Desi Diva

By Shweta Govindarajan

Beauty Basics for 2006

Top five beauty secrets to start your year off right

Every year, we make elaborate resolutions to make ourselves thinner, prettier, smarter – there’s no end to what we want to change. There are some things worth paying for, but being beautiful is simple and doesn’t require a lot of money. You were born with natural beauty, and the little things you do to show it off can create a radiance no amount of makeup can match. This year, resist the temptation to cover your face in cosmetics, and instead, check out a few beauty basics that can make you glow all year.

Clean Canvas
We all know to wash our faces before leaving the house, but makeup is not the only thing we have to get rid of. People look closer at our faces than we think – and they don’t appreciate any unpleasant surprises. After you’ve washed your face and before you begin to apply makeup, look at yourself carefully. Is there still sleep in the corners of your eyes? Use your finger or a cotton swab to gently clean out the inner crevices of your eyes. Any nostril hair sticking out – or more embarrassing – anything stuck to them? Small scissors and a tissue should take care of matters in a jiffy. Feel your lips – are they cracked or bleeding? Winter weather, unfortunately, is no excuse to keep your lips from feeling smooth. Remember to exfoliate your lips lightly with a toothbrush and sweep a liberal coating of petroleum jelly on them every hour – not only does it block out harsh winds, it also doubles as gloss for your pucker!

Survival Kit
It’s not all about how we look after hours – it’s important to keep it together 9-5, too. In addition to pens and pencils, your office desk drawer should contain a handful of beauty essentials to keep you pretty as a picture throughout the work day. Keep these items at arms reach and round-the-clock beauty is yours. Some examples? Think about making a beauty stash containing:

- A hand mirror for quick checks.
- Perfume (finally, a use for those tester vials from the department store!) for last minute dates.
- Toothbrush/paste and floss to make sure you don’t have remnants of lunch well after noon.
- Hairbrush for an instant ‘do change.
- A nail file for sudden jagged edges.
- Plastic baggie of dryer sheets to tame pesky flyaways caused by winter static.
- Lotion for a mid-afternoon elbows and knees check.
- Tweezers for eyebrow emergencies.

Go Skin Deep
It’s an age old secret that must be better kept than we thought: You don’t need a full face of makeup to look pretty. One of the most important beauty facts is that smooth, clean skin trumps heavy foundation any day of the week. Maybe going cosmetic-free is a no-no at work, but try going without your routine on the weekends and see how a face embellished with only a smile can turn just as many heads. Worried about problem areas? Just dab a bit of concealer on blemishes and under the eyes – no one will know you’re faking it. If you still feel naked, add a quick wash of color on your lips to brighten your face and call attention to your pretty, unadorned face.

Talk to the Hand
After our faces, the next thing we take note of are our hands. Whenever people touch their faces, or reach out to hand us something, their hands catch our gaze. Gnarly hands are enough to make anyone shrink away in terror, so make sure

your hands are also picture perfect. Keep skin supple and free from cracks and dryness by using moisturizer frequently (right after you wash your hands is best). Nails should be neat – sans polish or with a clear finish is always elegant, and saves on trips to the salon. For those who like a little color, paint away – just make sure to fix any chips, and be vigilant about removing polish once it begins to wear away. Not only are half painted fingernails (and toes) terribly tacky, they’re a big beauty no-no, and will expose even the most sophisticated woman as an amateur.

Window Dressing
You wouldn’t put ugly curtains over your windows, would you? Before you touch your makeup case, give your eyebrows a once-over. Well groomed eyebrows open up your eyes and get you those curious, “What did she do differently today?” glances that are sure to make other women envious. If you’re an eyebrow novice, think about seeing an expert to make sure you don’t end up with a mistake that takes three weeks to fix. For those who have salon visits programmed in their calendars, plucking stray hairs between visits is a must-do. Sometimes you don’t have to turn on all the lamps in your home – you just need to pull the draperies back to let a little light shine through.