For the perfect glowing look

beauty notes

With the evolution of cosmetic trends and new products entering the market every season, new styles of make-up emerge. The most recent in the recent times is strobing, a technique popularised in India by Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor, who wore it on the ramps of Lakme Fashion Week 2016.

Strobing gives your face a natural shine and is a lot simpler than contouring, which involves the application of darker shades under the cheekbones, around the forehead and under the nose and chin. When you’re in a rush and don’t have the time for such an elaborate process, you can opt for the less time-consuming alternative.

Follow these steps to highlight your best features and giving a more youthful look to your face.

Step 1: Strobing is all about getting the perfect glow. So, first of all, replenish dull, dry skin with a good moisturiser. If you have oily skin, use an oil-free moisturiser.

Step 2: Apply foundation evenly on the face and neck and use a concealer to cover dark circles, blemishes and pigmented patches. Remember to keep it all natural. Then, powder oily areas like your T-zone (forehead, nose and chin) to set the concealer.

Step 3: Now comes the main portion of the technique. Pick a highlighter that matches your skin tone to get a subtle sheen. Load the brush and start applying a careful layer on your cheek bones and temples, high parts of your forehead and the length of your nose. This will enhance your naturally sharp features. It is advisable not to spread the product all over your face, or else your glow will turn into a greasy mess. But if you have oily skin, you must skip areas like your forehead or chin, which already have a little shine.

Step 4: After you’ve applied the highlighter, you can blend it with your fingers, a fan brush, or a damp make-up sponge. Make sure to even out any harsh edges so it fades into your skin.

Step 5: Fill your eyebrows with a colour that suits you and pair it with nude or light brown eye shadow, a hint of eyeliner, mascara, natural looking pink blusher, and a subtle shade of pink/nude/coral satin finish lipstick.

Things to keep in mind:

The shade of your highlighter should be in sync with your natural skin texture. For example, a cream-coloured highlighter can be used on fair skin, golden for wheatish skin and bronze for darker skin tones.

Facial make-up is always supposed to look natural, unless you are over-doing it on purpose.

Try not to highlight acne; you’ll not like the result if you do.
Extra highlighting will give you a dewy, shimmery, more youthful glow.
If you have oily skin, opt for a matte bronzer, blush, or other facial products, and only use a shimmery highlighter.

Avoid highlighting areas on your face that have breakouts.
Take a minute to see where your face reflects light the most and apply the highlighter on those areas.

(The author is executive director, ALPS Cosmetic Clinics)