#thebasicsseries Archives - High On Gloss

How To Wear Matte Lipstick Like A Pro : #thebasicsseries

Nisha Malik — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 10:27:33 +0000

Aarti Sharma from Rohtak, asks me how I wear those perfect matte lips. She says whenever she wears matte lipsticks, her lips start to look patchy & dry after 2-3 hours. Also her lips are little pigmented. She seeks some advice. Instead of giving her a reply on email, I thought, it’s something I can share with you all. Do you too love wearing matte lipsticks? I too. Specially summers call for matte lipsticks for long lasting color on lips. It’s actually really easy to flaunt perfectly shaped matte lips in just few steps. Read on… Exfoliate You Lips Regularly Lips exfoliation is as important as skin exfoliation. Our lips accumulate dead skin & product build up in every 2-3 days. It’s important to exfoliate and reveal new, soft & radiant lips. You can exfoliate your lips using your toothbrush or using a lip scrub. You can also use natural lip scrub made at home. How to exfoliate lips using toothbrush? You do not have to use much techniques while using a toothbrush to scrub your lips. You can do this while you are brushing your teeth. After brushing your teeth, while the toothbrush is still wet, gently scrub your lips with circular motion for a minute or two and you will notice baby soft & pink lips afterwords. You can also use ready made lip scrubs or can make a simple lip scrub by mixing a tablespoon of sugar (white/brown) with little Oilve/Almond Oil. Use this scrub to exfoliate your lips. You should exfoliate lips once every 2-3 days, this will give your lips smooth & healthy look while giving a perfect base for lip products. Moisturize Your Lips Lip balms are a must if you are going for a matte lipstick. You should opt for a clear lip balm so that it does not interfere with the application & color of the lipstick that you are going to wear. You do not have to go full throttle with the lip balm, just swipe it across your lips once and you will get enough moisture. Choose nice lip balm, the cheap and chemically laden lip balms hurt your soft skin & induces pigmentation. If possible wear SPF infused lip balms to protect them from sun damage. Apply Foundation/Compact To bring out the perfect color on lips, this is a nice step to follow if you are comfortable. Apply some foundation or compact powder over your lips. This step also enhances long lasting color & smudge free look for hours. Whenever you wear foundation on your face, wear some on your lips too. Line Your Lips It is important to line your lips. No matter how beautifully shaped lips you have, you should define the outer lines of your lips. It gives a clean finish to your lipstick. Also a lip liner can correct any flawed outlines too. You can draw new lines on to your lips giving them fuller look. Make sure to choose the shade of the lip liner closest to that of your lipstick. Apply Your Shade It’s the time to wear your favorite matte lipstick. Start from the center of your upper lip and apply till the end on both sides, then apply on the bottom lip. Blot & Reapply To enhance the longevity of the color on your lips, blot it with a tissue & then reapply. This will also bring out the true color of the lipstick on your lips. Quick Tip: Exfoliating lips regularly, moisturizing lips & using high quality lip products helps keeping lips soft & pigmentation free. These were my few tips to flaunt that perfect matte pout. This may seem a lot, but trust me does not take much time, when you have to wear a matte lipstick for long hours without smudge, you should follow these steps with out fail. Enjoy.

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How To Wear Kajal Like A Pro : #thebasicsseries

Nisha Malik — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 08:09:58 +0000

