beauty beat

Go back in time to when we were little girls and couldn't get enough of those big-eyed dolls and then indulge in sweet nostalgia by getting your face dolled-up with dolly make-up, which actually does not necessarily make you look, for the want of a better phrase, ab-baew (fake innocent).

A tutorial by Venus Angelic called ‘How to look like a doll’ can be found on YouTube—youtube.com/venusangelic.

"This make-up works on everyone. Just use the right skin shades. You can try to mix and match your favourite colours," said a well-known make-up tutorial girl who calls herself Venus Angelic, and who does look very much like a doll (check her out on http://www.venusangelic.com).

The dolly look is all about bright, sparkly eyes, porcelain skin and pastel colours.

Start with making the skin smooth and radiant by hiding those nasty dark circles under your sleep-deprived eyes (who gets enough sleep these days?) with the right shade of concealer. Apply it to the eyelids as well, for a brighter overall look.

The dolly look shouldn't be overdone, however, so skip the sticky, heavy foundation and go for something lighter like tinted moisturiser or a lightweight BB cream to prime your skin. Top it with loose powder, preferably with a pearly finish to make the skin glow beautifully.

Next, prime the eyelids and use shimmery gold eye shadow as the base, focusing on the centre. This will make your eyes look rounded and bright. Top it with your choice of eye-shadow colour. For a sweeter appearance, go for pastel colours with an eyeliner that's not black - brown and grey are both wonderful for creating a soft look. For a more sophisticated feel, choose darker shades like purple or dark brown and use them with a black eyeliner. Liquid eyeliner produces a rather sharp line so it's better to use a pencil eyeliner which can be blended for a softer effect. Use white or gold eyeliner or eye shadow on the inner corners of the eyes as well as under the eyes to make them "pop" beautifully.

A must-have for the dolly look is thick, curled eyelashes. If you're blessed with naturally long and thick lashes, a simple coat of mascara will do the trick. If not, there are always fake lashes to complete the look.

The cheeks are also important. Aim for that healthy-looking peachy tone. Make sure the colour matches your overall tone; pink-based for a cool tone and orange-based for warm.

The lips should be lightly coloured and glossy. You can skip lipstick and use a medium pigmented lipgloss or tinted lip balm to get both the colour and the shine. For a more intense look, apply lipstick (colour of your choice) to the centre of the lips and blend outwards to make it look more natural. Coat it with a candy-coloured lipgloss.

Avon UCR Brilliance in Pink Paparazzi gives your lips a beautiful shine and a sweet candy colour.

Pupa Made to Last Eyes in dark brown gives a soft-coloured but well-defined line; the formula is also waterproof and long-lasting.

For glowing porcelain skin, use Bobbi Brown’s Illuminating Face Base; it contains fine pearly particles that make the skin look radiant.

Bloom Star Dust in Golden Gold is the perfect base for eyelids if you want to make your eyes look gorgeously rounded.

Plumped up with pomegranate

NARS introduces a skincare range that claims to capture the power of light in a unique anti-ageing collection that helps illuminate skin as never before. Designed to restore skin's youthful radiance and reflect light like a prism, NARSskin is enriched with a unique ''light-reflecting complex'' featuring a blend of pure ingredients that work in synergy. Light-active micro-prisms are combined with algae extract and Polynesian seawater to boost clarity and infuse skin with moisture and minerals. Combined with anti-ageing, cellular metabolism-boosting ingredients and potent anti-oxidants, it revives skin, making it look luminous.

Lit from within

The Face Shop has unveiled its latest skincare series: Pomegranate and Collagen; with 5% pomegranate extract and 10% marine-collagen extracts. Pomegranate is a natural oestrogen-booster while marine-collagen extracts can help speed up skin-collagen production to reduce lines and improve elasticity. The range includes Volume Lifting Essence, Volume Lifting Eye Cream, Volume Lifting Emulsion and Volume Lifting Cream.