Hair Trend: Curled Ponytails

Known for her statuesque body, Sameera Reddy inspires a new wave with her hair, with a sleek, coiled ponytail on the cover of Jade Magazine. To get her look, start with completely smooth, straight hair, and pull hair back into a low ponytail. Curl the your ponytail with taking hair farthest away from your face into two-inch sections. Use a one-inch barrel curling iron. To prevent locks from going limp, wait five minutes before touching each tendril released from the iron.

Rec: T3 Bespoke Labs Twirl Professional Ceramic Ionic Curling Iron

Make-up Trend: Flirty Pink Cheeks and Lips

At the Filmfare Awards, Sameera Reddy stood out with her flirty pink cheeks and lips combo. To get her look, apply a black eyeliner to your upper lids only and then coat your lashes, top and bottom, with black mascara. Rim your lower lash line with a champagne gold shadow in your inner corners, stop midway, and line the remaining of your lower lash line with a royal blue shadow. Using two fingers, blend a rosy cream blush on the apples of your cheeks. Finish off with a stain and a rosy lipgloss.

Rec: Stila Yumberry Crush and Pomegranate Crush Lip and Cheek Stain

Make-up Trend: Subtle Smoky Eyes

On the latest issue of Maxim India Sameera Reddy shows us that smoky eyes don't always have to mean dark shadows. To go for a more low-key look, blend gray-brown shadow up to the crease, add a dark brown in the outter crease to edge the look out. To blend it all together add a sheer pinkish white shadow up to the brow bone, and finish off with black liner. The look is still sultry, with a subtle touch.

Rec: Bobbi Brown Basics Eye Palette

Fall Bridal Beauty Trends 2009

Mauve Maiden

Purple is the signature hue this season. And it complements our skin tone wonderfully. Look for a warm shade of purple in creamy texture to get the maximum impact. To get the look, sweep an aubergine hue over the lid till the crease. Extend at the outer corner. Sweep a dark brown shadow under the lower lashes. Complete the look with a plum blush on the apple of your cheeks and a light-berry stained lip. This hue is great for dusky dames.

Golden Girl

Gilt shaded eyes are very graphic this season. It truly complements an Indian bride’s look. But instead of bright gold, the look is more burnished. So blending is the key. To get the look start by sweeping a gold shadow over the entire lid. Then apply a bronze hue at the outer corner, and copper at the crease line. Blend well. Draw a thin line close to the lashes with a black liner, and sweep on mascara. Dab some bronzer on the cheeks, and a glossy earthy red-pink lipstick.

Peach Princess

Give a new twist to safe peachy look by combining various textures in the same color -try blending creamy, pearly, and matte. To get the look, use a pearly peach or a light coral shadow all over your lid till the brow bone. Apply a copper hue close to the upper and lower lashes. Line your eyes with a kohl pencil, extending at the corners. Brush a matte peach blush on the apple of your cheeks. Then blend in shimmery coral blush on the cheekbones. Finish the look with an earthy nude lipstick in creamy texture.

Blue Belle

Be bold and play with color. Blue remains a hot hue this season as well. The hue goes from bright aqua to deep midnight with a pearly sheen. To get the look, apply an aqua blue hue over the lid, rounding off at the corner. Then draw with a midnight blue liner close to the lashes and apply a navy blue shadow under the lower lashes. Blend in a cobalt blue shade on the crease. Use a copper shadow as the highlighter. Sweep a pearly pink shadow and a rose pink lipstick to finish the look.

Make-up Trend: Gold Cheeks

Strategically placed bronzer enhanced Sameera Reddy's delicate cheekbones while focusing light on her almond-shaped eyes. When used like blush, bronzer adds structure. Neutral shades on eyes and mouth create a modern, monochromatic finish.

Rec: NARS The Multiple in Palm Beach

Vimi Joshi Tells us How to Get the Bollywood Look

Bollywood is all about drama and color and the vibrant make-up looks never fail to dazzle and amaze. If you love the flawless beauty of Bollywood’s leading actresses, why not bring a touch of Bollywood glamour to your makeup regimen? To help translate the vibrant Bollywood face to everyday, we’ve enlisted Vimi Joshi, Senior Makeup Artist for M.A.C in India to give us some insider tips on how to get the look without going overboard.

