texture and roughness to the hair which keeps it lifted from the roots.

SHINE PRODUCTS

I love using the L'oreal sublime shine which is my favorite thing to use on the hair. I actually get so excited when we use this ! It adds TONNES of shine to the hair. You can use it everytime you get out of the bath. It is something that does not weigh your hair down. You can use this daily and you will love how how healthy it makes your hair look.

I also love using the L'oreal Satin finish spray ( Elnett) because it adds shine to the hair. Anything that adds shine is a bonus this hairspray is also light weight which means it brushes out easily the next day.

All these are products we advise using on your hair. Let me know if you enjoyed this post and I will be doing another in a couple of months as i like to switch my products up.

What are some of your hair care essentials? Do share with us.
 
                                                          catalyst

Natural Skin Care : Tomatoes To Get A Beautiful Glowing Skin

Tomatoes are great for the skin as they have cooling and astringent properties. They are rich in vitamin C making it helpful for acne and brightening dull skin and tomatoes also contain vitamin A which is needed for healthy skin. Its naturally acidic so it helps balance the skin and get rid of excessive oil. There are also many antioxidants in tomatoes. tomatoes!

When we found out how great tomatoes are for our skin, we wanted to share it with you. Who knew the gentle acid exfoliating action of tomatoes could give such a glow? Plus the luscious tomato is rich in antioxidants, vitamins A and B (including folic acid), potassium, and magnesium–all so deeply nourishing to our complexions. Harvest some fresh beauty for your skin with this simply divine tomato formula

For giving your skin an extra nourishing care homemade tomato facial mask for skin are very useful. Tomatoes are not only the excellent part of diet for a healthy looking skin but are also very good when used topically. When a fresh tomato is simply rubbed on the face, it effectively cleanses pores of dirt, dead skin cells and bacteria. Like other fruits such as strawberries and grapes, tomatoes are a good source of alpha hydroxy acids, which exfoliate the skin. Tomatoes also supply nutrient antioxidants for skin, which help to protect cells from the damage of free radicals. Tomato contains Vitamin A and Vitamin C. The tomato facial is very useful as the Vitamin A in it helps in the skin renewal to promote formation of new skin tissues and Vitamin C helps in new collagen production.
 
Homemade Tomato Facial Mask :
Try the following homemade tomato facial mask on skin at least once in a week for renewing treatment and deep pore cleansing:

Tomato And Avocado Facial Mask:
Like tomato, avocado is also a great source of antioxidants for the skin. Avocado provides fatty acids to the skin for deeply moisturizing and nourishment. Mash half of ripened avocado and half of fresh tomato together and add 1 tablespoon jojoba or sweet almond oil. You can mash them with a fork or in a mixer. Apply this mask on the face after cleaning and leave for 10 to 15 minutes. This mask is ideal not only for softening the skin but also for preventing the premature wrinkling.

Tomato And Milk Facial Mask:
For preparing a tomato face mask at home for reducing the acne, combine the natural cleansing properties of milk and tomatoes together. Milk and tomatoes both contain the natural acids for cleansing the pores as well as nutrients to promote skin healing. Milk is also a softening and dehydrating ingredient. For making this mask blend a fresh tomato and enough milk powder together to make a paste. Apply this paste to the clean skin. Leave it for 10 to 15 minutes and then rinse off with cool water. Pat dry the skin and then moisturize.

Tomato, Cucumber And Honey Mask:
Tomato, cucumber and honey is an excellent combination for cleansing and moisturizing the skin. In this homemade facial mask, tomato is the nutrient rich ingredient, cucumbers provide the organic acids for tightening pores and cooling the skin and honey has the anti bacterial and moisturizing properties. This tomato facial mask is very potent and is gentle enough for the sensitive skin. For preparing this mask blend half of a fresh tomato, fresh cucumber two inches and 2 tablespoons of honey. Smear it onto the face and neck, then relax for 15 minutes before rinsing it off. You can repeat this treatment after one day.

Tomato And Sugar Facial Mask:
Tomato and sugar mask helps to cleanse the pores and remove black heads. This mask also works are scrub making the skin smooth and soft. For making this mask slice the top off tomato and sprinkle sugar on small plate and then dip tomato slice into it. Use this sugar coated tomato slice to exfoliate the face softly in a circular motion. When your faced is fully covered with tomato scrub, relax for 10 minutes and then rinse off with water.

