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2/22/10

Holi Beauty Tips


Holi, otherwise known as "Spring Festival" and the "Festival of Colours" is one of the most celebrated occasions in India. This year it falls on the 1st of March. I'm early but we need to be prepared for it now.


~ Make-up ~
Some might think why apply makeup when it's all going to get messed up anyways, but it's what's going to save your face from looking blotchy afterwards. But the key is to not look overly made up or too colorful either. We just want to apply a barrier between the colors and our skin. And of course we do want to look pretty before we get all messed up too :)


Face ~ Pick a silicone based or water resistant foundation like L'Oreal True Match or Mac Face and Body foundations. Apply on face and neck. Set it with powder. 
Add a bit of color to your cheeks with cream blush. It wont shift and slide when you're drenched.


Eyes ~ Yes, waterproof all the way. Stick to cream eyeshadows in neutral shades. Tightline your eyes with a smudge-proof eyeliner or apply very close to your lash line, curl lashes and apply a waterproof mascara


Lips~ Lipglosses are a NO-NO on this particular occasion and I don't think that needs any explanation. Pick a matte lipstick. If you don't have a matte lipstick, just apply any lipstick you have, place a single ply of tissue over your lips and dust some powder right on the tissue. Peel off the tissue. Perfect matte long-wear lipstick!


Body ~ *Avoid waxing, shaving, threading and salon skin treatments one week before Holi because they make your skin sensitive and highly susceptible to inflammation and infections.* 
On D-Day apply olive oil to the exposed parts of your body like arms and legs. This will prevent the colored powder from sticking to your skin making it difficult to wash off. Don't forget your ears.


Nails ~ Nail polish is necessary. It is a pain to clean the corners of your nails, so this tip might help a bit - One hour before you go out and play, apply a top coat all over and around your nails. This means the areas outside your nails as well. If you have long nails, apply on the insides (under your nails) too. Just a thin coat is enough. If it's too thick, it will peel off easily. Believe me, this will make cleaning so much easier. All you'll need is nail polish remover, soap, a toothbrush/loofah and water.


~ Hair ~ 
Oil your hair with coconut or olive oil to protect it from the colored powders and tie it up. Below are some  glam updos you can style your oily mane into. You can add some accessories like hair bands, bows or fancy clips if you want to.

~ After the fun ~
  • Before jumping in the shower, massage olive/coconut oil to wherever color has adhered to to loosen it from your skin. Let your hair down and comb through it to disentangle.
  • Use a loofah and bodywash to wash off everything. Shampoo your hair and apply conditioner generously. 
  • When you're done, moisturize your skin well with your favorite moisturizer or olive oil (again)
  • *I suggest you keep something like ice cold aloe vera gel for any skin allergies that may appear afterwards (personal experience)*
When you're done and there's still some stubborn spots staring back at you, it's okay. Nothing is permanent. Have some good old 'Bhang' and relax! =)

Wishing all my fellow Indians a fun & colorful Holi! 


♥ Cynthia Z ^_^


13 comments:

  1. aww lovely post and helpful tips hun :) Happy holiii

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  2. happy early holi hun!
    you've given this alot of thought!!
    xx

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  3. aww lovely! Never experienced holi :(

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  4. hope you have fun! I've seen this in some Indian movies and it looks like so much fun, although I can imagine it getting messy but the colors are gorgeous!

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  5. Happy Holi :)
    I am jealous I'll miss out on all the fun.
    && Awesome tips as well.

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  6. This post was so needed. :P Awesome tips . I remember I used to pick up my favorite nail paint from her collection just for holi. It was the only time of the year when I was allowed to paint my nails. :P

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  7. Very thoughtful post Cyn.

    Thank you for the tips. However, this part of India doesn't get to see much of colour play like north :-(

    Happy Holi to you too dear.

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  8. Hey, gr8 tips. I had never really thought of ever using makeup on Holi, coz i worry about a reaction with the gulal.. I generally just slather myself in coconut oil. I actually really like Holi - but I hate what it does to my skin - it makes it look really bad and rough.

    I really like all the tips - especially the nail paint tip and will def try some of these out..

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  9. Wow that sounds like so much fun! I hope you have a good time~

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  10. holi festival sounds like fun!

    happy holi festival to you cynthia =)

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  11. great tips .
    buh I wont be celebrating Holi this year(the dreaded boards ):D

    btw happy holi in advance .
    enjoy :)

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  12. I've seen Holi being celebrated in a documentary before. It looks like a lot of fun but I did wonder then about the tedious task of washing off. This was such an interesting post. I don't get to celebrate Holi but I sure learnt many tips and tricks here.

    I hope you had loads of fun on Monday! :D

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