A-Z OF BEST BEAUTY

The festivities and the climatic conditions of this season by default demand an overhaul of your beauty regime. we’ve put together this extensive guide that will help you sail through this winter.

A – Antioxidants

You need these smart compounds in your system all the time and you are well aware of their importance. But did you know that you need them even more in winter? This is because cough, cold, flu and other ailments are doing their rounds at this time of the year. Added to that are the damages caused due to unhealthy eating and drinking that are invariably linked with the season’s parties. Our immune system takes a beating, which in turn not only aggravate these winter ailments but also makes our skin look dull, shallow and patchy. Hence, to maintain that inner glow, stock up on antioxidants by including plenty of winter veggies and fruits in your diet. The season’s fresh produce like tomato, bell pepper, pumpkin, spinach, carrot, apple, orange, and berries pack your body with a multitude of enzymes and vitamins that act as soldiers that eliminate and sweep out free radicals that are caused in the body due to environmental damages.

B – Buffing

This is essentially an exfoliating process but is gentler than scrubbing. In winters our skin tends to get dehydrated and irritable. In such conditions while exfoliation is necessary, but abrasive exfoliators can irritate or even tear the skin. Hence, to remove dead cells gently try using scrubs with “buffing” beads or get buffing gloves. Scrubs with buffing beads are actually products that contain softer, smaller, granules like jojoba wax beads that help in sloughing off dead cells but simultaneously moisturise the body. Buffing gloves are softer counterparts of traditional loofas and body brushes. They are generally made of soft towel-like material and can be used for dry brushing the skin or for working up soap lather. Try Amway Artistry Polishing Scrub, Crabtree&Evelyn Citron, Honey & Coriander Skin Smoothing Body Scrub, Peter Thomas Roth Botanical Buffing Beads, The Body Shop Bath Gloves, or Basicare Exfoliating Body Gloves.

C – Cleansing

Yes we know cleaning up after a party – whether it’s your home or your face – can feel like a mammoth task, but the fact is you have to. Just as you wouldn’t leave dirty dishes lying around your house through the night, you don’t want to leave makeup on your face before you hit the bed. Ideally you should be double cleansing, that is, first wiping off all colours and pigments with a cleansing milk and then washing your face with a foaming facewash. That’s like being a good girl but for those of us who like cutting corners once in a while, a micellar water cleanser like Vivel Cell Renew Micellar Makeup Remover, Lancome Eau Fraiche Douceur Micellar Cleansing Water and Avene Micellar Lotion Cleanser and Make-Up Remover is a boon. This category of cleansers gently dissolves stubborn makeup, removes dirt and grime and infuses the skin with much needed hydration. So in one sweep it covers three steps. A must-have in your dresser this season.

D – Detox

In a season of excesses it is crucial to take a couple of steps back from time to time to balance yourself. Hence, detoxification either through diet, exercise, massage or meditation, is essential. Do all or pick one, but once a week do let go of the toxins in mind and body. If you feel your daily diet has gone for a toss then consult a nutritionist and go easy on your food at least once a week. Exercising works best and when combined with a weekly session of steam or sauna it would do you a great deal of good. And if you are in a mood to indulge, check in for a lymphatic drainage body massage. Taking time out to concentrate on your breathing while letting go of negative emotions can be one of the most deepest ways of detoxification. These moments of “slowing down” or “deep cleansing” will help you rejuvenate and glow.

E – Eyeliner

We love our deep kohls but this season you may want to ditch that and stick to your other favourite – eyeliners. Lines and strokes – long, short, extended, thin, thick, jagged, doubled, coloured – are a hot trend this winter. If you aren’t too adept at drawing eyeliners this is the time to master the stroke. Check out YouTube tutorials or just go to a M.A.C, Inglot, Bobbi Brown or Lakme counter and request the in-store makeup artist to help you learn the trick or wearing eyeliners. Experiment with colours and styles. While this month we are digging the winged liner in hues of deep blue, you could play it safe by drawing it in black or get adventurous and try out bright hues. Tip: If you are using a bright colour, then first draw a base line with black. This will help in making the shade stand out without looking stark.

F – Fragrances

It is time to transition from breezy, summer notes to warmer, winter accents. Your scent needs to be dynamic and should ideally evolve with age and season. Oriental fragrances are good options for winter. Look for perfumes that have a woody, floral blend with hints of spices. Rose, iris, jasmine, tuberose and lily are trending floral notes this season, anything velvety and smooth would pair well with them. Try perfumes like Givenchy Dahlia Divine, Estee Lauder Modern Muse Chic or Dolce&Gabbana Velvet Rose. Classics like Dior Poison or YSL Opium would score well this year. Alternately, you can design your own body mist with essential oils that you like. Try a blend with Rose, Iris, Bergamot, Black Pepper and Amber. Mix 5-7 drops of each in 10ml of carrier oil like jojoba oil and store it in a spray bottle.

