'Picture perfect' tips every girl needs

Trends - like the purple Smurf lips and yellow eyeshadow - will come and go, but there are some makeup essentials that will always be a constant. Let me tell you what you really need in your makeup bag to look good now, and to continue looking beautiful even after you take the makeup off.
1) Moisturiser:
Make sure that your moisturiser does not have any fragrance as it may cause premature wrinkles and may dry out your skin. Also, make sure that your moisturiser has natural moisturising factors. These include amino acids, lactic acid, peptides, various sugars and minerals. I like to layer my moisturiser with a three-step routine in which I spray my face with a facial mist like Evian, and then apply moisturiser on the wet face and then seal it with a few drops of squalane oil. You can skip primer if you moisturise well.
2) Foundation:
There are two foundations every woman needs: day and night time.
Day foundation:
The only foundations to use during the day are the ones with SPF, better known as BB or CC creams. Sunscreen is 70 per cent of your skincare and you need to apply sunblock every morning even if you are not leaving the house. If you apply regular foundations during the day, you are exposing your skin to UVA and UVB rays as the SPF in most foundations is not enough to make an impact.
Now let's define what physical and chemical sunscreens are.
. Physical sunscreens: There are two physical sunscreen ingredients: titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. They both work by getting absorbed into the very surface layers of skin and deflecting or scattering the sun's harmful rays.
. Chemical or synthetic sunscreens: There are many synthetic sunscreen ingredients, all of which get absorbed into the top layers of skin, where they protect it. Common synthetic sunscreen ingredients include oxybenzone, octinoxate, octisalate, and avobenzone. Chemical sunscreens are absorbed into the blood stream and may be harmful; plus, they fade faster than physical sunscreens.
Night foundation:
For night time, choose a lightweight full coverage formula from a drugstore brand. When buying a foundation, make sure that it has no fragrance as those can cause harm.
3) Setting powder:
Many women skip this step, which is an absolute must. If you do not set your undereye concealer with powder, it is sure to crease, which will look wrinkly.
4) Concealer:
The trick to buying concealer is to get one that's two shades lighter than your skin tone, on the warmer side. If your foundation is a cool tone, your concealer should be a warm tone.

5) Blush and lip crème:
Get a double duty essential item that will cover your lips beautifully as well as give a healthy glow to your cheeks.
6) Eyebrow pomade and spooly brush:
Eyebrows make or break your makeup look. You can opt for eyebrow pencils but I find them very harsh. The best application comes with using a brow pomade like Anastasia Beverly Hills brow pomade along with a good eyebrow brush and spooly.
7) Eyeshadow palette:
If you have never experimented with colours, now is the time to change that. Buy a medium-priced eyeshadow palette and do not invest huge bucks on a big brand. Look for a variety of shadows in the palette and make sure they are smooth and pigmented. I'd recommend Jaclyn Hill's eyeshadow palette. It has every shade that one may need and is priced reasonably.
8) Eyeliner and mascara:
A good eyeliner and mascara are enough even if you do not have time for anything else. I prefer a brown eyeliner for a softer look but for a bolder look, go for black.
9) Bronzer:
Bronzer saves you from looking too pale and adds a warmth to your skin tone. The trick is to apply it on each side of your face in the shape of a number '3'. This should hit your hairline, the hollows of cheeks and jawline, adding shadow to the parts of your face that naturally catch shadow.
10) Makeup setting spray:
A lot of people will tell you that it is not necessary, but I have found that to achieve that smooth, flawless look, a makeup setting spray is must. It does not have to be overly expensive.
11) Highlighter:
Here's a little secret. Always use your highlighter over the setting spray. It will make your face glow even more.
12) Makeup brushes:
You do not need a lot of brushes if you are just starting out. However, make sure to have a blush brush, a foundation brush or beauty blender and eyeshadow brushes.
13) Q-tips:
Even makeup artists make eyeshadow mistakes and dabbing a Q-tip into lotion is our secret to erasing errors. Dipping it in concealer also defines the sharp eyeshadow line.
wknd@khaleejtimes.com