Vogue India Beauty Scans [December '10]

Lady: Ice Queen Falls in Love
Begin with ice blue shadow, extended halfway to the brow. Add a darker line in the crease of the eye. Add dark mascara and a touch of white or silver liner on the inner rim. Use a rose pink gloss and blush.

Vamp: Tough Girl Goes Chic
Begin with deep plum or burgundy lipstick. Go over with black or plum lip gloss to enhance the color. Plum blush and a touch of on the eyes complete the look. Hair: Add some fringe extensions to heavily volumize the hair - the bigger, the better.

 Lady: Channeling Grace Kelly
Begin with a lip liner in the same red as your lipstick, and fill in. Go over with lipstick blot with a tissue, and repeat one more time. Use a blush in the same shade to highlight this look. Keep eyes soft with a hint of brown liner and caramel shadow. Finish with a defined brow. Hair: A middle part makes this updo seem less severe. Keep it slightly volumized.

Vamp: When Hard Meets Soft

Begin with a nude lip. Sculpt cheeks using a bit of bronzer. Create smoky eyes using teal eye shadow instead of using black/gray. For a more dramatic take use a waxy pencil in jade green to fill the eyelid, contour and go over with eye shadow. Hair: Tone down the volume for this look. Keep it tousled and unkempt with side swept bangs.

Escada Taj Sunset

This is not the first time that a major company has been inspired by India when developing a new fragrance, Kenzo and various other companies use Indian notes such as sandalwood and jasmines in their fragrances regularly. Escada Taj Sunset is a limited edition fragrance for 2011. As per Sephora, Escada is described as a scent of tropical sensuality, it opens with a burst of citrusy blood orange and the exotic, fruity aroma of the Alphonso mango—the first fragrance to capture this unique note. Next, floral and fruity heart notes emerge, including watery blossom, sweet primrose, and raspberry. The scent lingers on a sexy, beach-inspired base of coconut cream, musky notes, and sandalwood. This fragrance takes you on an exotic and sensual adventure, evoking a summer spent in Goa, the region in southern India known for seducing visitors with stunning beaches, white sand, and a feeling of relaxed warmth. The fragrance has notes of Alphonso Mango, Blood Orange, Watery Blossom, Sweet Primrose, Raspberry, Coconut Cream, Musk, Sandalwood. The bottle has a gorgeous henna-flower paying homage to India.

Make-up Trend: Warm Peach Blush

On the latest issue of Femina, Zarine Khan amped up the glam factor a couple of notches! Subhash Vaggal the make-up artist for the shoot said, "I was going for a warm and glowing monochromatic look, and really took my inspiration from the S/S '11 runways." One of the key components of the makeup? He blended NARS South Beach Multiple with orangey undertones onto Zarine's cheeks, and topped it off with NARS Orgasm Illuminator to make her skin glow from within.

Rec: Nars Multiple in South Beach & NARS Orgasm Illuminator

Make-up Trend: Crimson Lips

On the latest issue of Verve, Sonam Kapoor shows us how to work crimson, almost black lips this winter. To get her look, apply a charcoal-silver eye shadow to your lids and contour with a matte black eye shadow ever so slightly. Make sure to blend the shadows well to avoid the eyes looking too heavy against the dark lips. Use a black liquid liner, rim the top lids, staying as close to the lashes as possible. Extend the lines up and out just past the outer corners, about 1/8 of an inch. To finish off, brush on a deep crimson lip stain over a base of lip balm and finish off with a clear coat of lip gloss.

Rec: Duwop Twilight Venom

Hair Trend: Big Bouncy Curls

On the latest issue of Harper's Bazaar India, Freida Pinto dressed up a pale pink dress with thick, lush curls. If hot rollers feel like too much effort, simply wrap freshly blown-out strands around 2-inch rollers. Once the hair has fully cooled, remove the curlers and brush through to keep the spirals from looking too-perfect.

Rec: Velcro Curlers

Gayatri Oberoi's Beauty Secrets (Vogue India)

I feel beautiful when: I have my husband and happy children around me.

