Beauty / Holi Haute: Give Your Eyes Vivid Holi Colours With These Key Beauty Tips

Holi Haute: Give Your Eyes Vivid Holi Colours With These Key Beauty Tips

Beauty Mar 12, 2019

by Meena Khan | Features Editor - Beauty

Spring is slowly loosening the grip of Old Man Winter on our collective consciousness and this means that Holi is coming. Holi, the Hindu spring festival, is renowned for its vivid use of colour, and is an excellent reference point for fresh eye looks! So go ahead, give your eyes vivid Holi colours with these key beauty tips!

Holi is a joyful time of year and the source of a pleasant memory of my visits to India. I recall at the age of four I was standing in my grandfather’s house and I heard the hypnotic beats of drums ad dancing. My cousins, who were also in their single-digit years, were enchanted by the noise and we became excited. Our neighbour, Amma, came over and asked if we could partake in the Holi festivities. The request was extraordinary because our family is Muslim and Holi is not part of our religion. Regardless, my grandfather, who was Indian and Muslim, and considered Amma to be his sister, permitted us to join the festivities. I recall my aunts and cousins ran immediately outside and we started to throw colour and dance to the music. The memories I carry from that day make me smile, and still inspire how I wear colour in spring.

Read on to find out how the colours of Holi inspire my eye make-up for spring 2019…

EYEBROWS —SOFT AND NEAT

For a Holi-inspired look where colour is queen, the eyebrows should be softly defined so that it will not serve as a harsh frame for your artwork. The best way to achieve this soft definition is to fill and set the eyebrows with a volumizing gel such as Benefit Gimme Brow. The key is to brush through the eyebrows from the base to tail once, and then dab on extra gel in sparse areas. The volumizing element is important because bushier brows connote youthfulness. I love that the Gimme Brow collection is available in eight shades because instead of doing a perfect match I go a shade lighter. The lighter shade still defines my eyebrows but adds a touch of lightness to the area, thus making it look open and fresh.

**Give Your Eyes Vivid Holi Colours With These Key Beauty Tips: Benefit Gimme Brow.** Photo Credit: www.benefitcosmetics.com

EYE PRIMER—OPAQUE OR CLEAR?

I typically reach for a neutral-tone primer such as Laura Mercier Eye Basics (available in 6 shades) because its creaminess creates an excellent canvass for colourful powder eye shadow and its colour hides the darkness.

However, if you are using a cream eye shadow, this type of primer will create a goopy mess and interfere with the pigment. In this instance, I recommend using a quick-drying, gel-textured primer such as Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Amplifying Eye Primer. The product is colourless (and therefore universal), and sets on the eyelids without leaving an ashen cast. The issue of the natural darkness of the eyelids is addressed by the liquid eye shadows which tend to mask it with one or two dabs.

I like to dab each eyelid twice with the primer, and then using a freshly-cleansed left ringer, blend the primer from the lash line to the just below the eyebrow, as if I am colour washing the area. I close my eyes for 30 seconds and I let the product set, and then I curl my eyelashes. At this point my eyes are ready to receive colour.

POWDER SHADOW—POWER TO COLOUR!

For special occasions such as Holi, I use a palette such as Fenty Beauty Moroccan Spice Eyeshadow Palette which contains 16 pigment-rich shades that flatter dark eyes. I love that this palette is a mixture of matte, satin and shimmer finishes because it allows you build on a colour theme through varying shades and textures. The variety of shades means that you can also create a look of colour contrasts.

If your party outfit for Holi is quite colourful, the rule of thumb is to wear neutral make-up to maintain a balanced look. I respectfully suggest that instead of gong neutral, go soft and then add shimmer to pack punch. For example, if your outfit falls into the pink category, first take a flat duck-billed brush and pat the mobile lid with the bubblegum pink shade (Sahara Stunna). Second, dip a bending brush in the guava pink shade (Quicksand) and define the crease. Third, wet a liner brush and dip it into the muted violet shade (Fez Up)., and define the eyes. Fourth, tap the excess powder, and the dip it into the gold shimmer shadow (Marrakush) and tap it into the inner corner of the eyes. Fifth, take the duck-billed brush, and tap Marrakush at the centre of the mobile eyelids, to open the eyes.

LIQUID SHADOW—DABS OF DELIGHT!

If bold colour is not your speed, then mix soft, neutral shades with metallic finishes to create an unforgettable look. I truly enjoy the Laura Mercier Caviar Chrome Veil collection because the shades deliver soft pigment which leave the eyes looking they have been star-kissed. I recommend using a stiff, nylon bristle brush (for example a larger concealer brush) to dab and blend the eye shadow on the eyelids.

Using liquid shadows can be tricky because they can easily blend together to make a nondescript mess and the beauty of the shades is lost. Here are easy steps in order to get it done right:

I recommend first dabbing a tiny droplet of eye shadow (a little goes a long way), such as Gilded Fresco on the mobile lid.
Take a half of a little droplet of a deeper shade such as Sparkling Pink and dab and blend into the crease.
Close your eyes and let the eye shadow set.
Using the ring finger, massage the area between the crease and mobile eyelid so that the lines between the eye shadows is diffused and looks tad smokier.
Use a pale shade such as Rosegold Metal and blend under brow bone.
Use your ring finger and this time make the line of shadows between the crease and the brow bone diffuse. The gradation of chrome pinks is gorgeous on all South Asian skin tones, and the shimmer camouflages discolouration because the eye area is infused with light.

STARK AND DARK LINES

The dance of colour on the eyelids dictates that the eyes need to be defined by a thin, black lines and strong mascara. For this make-up, the black needs to be matte and strong. I love the Benefit Roller Liner Eyeliner because the conical tip delivers a thin, unforgiving line that defines the eyes.

Give Your Eyes Vivid Holi Colours With These Key Beauty Tips: Benefit Roller Liner Eyeliner. Photo Credit: Benefits Cosmetics Canada

If you want to intensify the look, then tight line the eyes (lining the inner upper and lower rims of the eyes) using the Vasanti Cosmetics Kajal Waterline Eyeliner Pencil.

The eyelashes should be thick and lush but there is no need for false lashes. I prefer to prime my lashes with the Marc Jacobs Prime Velvet Primer which literally leaves them looking they have extensions. The densely-bristled brush reaches each lash and coats them in a lightweight primer. I then add on two layers of the Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Volume Mascara and am amazed how my lashes have been transformed into a veritable fringe of sultriness.

EYE THINK

The eyes are the windows to the soul, and these make-up looks will force the world to recognize the colour of your light. The key is to understand where to define and to allow your inner frescos to come to the fore.

I wish you all a Happy Holi!

Main Image Photo Credit: www.divalikes.com

Meena Khan | Features Editor - Beauty

Author

Meena (@meenalaregina) always loved the idea of exploring the non-conventional idea of beauty. Having grown up as a pimply chubby teenager, she wanted to see the change in the world that best reflected your uniqueness as well. Her well-received collection of blogs where she tries on various beauty p...

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Holi Haute: Give Your Eyes Vivid Holi Colours With These Key Beauty Tips

by Meena Khan | Features Editor - Beauty

Meena Khan | Features Editor - Beauty

COMMENTS

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