G – Green Tea

As we move towards colder months our intake of water diminishes and our consumption of tea and coffee increases. Before you get into the mode of drinking endless cups of ginger tea or espresso, this is the right time to consciously start on green tea. Begin with iced green tea. Make a half a cup of strong green tea liquor and dilute it with ice and cold water – you can make it into a 500ml bottle. Add a few springs of mint and slices lemon for taste. If you must have it sweet, then add honey. Gradually, replace it with cups of warm green tea. You could add ginger to your tea as well and replace the mint with fresh tulsi leaves. The flavanoids in green tea plus the high dose of vitamin C from lemon and tulsi will keep your immune system strong and active through the cold months. Caution: don’t go overboard with green tea, restrict it to 4-5 cups a day.

H – Hydration

We all know that the dry weather conditions and the time spent indoors with room heaters will dehydrate your body. Hence, at the cost of repetition we remind you gently to keep drinking enough water. It is also essential to hydrate your skin from outside, hence keeping a face mist at hand is a wise thing to do. Yes, you need these skin savers even in winters. Carry it in your hand bag and spritz it on from time to time to keep your makeup fresh and your skin happily hydrated. Try Avene Eau Thermale Thermal Spring Water, La Roche-Posay Thermal Skin Water or Clinique Moisture Surge Face Spray Thirsty Skin Relief. Tip: Keep a bowl of water with some essential oil in closed spaces that have heaters running. This will keep the air fragrant and moist.

I – Indigo

Beat the winter blues with a hue of blue! Yes, indigo is the super hot colour of the season. It is chic, warm and pairs well with black, beige, red, white and hues of yellow. Being a deep hue, it is not much a challenge to experiment with. Try wearing it as a liner (it compliments brown eyes) and if you feel bold enough, then try it on your nails. For your lips, opt for reds and pinks with an undertone of blue like M.A.C Ruby Woo. To get inspired, check out Chanel’s latest collection Blue Rhythm De Chanel. If you are in a mood to treat yourself, go ahead a take your pick from this range, but do take a cue from the bouquet and then put together your own palette with a mix of brands. Search the offerings of Lakme, Revlon, NYX, Make Up For Ever, Inglot and ColorBar.

J – Juicing

With a number of cold pressed juice brands sprouting in the country, juice diets, juice cleanses or “juicing” as it is often called is fast becoming a trend. However, while the jury is out on the efficacy of these “diets” for a prolonged period, it may be a good idea to include vegetable juices in your daily diet, especially in the winter months. This will help you consume the necessary fluids, the nutrients will keep your health humming and will also help balance out over indulgent meals. Just keep in mind while having vegetable juices are beneficial, fruit juices (whether fresh or packaged) isn’t such a good idea, as they are packed with sugar and goes straight into your system within a few minutes. It is like drinking glucose water. For evening snack time try out a green juice. Blend together greens like kale, cucumber, capsicum, celery or spinach. Add or delete whichever greens you like – mint, parsley, coriander, basil, tulsi also work well for flaouring. You can also opt for the cold pressed veggie juices available in the market. Check out Antidote, JustPressed, RAW Pressery and Jus Divine.

K – Keratin Shampoo

Dry, frizzy hair – a common winter angst. A keratin shampoo – which is basically a protein-based cleanser – could be your answer to smooth hair. However, do remember that the result with a keratin shampoo will not be the same as from an in-salon keratin treatment. You will see the difference in your hair over a period of time. Also do keep in mind that you need to use the keratin enriched shampoo and conditioner as per the instructions. Excess product or longer application won’t translate to better results. In fact, too much of it can lead to hair breakage. It would be best to speak to your hair stylist before you start using the product.

L – Lasers

If you’ve been contemplating a laser procedure, then now is the time to go for it. Especially, if you are considering laser for hair removal. Why? It’s because it takes 5-7 sessions of laser to get rid of unwanted hair and you need to give a four weeks gap between each session. Therefore, if you start now but the time the chill passes out, your body will be free of the superfluous hair. Plus by default your clothes layering will minimize sun exposure.

