This morning I experienced a personal mini-crisis. When I went to apply my eye cream, specially purchased on my last trip to India I realized – I had just run out. It was like one of those scenes in a movie where time stood still and zoomed in close on the empty container.
Desi girls are brown. Which means that our skin has a high level of pigmentation, unlike the pigmentation of the majority of girls in America. This means that there are probably a few common experiences that we share. At some point in our teenage make-up experimentation stage we were told to purchase the generically colored “tan” foundation and/or concealer despite it not matching our skin tone at all. We wore a ghastly bright red lipstick because someone said it looked good with our skin. Finally is the struggle to find the perfect eye cream to battle those undereye bags that a large percentage of South Asian women are genetically predisposed to and that none of the products sold here cater to.
East Asian women have Shiseido. Ambi is a line of product catering to women of color for lotions and creams. But the Desi girl doesn’t have much else, and a walk through CVS or Sephora or Nordstrom’s makeup counters is liable to give me a panic attack.
Never to fear. In my panicked frenzy this morning, I stumbled across two blogs to the rescue: An Indian’s Makeup Blog and The Indian Make-Up Diva.
Here’s what I love about the blogs: 1) These are Desi American women writing the blogs, so all of the products they use can be found here. 2) They try and review the products with a Desi girl slant. 3) They give easy to understand instructions on how to put on make up. 4) They are written with wit and charm.
Who is the Indian Girl behind An Indian’s Makeup Blog?
I am what you call a late bloomer but have been interested in make up since forever. My Indian parents ( like so many other Indian parents) never let me use make up until my sophomore year at college. Though I am thankful for that, I am now more than compensating for all those lost years.[AIMB]
A couple of things unique to her site are the helpful instructional videos and her homemade beauty product creations, like this face mask. I also like how she takes pictures of herself wearing the product such as lip gloss, just so you know how it’s actually going to look on. Follow IndianGirl on twitter to read her daily makeup adventures.
Anu at the The Indian Make-Up Diva is just as make-up crazed.
You might have guessed but I am obsessed with all things make-up. As I am currently in grad school I don’t have the time to put my lessons learned during art school to use so I make my face my canvas (before this would be literal and you’d see me walking around campus with green and blue paint on my face/hair clothes).[IMD]
What I love about Anu’s blog is how she has these really basic step by step photo tutorial on how to apply make-up. I mean, really, really, basic – perfect for a girl like me. And she has no qualms about putting her own face on her site as an example. She also goes in-depth about products that she reviews, as well as tossing in a bit of witty sarcasm while she’s at it. Additionally, she’ll give instructions to mimic red carpet looks of Desi actresses and she’ll lay it out pretty simply, listing exactly what you need to get the look. You can also follow Anu at twitter.
So there you go, two blogs for the everyday Desi girl to help us maneuver the madness of beauty products. Are there other sites or blogs that you would recommend, a line of product you use, or a beauty related desi issues that you need to vent? I’d love to hear from you on it.
i second NKS’ vote for makeupalley – it has saved me a ton of frustration and money – things are marketed so tantalisingly, but MUA is a worthy supporter of my scepticism 😉 also, essentialdayspa.com has a forum that includes not only product reviews but also makeup/skin advice by users.
I suppose Abhi or Ennis could do an equivalent post for Desi Men’s grooming issues, but do you really want to read 250 comments on how Ponniyin, Razib, and YogaFire trim their bushy nose hair (or worse!)? actually, i quite like a nice eyebrow threading on men. and quite frankly, sometimes a little hair grooming in some other spots would be nice, too 😉
That’s an actual name for a real product line?
Can someone get Don Draper over there to explain how branding is supposed to work?
Fascinating! Thanks for the post.