It’s been long since I write something under #thebasicsseries. Today I am going to talk about the very basic thing that we girls like, putting on a kajal. Some of us put only kajal in the name of makeup(nothing wrong with that too). Most of us have even mastered the art of winged eyeliners by now, but flaunting a sharp and smudge free kajal all day long is another thing. The most basic question how do I stop my kajal from getting smudged, stays answered. Even I have been through this. I have deep set of eyes which gives me permanent hollows around my eyes. Kajal used to give me raccoon eyes in a matter of just 2 hours at max. But not anymore. I do not fear of raccoon eyes. Now I know what it takes to wear a kajal like a pro. Most of the kohls come with smudge free claim but not every kajal gives 100% smudge free look. Here are my 2 cents on wearing a kajal perfectly. Clean You Face No makeup can go flawlessly if you have got layers of oil and dirt on your face. Even if you are only going to wear it is important to make sure your under eye area is free of oil & dirt. The oil & dirt under your eyes will interfere with the application and performance of your kajal. After cleansing your face carry on with the basic steps of toning & moisturizing. If you wear an eye cream, do not skip wearing it but make it absorbed fully before picking up your favorite kajal in your hand. Use Little Powder Unless you apply a primer under your eyes( which I think is debatable), you can dab little translucent or compact powder under your eyes and upon your eye lids if you are going for a heavy eye makeup look. Do not swipe or rub the powder but just dab it over your skin. This will mattify your under eye area and you will get a superb finish. Apply The Kajal Yes you can go ahead with the kajal application now. Start from the inner rim til the outer corner of your eye. Repeat unless you get the desired pigmentation. This is the general rule of applying a kajal. One must apply kajal suiting to eye shape. For example I have very small eyes, I generally apply half kajal, starting from the outer corner to the center of my eye in conjunction with a white kajal on my water line to give an illusion of wide eyes.We will discuss about this in detail in some other post. Use A Dash Of Eyeshadow Now this is an important step in the direction to prevent kajal from smudging. Use a basic black or grey eyeshadow powder to coat your kajal precisely. In order to prevent any fallout on you under eye area, you can put a tissue before proceeding with this step. You can go with a light coating to give a clean kajal look, or can go heavy coating giving a smokey eye look. Use Earbuds/Q-Tip To set the kajal or achieve a smokey look gently swipe an ear bud/q-tip over the kajal. This will ensure a long stay of your kajal keeping it intact and in place for all day long. All will take away if excess of kajal has been applied. Kajal/Kohl Or Gel Liner? Gel liners are so in from past few years. They have almost replaced conventional kajal sticks for the kajal lovers. I have been a fan of Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner from many years. I actually stopped buying kajals during those years since the gel liner gave such a precise application and finish while being smudge free. But when I tested SUGAR Kohl, my love for the classic kajal pencil returned and this is what I have been using every now and then. Gel liners are easy to apply because they are high in consistency & pigmentation hence do not smudge upto 99%. You can just apply it and forget. There are even coloured liners available to flatter every eye colour. But the gel liners can be applied with a brush only, so it takes few applications before you get a perfect application. The beauty of these gel liners is that these are safe to be used on waterline as well as you can flaunt them on eye lid also. If you like to use a kajal only make sure to get a good quality kajal. Your eyes are precious and a cheap quality product can be harmful to your eyes. But it does not mean that high end products are your only options. There are so many kajals available for 200-500 bucks which certainly won’t burn a hole in your pocket. Poured all what I know about kohl application. Hope you liked this article. Leave your inspiring comments below. Love. More from #thebasicsseries All About Foundations- Volume 1 All About Foundations- Volume 2 All About BB & CC Creams Do You Need A Night Cream?

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Top Factors Behind Premature Skin Ageing

Nisha Malik — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 02:41:18 +0000

No one wants premature ageing. It’s a dreadful thought for every woman and man out there. Cosmetic industry has also really hyped this term. Most of the skin care brands have their anti ageing lines and still they keep on introducing new products. But you don’t need to rely on cosmetic products to delay ageing or stop premature ageing. You can follow few tips and enjoy youthful skin for longer. Premature Ageing Ageing is a natural thing. You cannot stop ageing. But premature ageing is a different thing. Premature Ageing results into wrinkles, dark spots, sun spots, pigmentation, dull skin, enlarged pores etc. because of prolonged exposure to sun without protection, unhygienic skin conditions, pollution, unhealthy eating and lifestyle habits. Premature ageing is difficult to reverse or minimize but easy to avoid. Major Factors Behind Premature Ageing Exposure To Sun Sun plays a major role when it comes to skin ageing. When you expose your skin to sun for long hours without protection, you are losing your skin’s buiding blocks, the oxidants. It leads to collagen breakage which further results into premature ageing. That is why, you are urged to wear sun protection every time of the day. Unhealthy Eating Habits Food provide the basic nutrition to our body like anti oxidants which re generate the collagen blocks of our skin. But a diet which lacks in protein and minerals result into premature ageing. For example, Vitamin E is considered to be anti oxidant and plays a major role in reversing and slowing down age effects. A diet that is full of empty calories, does not nourish body and skin, pushing you forward towards ageing. Stress Stress kills you from inside and outside. Stress makes your body to release bad hormones which result into premature ageing. Stress literally shows on your skin instantly. Lack Of Sleep Beauty Sleep is not a false term. Your body repairs & rejuvenates while you sleep. It builds the required building blocks for your skin when you are resting and your body does not need to spend energy on other movements. When you are not slepping enough, your body does not get time to repair itself, hence it shows on your skin. Pollution Pollution is definitely bad for your internal and external organs. It hampers the natural functioning of your organs be it your lungs or your skin. Unhealthy Lifestyle Habits Smoking and alcohol consumption is highly discouraged if you want to stay and look younger than your actual age otherwise expect the reverse. Alcohol, damages skin texture and colour while smoking causes fine lines. This type of skin damage is almost irreversible until you go through costly clinical processes. Frowning Too Frequently If you have a habit to explain with your face rather than your voice, you are calling for premature ageing in the form of fine lines. You can find fine lines on your forehead or under your eyes initially. Frowning too often, can give you deep wrinkles. Make sure you are not making any of such mistakes. Prevention is better than cure. Agree? Take Care XOXO Disclaimer : I do not own the images.