Homemade tomato facial mask for skin will help you pamper your skin, specially with nourishing ingredients and this will go on a long way for maintaining a glowing and lovely complexion.

Tomatoes are considered to be the panacea of the skin, helps your skin brighter and healthier. Tomato is a food which enrich nutrient, enhances body’s resistance, especially, vitamin A content in tomato is very high. Per 100 grams of fresh tomatoes will meet 13% of the daily requirement of vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C.

In addition to vitamin B1, B2, tomatoes are rich in micronutrients such as calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, nickel, cobalt, iodine, organic acid as citrate, malate… In particular, Lycopene creates red factor and is widely known compounds in tomatoes.

From many experiments, researchers found that tomato is capable of sunscreen effectiveness. Tomato is rich in antioxidant components. Lycopene helps to improve burnt black by the influence of the sun up to 40%.

You should eat cooked tomato better than eat tomato. Besides, the use of tomato juice regularly also helps prevent sun damage, make skin less dull in the hot season. With the woman who is in the process of losing weight, do not ignore the tomatoes because this magic fruit contains very few calories.

Just need to use a cup of tomato juice before a meal approximately 30 minutes will help strengthen the digestive process and prevent the deposition of fat in the body and helps smooth skin. If your skin is too dull and dark colour, you must apply this tomato mask regularly.

So, go ahead and try these tomato face packs to get a glowing younger skin naturally.

Find the Best Hair Color for you - Hair Color Ideas

When you're choosing a hair color, it's not as simple as picking up a box and getting that exact hair color match. Many elements factor in when coloring your hair:

Your Skin tone, eye color, your natural and artificial hair color all play a big role in which hair color shade will look great on you.

Choosing the right colour is mostly down to personal preference and what suits your skin tone best. If you are unsure, here are some golden rules:

1. Choosing the correct shade:
L'Oréal Paris recommends staying within 1-2 shades lighter or darker than your natural hair colour. This will harmonise with your natural skin and eye colour.

2. Respect your natural skin colour:
Your overall natural colouring determines whether warm (golden tones) or cool (ash & pearl tones) will suit you. Take into consideration the combination of your skin, eyes and natural hair tones.

Warmer, golden skin tones or those with freckles will suit warmer shades such as reds, honey, caramel, copper, mahogany and auburn.

Cooler skin tones, those with a slight pinkish tinge or neutral skin tones will suit ash, pearl, chocolate, violet, cool chestnut and beige.

Blue eyes will be enhanced by copper tones.

Green eyes will be enhanced by violet/burgundy tones.

Brown eyes will suit all tones as brown is considered a neutral colour, however play up your golden brown eyes with warm tones or your deep brown eyes with cooler tones.

Choosing the right color for Indian Skin Tones

Hair Color is a great way to subtly and sometimes drastically change your entire appearance. The right hair color can make you look fab with very little effort. Choosing hair color for Indian skin can be more difficult than any other types. Women don’t realize that, what works on say Western hair, is not suitable for Indian skin tones. C’mon, how many times have you seen that very blonde aunty walking down the street and stared after her in horror. Another problem Indian women face is the inability to go crazy with hair color because of "what society thinks."

When it comes to natural colors, browns, reds and burgundy are favored by Indians. The undertone of the skin is very important when you choose a color. If you’re very yellow, you don’t want an ashy brown or gold, you will look jaundiced. Same goes for beauties that tend to go very red, if you choose red hair, you may look like a tomato! Definitely not a good look! But red highlights are a definite yes! All's well when in moderation.

2. Brown : Brown is probably the safest color you can go for. Again, go according to your skin. If you’re cooler, go for colors like mahogany. For warm skin, go for ash brown.

3. Burgundy : A very popular color that will look best on olive and yellow skin tones. It will suit darker girls.

4. Red : Red is tricky, there are a lot of shades in just red! If you’re fair go for a lighter red or copper. Not orange! Olive girls will look best with blue based reds which are darker. If you have very red skin, try to stay away from red, it will be an overdose of ruddiness.

5. Golden : I don’t think golden is a natural color on anyone with Indian skin but people do love it! So, I feel I should add a bit about it. A full head of blonde is not a winning look; it can make dusky women look very pale and sickly as well as olive ladies, even if they are fair. The best way to wear golden is with some brown tones and usually in streaks or highlights. Don’t go full gold. Not only is the gold "color" not flattering, but the hair when regrown is not a beautiful sight.

