ABCDlady Magazine - for the American Born Confident Desi

Desi Diva

By Shweta Govindarajan

Applying Tasteful Make-up

One evening a friend remarked, “You wear make-up tastefully. It never seems like a lot." I laughed -- that day I had on the entire contents of my cosmetics pouch, and then some.

But it makes for a good discussion – what is the key to knowing how much make-up is “in good taste?” To me, it’s knowing your face, and more importantly, how your face changes with different looks, so that as you begin to apply make-up, you’ll instinctively know what looks tasteful – and what’s in poor taste.

Imagine walking into an empty room. Movers are bringing in beautiful furniture, lush draperies and magnificent art to fill and decorate the space and your job is to tell them what to keep in and what to take out. You need to make sure the room is elegantly and tastefully put together – essentially, a few chaise lounges short of a brothel. You’ll probably notice that all the pieces are lovely and distinct in their own right, but chances are you’ll look to see what matches or contrasts with each other, and which pieces stick out like sore thumbs.

Model: Kanika Johar. Photo by Suraj Shetty

Not to oversimplify, but putting on make-up is pretty much the same process. Your face is the empty room and different cosmetics are the decorating pieces. You figure out how you want to look, and you start putting it together. You’ll realize you've gotten the hang of it when you look in the mirror and think, "No, that's not right," and you know exactly what to do to fix it. A look becomes tasteful when the different colors and textures of make-up come together to form a unified, finished picture.

Everybody’s approach is different, but for me, putting on make-up comes down to a series of decisions. Do I want color today? How much? Is lipstick and mascara enough or would adding some eyeliner give me a more polished look? Perhaps it sounds silly to break it down that way, but the more you think about what you're putting on your face, the better you'll end up looking.

What's more, artful make-up application doesn't rely so much on a specific palette as it does on good design sense. For instance, your look can be daring or it can be soft and light – all that matters is that everything is working in unison. An elegant face can be achieved simply by a wash of color over your lips, or by a combination of foundation, eyeliner and blush – it's about how you've put it all together.

Color enthusiasts, be warned: If it seems your method of choice is to paint your face à la Lady Marmalade, you’ll probably have to work a little harder at toning it down. Keep in mind that an elegantly made-up face is about balance. A tasteful look doesn’t require the absence of color, but you have to wear it in moderation. Tastefulness vanishes once your make-up is out of balance – a lipstick shade that’s too coarse or overly heavy eyeliner, perhaps. Those cosmetics blunders can make you look sloppy, hasty, or worse, trashy. (Of course, sometimes trashy can look irresistibly sexy, but let’s save that for another conversation.)

In the meantime, when you’re next out and about, scope out the women around you and notice the choices they’ve made. Become an expert at assessing the details of a made-up face – the thinness or thickness of a line, the absence or existence of lip liner – and then practice what you’ve observed. It’s that simple.

Invest in the basics. There are few items every woman's make-up collection needs: eyeliner, mascara, concealer/foundation, blush and lipstick, all in basic shades. Bright purple eye shadow is a fabulous thing to have, but not in place of a more neutral shade that has more class than sass. Before filling your drawer with assorted eye shadow and lipstick colors, think about first establishing a beauty base that will serve as the foundation of any look.

Avoid extremes. In theory, a naked face is lovely in its naturalness; in practice, it's something that can frighten small animals and children. And while an artfully painted face is breathtaking, excess make-up can make your face one splotch shy of a Jackson Pollock painting. Remember: balance, balance, balance. If you don’t wear enough foundation/blush/eye shadow, you run the risk of looking worn or unfinished, and if you slap on make-up willy-nilly, you’ll just look overdone. A good rule of thumb is to wear as much or as little as you think you need, then put the make-up down and examine your work.

Tasteful is not boring. If you think elegance means beige eye shadow and brown lipstick, think again. (And perhaps start this article from the top!) Color is welcome in the world of make-up artistry. Color can make your face sing! Just be smart about the color choices you make. In the same way you know that a low cut top is not the best option for a Tuesday at the office, that same instinct can steer you toward tasteful make-up selections. If you feel blue, wear some blue. But if you're going to work, consider a dusting rather than an avalanche. Got the urge to shimmer at a funeral? Try a pearl or copper shade on your lids, go easy on the eyeliner and try a matte shade on your lips.

Consider your clothing. It’s time for the obvious portion of the article. Your face is connected to your body, and rarely will it be judged all on its own. When someone looks at you they are looking at all of you, not just what’s happening on your face. So, think about what you’re wearing and pick your make-up accordingly. A business suit calls for at least mascara and a classic shade of lipstick. A summer dress is a fine excuse for a rosy flush on your cheeks and dewy, kissable lips. Get the idea? To keep your make-up balanced and sophisticated, imagine your face as part of your ensemble and the appropriate look will become apparent.

Wear it all. Here's what I hear a lot when I encourage women to try a shade other than brown: "But I don't want to look like a clown!" Well, then don’t! This is one of the great truths in make-up: If you become skilled at knowing how much to put where, you can wear it all! More really can look like less if you can do it well. As long as it is artfully applied, a slew of make-up products can turn a blotchy, boy-did-I-have-one-too-many face into one that belongs to a flawless woman of the world, and no one has to know that it took a drawer full of cosmetics to get there.

Shweta Govindarajan is a congressional reporter who wouldn't mind teaching Capitol Hill a thing or two about undertones. In addition to feeding her Sephora addiction every chance she gets, Shweta writes about all things beauty for ABCDlady.