Instep Desk

Out with the old, in with the bold! It is 2017, which means that it’s time to shake up your beauty looks a little. And by little, we mean a lot. Why, you may ask us? It’s because every couple of years a beauty rebirth happens which forces us to forget about all the old and boring beauty techniques in order to make room for trendier options. 2017 should be the year of the beauty rebirth because we have gotten really sick of the same smoky eye/red lip look that every Pakistan woman turns to. Yes, it’s pretty and it’s safe but it’s also so predictable and everyone will be looking the same so why not try to be different? We won’t suggest really wacky ideas that only look good on the runway so hear us out and give these suggestions a chance.

Match your eye shadows to your outfit

Have you ever thought of wearing pink or blue eye shadow to match your dress? Try a monochrome look to match the colours you’re wearing. The colour of your outfit will really pop if you match your eyes with it. Or go the opposite route and wear a contrasting colour. Basically, the idea is to make your eyes look different. There are a few colours every Pakistani woman thinks of when thinking of eyeshadows: nude shades of beige, brown and copper along with glittery gold or silver. We never think to try a bright electric blue or a turquoise eye liner.  So our suggestion is that one should try using bright colours like hot pink, yellow and sea green instead. Of course, one has to be mindful of their skin tone and skin type. Most women in Pakistan have medium to dark skin tone and guess what? Makeup artists say that this skin tone can handle the widest range of colors-from the punchiest brights to the palest pastels.

Wear an unusual lip colour

What’s the first lip colour that comes to mind when we say the words ‘bold lip colour’? Probably red and other varying shades within the red family. The red lip colour has been done to death and it’s time to invest in some new colours for this year. There are so many shades one can try: why not try a deep purple or dark brown that is borderline black? Summer is here so we understand if one would rather wear a bright, chirpy colour like tangerine or hot pink. But why not try an unusual colour that no one else will try? Like a bright lilac? Or a shimmery cerulean?

Forget about contouring

Contouring has become such an integral part of everyone’s beauty looks that at this point it seems like a bold thing to do away with it. But can we just say that contouring looks awful in real life? The only time your face will look good with so many layers of makeup is when you’re in front of a camera. In real life, the awkward brown and red lines zigzagging across your cheekbones and lower jaw simply look weird. Also, all those layers of foundation start to crack after a while and eventually, you have artificial smile lines all over your face. Too much makeup makes your skin age faster as well as make you look a lot older than your age so please put away those contour kits for the next few years (or rather, throw them away) and say hello to a new, fresh-faced you.