6. Black : Pure black or jet black is a no-no. Black makes your features appear harder and more haggard. It will look like a wig. Go for a dark brown ( No :3 Inoa )or darkest brown ( No 3.00) instead.

Highlights and Low lights :　
If you go for all over hair color, do consider highlights or low lights. Not more than one or two shades lighter/ darker than your color. They add realism and dimension to the hair. Our hair is actually made of many different pigments, if you hold up your natural hair against the sun; you’ll see what I mean. Hair color removes this "natural look" by adding one solid pigment. Adding highlights/ lowlights can add softness and dimension to your hair.

Color Color which Color do you Choose?

Well its ought to be Red for me!!! What about you?  My little girl Becky sporting her new look with red highlights. Well whats your favorite color ?

Fruits that lighten Skin Tone : Papaya the magic fruit

Papaya is actually a tropical fruit it is normally orange in color yet the green flesh in the unripe fruit is made up of a lot more of this papain enzyme.

Papaya has been known to be a main component in skin whitening products since it is made up of papain, an all-natural enzyme that stimulates skin restoration and cell turn over. It helps in exfoliating your skin to uncover new cells and bring new skin cells to the surface to reveal a healthy complexion, and contains regenerative properties that soften the skin. To increase the advantages of papaya, you should use papaya soap to scrub and exfoliate along with papaya lotion to help moisturize your skin.

Breaking down the dead skin cells is important to skin whitening. As papaya enables you to accelerate the skin cell renewal process, it will help to lighten your skin appearance. However, papaya does not have all melanin inhibiting properties thus will not cause severe skin lightening. It is perfect for diminishing darkish spots and skin tone brightening in general.

There is a good chance that eating papaya may also help in whitening your skin and improving all round skin clarity. Papaya is abundant in vitamins A and E in addition to vitamin C and other anti-oxidants that assist in supplying skin the humidity and protection it requires. The nutrients included in the papaya fruit helps with the skin’s recovery too.

To benefit from the lightening effects of papaya, feel free to use papaya soap twice daily and may see an effect after a couple of weeks of steady usage. Using the flesh of the fruit like a face mask 2-3 times per week may also eliminate dead skin and lighten the complexion.

Enhance a papaya program with vitamins and minerals and solutions to protect the skin, such as moisturizers and sunscreen. Regular care and maintenance along with a good cleanliness are components of naturally beautiful skin.

Papaya is not only ideal for fading dark spots and evening complexion. There are a number of other wonderful properties include dealing with pimples, burns, stings, rashes and anti-aging.We recommend Papaya for your skincare regime. When applied to the face, it helps get rid of dead skin and gives your face that fresh glow!

Ingredients To Make The Papaya Facial Mask

2-3 slices ripe papaya
1 spoon brown sugar
1 spoon honey
½ spoon fresh lemon juice
2-3 spoons fresh cream

Procedure To Make The Papaya Face Mask

To make this face mask, obtain ripe papaya and slice it into small pieces. With the help of a mixer, blend the papaya pieces along with the brown sugar, honey, and fresh lemon juice. Blend till you obtain a puree-like consistency. Remove from the mixer and add the fresh cream. Mix all ingredients well and your papaya facial mask is ready for use.

Benefits Of the Papaya Mask For Your Skin
Massage the papaya face mask on your skin gently for 5-10 minutes. After this, let the face mask remain on the skin for 10-15 minutes. Wash off using warm water to attain glowing skin. Besides papaya all other ingredients used in this face mask work in different ways to ensure that your skin benefits in every way. This is an all-in-one face mask that cleanses tones, exfoliates, hydrates and brightens your skin.
Papaya with its potent natural capabilities will exfoliate your skin and make it healthy and soft. We have added brown sugar which will also act as a natural exfoliant to help get rid of dead skin cells. Besides, brown sugar also releases natural oils that will moisturize your skin making it soft and smooth. Honey will help reduce blemishes and scars and make your skin appear even-toned. Fresh lemon juice acts as natural bleach, brightening your complexion. Fresh cream will nourish your skin.
Apply this papaya face mask at least twice a week for an extended time to see great results. You can also add other natural ingredients of your choice along with papaya to make a facial mask to suit your skin type.
 Papaya is free from chemical additives and brings natural glow to skin. It rejuvenates and gives a natural face lift. Papaya has vitamin C, E and beta carotene are good source of anti-oxidants which helps to lighten the skin tone.