I don’t wear a lot of makeup, but I really should, since age and sleeplessness are beginning to take their toll. sigh
A couple of years ago, I finally found the right shade of foundation and powder (thank you, MAC!), but I’m still struggling with lipstick. Stuff that looks great on other South Asian women with similar skin tone ends up looking weird when I try it, so I’ve actually given up wearing the stuff, and just use gloss instead.
But if someone has a great lipstick recommendation, I’m all ears.
Hmm, then you probably need earrings.
i’m so surprised that nobody has recommended bobbi brown products. the foundations, concealers, and powders are all created with yellow undertones in mind, and work very well for my punjabi complexion both during the winter when my skin is lighter and the summer when my skin in tanned.
also, the eye cream that i swear by is by revive. it costs a small fortune, but you can get samples of it from saks and try it out for a few days.
bobbi brown concealers are great for when he’s made your skin all kinds of colors.
Why do women use makeup and other cosmetic products? I understand that enhancing physical beauty is socially advantageous, but why is it mainly a preserve of women? Apart from performing artists, Goths and certain other outliers, men don’t use makeup the way women do, nor is it socially acceptable for them to do so (for example, if my male boss walks in to work tomorrow wearing foundation, eyeshadow etc., tongues will surely wag). How important is physical beauty in a woman’s social life? Are all women performing artists? Could this all simply be explained by evolutionary psychology?
Nothing worked like Shiseido for me. I just find all of their skincare products awesome. I am not too much into makeup yet, so can’t say much about shades/blushes or other stuff. But Clinique lipgloss happens to be my favorite, I use it with L’oreal lipsticks. I have used Shiseido eye-liner and am really happy with it. As for mascara, I use Clinique or Estee Lauder.
I am an amateur when it comes to make-up. I don’t wear it often, and if I do, I use L’Oreal’s foundation/concealer/powder. The True Match line actually has a range of colors– in different undertones!
I actually have trouble finding good eyeliner. The liquid kind always gets into my eye, and pencils or roll-ons don’t show up very well on the thick skin of my eyelids. Does anyone have any suggestions?
By the desi eyebag problem, do we mean having dark sunken circles that are noticeably darker than the rest of the face? Because I definitely have that problem, and I’m only 21.
cindy – try bobbi brown gel eyeliners – they glide on easily, stay put and almost all shades are good on desi skin. but i sometimes find them to be too much for daytime, so i use urban decay’s 24-7 glide pencil – it really does glide on and leaves a definitive line.
Cindy, I have found the Clinique’s Quickliner to be the best. It is super easy to apply, visible on the desi skin AND doesn’t make its way to the under eye part (if you have oily skin around eyes, that would be a common problem), so doesn’t give you a hightened dark circle. Try the navy blue: it looks amazing on desi skin.
Ohh finally a post after my own heart.
I didnt wear much (ANY) make up growing up, and have only in the last 2 years started using foundation. I only graduated to using it nearly every day a month or so ago.
I live in NZ, in a small city with hardly any other Indians. So I am stuck with generic brands. Nearly all my makeup is Avon right now because my Avon lady is awesome and always gives me samples and lets me know when new colours in my range come out.
I visit Auckland maybe once a year and am going again in a few months time. All your posts/ comments are inspiring me to take a look at some Indian stuff (lakme) available there (I have not been to India in 10 years and don’t plan to anytime soon).
Thanks for sharing some genric brand advice and the blogs – I am sure i can get these at my local Dept stores (some of ’em anyway).
To Lupus Solitaire – men expect their women to be feminine and beautiful among other things. And lets face it, have you even seen any before/ after makeup makeover pics? Even Aishwarya can’t get away with wearing NO makeup (I remember being told by friend who had seen her a few times that she has very acne prone skin and terrible hair). And of course, who would NOT want to look better. Hence, makeup. Of course women have had to do this more – by the same token, most women will shave (or equivalent) hair in various places – men won’t. How would you feel about a GF/ wife with hairy legs/ armpits? Sme thing really.
