PARTY PRETTY

It’s that time of the year when one festivity flows into another and you need to go with flow looking your best beautiful always. We tell you how.

Looking gorgeous, always, can be a task but that’s when you aren’t feeling beautiful within. Remember to look fabulous, you need to feel fabulous. Any treatments, style, look or makeup that doesn’t make you feel great is not going to make you look good. Having said that, now let’s get on with tips and tricks that can make you look and feel, well, just awesome.

#BreatheEasy

No matter how hectic your day, you just must find time for some deep breathing exercises in the morning. Great, if you maintain a fitness regimen, but if not, do spend at least 15 minutes each day to observe your breath and connect with your inner core. Yoga sessions are highly recommended for this time of the year but seek out what activity appeals to you the most. Is it dance? Is it martial arts? Is it sweating out in the gym? Or is it a walk in the park? Ask yourself and once you have the answer, get on with it.

#WearYourHair

Before the party season commences, ensure that you have your mane issues sorted. Tip: Don’t focus on beautiful hair; rather seek out a hairstyle that makes you look beautiful. Your hair is like an accessory, if that’s in place, then half the battle is won. It’s a great year to experiment with short crops. They are hot and trending. Add to it some smartly placed colour and texture, you are sure to rock the season. If you are wearing your hair long, try out ombre effect for your hair colour. This is basically a colouring technique where the hair is shaded in different hues of the same colour or in contrasting colours.  We recommend you check in at Worship for a tress fix now. After thought: Consider their hair extensions; it’s one of the best in town.

#VeryBerryLips

While red lipstick is our all time favourite, you can’t go through this season without the noir hues. What we love about this trend is that it is not dark and Goth. These are shades of wine that are velvety, elegant and strong. Our favourite berry tones include: Dior Rouge Dior in Macadam, Esquisse and Zinnia Red. And then there is of course the classic Dior Rouge Dior in 999 Celebrity Red, which is that rare, true red that suits all complexions. To nail this look, first line the lips with Dior Contour, then fill in the pout with the lipstick of your choice.

#SkinArsenal

The late nights, food and drinks will take a toll on your complexion. So be prepared. Start taking care of your skin now. At this time of the year your regular CTM regimen will need a boost to protect you better. A high performance serum is therefore the need of the hour. We recommend La Prairie Cellular Power Serum that energises your skin’s natural defense mechanism to protect itself against environmental damages. The potent potion also helps detoxify and hydrate the skin – much needed in this season of excesses. Use two-three drops of the serum on clean, toned skin and follow up with your moisturiser.

#SweetNotes

Your look is incomplete if not paired with the appropriate perfume. Since it’s a time for celebrations and extravaganza choose notes that celebrate the spirit. Heady, floral scents are ideal and while you can experiment with new entrants like Roberto Cavalli Paradiso, Cartier La Panthere and Michael Kors Sexy Amber, this is also a great season to return to all time favourites like Dior Poison, Tom Ford Black Orchid or Burberry Body.

While these are 5 basics to keep in mind, we also caught with a few elegant ladies to dig out their secrets of looking pretty perfect always.

Kalyani Chawla: “Clean blow dried hair, manicured nails are a must but apart from that, smokey eyes and nude lips, no matter what I wear, work great for me. My favourites include Dior Addict Gloss and Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Bronze.”

Malini Ramani: “My must-have product during this party season is Benefit Bo-ing. It is an industrial strength concealer that covers up all imperfections with just a dab and gives the skin a smooth finish.”

Deepika Gehani: “To get that glam picture perfect look I fall back on Girogio Armani Designer Lift Smoothing Firming Foundation – this magical foundation is enough for a flawless base – and I focus on eyes with dark eyeliner pencil to create the smokey eyes.”

Meera Ali: “Eyes make the most impact. Lining the lower lashline and the inner corner of the eye with a white eye pencil makes the eyes look dramatic. My favourite product is M.A.C Eye Kohl in Fascinating.”

Namrata Joshipura: “My party must-have is the gorgeous perfume Bulgari Jasmin Noir. The scent spells sensuous, femininity for me.”