“This look takes Bollywood Blue to the extreme,” says Joshi. The heart of any Bollywood look is in the eyes and this is no exception. The drama here comes from the moody blue eyes highlighted with sparkly gold shadow. As is often the case, the makeup is directly inspired by the clothing and jewelery. The key to translating this look to the real world is to simplify.
Face
Bollywood skin is flawless so start with a good foundation/tinted moisturizer (M.A.C Select Tint). “For this look create a beautiful bronze skin tone (M.A.C Powder Bronzer) and define cheekbones with a warm peachy blush (M.A.C Melba Powder Blush),” says Joshi.
Eyes
The best way to approach this look is to think of it as a smokey eye using blue instead of black or grey. Remember, it can be easy to get carried away so build the color gradually—a little goes a long way and you don’t need a lot of shadow to capture the essence of this look. Give your eyes a little extra glimmer with a touch of gold shadow dotted on the inside corners of the eyes.
Vimi's Recs: M.A.C Electric Eel Eye Shadow; M.A.C Plumage Eyeshadow; M.A.C Gorgeous Gold; M.A.C Auto De Blue Technakohl Liner
Lips
The lips here are intense and red but in real life, if you have a smokey blue eye, the last thing you want to do is create an equally strong lip. Go instead for a nude, peachy gloss (M.A.C Love Nectar Lustreglass) to create a lip that’s subtle but full.


The emphasis here is on the eyes (again!) but instead of being moody and smoldering, this look is young, fresh and sweet. Want to carry your Bollywood look into the spring season but aren’t sure how (or even if) it can be done? Vimi Joshi shows us how.
Face
Instead of glowing, bronzed skin, this look calls for porcelain perfection. Use a good foundation (M.A.C Studio Fix Fluid Foundation) and concealer (M.A.C Studio Finish Concealer) to cover up any blemishes and a pressed powder (M.A.C Select Sheer Pressed Powder) to eliminate shine. For the cheeks, the look is less sculpted sophistication, more blushing bride. Apply a pretty pink blush (M.A.C Pink Swoon Powder Blush) to the apples of the cheeks to help create a fresh, youthful face.
Eyes
The eyes here are lit up with the colors of Bollywood and heavily lined. “Bring this look into every day by using a green toned eyeliner (M.A.C Jade Way Technakohl Liner) to define the under eyes and a wash of pink eye shadow (M.A.C Pink Venus Eye Shadow) on the lids,” says Joshi. Accentuate the look using black gel liner (M.A.C Black Track Fluidline) along the lash line. Finish with a generous application of mascara (M.A.C Pro Lash Mascara).

Lips
This look is a celebration of youthfulness, spring and fresh-faced beauty. Capture the essence of spring renewal with the subtle shine of a pretty pink lip gloss (M.A.C Lust Tinted Lipglass). Add a dot of shimmer to the center of the lip to plump them up and capture the light.

Sameera Reddy's Beauty Must-haves

• My handbag always contains
  Sunglasses, Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion SPF 55, Chanel Pin-up Lip gloss and Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer
  
  
• My favorite perfume
  Gucci Envy
  
  
• My shampoo
  Kerastase Bain Volumactive
  
  
• My conditioner
  Kerastase Care Volumactive
  
  
• The length of my hair
  Till my waist
  
  
• The texture of my hair
  Silky
  
  
• The color of my hair
  Black
  
  
• I admire/ envy the hair of
  Dimple Kapadia
  
  
• My hair-care routine comprises
  A visit to a hair spa once a week, hair wash and conditioner every other day. Head massage for distress.
  
  
• My tip on hair care
  Protein treatments.
  
  
• My favorite brands in make-up
  Chanel and Bobbi Brown.
  
  
• My favorite shade in make-up
  Girls love pink.
  
