Bold and Beautiful

The truly beautiful are those that are presentable in appearance and confident in their self - a positive combination of outward glow and inner radiance.

Outward Glow

1. Start with a clean face. Use a cleanser, toner and a moisturiser to prepare the face
2. Foundation. Priyaa, a certified cosmetologist, says, "It is very important to enhance your features by using the correct kind of make-up. On a clean face, a basic foundation [pressed powder, cream powder, or liquid] should be applied first. The foundation colour should match the colour of your jaw line. Take a little foundation and mix with a few drops of water. Spread this evenly on your face with your fingertips"
3. Concealer. Cover up any imperfections or under-eye circles with tone correcting concealer
4. Bronzer or blush. An apricot blush will give a glow to your skin, while a shimmer bronzer will give it a wonderful, sun-kissed look
5. Highlighter. For those glamorous evenings, dust a pale gold highlighter on your nose, forehead and chin.

Emphasise one feature

If you emphasise your eyes with kaajal, eyeliner, mascara and shadow, balance this with just a touch of light gloss on your lips.

Says Priyaa, "Eye shadow should be applied with your fingertips, or a broad brush. Don't use the applicator that comes with the eye shadow. It is useless." Do use mascara for long, luscious lashes.

If you want to emphasise your lips, use only a pale shadow on your eyes, and add lots of shimmer in brown or pink to your lips.

Avoid very dark, harsh lip colours. Fair-skinned people can use pinks and mauves, the wheatish-skinned bronzy pinks and the dark-skinned deep mauves. Do not use a lip liner.

Liberate yourself from make-up norms

You don't have to always use mascara or lipstick. Experiment a bit and see what suits you the most.

Underplay, don't overdo

Keep in mind that make-up should suit the skin colour, type and occasion. Bold colours that look glamorous at night will appear harsh in the morning light. Again, what you would wear to office will be different from what you will wear to a party. When, in doubt, underplay rather than overdo.

Quality matters

Your face is the one feature that you project to the world.

Do not buy cheap make-up. It is better to buy quality and pay more for it rather than go for low-priced items that may not burn a hole in your pocket, but can definitely harm your face.

Our facial expressions are very important towards making our face beautiful. A well made-up face with a glum or dissatisfied look will appear just that - glum and dissatisfied. It will not appear beautiful.

An ordinary face will turn many heads if it conveys health, charm and confidence.

Always wear joy on your face, and the sparkle in your eyes will give you a lustre that no make-up can.

Eternal Radiance

The best make-up will not hide a botchy skin, lack-lustre hair, tired eyes or a dull face. Inner radiance is what eventually makes you shine. To achieve this, the age-old tenets of adequate sleep, exercise, and correct diet still hold true. To glow with inner beauty, you need to ensure that these ABCs are a part of your everyday life.

• Adequate sleep. Six-eight hours of sleep are essential. Sleep deprived individuals not only look and behave tired, their work suffers as well.
• Balanced attitude. Fast-track individuals of today, living in the days of nano-technology, are prone to tempers and tantrums. Maintaining a balanced attitude ensures that you have a smooth skin without too many wrinkles
• Correct diet. Eating small meals at regular intervals is essential. Make sure that the diet is rich in fresh fruits and vegetables - not chocolates and ice-cream. Junk and oily, fried or over-spiced foods need to be shunned
• Drink water. Eight glasses of water a day flushes your system of toxins - to give you clear skin and sparkling eyes
• Exercise. Yoga, pilates, jogging, aerobics, jui jitsu, ta'i-chi, taekwondo, kalaripattu, etc., there is no end to the choices available. If these sound tough, the good, daily half-hour walk should get your muscles and rhythm working.