Making make-up work

Asha Dodhia Murthy
Owner, Aroushi Beauty Salon

A former model, Asha enjoys putting on her make-up. "It's a challenge for me to use anything and make it look good. I don't feel comfortable with heavy make-up for a shoot. But without regular make-up, I am very uncomfortable. Because otherwise all I am doing is evaluating the flaws in my face," she says.

Asha has discovered that most people are not perfect, but have to try and look perfect. "The challenge in applying make-up on myself lies in achieving the end result. For example, if I want to make my nose appear thinner, my jawline narrower, my eyes wider and, most important, make my complexion appear healthier, I can do it," she says confidently.

It is important to understand the basic rules when applying make-up. Many believe it's all about using a dark lipstick which stands out for a mile, not realising that you could apply five different soft things on the face to a greater effect instead of one stark colour. The rule is: darker colours bring out the darker tones, and the softer colours bring out the fresher tones. People don't realise that if you're using the wrong colours, you can negate the effect of make-up – when a fair woman with pink cheeks uses shades of brown lipstick, she ends up looking drab. But any colour with a pink tone brings out the freshness of the look.

"It's like," she elaborates, "if you have a black scar on your face and you wear dark lipstick, the scar stands out even more. Good technique is about achieving a seamless look, about steering clear of stark contrasts."

Asian skin tones should steer clear of shades that have blue and yellow tones in them. Those with pink and yellow skin tones, however, can play with any of the colours from the palette, as these skin colours provide a beautiful canvas to work on. Orange skin tones would do well to stay away from the blue-pink or the wintry colours. White skin, on the other hand, can take on fresh summery colours but should avoid using brown.

"I have learnt the hard way that European skins cannot take what Asian skin can and that there can be no generic approach to applying make-up. It's not about the skin colour of Europeans but about how their skin responds to product textures," she says.

"There is such a huge difference in their facial structure, their pores, the hair on the face and the underlying colour that you have to use a different approach. Asian skin is highly pigmented and can't take liquid foundation because it accentuates the pink and the black tones. I think doing Asian faces is difficult because, while the face is dark, the necks are fairer and then it requires evening up.
"When it comes to products, I am only particular about eye make-up. Some brands charge exorbitant prices for a certain item, but if you have a purpose for it, then it works wonders. YSL came out with the Sahara look. It was a kind of diffused cover to put over make-up. On first sight, it appears to have one tone, but put on the lights and the transformation is stunning – the whole face sprakles but in a non-glittery way. These things are worth paying for because of the research that has gone into it."

Coming back to her own make-up, Asha gets conscious about giving a hollow effect to her cheekbones as she feels too old for it. She avoids bringing her eyeliner all the way to the front because it doesn't suit her. "I believe that you can achieve near perfection through contouring. When people compliment me on the way I look, I know why I look great on that particular day. Among the mad things I do to get a certain effect is to put 'surma' (dried kohl) in my eyes the night before and let it run. The next day, I just touch it up with a pencil and it has set in by the time of the occasion. I like my eyes looking longer. I have to align my cheekbones with my eyes rather than keep them in and for that, I line them in a particular way.

"Again, you can't go overboard. My aim while doing make-up is to achieve a slender look and I always use darker tones for that. I think for achieving a great-looking effect, you first have to begin with a vision.

"I've been compelled to get into make-up because of the salon. But since I am into it, I want to keep learning. In fact, I feel that the way I go around mixing things, someday, I might end up creating my own make-up line."

Mitz Formento
0wner, Al Saad Ladies Salon

Making her eyes appear as large as she would like them is the biggest make-up hurdle for Mitz, who started her career in Philippines as an assistant make-up artist 12 years ago. She has the distinction of making up most of the leading Filipino actors and actresses there before moving to Dubai.

"I want to have big, shiny eyes, and that's the challenge for me," she says as she begins her own makeover. "I don't really care about applying make-up on myself," she says, dabbing colour onto her lids. "The area between the brow and the crease is so large that it looks like an empty space. To correct that, first you fill in the base colour which is usually a beige or a white. And then you take a dark brown or black eye pencil to make a crease in the eye – to give it definition – but make sure that the crease is from the inside of the eye and ends halfway beneath the eyebrow. If you end it right below the eyebrow, you run the risk of looking like a clown," she warns.

"Fuschia, purple and brown eye shadows suit yellow-skinned people, but grey is just not for us. Also, try to use more than just one colour on your eyelids – these have to be blended with other shades as well to add character to eyes which are narrow. Usually, I like to choose my base colour to match the colour of the dress. Then, even if I go in for a contrasting colour, it works well. Also, it is very important to colour the inside rim of the eye so as to make it appear larger. Besides, I use a base for mascara as it helps to add more length," she says.

To provide a ridge to her nose, she shades it vertically down the sides in a darker shade of foundation and highlights the bridge with a lighter shade. This instantly adds a sharper

dimension to her nose. "I dust my eyebrows with eyeshadow because eye-pencil makes them very pronounced. A brown instead of a black pencil is prefer able because black is too dark," says Mitz. "You can turn your make-up into tools of versatility by brushing on eyeshadow or lipstick on your cheeks and using eyeliner as mascara with a brush. Play around with all the colours on the table because anything is possible."

Then, to cover a broad jawline, Mitz dusts on a darker shade of blush. "You can use a concealer, a blush-on or even some nude eyeshadow to tone down a a wide jawline. To achieve an even tone with a concealer, always apply with your fingers."

However much she might enjoy playing around with colours on other people's faces, Mitz is clearly uncomfortable in making up her own face. "I'm usually given to thinking
more about other persons when it comes to make-up. Besides, I am
very conservative with colours when using make-up on myself, whereas I have no qualms about using bright make-up on others."

Gulnaaz,
Freelance make-up artist

"Usually, it's only mascara and eyeliner for me and this is the first time I'm applying make-up on myself," says Gulnaaz. Little wonder then that she found the