I contacted Vipul Bhagat a while back and he was incredibly nice and helpful. He has over 14 years of experience in the industry and has a large celebrity following, among which are Svetha Jaishankar, Malaika Arora, and Madhu Sapre. Here are a few pics from his portfolio: pic 1, pic 2, pic 3, pic 4, pic 5.

Me: Are there any products that always feature in your kit?
Vipul Bhagat: MAC and Kryolan products.

Me: What brands do you rely on for foundation? Which brands do you prefer for darker skin tones and which would you prefer for lighter skin tones?
Vipul Bhagat: MAC for lighter skin tones, Bobbi Brown and Kryolan for darker skin tones. I don’t like MAC foundations too much for darker skin tones because they can go on a bit grey on the skin.

Me: For a professional look for work, what are the products and what kind of a look do you recommend?
Vipul Bhagat: I would do a beauty-shot type look where the skin is central. Or western dark eyes and pale lips.
Note: I’m guessing he means a smokey eye. Just making sure make-up jargon is universal.

Me: For weddings, what are some products you feel a bride should look into?
Vipul Bhagat: For weddings mainly the foundation, lipstick and kajal pencil are important. If you can, try to make all these things waterproof as Indian brides tend to cry after their wedding they become emotional. MAC Blot Powder is also good to keep your skin matte and looking good in photos.

Me: What are some mistakes you see women making with regards to make-up and what would you suggest as opposed to what they currently do?
Vipul Bhagat: They don’t cover their dark circles, they use kaajal pencil which at the end of the day is spread all over the eye region and looks like dark circles, and always carry a chapstick and then their lips become very dry and cracked.
Note: I am so guilty of doing the last thing.

Me: What are some of your favourite MAC products that you use often.
Vipul Bhagat: Stripdown and especially Spice lip liners. For lipglosses I like Lust, Love Child, and Chai. Blushes like Pink Swoon and Peaches are wonderful.

Me: Are there any specific creams you like using to prep skin for make-up?
Vipul Bhagat: I use MAC Studio Mositure Fix. I use other creams from the Body Shop and MAC

Me: And last but not least, can you name any of the products you used on Shveta Jaishanker for her wedding?
Note: If you have no clue who she is (which I didn’t, I had to Google her), she is a former Miss India and is a model.

Vipul Bhagat: I used Kryolan foundation. Then, I used Spice lip liner to outline and then filled it in with Cosmo lipstick. I lined her eyes with Smolder eye kohl and finished with a L’Oreal mascara. For blusher, I used Pink Swoon.
Note: except the foundation, they’re all MAC products in case you were feeling lost. Also, this is my personal recommendation since he doesn’t specify the exact mascara, try voluminous. It is my all time favourite mascara.

I have a bunch of things I want to post soon. I just finished my huge essay and I have one more to go after that. I am going to spend 24 hours sleeping non-stop after that. I'll finally be refreshed and will post the promised things.

Edit: I got an email with a breakdown of Emmanuelle Chriqui's look from a rep for Shalini Vadhera. I asked her to keep me updated with such breakdowns and hopefully I will get a chance to talk to her and bombard her with questions. And yes, I'm still trying to finish my huge 25-page long single spaced paper tomorrow (just reread the page length again and imagine what kind of a state I am in now). Also, it feels great not to be known as the 'crazy make-up breakdown stalker lady.' For once, I didn't hound anyone until they cried.

I know Emmanuelle Chriqui isn't technically desi, but her make-up would look beautiful on a lot of desi ladies. Also, she is of Moroccan Jewish ancestry. I guess if I can get asked what part of Saudi Arabia India is in, she can qualify for being brown too (I'm being sarcastic, but I have been asked this a few times).

As the weather warms up I am sure you’re considering makeup looks for spring & summer! Shalini Vadhera, celebrity makeup artist and author of Passport to Beauty, recently created a stunning beauty look for actress Emmanuelle Chriqui (HBO’s “Entourage”) before she walked the red carpet at a Beverly Hills event.

Shalini Vadhera calls this look "a chic, natural but sexy." Here's how to get the look.

Step 1:

Shalini prepped and brightened Emmanuelle’s skin with Global Goddess Beauty Upgrade Complexion Face Primer and then applied Complexion Perfection Foundation to give her skin a flawless finish.

Step 2:

South Pacific Shimmer Bronzer served a dual purpose as an eyeshadow base and to warm up her cheeks. It’s one of Emmanuelle’s personal faves!

Step 3:

The Sizzling Serengeti Tribal Quad Eyeshadows in Mombasa helped to make her eyes pop. A layer of black and shimmery brown Cairo Eyes Liquid Liner and Exotic Eyes Blackest Mascara set the look.

Step 4:

Lastly, Shalini applied Sandstorm Lip Veil to gloss up Emmanuelle’s lips and Floating Diamonds Face & Body Shimmer for an all-over glow.

Follow these simple steps and you too can achieve Emmanuelle’s gorgeous Global Goddess look!

To view the products listed, you can go to the Global Goddess website.

I got a request for a breakdown of Priyanka's look. I seem to have forgotten which exact breakdown was requested of Kajol's and Rani's so just remind me. I'm so sorry about my rather disorganized state.