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All About BB & CC Creams : #thebasicsseries

Nisha Malik — Sat, 10 Dec 2016 03:16:30 +0000

Market is flooded with BB & CC Creams. Ever wondered what exactly a BB or CC Cream is? Let’s see what exactly, every one is so raving about. BB Cream A BB Cream stands for Beauty Balm or Blemish Balm. The idea behind a beauty balm is to address all the skin concerns with single product. A skin might need moisture, anti ageing effects, sun protection, primer, coverage and much more. A beauty balm is not just makeup but skin care is also infused into the beauty balms. A BB Cream contains skin caring elements and color pigments to treat and hide the imperfections on the skin. First of all these beauty balms were seen in the Korean Markets and then they took over the world market. Every brand is out with it’s own BB Cream. Actually this is a great idea to use a single product to address all our skin concerns instead of using different products layer by layer. Not only BB creams provide coverage to hide skin imperfections but also provide added benefits like sun protection. Even though these BB Creams provide coverage, they are not heavy. They don’t suffocate your skin. They are formulated to give a feather like feel and natural finish. You will see multiple shades even in BB Creams, so that you get to choose the closest shade to your own skin tone. Benefits of Using BB Creams Hydrates Skin They contain glycerine, Hyaluronic Acid etc to boost moisture level of skin. SO you don’t need to put extra moisturiser on your skin. Treats Skin Blemishes BB creams contain the necessary minerals to keep the skin healthy and treat the existing blemishes. Provides Anti Ageing Benefits BB creams contain Vitamin A, E, C etc to provide anti ageing benefits to skin, so the skin ageing is delayed. Contains Skin Lightening Effects Many BB creams contain skin lightening ingredients like licourice, kojic or arbutin. For Even Tone & Luminous Finish Most of the BB creams contain Silica, Mica etc light reflecting particles to give a luminous and natural finish to the skin. Evens out the skin tone. Acts as Primer Since BB creams mostly contain skin friendly silicons, they provide a smooth base to put some more makeup on your face. Gives Sun Protection Most of the BB creams contain high levels of SPF, hence keep you protected from the sun. CC Creams A CC Cream stands for Colour Correction. They are just like BB cream but contain more powerful skin beautification and protection ingredients. CC creams are BB creams with much more concern on skin correction. They are packed with powerful ingredients to enhance skin health and complexion. Also CC creams generally contain higher levels of sun protection. When To Use BB & CC Cream BB creams are like all in one product- moisturiser, anti ageing cream, sun protection, primer, foundation etc. Who needs so many products when you can get all the benefits by using just one product. CC creams are more focused on skin care while giving more coverage and high sun protection. A CC Cream is BB Cream with more oomph factor. A problematic skin might need high coverage and skin correcting elements simultaneously. A CC Cream is perfect in that case. Still Hooked On Tinted Moisturiser? A tinted moisturiser is a very basic moisturiser with little tints of colour to even out the skin tone. Some tinted moisturisers also provide sun protection. But I think it’s wise to go for a BB Cream to reap much more benefits while using a single product. Since most of the brands offer BB & CC creams, we have a luxury to choose what skin benefits and coverage we want. I would advice to look out for a lightly tinted BB Cream if you don’t have much skin concerns or go for a CC Cream and leave your skin problems to it. I hope you liked my version of BB & CC Creams. Do you use a BB/CC Cream? Which one is your favourite? XOXO Disclaimer : Image source – Google.

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All About Foundations – Volume 2 : #thebasicsseries

Nisha Malik — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 08:44:45 +0000