I take consolation in the fact that men are gravitating more and more towards grooming, and its only a short step to makeup from there. 🙂 In 50 years, your male boss WILL be wearing foundation and lipgloss to work. 🙂
“Well,” said the would-be cattleman, “I wanted to name the ranch the Bar-J. My wife favored Suzy-Q, one son liked the Flying-W, and the other wanted the Lazy-Y. So we’re calling it the Bar-J-Suzy-Q-Flying-W-Lazy-Y.”
“But where are all your cattle?”
“None survived the branding.”
For eye concealer, nothing beats Bobbi Brown for desi skin. It has a golden undertone that suits our skin perfectly like no other cosmetic really does. Check it out!
thanks for these sites. their awesome!
Thank you, NKS and Anna for the suggestions.
In Re: Overlapping skin tones with Black women – I definitely find helpful hints and tips from Black women who are beauty bloggers/editors. One of my favorite makeup tutorial/review sites is http://www.youtube.com/scandalousbeauty (sorry, can’t seem to figure how to hyperlink).
Laura Mercier is the bomb when it comes to tinted moisturisers, particularly the oil-free version. People rave about her concealer but I find it looks too artificial, particularly in the under-eye area. Rather, I think a few strategically placed spots of the the darkest YSL Touche Eclat works well in this area. MAC concealer NC45 is also an excellent undereye shade.
Love the insider knowhow NKS – more please!
I stopped wearing make-up – honestly when I changed my diet and stopped drinking caffeine, got on Yaz (it does wonders), my skin tone changed immensely. Now I just moisturize everyday, and I’ve been using Eye Hope from the Philosophy line at Sephora, and it’s been working ok, but I’ll be trying these products soon. I have to get ready for my wedding and am going to try to do it on my own….in terms of make-up. Recessionsta style.
Sumi – I was very much like you and didn’t really get into makeup till I got older. I am still not a huge fan for spending time in the morning just to put on make up, i’d much rather sleep in. One of the things i’ve started using lately is a tinted lotion from Aveda (around $22, well worth it, one lasts me 4-5 months). I use the medium shade and it blends in really well. It also has spf 15 so one step and you are ready to go. I am punjabi and somewhat light skinned but I have a south indian friend who uses it as well, both of us love it.
Though I am not a professional, I recommend getting some tinted lotion and making it part of your daily routine, you can get some basic eyeshadow as well. Once you have the basics for everyday use, you can start experminting with other brands/colors.
Also – for those of you many not know, makeup (concelars, liquid foundations) need to be treated like a food product, I don’t use up my products very fast and don’t want them sitting out in room temp so I store them in the fridge. It’ll help keep down the bactrial growth.
Desiderata — ask & you shall receive. Can share may tips from ‘behind the counter’ just not sure what you are looking for. I will say this…eye creams for puffy eyes are simply hype. Any docs on this site? Can you help verify?
Under-eye puffiness — whether in the form of mild swelling, dark “bags” or saggy under-eye skin — is the last thing most people want to see when they look in the mirror in the morning. Though mild puffiness under your eyes can be annoying or embarrassing, it’s usually only a temporary cosmetic concern. Puffy eyes can result from a number of causes, including: heredity, fluid retention (i.e. changes in weather or hormone levels), allergies/dermatitis (redness and itching), certain meds, or simply too many martinis.
In other words, no eye cream in the world could ever penetrate the skin to reduce these symptoms, which are under the derm. You can just stick a cold cucumber or tea bag (rich in caffeine) to tighten up the skin for quick, easy results. You’re better off buying eye creams to moisturize to prevent fine lines/wrinkling from dry/dehydrated skin as no eye cream can physically reduce puffiness. What you can do is buy an eye gel, store in the fridge, and slater on in the morning to cool the area.
I just crossed the age that one doesn’t mention and felt the need to start wearing makeup. I started using MAC tintied moisturizer and love it. Also, for a real natural tint on lips, started using bath and body works lip gloss. Wishing I had started before.