  
• The features I like to conceal while doing make-up
  Nothing
  
  
• The features I like to highlight while doing make-up
  My eyes
  
  
• While not shooting my make-up comprises
  Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer SPF 15
  
  
• My tip on make-up
  Use a lot of mascara, my favorite is Chanel Exceptionnel Mascara, but less liner

Make-up Trend: Cheekbone Highlighter

By drawing light to the flat planes of her face, Sameera has a three-dimensional look on the cheekbone. It's anti-contouring.

Easily enhance your bone structure in the same way by sweeping brightener from below the brows around to the cheekbones in a C-shape that follows the line of the eye socket.

Rec: NARS The Multiple in Maui

Make-up Trend: Blue Eye Shadow

Contrary to popular myth, there actually IS a blue eye shadow for everyone. If you have fair skin or light eyes, choose a powder blue or aqua. For deeper skin tones and eye colors like Sameera Reddy, opt for a sheer indigo or royal blue.

Unless you test a shadow in a store, it's hard to gauge the degree of pigmentation in a formula. If yours reads too deep on your lids, remove it and apply off-white powder shadow first.

Rec: M.A.C Eye Shadow in Flashtrack

Holiday Make-up Trend: Red Lips

A full on glamour red is the ticket for the perfect evening, Sameera Reddy knows that. And what easier way to go from day-to-night? Add a little white shimmer shadow to the lower lash line of your eyes and then do the lips up with dramatic red. Start by lining lips in a pencil that matches your lipstick (M.A.C Lip Pencil in Brick). Then apply the lipstick (a brush is the easiest way to ensure a clean line), blot, and repeat the lipstick application.

Rec: M.A.C Lipstick in Viva Glam

Ambika Pillai's Make-Up Tips

According to Bollywood make-up artist Ambika Pillai, it’s important to “just do your own thing and go wild”. The make-up moves she recommends:

Soft, smokey eyes accentuated by pale, glossy lips. “Besides the essential charcoal-gray, one can also use shades of midnight-blue, mehndi (henna)-green and even fuchsia to smoke out the eyes,” says Ambika.


• Pile on the glitter. Use eye-shadows in black, grey, blue or aquamarine and top with some sparkle.


Use a shimmery blush in any warm shade like amber or soft pink.


If you’re going strong on the eyes, ease up on the lips, using any soft skin tone shade, finished with generous dabs of gloss. Alternatively, play up the lips in rich burgundy or raisin if you’re going light on the eyes. She also adds, "Don’t follow these rainbow trends blindly. See what works for you and not the airbrushed model pouting from the magazine cover."


The fall-winter shows saw a lot of plum on the mouth with biggies John Galliano and Gucci followed by Rajesh Pratap Singh and Raghavendra Rathore coloring the mouths on the ramp. “The lips go brighter with orange, pink and red,” says Ambika.

For make-up expert Ambika Pillai, winter is the season when nice is out and naughty is in.“You can go really overboard with the tanned look this season to perfectly complement those earth-coloured outfits, which seem to be so much in vogue this season,” says Ambika. For the day look, you can use a cream-based foundation or a translucent powder with light blush over it. For the evening, go for a glossy foundation, add to it a bit of bronze shimmer and you’ll be all set to rock. Also apply a little blush to bring out your cheekbones, suggests Ambika.


For a day look, Ambika suggests a mild version where you can line your eyes with black, brown or blue kohl and apply light-colored eye-shadow. “The real experimentation should be for the evenings. Curl your lashes and apply heavy mascara on them. Use a dark eye-shadow and smoke out the kohl. Apply a little bit of shimmer on your eyelids, just above the eyeballs so that your eyes look nice when you move them,” explains Ambika.


“Winter sees lots of black in our wardrobes and red lips go very well with any black outfit,” says Ambika.

Make-up Trend: Fuller, Glossier and Shinier Lips

You can achieve full, glossy lips like Sameera Reddy, without plumpers or fillers by using sheer, glassy glosses, instead of pigmented, vinyl-like lacquers.

Avoid a goopy look by dabbing gloss onto the center of your top and bottom lip to get the perfect gleam.

Rec: M.A.C Plushglass in Plus Luxe