Friday, 06 January 2012 06:37

Written by Indu Bedi, Friday magazine

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We know it's only the first week of the new year but the hot new trends for spring/summer 2012 are here! Create these three runway looks at home

Dramatic eyes

We all love a bit of drama and extreme eyes are the big look for Spring-Summer. They were all the rage on the runways, from Miu Miu's dramatic scarlet eyeshadows to Fendi's gold and silver leaf appliques.

Smoky eyes also rocked the ramp at John Galliano and Lanvin. While we don't suggest you start walking into work with racoon eyes - all in the name of Rodarte-style fashion - you can still bring the bold, dramatic eyes style into your S/S 2012 lookbook in a few simple steps.

Extreme eyes are the big look for Spring-Summer this year.

Do-it-yourself:

The drama here is confined to the eyes so leave the skin fresh and clean. After moisturising your skin, apply a bit of primer on the T-zone and then a light-coverage foundation. Follow with a concealer to cover your dark circles, and add just a slight hint of natural rose or apricot blush to the cheeks. Lightly dust a bit of loose powder on the T-zone to set the make-up perfectly.

If you dare to go bright and colourful on the eyes, green, aquamarine and purple are some of this season's hottest colours. "Colours such as mint and olive green used by Phillip Lim in the A/W 2011 shows have made it into the Spring 2012 palette as well," says Dubai-based make-up artist Jill Peters. "Along with green, purple will continue into the warmer season too."

A good way to let colours do all the talking is to skip eyeliner and get creative with just eyeshadow. Dab a vibrant shadow over the eyelid crease in controlled vertical strokes, leaving the browbone nude. Line the lower eyelid with a matching coloured pencil if you like, smudge it well and finish with two coats of black or brown mascara on the upper eyelashes. You can achieve a similar smudgy eyeshadow statement using just a neon coloured eye pencil and mascara.

If you aren't keen to experiment with colours, the retro-style strong black eyeliner has also made a comeback this spring, as has the smoky eye. For a pared down look, simply line both the upper and lower lashlines with black eyeliner pencil, smudge a bit and deposit a dark earthy shadow close to the lashlines. Blend well, apply mascara and you're done.

Nearly nude

The nude, minimalist look seems to keep coming back each season in new avatars, and this year, it is all about innocence and an angelic, childlike beauty - perfect for Spring.

The trend was seen on many of the Spring-Summer 2012 runway shows, taking on a pretty, doll-like focus at Louis Vuitton and Chanel, while Pat McGrath, Max Factor's Global Creative Design Director, created waves at Valentino with her ethereal nude styling. Think a glowing, translucent complexion with pale, rosy blush, minimal eye make-up and sheer lips.

Do-it-yourself:

"Dewy and fresh-looking skin is the most important part of this look," says Samira Olfat, Max Factor's make-up artist in Dubai. "The complexion has a touch of rosy pink and a natural radiance." To start, use a light foundation with a hydration serum base like Max Factor's Ageless Elixir 2 in 1 Foundation and Serum, applying it over your face and blending it into the skin with your fingertips. The warmth from your hands will melt the foundation for a warm, smudged effect.

"Leave foundation as is - don't try to set it with powder otherwise the skin loses its translucence," says Samira. Avoid using brushes, and even powder-based products as you want to maintain a no make-up look. Dot a creamy blush in rose pink just under the cheekbones and use your fingers to blend it well into the skin, and again skip the powder over it," says Samira.

The eyes sport minimal make-up, with just some concealer and baby pink eyeshadow or a muted pink cream blush on the outer corners of eyelids blended in really well using your fingertips. Samira says, "Apply concealer on top of the foundation, not underneath it. And don't mix it with any other product or apply powder on top or underneath, as this will make it look patchy. And make sure you use cream-based products instead of powder eyeshadow."

To make the eyelashes soft yet defined, try Pat's insider tip: use a black mascara on the roots of the lashes and a soft brown one on the tips! For the lips, just a frosted rosy lip balm or a hint of nude pink gloss is enough.

Beautifully bronzed

A trend from last summer that's still holding its own, the bronzed look creates a sensuous effect. Contouring is key, with cheekbones, forehead and temples centre stage, as seen in Michael Kors and Manish Arora shows.

Do-it-yourself:

For the base, you can either use a regular liquid foundation and follow with a strong bronzer or use a mineral powder foundation with a built-in bronzing effect, such as Bourjois' mineral powder foundation, followed with a light bronzer. Pick warm apricot hues in bronzers, such as Avon's Bronzing Stick, or L'Oréal's Enlumineur Minerals, if you prefer a powder bronzer. Gently stroke and blend the bronzer stick on the areas where the sun naturally hits your face (cheeks, chin and forehead) in upward strokes.

For the evening, dare to go for more sculpted effect - you'll need to use a two-tone contouring palette like Make Up For Ever's Sculpting Kit. Jill advises, "Look closely at the contours of your face to identify the hollows - under the cheekbones and just above the chin - as that's where you create the shadows using the darker powder in the kit. Highlight the elevated parts of your face with the lighter shade. With a double-sided contouring brush, sweep the darker shade along the cheekbones starting from the ears in the direction of the mouth corners. Stop when you reach halfway - blend the colour in soft back-and-forth strokes up to here."