Oh, it’s not so hard to find good desi shades of make up in America! I use MAC. It rocks.
i wouldnt really care. i prefer happy wife to hairless, covered in makeup, insecure trying to look pretty for me. i preffer how grls look naturally without stuff all over them. make up makes it hard to see the grls face.
ake up doesnt make anyone prettier. you look the sae no atter what. its just harder to see you throught the makeup.
this is another fraud. you dont stop looking pretty after a certain age. just be happy and find someone that likes you. dont worry about d0uchebags. (although grls seem to flock to those guys, so need akeup and things to keep them, since there is always a younger newer grl out there).
you’ve obviously not dated canadian. praise be to gaia.
Puli, how are you still single? I wish I had a sis I could set up with you!
HA! Oops. My bad.
havent found anyone with a bid to marry puli yet. i guess its just a difficult process. not sure what grls look for these days.
From what I see of you on SM, you are a great guy and a catch, so dont let up, its gonna happen soon , wish yo the best!
For those looking for a really light foundation (akin to a tinted moisturizer), I just bought me some Almay Smart Balance make-up in Light/Medium. The product comes out of the tube white and, as it’s rubbed onto the skin, it releases color beads. The end product (for me)? A perfect match. Not saying it will work for all skin types or undertones but worth checking out–especially if you don’t need much coverage and just want something to balance out the skin tone. Available at most drugstores, I paid ~$11.
one of my female friend likes to cover her head with something called “MAC”. I think its a metal oxide. She also uses something called liquid concealer that looks like butt in a bottle.
the most warped out thing ive ever seen though is something called an “electric eyelash curler”. it was one step more messed up than the “hair straightening iron”.
Wow, thanks for all these great tips! 🙂
LOL, I always learn so much on this site. It can definitely be really tough to find the right foundation and the right shades.
It speaks volumes about the tone of this blog and visitors when something like this gets 80+ comments and the one about prossible racial profiling gets a scant 29 or so.
Bea Walker, I’m a consumer of Iman cosmetics and it’s good quality. One thing though: I’m not Indian but it does have foundations that would suit South Asian skin tones as long as the undertones are yellow. Ironically, as a black person, no Iman foundations suited my skin as my undertones are red and most if not all of her foundations have yellow in them.
I’m noticing that Asians and Indians seem to be unaware of the of-color beauty lines out there including skincare lines like Ambi. Iman for example includes Asians in her ad campaigns yet she must not be getting the word out to the South and East Asian community as this thread shows. It shouldn’t matter if these brands are marketed to black women. You guys have no qualms using mainstream white brands so why not the other way around with black brands?
Hey Anna, I noticed that too with Fashion Fair, but recently they’ve updated their logo and packaging so now it’s look great. Check it out.
Another thing Anna, what was it about Real Cosmetics that you didn’t like? Lubna has recently upgraded her website and possibly her product line. And what about Vasanti Cosmetics? The last two brands I think would be a god-send to Indian women. Do they not work?
One more question: would any of you patronize a cosmetic line that had the perfect cosmetics for South Asian skin tones (and undertones) if it was owned by a black woman? I’m noticing potential niche markets in products that could cater to South Asian needs.
why wouldnt they? if the makeup works good (whatever that means)….
Puli @ 74 That is so sweet of you. How is life treating you these days?
BTW, just so you know how a woman’s mind works, the reason I even started using makeup, is not to look better for anyone else, but for myself. To give me confidence that I can hang around long enough to raise my kids and care for my family. Mortality becomes a sudden realization when you hit my age.
Monalisa @ 84 Absolutely!! Pls. keep us posted.
Definitely. I think whoever said it upthread exaggerated too self-righteously when they talked about how desis don’t like to use products catered towards blacks. I don’t know anyone like that, and I personally have no problem with it. I already use haircare products found in that aisle.
