Beautiful in three minutes or less?

Posted by: ashchowdary on: August 26, 2014

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It seemed to be red, white and all things bright at the 2014 Emmys this time when it came to fashionable clothing, and I for one, loved it. It is such a relief to see so many spots of colour in a sea of black tuxedos but I would add a quick kudos to the neutrals too, for getting the look so right.

Okay, so I may not have agreed with every choice of gown, case in point being, Lena Dunham’s pink candyfloss dress, nor can I say that I am a great fan of Kerry Washington’s love for orange, but at the end of the day, it was the colours I loved. The overall effect was brilliant — the touch of flamboyance in the excessive fabrics, the loud motifs that screamed for attention, the intricate embroidery and the happy colours that made the entire show take on the feel of the Bazaars of Hyderabad. And when the women shimmied across the red carpet, they looked quite like butterflies fluttering by in their own private garden.

My personal favourites among the women celebrities were Sofia Vergara in her white Roberto Cavalli with its silver trims and Julianna Margulies in her Narciso Rodriguez dress – no surprises why I chose them, as Modern Family and The Good Wife are two of my favourite TV series.

And everyone’s talking about the new ‘ear cuff’ jewellery rage which the celebs adopted this year that added a special sparkle to every ensemble. The colour red was the new black of the night and how it rocked! Bows, unique hairstyles, catchy necklines, statement rings – there was all this and more, making it was a night of sartorial adventure for the celebs and one fabulous ride for their fans.

Which brings me to all the latest in our stores, girls. Sad to report, it is looking glum. In between seasons is always a difficult time and so the stores seem to be unsure what to showcase. If they display spring styles, they look dated and if they go the monsoon route, the rains are a thing of the past already and no winter offerings yet because the cold winds are hardly here yet.

Frankly, I was tired of looking at a whole bunch of tired florals, the fall out of spring, a smattering of checks and the ugly men’s shirt-for-women style that some important brands seem to pass off as women’s wear. As for the salwar suits, as someone rightly tweeted, when will we finally see the last of the anarkali?

So, the best choice this season, seems to be the ‘dress’. A whole crop of new styles in dresses have emerged over the last few months, and it is your best buy for now. I love the ones with sheer panels that merge light and shadow and are perfect as day wear or the crochet dresses that come with little belts that are super trendy, the floral print dresses in floaty fabrics which transport you to a summer day, and dresses in monochrome and neon colours that always make a unique statement. So, take your pick from this amazing spectrum. Our designers do the dresses best, so don’t forget to check out what some of our best designers have to offer, like Deepika G, Anu N and Sanchita A.

As for the beauty counters – girls, Clinique has a new smart serum that claims to understand your past and future skin. Quite intriguing, eh? As for makeup, I love Estee’s new sculpting lipstick, which so completely moist and so very trendy.

By the way, girls, I attended the Estee Lauder launch event at their store (organised by the inimitable Manjusha M) and I loved the three minute beauty regimen they suggested…

First minute: Create a flawless face with concealer and foundation. As a second step, contour and highlight the face with dark and light colours to create unique shadows that can make the face look very attractive.

Second Minute: Fight eye fatigue with eye cream and some concealer. Layer bright shadow over eyeliner to give you that edgy look.

Third minute: Work on the lips by sculpting them just right. Quick tip — dust a neutral shimmer shadow on the Cupid’s bow as a final flourish.

And there you have it – the modern way of looking beautiful all day.

But– as my final take on the subject, I would suggest, you buy the following also (these products are available in most cosmetic stores): an eyebrow primer, an orange corrector and a lip pencil. The shape of the brows is most important before working on the eyes, an orange corrector is a must as it gives the ideal camouflage when it works with the concealer and the lip pencil is mandatory if you don’t want lipstick to bleed too fast.

That’s all for now, folks. Back with more news soon!