Treat your face Mask application is one of the oldest beautifying treatments. All it needs is a quick 20-minute preparation that must be applied on your face for glowing results. “Take a teaspoon of lime juice, honey and half a tablespoon of milk. Mix well and apply this paste on your face, this has a mild bleaching effect on your skin and brings about an instant glow,” suggests make-up artist Kapil Ghatge. You can also try Nutriganics Smoothening Mask from The Body Shop for good results.
	Not just skin deep Without regular exfoliation, our skin can become dry and flaky as our bodies shed cells at an amazing rate, which is what usually causes it to look dull. The good news is that there is smooth, radiant skin below the surface, and all it takes is a good scrub in the shower every day to achieve it. Gently rub your exfoliator in circular movements on your entire body. Spa Wisdom Africa Ximenia and Salt Scrub, by The Body Shop is great for your body and a mixture of honey and salt or honey and oatmeal makes a gentle scrub for your face.
	Tress it up If your hair is usually dull and you want to add an instant shine to it, a quick fix home-made conditioning treatment before your shampoo is essential! “Mix one teaspoon of vinegar and honey with an egg. Beat them together and gently massage the mixture into your scalp. Then wrap your hair in a hot towel for 15 minutes, before washing it. Your hair will have more body, look shiny and be manageable,” recommends beauty expert, Shahnaz Husain.
	For your eyes only The eyes are the most important features of our face as they are the proverbial windows to our soul and everybody looks directly into them. The basic requirement for beautiful eyes is that we get a good night’s sleep the night before any important event. This in itself makes the eyes look bright and fresh. Next we try to reduce puffiness and fatigue especially if you have bags under your eyes. An easy method would be to “take two tea bags, steam them in warm water and allow them to cool for a while before you use them as eye pads. After you have put these over your eyelids it is recommended that you lie down and relax for a while. Instead of tea-bags another option would be to use potato slices directly on the eyelids,” says beauty expert, Shahnaz Husain.
	Make-up mantra The last step would be dressing your face up with the appropriate make-up. Key advice would be to wear make-up, but keep the look as close to natural as possible. Light base, with light coloured eye-shadows in peaches and pinks along with light shades of lip stain or lip glosses. Avoid strong, long-lasting shades as they dehydrate you when they start fading and can sometimes look like you are trying too hard. Shape your eyebrows with a filler or a brown pencil if they are light and always line your lips, but with a shade lighter than your lip colour. “Other than these beauty tips, one of the most important secrets to looking beautiful is being and happy and relaxed on your big night out as it always comes through,” emphasises make-up artist Ritika Karna.

Subscribe to Verve Magazine or buy the Verve issue on stands now!