Thanks for the info about the Iman brand monalisa. I will definitely check it out with other brands mentioned here. I agree with previous comments – ownership of a brand is not the defining factor for me: Quality, ingredients and a good color match are bigger priorities.
oruvan wrote:
Welcome back, oruvan, it’s been a while. BTW, don’t you think it would be more productive to actually go on the racial profiling thread and leave a comment?
Come one, come all! Watch this video this fall:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYfwIAWWH6M
Higher quality version on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=549997458733
For those who are asking why women spend so much time and money on make-up … well, let’s be honest, appearance matters for everyone in society. Pretty people have the upper hand in most situations. Especially women who are seeking male mates, since men place so much emphasis on beauty in a mate. Most studies on this matter actually conclude that physical attractiveness is the #1 factor in attracting men. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this fact; it’s very much rooted in biology. And most people don’t want to be lonely.
Yeah, but men have got their nerve since most of them are plain or average themselves yet they want the prettiest woman.
So? They may want the prettiest woman there is, but most will be happy with the prettiest woman they can get.
Many women also dream of ‘the perfect man,’ despite not exactly being perfect themselves.
Monalisa, thank you for the update on Fashion Fair! 🙂 That packaging looks WAY better. As for Vasanti, I haven’t tried it yet; I haven’t seen it at my local Sephora, Blue Mercury, Saks, Nordstrom etc, so I haven’t had the opportunity to play with it. Upon reflection, I haven’t seen Fashion Fair anywhere recently, either. Re: Real Cosmetics– I love supporting other Desis who are making their dreams come true, but I’m not going to buy underwhelming makeup (more than once) to do it. Maybe all of her stuff has been updated now and it’s awesome, I sincerely hope so. And to answer your question, I don’t care WHO makes it, if a product is awesome, I will line up to buy it, whether it’s Iman or Jeanine Lobell who is selling it. 🙂
As for this, Cindy:
I take exception to that characterization. I was neither exaggerating about that pathetic situation nor was I being self-righteous when I related what I (sadly) know to be true. I’m glad you don’t know anyone “like that”. I wish I didn’t. 🙁
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blockquote>For those who are asking why women spend so much time and money on make-up … well, let’s be honest, appearance matters for everyone in society. Pretty people have the upper hand in most situations. Especially women who are seeking male mates, since men place so much emphasis on beauty in a mate
How does the Feminist movement view makeup and cosmetic enhancement of physical attributes? Does it consider it an empowering process or acts of conformity to masculine norms of beauty and femininity?
Sorry… This is what I wanted my previous comment to look like…
How does the Feminist movement view makeup and cosmetic enhancement of physical attributes? Does it consider it an empowering process or acts of conformity to masculine norms of beauty and femininity?
Ok, fair enough, I just get sick of people generalizing all these negative traits onto the desi community when I haven’t personally experienced things like that, because I’ve seen that it only serves to justify other people’s negative perceptions of us.
My response to this is honestly, “Who cares?” I don’t mean it in a disrespectful way, I really just think that women should be left alone to try to improve their looks and be women if they want to, without having to worry about whether they’re setting womankind back or not (especially if they admit to gasp wanting a man). Yeah it can be a big advantage if you’re a hot woman, it can also be a big disadvantage if you’re an ugly girl. Life’s not fair. As for social norms of beauty and femininity, while some things are culturally based, most measures of beauty (namely youth) are rooted in biology.
@Cindy on comment #97.
I’m so glad that you said that, Cindy.
I think the feminist movement should not be used to pigeon-hole women into thinking or acting in a certain way, because that defeats the whole point of having a feminist movement in the first place. It was supposed to bring women freedom to do and not do what they wanted. So I have no problem with women using cosmetics if they want to.
Oh and additionally, I know lots of guys who wear makeup, too. It’s not unusual in the Goth world. And I have no problem with that, either.
Men who wear black eyeliner do have a certain sex appeal!