To Buy or Not to Buy that Sexy Red Lipstick?

 Buying  MAKEUP IN in Indian Stores

I have discovered that buying makeup in India is very complex….The worst thing about make-up shops in India is when 5-6 sales people eye you the minute you walk in, follow you, try to ‘help’ you and then make you buy something that doesn’t suit you! From Sephora to M.A.C and in  general all-make-up stores, I have not had a very good experience with make-up shops.

Help with Salesgirls

I recently went into a shop to buy my tried and tested OLAY face-cream. The lady insisted that the new Shiseido Za collection facewash was brilliant, that I should try it and vowed that I would come back for the face cream as well, since my skin would feel so soft and supple with the facewash. I caved in and bought it…needless to say, it didn’t work for my face and instead of feeling ‘soft’, my face felt tight and I had to apply a handful of my tried-and-tested face-cream immediately. A waste of 300 rupees, but more importantly; I don’t understand why saleswomen are not trained to look at skin-tones and textures, instead of forcing new products on unsuspecting customers.

From lipstick shades to mascara, BB-Creams to eye-pencils, I want to know what looks good on my skin color, tone, texture and face-cut, not a one-size fits all product that is ‘great’ because it is new or imported.

 On line Research on MAKEUP

Girls, be careful about what you apply on your face and body and choose cosmetics wisely – they are not only going to affect your skin and reflect on your face, but are also very expensive. Before buying a random lipstick, eye-pencil or cream, I would suggest you do a little research online either beforehand or in the shop itself.

First, ask the salesperson to show you exactly what you are looking for example lipsticks. Scan the entire range of colors and choose a family – bright pinks, oranges, nudes, deep reds etc. and then see the testers on your skin. Mentally pick 2-3 options that you like, and then go online and check the reviews for each option. Also ,search for images of celebrities wearing that shade, so you know what it will look like on your face shade.

Take 5-10 minutes to do this….if the salesperson haunts you, just walk out of the store, go to a coffee shop and do this research before picking up a product. It costs between Rs 1000-4500 for international and branded cosmetics and though they are good quality, they still need to suit your skin!

Personal Makeup Collection

My personal make-up collection consists of Make Up Forever for lipsticks and cream-foundations, Color-bar nail-polishes, Garnier BB Cream, Maybelline Colossal Eye-pencil, Olay face-wash and face-moisturizer, L’Oreal Black Mascara, SEPHORA Clear Mascara,  Body-Shop and Victoria’s Secret body lotions/ body butters.

In the hot and sticky Indian summers, I usually just love the good-old Lacto Calamine on my face after a nice face-wash. It is non sticky and does not make me sweat in the heat. At night, I apply my BB Cream on top of a base of Lacto, which again, doesn’t look cakey and adds a slight glow to my face.

Enough of the malls already!! Next time…I’ll take you through the streets of Delhi for some budget-friendly escapades.