Eyes must be strongly defined with black or brown eyeliner and muted brown eyeshadows. "To add greater depth, line the lower eyelids closely with the shadow," says Jill. Go minimalist on the lips with a nude brown or coral lipstick or gloss.

A trend from last summer that’s still holding its own, the bronzed look creates a sensuous effect.

Colour code

Colour makes the transition from lid to lips this season, with pop colour lipsticks being a big trend. With vibrant lip colours, you can easily wear the same shade either as full-on colour or in a diluted barely there version by mixing it with a lip balm. Wearing full colour calls for careful application. Take your time and line your lips properly with a liner that exactly matches the lipstick. Fill the colour in, blot lips and reapply. "Always retouch lipstick when wearing a bold colour," says Jill. "Carry the colour with you and apply a fresh coat before the pout starts looking faded and flaky." Or simply run clear gloss over a worn-out shade to camouflage the lipstick flakes. The shades to covet are fuchsia, coral, peach, mauve or a bright red.

Hot tip 1 The darker your skin tone, the more pink pigment you can safely wear.

Hot tip 2 Coral is a good colour for all skin tones; choose between a warm orange or a fresh peachy tone.

Tuesday, 13 December 2011 07:55

Written by Administrator

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Ecuador, a South American country, is making waves at the beauty pageant scene in the year 2011 and beauty critics were caught off guard for such a spectacular performance. Two out of the four major crowns were won by Ecuadorian beauties and somehow nobody expected this. The reason why expectations are low for Ecuador is largely due to its history which is bereft of anything spectacular in the pageantry world.

Lucia Isabel Vinueza Urjelles was totally surprised when she was called as one of the semifinalists at Miss Universe 1981. It was a year when blondes dominated the pageant that was held in New York City

The only other time that Ecuador was in the semis of Miss Universe is when the country hosted the pageant

At Miss Universe, Ecuador can only boast two semifinalists. One in 1981 courtesy of Lucia Isabel Vinueza Urjelles and one in 2004 by Susana Rivadeniera. Interestingly, Ecuador hosted the Miss Universe 2004 pageant.

At Miss World, only three made it to the semis: Sofia Monteverde (1970), Alicia Cucalon (1986) and Valeska Saab (2007).

Jennifer Pazmiño participated in both Miss Earth 2009 (left) and Miss International 2008 (right)

Prior to 2011, Ecuador has a lean performance at Miss International. Only three made it to the semis and no one advanced further. They are Margarita Gomez (1962), Lourdes Hernandez (1970), and Jennifer Pazmiño (2008). Jennifer Pazmiño went on to represent Ecuador at Miss Earth 2010 were she was named as Miss Earth-Air. She later gave up her title after she got married. Aside from Jennifer, prior to 2011, Cristina Reyes made it to the semis in 2005.

Clearly, Ecuador is not a beauty superpower based on its history but luck and fate connived this year allowing this country to emerge as the most victorious. Sure, they were largely ignored at Miss Universe and Miss World but they won Miss International and Miss Earth.

One can trace it all back during the Miss Ecuador 2011 pageant held in March. The winner of the pageant is Claudia Schiess. When the 2010 winner, Lady Mina, crowned Claudia, there are some whispered protests that assailed the pageant of colonial mentality. The criticism says that just because Claudia sports an European surname, she prevailed over much deserving beauties. Claudia, of Swiss-German descent, was clearly not the favorite.

Other winners in that pageant are Veronica Vargas as Miss World Ecuador, Ma. Fernanda Cornejo (a huge favorite) is Miss International Ecuador while Olga Alava emerged as first runner-up and Leslie Ayala as second runner-up. A total of 19 delegates participated in the pageant.

Claudia Schiess - Miss Universe clapper

No doubt the 2011 edition of Miss Ecuador contest was a tight race and the public received the victory of Claudia Schiess in a rather lukewarm fashion. Claudia became a big failure at Miss Universe 2011. Her body structure appeared heavy and her facial features too strong. But there is no telling how would Ma. Fernanda or Olga would fare in a contest like Miss Universe.

Veronica Vargas competing at Miss World 2011 Beach Beauty contest

At Miss World 2011, Veronica Vargas was also a failure. She even failed to penetrate the Top 30 and have to be contended as one of the 10 finalists for Beauty with a Purpose award.

Meanwhile, Ma. Fernanda Cornejo became a hit at Miss International. Her blonde hair and great body became her trademark and it is something that the pageant and the locals love. The biggest edge of Ma. Fernanda perhaps is her stage presence and confidence. She just glowed onstage especially in the swimsuit competition.

At Miss Earth, Olga Alava overwhelmed the strong competition from fellow Latinas by her wonderful personality. Central to that is her warm smile. It is said that Olga’s smile could be seen miles away. Above all, Olga proved to the judges that she is genuine in her environmental campaigns.

So, can Ecuador be now considered as a beauty superpower? Well it remains to be seen. If next year, Ecuador can sustain its momentum and make inroads at Miss Universe and Miss World, then we can say that the country has the now the machinery to produce more beauty queens. For now, it appears that Ecuador just happen to have a very good year where luck and fate truly connived. Felicidades Ecuador!