LookBook 2 : Durga Puja MakeUp

Sorry for the long absence. But if you’re from India, you’d know this is the festive season in Bengal, After Durga Puja, there are many more like Lakshmi puja & Diwali are to come. For us in Bengal, it’s the busiest moment, as we’re preparing for Kali Puja on 6 November this year.

So I think this can be a perfectly valid excuse for a long disappearance. Anyways thank you all for sticking with me. Today’s blog post is not about the second installment on skin ageing, for I’m still working on it & trust me its taking real long. So till then I’ll keep you entertained with a fun post.

Today I’m going to share how I did my make up on this Durga Puja, drawing inspiration from the Goddess Durga herself.

So, yes this is officially another #lookbook.

Anyone who’s ever experienced Durga Puja in Bengal knows such a huge deal it is for us, Bengalis. Women dress up their best & find this occasion the biggest excuse to don the most dramatic styles. Officially & traditionally, Maa Durga’s idol looks divine with her large eyes, big red bindi, highlighted cheeks, fuller lips & clear skin along with wavy long black hair.

This puja, I’ve tried to imitate that look.

I’m one of those lucky girls who are blessed with large eyes. So it saved me the effort. However for those beauties with smaller eyes, I’d add a few useful tips to make them appear larger, just to look like the goddess. Smaller eyes can look ravishing as well but here I’m trying to imitate the goddess’ looks; that’s all.

To create the above look, I’ve done the following:

·         Since this look was for Maha-ashtami morning, I preferred a clean matte look rather than a highlighted dewy one. So, after a matte primer, apply a matte foundation. I’ve used Lakme Absolute Matte Mousse Foundation followed by a fixing powder.

·         Big bindi is a must to look like the goddess.

·         It is important to line my eyes with a perfectly pigmented (read highly pigmented) liner. At this moment, I find Kiko Milano Gel Eyeliner to be the most highly pigmented one in the market. The hydrating yet matte formula is super pigmented & sets on quickly. After drying it’s the blackest black of the moment. Also I’ve lined my waterline with SoulTree Kajal (you’ll find the review in my blog).

·         Since this is a morning look, so there’s no place for fancy colours, especially when I’m drawing my inspiration from such a traditional goddess’ look. So, instead of going for glitters, neon colours, I preferred black eyeliner with simply golden-nude eyeshadow (with sheer coverage, look at the picture, it’s hardly detectable) to completely match my complexion.

·         Eyelashes are looking a bit undone, because hey it is indeed undone. I have skipped the mascara. I wanted to highlight my thick liner, & didn’t want my huge lashes to completely cover that.

·         I’m wearing a sheer-coverage light pink hued blush from Kiko Milano as well (you know I’m obsessing with this brand right now).

·         Also, for lips, I didn’t want to draw much attention, just to highlight my eyes. So, just generous coverage of a lip gloss is enough for the day. The Goddess’ looks is mostly about eyes, so I wanted my eyes to stand out & not the otherwise. Also I didn’t want to look like I’ve tried too hard.

·         For this look, I’ve preferred a heavy gota patti leheriya saree along with wet hair falling free (No blowdry). That just-stepped-out-of-the-shower look goes perfect during the day.

·         For jewellery, I’ve chosen a shoulder grazing latkan jhumki along with a necklace from Voylla Amer collection. These tassel necklaces are doing great right now. Also I wore a nathiya from the same brand (I think I should do a review on these) from its Lotus Collection. Actually it was a complete nathiya (or nath may be) with a long tassel that clings to the hair but the tassel appeared real small, so I removed it & wore only the ring.

Traditionally lotus seems to be associated with the Divine Goddess Durga, so amazingly it has worked to my favour. That lotus on the nath makes it perfect for the season.

This photo was taken in natural light, so please cope with the minor distortions.

Tips to make eyes appear larger:  Get those white chubby sticks, or even beige ones will do if you want a subtler look rather than a very drastic change. Line your waterline with it & it’ll instantly make your eyes look larger. If you want then, you can also line with a black pencil liner just below your natural waterline (that’s lined with white/beige liner) to define the edges.

Cut & crease technique works so well in making eyes appear larger. You’ll simply need a brown eyeshadow to line the crease & blend it along the line with the shadow fading towards the outside. Also for those with hooded eyes, do not forget to apply highlighter on the brow bone, just below the brows.

Also I’ve seen lighter coloured contact lenses make eyes appear larger. So, if you’re a dark eyed beauty, you can try a lighter pair of contact lens.

Mascaras make a strong case when it comes to give that wide-awake look. Curl your lashes each time you coat them with mascara. Mascara will give the curl a strong hold.

**** I DO NOT endorse any product I’ve mentioned (above) to create the above look. You can always substitute them with your choice.

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Stay Tuned.

Koyel M.