How are you liking the series? My main motive to start #thebasicsseries is to address some very small yet crucial queries about skin, hair & makeup. I started this series with night creams. I hope you liked the introduction to foundations. Now let’s move on to more details about the application of foundation. How To Apply Foundation Step 1- Moisturise Very important step, especially if you are using a liquid or powder based foundation. Never forget to moisturize your skin. Other wise the foundation may look flaky or accentuate your dry spots or fine lines. For even looking face, you must moisturize your face. Dry skins should use a heavy duty moisturizer such as Cetaphil while oily skins can use as light as Clean n Clear Oil Free Moisturiser. Also you can put your sunscreen at this step. Step 2 – Prime Primers are important. Primers give a smooth base to start off and keep you makeup intact for hours. They also create a layer between your skin and makeup so that your makeup does not react badly with your skin. NYX primers are my favourites. Step 3 – Dot Start applying the foundation by dotting your face with some foundation. Never start applying foundation with a lot of product. Always take pea size amount and build the coverage as you need. Step 4 – Blend Blending is the key to get a flawless base. You can blend using your fingers, sponge or a brush. Blend the foundation in circular motion to get a pore-less look. If you use straight storks the foundation may look chalky or uneven. Step 5 – Set With Powder You can apply blush/ bronzer and sculpt your face as you want. Now you need to set every thing with a translucent powder. This step is mostly considered optional, but is rather an important step. Dab a little translucent powder over your foundation to keep it in place for longer. It will also prevent your skin to look oily. To apply the powder, only dab on your skin, don’t rub it otherwise you will ruin your base. Need To Wear A Concealer? A high coverage foundation leave little space of concealer. Still, if you must wear a concealer, consider few points. If you are going to wear a corrective concealer (orange, green or purple) wear it before your foundation. If you are going to wear regular concealer, you can wear it after wearing your foundation wherever required. Read Maybelline Fit Me Concealer. Fingers, Sponge Or Brush- What To Use? I think it’s personal choice, and every type of technique has some pros and cons. Blend Using Your Fingers When you blend the foundation using your fingers, your fingers produce little warmth which make the foundation more blendable. But there might be some uneven blending due to uneven pressure applied on the skin. If you are using a heavy coverage foundation, blending with your hands may give cakey look. Blend Using Sponge/Beauty Blender Beauty Blenders are quite in these days. It’s because of the air finish look they give. You can apply any type of makeup with them and not just foundation. You can achieve full coverage with out looking fake. Before applying the foundation using a sponge, dip the sponge into water and squeeze the excess water out of it. Now take the product and apply. This way you will have more natural finish. Sponges eat a lot of product. Blend Using A Brush This is the most commonly used professional method of applying a foundation. You can either use a foundation brush, a stippling brush or any kabuki brush. A foundation brush can be used to achieve more coverage, while a stippling brush can give you an air brush look. Kabuki brushes are dense brushes with small handle mostly used to apply powder foundations. Keep the brushes clean. Do not share your brushes with someone else. Read makeup brush guide to know more about brushes. Foundation With SPF This is a very important thing to consider when you buy a foundation. Foundation is makeup, I generally don’t like foundations which contain SPF, but then there are very few foundations which do not contain some. When your makeup contains SPF, it is likely to give some white cast even though you have chosen the closest colour/undertone. I find this issue with all the Lakme Foundtaions except Lakme Perfecting Liquid. If a foundation contain anything less than SPF 10, it is still okay to work with, but anything more than that, you just can’t escape the white cast. When you should choose a foundation with SPF? When you mostly stay outdoor, you can opt for one. But if you are out constantly for long hours, then you must put a separate sunscreen at regular intervals. If you are going to attend a party or wedding, it’s just not a good idea to use a foundation with SPF. It will only ruin your photographs. It will give you white cast. Inglot makes really awesome foundations that are without SPF. If you wanna go for a budget friendly product, Maybelline Fit Me Foundation is great deal. How to escape the white cast? How to apply foundation without white cast? Dab little powder over your foundation which does not have any SPF and also is closest to your skin tone.This should tone down the white cast to great extent. I conclude my post on foundations here. If I ever feel like I need to add few more things, I will come up with Volume 3 🙂 Take Care Enjoy your weekend. Love.

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Introducing #thebasicsseries

Nisha Malik — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 01:30:55 +0000

Hi, how was your weekend? Mine didn’t go much like I planned. Things were postponed. Never mind. I am introducing today a new series on High On Gloss, the basics series. As the term implies, I am going to write some posts on the very basic skin care, hair care & makeup techniques. The basics of skin and hair care, whatever I know, I will be spilling here in few posts. I know, there are so many pretty women out there who does makeup like a pro, but there are some, who need some techniques to learn, #thebasicsseries is going to help them. I hope, you will enjoy this series. Will be back soon with my very first post on this series. Let me know, if you want me to do any particular post in this series. Check out the already trending articles: Do You Need A Night Cream? : #thebasicsseries All About Foundations Volume 1 : #thebasicsseries All About Foundations Volume 2 : #thebasicsseries All About BB & CC Creams : #thebasicsseries How To Wear Kajal Like A Pro : #thebasicsseries How To Get Rid Of Acne? Also here are some fashion posts to keep you entertained: How To You Wear Collars With A Round Face, Chubby Cheeks & Short Neck? How To Look Expensive On A Budget : The Indian Version How To Look Stylish In A Saree With Minimum Investment?: #TheSareeSeries How To Be A Better You? : Recreate Your Magic Love.

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