 

Hope you like this Papaya face mask, do try it. Share your comments below about this face mask.

Have you tried this Papaya face mask at home?

catalyst

Make A Fashion Statement With Your Hair Color

Hairstyling plays an important role in personal grooming. It completes your personality and makes you look attractive and appealing. Hairstyling and hair coloring are inseparable and go hand-in-hand in making you look perfect. Hair coloring is changing the color of the entire hair or just adding streaks of suitable hair color to the hair to make it more stylish and attractive. Golden, black, burgundy, brown and even black are some of the common hair colors used for styling.

Instead of covering the entire hair, subtle highlights in suitable colors are given to make a hairstyle special. There are different types of hair highlights namely chunking, hair painting and foil highlights and each of these can be permanent or temporary. Many different colors of highlights are available today and it is essential to choose one that goes well with the natural base hair color. The following post with 12 hair highlighting ideas are attractive and are sure to make you gorgeous.

Hair is a fashion accessory, "Now people are doing it to add color, to give themselves a boost -- it's much less about covering gray than it is keeping up with the trends,"Hair color is a great way to set yourself apart. And it's not as permanent as a tattoo."It's also not as traumatic, thanks to advances in product formulation. Hair color like Inoa ( L'oreal Professionnel) has fewer harsh chemicals and more conditioners.

Thinking of Switching up your hair Color for summer 2013/We,ve picked out the hottest hair color for the Summer highlight collection 2013 @ CATALYST as seen on the runways and ofcourse on your favourite celebrities. Let Catalyst be your hairstyle color inspiration for the warmer months.

1.Fiery Red highlights

Redefine your look with flaming red locks on your bangs to keep it stylish. Catalyst's fiery red highlights are our trademark and Jagee likes to show it off which makes her unique.

2.Peek-a-boo Red Highlights

Trends of hair coloring always continue to grow, Good fashion style with hair color combination will make the women appear more different than others.
Red highlights look visible and compatible if combined with all hair types, especially if it is combining with dark brown color. Short or long hair will look harmonious with this combination.

3.Dip-dyed hair in beautiful burgundy/ dark red Ombre

Ombre colored locks can be spotted everywhere from the runway, magazines and television. There are different colors of Ombre hair. One of them is burgundy Ombre hair. Besides brown, burgundy is a color which women often opt for their Ombre hair.

4.Blonde Highlights

Use these blonde hair highlights to breathe life into your tresses. Prepare for the blooming season with a revitalized and up-to-date hair coloring design.

5. Mix and Match highlights

Torn between purple and Blue highlights, then probably you should have them both.

6.Honey coloured Highlights

When it comes to big changes nothing gives a more dramatic result than changing the color of your hair.
Simple change in shade, tone and color can give you an instant makeover, and with the quality and range of color's available today.
　

7.Red Block highlights

We suggest going bolder and opting for red highlights. No matter where you go, these stunning highlights are bound to make a statement.

8. Dazzling Black hair with Red highlights

Cheer up your tresses with these glam red hair highlights that look spectacular and faddish when paired with your medium hair lenght.
 
9. Ravishing Red highlights

Rich dark colors are ultra-hot, sprinkled with a few equally rich highlights peeking out from underneath.

10.Caramel Blonde Highlights

This is a great example of how it is possible for highlights to look gorgeous with blonde hair. Her golden blonde highlights accentuate her hair to create a standout look. Try this style if you have blonde hair and want to show off your locks for a special occasion.

11. Pixie Haircut with Blonde Highlights

If you want extreme trendy hair, you must try spiky pixie haircut with blonde hair highlights. It will look trendy and cool.

12. Funky Red Highlights

Your hair colour is fashion statement. She wraps her fashion statement with stunning red highlights in her hair. Kiss goodbye to casual and boring hairstyle and go bold with bright hair color.

Bold hair color will help you to boost your confidence. Thanks to great variety of innovative hair colors you will easily find the most flattering one that will help you to fulfil even the boldest idea. Edgy shades like purple, blue, bright orange, red, blonde and many other bright colors will inspire you to inject drama into your image.

It used to be that only your hairdresser knew for sure.

Now everybody knows. That's the point.