As a make-up artist, it’s always an honour when an actress or model chooses you to get them ready for a red carpet event. They have personal relationships with so many people in the industry who would be happy to style them to the nines; so when Aamina Sheikh asked me to get her ready for the Lamha premiere, I was particularly pleased!
Notes from the Red carpet
Getting the lead actress for a film ready for her red carpet is serious business, so Aamina sent me pictures of the dress she was planning on wearing and I started thinking about the look we were going to go for. The Elan dress she selected is decidedly oriental so I thought that being bang on oriental would be a little on the nose. So instead, I decided to channel some Japanese anime for a more edgy look. This really tickled me, because as a primarily bridal make-up artist, I rarely get to be creative! A more contemporary hair style would take the manga look away from costume to chic. Here are the key elements to the look:
1) The general eye make-up: After sweeping a matte skin colour over her lid, I deepened the contour with Casino by Nars (which is a deep skin tone). I then swept a little Shroom by M.A.C on the brow bone (a bright, alabaster, great for opening the eye) and that’s where the normal make-up ends! In order to channel a little manga magic, I decided to do a really exaggerated eye liner, as prominent underneath as above. Leaving the waterline naked creates that oriental je ne sais quoi!
2) The inner eye: As you can see I decided to add a graphic element to the eyes by sweeping on some bright yellow in a sharp, thick V at the beginning of the eye. I used M.A.C’s lipmix in yellow to create this, it’s a strong, sharply pigmented yellow that really catches your eye! (forgive the pun) You could use Chrome eye shadow by M.A.C.
3) The lashes: In order to take things over the edge I used super long individual lashes towards the centre and the beginning of the eyes, and softer, shorter individual ones towards the outer edge. This unexpected structure makes for a really cool eye make-up! Generously sweep on the mascara and you are ready for the lips.
4) The lips: A strong, graphic, glowing red is the perfect second element to this look. I used M.A.C’s Ruby Woo, a dense, matte, bright red that suits ANYONE. I added a hint of a creamier, equally bright red (Alarm by Rimmel) to keep the lips more moist towards the centre.
All of these elements combine to make an elegant but quirky red carpet look! And both of us had oodles of fun in to the bargain!
Why not try one or more of these elements your self? Any bright pop of colour on your inner eye looks cool! Just make sure that your lip complements that pop of colour. Make-up should be fun! Go for it!
Bina Khan is a make-up artist, photographer, skin technician and writer who owns a salon and photography studio in Karachi.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 22nd, 2013.
Like Life & Style on Facebook, follow @ETLifeandStyle on Twitter for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.