M – Moisturising

It’s a no brainer. Your skin needs conditioning and perhaps intensive conditioning in the dry winter months, and surely you take care of that. Nevertheless, since it is an essential, we are putting in a gentle reminder. While applying a body lotion, cream or oil is perhaps what you generally do, you may want to add bath oils to your bathing water. This is a delicate way of moisturising your skin while enveloping it in sweet notes. You can concoct your own bathing oil. We like a blend of Johnson&Johnson Baby Oil with a few drops of lemongrass essential oil and some roasted coffee beans and black pepper. Throw in a few drops of this rich, aromatic cocktail in warm water and turn your bath into a heady spa. Tip: Instead of the regular essential oils, experiment with spices in your bath. Try mustard, cinnamon, cloves. Roast them along with some herbs, combine them with a fragrance-free oil and tip in a few drops in your bathing water.

N – Night care

You’ve heard enough about sun protection to know how important it is but are you cautious of the night care for your skin? During the festivities, your skin goes through environmental ravages through the day and needs a bit of TLC at night. Further, the room heaters if left on through the night can cause further drying. Hence, give yourself a little extra in winters by way of specific night care skin regimen. Replace your regular moisturiser with a more nourishing and conditioning night cream. Look for products with retinols and AHAs that work at healing and repairing your skin while you sleep. You may also try out overnight face masks like Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Overnight Hydrating Masque, Sephora Collection Sleeping Mask, L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Triple Power Night Mask and Innisfree Green Tea Sleeping Pack.

O – Ombre

It’s party time and it is the time to let your hair down. So do it with style and elegance. Forget the highlights, opt instead for “ombre” hair. Basically it is a hair colouring technique where the strands are shaded. The colour at the roots is deeper and it starts fading or getting lighter from mid-length. This technique gives the hair a more natural look and is easier to maintain. While you can try ombre effect with contrasting shades, it is best to go with hues from the same colour family. Try auburns, rose golds, chocolate browns and reds.

P – Protection

If you can’t make things better, at least try to maintain and protect what you have – that’s the philosophy for this season. It’s a busy time of the year and you may not get the time to do as much you may want for yourself. But the best thing that you can do is to protect yourself from the sun. Keep in mind two things: 1) Because the weather is better, you are spending perhaps longer hours in the open and 2) Just because the sun is gentle doesn’t mean that effects of sun damage will be less – even on a cloudy day the sun is still the sun. Hence, you should not only not step out without wearing sunscreen, you should apply enough of it and re-apply every 3-4 hours. Look for a broad spectrum sunscreen and with a high SPF. Try VLCC Moisturizing Sun Block Cream SPF 25, Kiehl’s Ultra Light Daily UV Defense SPF 50, or Lakme Sun Expert + UV Lotion SPF 50.

Q – Quinoa

Rich in flavanoids, vitamins and minerals, this nutritious grain-like seed has far-reaching health benefits and is fast becoming a diet staple for the health conscious. Include quinoa, if you haven’t already, in your regular menu now. The best way to work it into your diet is by way of salads. You could also try out face packs with the seed to keep your skin looking fresh and youthful – quinoa has anti-aging properties. Cook 1 tablespoon of quinoa in half cup of soy milk and blend it into a paste with 2 teaspoon curd, 1 teaspoon honey and 2 drops of tea tree oil. Apply this over your face and neck and leave it on for 10-15 minutes. Wash off with splashes of cold water. This pack with help hydrate, nourish, moiturise and heal your skin. Good treat for a Sunday morning.

R – Red lipstick

We say when in doubt or in a hurry wear red. It’s the quickest dress up, the only thing that you need to pull it off is oodles of confidence and the attitude. Don’t think red won’t suit me. Red suits one and all. You just have to practice wearing it to feel comfortable. Having said that, let us also say that you have to wear it the proper way as well. It can’t be patchy, uneven and smudged. With a lipstick that is closest to the lipstick shade, draw a vertical line through the center of your lips, next draw a “V” along the cupid’s bow and a short horizontal “dash” along the center of your lower lip. Now extend the lines outward towards the corners and fill in with the pencil. Over this apply your lipstick.

S – Strobing

It is the hottest and perhaps the easiest contouring technique that everyone is talking about now, thanks to Kim Kardashian who popularised it with her Instagram posts. Now, don’t get intimidated, you can do this and we are talking about this because it is easy to do and makes life so much simpler. Traditionally contouring involves a darker shade and a lighter shade of pigments to bring out or recede a feature but the strobing technique involves only a skin illuminator that can be applied on the areas where light falls naturally like cheekbones, brow bones, down your nose and chin. Try NYX Born To Glow Liquid Illuminator, Revlon Photoready Skinlights Face Illuminator, and L’Oreal Paris Youth Code BB Cream Illuminator.

