There is more than one element of colour, shine and sparkle in your make-up kitty. Starting with the eyes to the lips, here’s a list of products you may want to include to achieve different looks for different moods and occasions.

Eyes

The base for an eye shadow usually comes in a tube. This makes it easier to spread the colour over the eyelids. Eye-shadow powders are better than creams as the latter tends to run and get stuck in creases when you perspire. Buy one or two prominent shades and a pale one to act as the highlighter. A fat, black pencil is an important part of eye make-up. Kaajal or kohl helps define eyelids, eyes and eyebrows. Mascaras are either plain or come with with glitter particles. Particles give create an ‘extra-length’ illusion. The eyebrow pencil colour should be a shade lighter than your hair.

Face-off

Pre-foundation liquid: Glycerin is used as a moisturiser before contouring. Colour correctors are liquids you apply to your skin prior to the foundation. Colour correctors even out skin tone.

Foundation: Basic or overall foundation comes in either a moisturising variety for dry skin, or water-based variety for oily skin. The water-based foundation won’t cake around wrinkles or laugh lines on a humid day. So, it is best to stick to a water-based product.

Concealer cream: Concealers that come in a bottle with a brush or sponge are easier to apply than concealers sold in a tube. The concealer should be a shade lighter than your skin tone.

Note: The yellow concealer, sometimes referred to as ‘mellow yellow’, is used to cover red blemishes or enlarged capillaries. Dab your face lightly with a yellow concealer before applying the basic foundation cream.

Powders: Baby powders absorb liquids and set the make-up. Translucent powder comes in loose packets or compressed compacts. The loose variety offers better setting when used on a foundation. Some even come with glitter.

Blushers: Colour washes are relatively new to the cosmetics market in India. Colour washes work like diluted rouge and can bring forth a natural look. Blush powders perk up your complexion. They also make a great substitute for foundation creams. You will need three kinds of blushers — a dark blusher, a bright blusher and a pale one, for blending. These powders are usually pressed into compacts. The colours should be matched to skin tone.

Lips don’t lie

Lip colours: A flesh-coloured lip pencil offers a transparent yet strong definition to the lips. Lipsticks must preferably be matched to the colour of the lips. Use lip gloss over lipstick for shiny, fuller lips.

Inside your make-up kit

*Tweezers: Get slant-edged or pointed ones;  avoid flat-edged ones as they tend to pluck more than just one strand.

*Eyelash curler

*Two pencil sharpeners: one large enough for fat shadow pencils and a small one for lip pencils

Brushes

*1/8-inch flat artist’s brush (measured by width for blending)

*Two ¼-inch flat artist’s brushes (for blending around the eyes)

*Four dry-powder shadow brushes (a narrow one for each colour you might use)

*Small, rounded paintbrush (pick the one with soft sable bristles for work on the eyelids)

*Large powder brush

*Three soft cosmetic blush brushes (a small, tapered contour brush for specific spots and two regular-sized brushes)

*Slant-edged lip brushes (two with stiff bristles)

*A hand towel

*Bottle of sterile alcohol (for cleaning tools at least once a week)

*Tissues

*Petroleum jelly