Face:
This look requires a very minimal eye make-up and the cheeks are warm and tan. The lips are mauve-rose toned which is very unexpected. So when the skin is flawless, the various elements can come together. It sounds cheesy but it will make a world of a difference when your skin takes center stage. Make sure you moisturize your skin and under-eyes and then apply a medium coverage satin finish foundation. Conceal problem areas if necessary with a creamy concealor that matches your skintone. Apply translucent powder to set the make-up.

Eyes:
I checked this picture under various lights and have zoomed in another couple of hundred times. She doesn't appear to be wearing any shadow on her lids. It seems that foundation was applied on her lid. So do the same and pat some of your foundation from your lid to your crease and set with translucent powder.

Brows:
In keeping with Priyanka's minimal eye make-up, ther brows look flawless and frame her eyes beautifully. So pluck away any stray hairs and emphasize eyebrows with a deep brown eyebrow pencil. Remember to keep the brows as natural looking as possible and don't overdo the eyebrow pencil. Brush brow gel through your brows to keep them in place.

Recommendation: MAC Stud, Ardell Brow & Lash Growth Accelerator

Crease:
There's hardly crease definition here and if you choose to, you can skip this step. If not, apply a matte medium brown in the crease very lightly and blend outward.

Recommendation: MAC Cork

Highlight:
Apply a shimmery champagne on the brow bone and blend into the crease. It's going to lighten the area under the brows and emphasize the natural colour of the lids without being too obvious. If you don't want to use a shimmery champagne a good matte shadow will do the same trick.

Recommendation: MAC Ricepaper, Bobbi Brown Banana

Eyeliner:
This is where the emphasis of the eye make-up is. Use a black liquid, cream or gel eyeliner and follow the natural shape of the eye from the inner corner to the outer corner on the top lid. Increae the thickness of the liner as you go outward but be sure to not exceed medium-thickness when it comes to the line.

Recommendation: L'Oreal Hip cream liner in Black

Mascara and False Lashes:
Curl lashes and apply a volumizing mascara on top and bottom lashes. Brush out any clumps with a lash comb and add another coat. Make sure the lashes look plush and thick. For added drama, apply a full strip of false eyelashes.

Recommendation: L'Oreal Voluminous, Clinique Lash Building Primer

Cheeks:
Priyanka seems to be wearing a bronzer rather than a blush. Dust a slightly shimmery bronzer on the apple of the cheeksthe same way you would a blush and blend towards the temple .

Recommendation: Vincent Longo Copper Kiss Bronzer is amazing on darker skintones, Too Faced Carribean in a Compact in sun Bunny is beautiful on lighter to medium-dark ladies

Lips:
Apply a mauvey-rose lipstick to finish off the look.

Recommendation: I know I didn't have elaborate steps for this look because I can get the same look with MAC Cosmo lipstick alone.

image source: www.filmicafe.com

I found this ad that Deepika did for Maybelline and I thought I would post it. The shade she is wearing, according to the ad anyway, is the Shine Seduction lipcolour in 720 Sun Kissed. I personally haven't tried out the line of colours from Maybelline, but do let me know if you have and whether you liked it.



source: www.thefashionspot.com

I will email you wonderful ladies back and return your comments tomorrow. It's been a really hectic few weeks and I've finally started catching my breath right now. Thank you all so much for the wonderful support.

Secondly, I know some of you requested a breakdown of Kajol and Rani's looks. Just leave a comment on exactly which movie etc. you'd like the breakdown to be of.

Also, I am trying to make a video tutorial of Megan Fox's eye make-up. I know there was a request for this but let me know if you'd like me to do a tutorial of Lara's eye make-up too (pic below for reference).

Sorry for the long wait.

My face currently resembles a pepperoni pizza only I'm brown but the zits on my cheek look very pepperoni-like. Angry and red. Why am I sharing this bit of charming information with you? Well, because I am reaching yet again for my trusted Fresh Umbrian Clay mask.


Something in this mask does an amazing job of cleaning my clogged pores and it's a must as a spot treatment for blemishes. I'm not sure what it is about the ingredients in the mask, but it doesn't dry out my skin like most clay masks. True it is drying as all clay masks are, but my skin isn't parched and about to crack when I wash it off.

The instructions say to put it on over a damp face and leave it on for 5-10 minutes and then wash it off. I sometimes leave it on for a good half hour and I use it ovenight as a spot treatment on blemishes. Blemishes usually stay very long for me. To speed healing time means in my life to reduce the length of a zit's lifespan from 6 weeks to 4. If your zits are as persistent on face-domintion as mine, then this clay mask is a wonderful weapon in your arsenal. The gigantors that now grace my cheek have been getting regular attacks from this face mask and I can already tell the difference. It does a good job of reducing inflammation. Of course, you're going to have to wait for the zit to die but the Fresh Umbrian Clay mask does a good job of reducing the time a zit is alive and thriving.

I've also noticed that with regular use I can curb many blemishes from really rising to becoming a full-on zit. The bump just dies out without becoming a zit. Of course, those persistent bumps are going to get through my mask-attack but for the most part this mask seems to stop bumps from becoming bad problems.

I know this is a fairly expensive clay mask but for me it is completely worth it (sadly the Queen Helene Mint Julep mask did nothing for me so I was forced to get this) but it is such a staple that I cannot be without it.

image source: www.sephora.com