T – Toning

Yes cleansing we can understand is a must, so is moisturising. But what about toning? Is it needed? Skin needs an optimal balance of moisture and oils to stay healthy and beautiful. In winters we tend to apply a lot of cream as the skin tends feels dry and stretched. This causes the level of oils to be higher than the level of moisture in the skin, upsetting the moisture balance and leading to an excessive release of oils as the skin tries to compensate for the lack of moisture. As a result your skin gets dehydrated, oily and irritable. Solution: Use a toner after cleansing to hydrate the skin and replenish the moisture it needs before applying a cream. Toners also help in unclogging and minimising the pores which in turn helps creams or emulsions to permeate deeper and work more efficiently.

U – Ultra-diffused shadows

Don’t get intimidated by this term. It is just a fancy way of saying “well blended”. Eye makeup trends this season are in two extremes. On one hand you have dramatic lines and on the other you have diffused eye shadows. A mark of good makeup lies in its blending, that is, the colours seamlessly flow into one another. You can’t demarcate where one shadow ends and the other begins. So blending is an art worth mastering – not just for this season but in general to wear makeup like a pro. To ace this trick you need to some amount of practice. Watch a few YouTube tutorials to learn the techniques. Most eyeshadow palettes will also have instructions. Tip: For your eye makeup you will need at least two types of brushes. One is the eyeshadow brush which is a small flat brush with densely packed bristles. This helps you pick the product (sufficient amount of shadow) and place it on the desired region of the eyelid. You need to only pat in the product with this brush to set it. If you try sweeping the colour with it, it will only take away the colour. To blend the shadow you need an eyeshadow blending brush which is small and fluffy. You can use this one to diffuse the colours. Start at the point where two pigments meet and just keep blending in that area till you are satisfied with the effect or till the demarcation is completely diffused.

V – Vitamins

Lack-luster skin, colds, aches, irritable skin, dull hair – all are perhaps your body’s signal that vitamin levels are depleting. Before the onset of winters consult your physician and start taking fat soluble vitamins like A, D, and E. While vitamin C, which is water soluble and can be taken all year round to build strength and immunity, the other vitamins are essential for winters but need a doctor’s recommendation before you start consumption. To get these essential nutrients into the system the natural way, include citrus fruits, green veggies and bright coloured fruits and veggies in your daily diet.

W – Walking

Summers are killing but this is the perfect weather to explore the outdoors. However, before you start off on your winter walks ensure that you are well prepared for the activity. What you wear for your walks is of great significance. Remember your walk-wear should make you feel comfortable and warm not chilled and sweaty. Hence it is best to buy clothes that are designed for workouts. If you are walking in the early hours in a city like Delhi, the smog levels will be high. So do wear a mask to protect yourself. Ensure that your walking shoes are comfortable and are designed for walking (yes, all “sneakers” are not meant for walking, ask the store in-charge to guide you to make the right choice). Before you start your walk, do a warm up and drink a glass of water before stepping out.

X – X-factor

This is essentially your attitude towards beauty and grooming. Do you feel pressurised to look good? Or, do you feel guilty of indulging in looking good? In either situation, the feeling needs a bit of reflection. You need to introspect. A beauty regimen shouldn’t make you feel guilty or loathsome. It ceases to be beautiful if you feel negatively about it. Do as much that makes you feel comfortable and happy. Your indulgence or your simplicity is only for you to decide. Just bear in mind looking good is akin to taking care of your health. It is indeed a reflection of your physical, emotional and mental wellbeing.

Y – Yoga

If you are unable to step out in this weather, then yoga is one of the best forms of indoor exercise. However, it is not simply a workout. Yoga involves connecting your body to your mind and soul. It is way of observing and controlling your breath, your posture and your emotions. An hour of yoga at least twice a week will help you maintain a balance in life, especially at a time when you are caught in a whirlwind of activities.

Z – Zzzzzz-one Out

What we mean to say is get those eight hours of sleep. Yes, we know you may want to break a head when one says that. Obviously you’d sleep as much if you could. But what do you do if you can’t? If its insomnia then you should do the predictable things like cut out caffeine, ditch the TV and read a book instead, dim lights an hour before going to bed, switch off mobiles so that you aren’t disturbed, take a bath, get lavender pillows and above all consult a doctor. However, if it is about not getting the time to sleep then you need to create that time. You may not be able to get eight-hours of sleep at a stretch, in that case try to catch short naps whenever possible and try to rest up on days that are less hectic.

Experts: Dr Varun Katyal, Dr Shehla Agarwal and Ruby Biswas.

An edited version of this story was published in Good Housekeeping, October 2015 issue.