Go soft, natural for V-day

It’s the age of innocence. If you’ve been longing to give all those bold, attention-grabbing shades a miss, there couldn’t have been a more perfect time to do it than now. This Valentine’s Day, get set to impress your beau with a soft, natural look that is sure to tilt the scales in your favour.

Meetu Nahar, a make-up expert and colour consultant, says that this style makes the most of one’s natural beauty. “The best part of this look is that it’s suitable for both day and evening wear. The entire aura is feminine, so no matter what palette of colours you choose, the overall effect needs to be muted. A flawless face, well-done eyes, a hint of blush and a dab of gloss is all it takes.”

The first step towards this is ensuring you have a perfect base. This means you need to exfoliate, moisturise and be doubly sure your skin is devoid of blemishes and is smooth and shiny. “To make your skin look sheer, lightly dab some translucent powder and don’t OD on the liquid foundation,” says Kishwar M. Shah, a make-up artist and training manager. “Stick to soft colours like peach or baby pink if you are fair-skinned and rosy brown or caramel if you are on the duskier side. You can use these shades with a soft grey to create a romantic, smokey-eyed effect. Apply a lot of mascara to open up your eyes. For the blush, dab on a colour that’s close to your skin tone to keep it as natural as possible. When it comes to the lip colour, choose a sheer shade or better still, go for a tinted gloss,” explains Kishwar.

As for the hair, experts believe that nothing can spell romance like soft, silky tresses, “No matter which style you choose, go in for something that makes your hair shine. If you have to, use a shine-enhancing serum. You can go in for soft bouncy curls or if you have straight hair, get a chic cut and leave it loose. There’s another option — if you use a simple upsweep and let a few tendrils caress your face, this creates a very feminine look,” advises Meetu.

Turn on the charm

* First, wash your face. Make sure it’s squeaky clean!

* Use a translucent powder for a sheer-looking base.

* Stick to soft, muted colours like caramel, pink and peach.

* Use a clear mascara to open up your eyes.

* Choose lip gloss over lipstick for a sheer look.

* Make sure your hair shines with health. The best possible option is to leave it loose.