Beauty must-haves: Moisturizer and sunscreen. I use Neutrogena Helioplex Ultra Sheer Sunblock SPF 55 and Origins Youthopia Moisturizer.

One thing I just can’t do without is: My eyelash curler.

‘Get glamorous’ tip Smoky eyes: Eyeliner or kohl pencil under your eyes—smudged slightly for a smoky effect—and a hint of lip gloss will make you feel instantly glamorous.

Vanity bag essentials: For lips I like a natural look, I don’t wear dramatic colors. I love Clinique Lipsticks in Perfect Beige and Blushing Nude. For my face, I use M.A.C Studio Fix. I also use a M.A.C Eye Kohl for my eyes in a brown or black, and a pink or peach blush by Bobbi Brown or M.A.C And my eyelash curler!

Day and night looks: For the day, I put on M.A.C Studio Fix and pink or peach lipstick. I prefer a very simple, ‘no make-up’ look—no eyeshadow, just a brown eye pencil. At night, I like to go a little darker on my eyes. I’ll use an eyeliner or kohl pencil and maybe a glossy lipstick. If I’m wearing a really plain outfit, I’ll do smoky eyes, or if I’m wearing something more traditional I’ll apply some eyeshadow and make my eyes more defined.  

Beauty rituals: I keep my face clean at all times and I get facials once a month. The best rule to follow is, the less you do to your face the better—I just clean and wash it. I use Origins Never A Dull Moment brightening cleanser and foaming face wash. And I use their Origins Youthopia Moisturizer in the day and Origins High Potency Night-A-Mins Cream at night. Sleep is most important, if I don’t get enough sleep it shows on my face.

Home recipe: I’ve grown up putting besan on my face, which is why I’m probably reaping the benefits now at an older age. My mother gave me a mixture of besan, turmeric and malai for eight to10 years,a nd that’s one ritual that I followed religiously. I don’t do it anymore though, now it’s more important to eat well and have healthy living habits.

Tress Talk: I try and oil my hair with coconut or extra virgin olive oil once every couple of weeks. I really enjoy the L’Oreal hair spa treatments because they really moisturize and hydrate your hair. If I’m not going out, I won’t blow dry my hair, I’ll just let it be.

Fitness regime: I work out three times a week with Zareen Watson. Her work outs work best for me.  Each session is for around 60 to 80 minutes comprising of a mix of cardio and toning.

Heaven scent: White Linen by Estée Lauder for the day, and Hermès Kelly Caleche at night.

Beauty icons: Madonna. I think she looks beautiful.  Beauty philosophy If a person is happy from within, that is reflected on the face and the body and in the mind. Happiness gives you a very unique beauty, it’s real beauty.  

Holiday destination: My husband and I love Paris in the winters and skiing in St Moritz. In summer, it’s Italy.

Spa favorites: I love a deep tissue massage. The best spa treatments have been at the Four Seasons Resort Mauritus, and One & Only Reethi Rah Spa in the Maldives.

Favourite designers: Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, Roberto Cavalli, Marchesa and Valentino. I like Chanel for accessories and Christain Louboutin for shoes.

Make-up Trend: Bride & Beautiful (Vogue India)

With the wedding season in full swing, we're sure all brides-to-be are experiencing last minute jitters. Looking picture perfect on the most important day of your life can seem like a daunting task. They key to let your inner bride shine is to plan in advance to avoid any beauty emergencies on your big day. Every bride should plan her beauty kit keeping in mind the quality, longevity and actual use of the products. Your wedding day is not the time to try anything new, instead make sure you invest in tried and tested products which have worked well for you in the past.

From a basic hydrating moisturizer to a perfecting foundation primer, invest in high end products which are known for what they do. Avoid becoming the ghastly, pale over-foundation-ed bride and instead look for a foundation that offers sheer-natural coverage with a boost of light-reflecting particles. Because most Indian brides go the red-maroon route on their D-Day in terms of their attire, you should take time and find the perfect shade of red lipstick for your skin tone. Thoughtful planning can mean fewer touchups. After all you wouldn’t want to waste the most important day in your life worrying about non-waterproof mascara.