Festive season sure does make us dreamy. With the perfect outfit, you also need to take care of the perfect makeup look. If you’re a beginner or have never used makeup before, we’re here to tell you that we’ve all been there. Also, it is easier than it looks. Don’t trust us? We’ve listed 12 hacks that are easy to do and will surely elevate your look. Thank us later for the perfect festive selfies!

Hack 1: What you need to do for a perfect base

If you have a flawless base then you can achieve a glowing look with just a minimal amount of products. Your base starts with skin prep. All that you need is to clean your face, apply a moisturiser, and then start with a primer. Most of us go wrong with the last step of prepping our skin ie. primer application. We’re used to swapping any product on our face, especially the primer. The right way to apply skincare and makeup is to dab the product gently on your skin with a damp sponge or just your fingers. For primer, your fingers work just fine. Apply primer not just where you have enlarged pores but also where you believe your skin is just fine. This will maintain uniformity on your skin and avoid patchy makeup. 

Sublime recommends Sandiva One & Done Protective Primer With Sandalwood this one smells and works just as well as it sounds!

Hack 2: Say hello to crease-free under eyes

Under eyes are a tricky part. If you’re not using the right shade and a good product, it may either end up looking ghostly white and cakey or grey in case the product is easily oxidisable. For Indian skin tones, it is best to apply a very thin layer of orange concealer before picking the concealer shade matching your skin tone. But before you dip your fingers in a concealer pot, remember to moisturise well. If you aren’t going to moisturiser your under eyes then no amount of setting powder will help you ‘set’ your makeup and leave you with nothing but creases. Also, let your concealer rest before setting it with loose powder.

Sublime recommends Ilana Organics Soft Blur Cream Concealer + Foundation that works as both concealer and foundation. It sits so well with just one coat to cover your dark circles and we’re all for it!

Hack 3: Make your eyes pop

 It’s simple. Focus on the centre of eyelids and the bottom lash line. Apply a good coat of subtle shining eye shadow. Pick a color that compliments your skin tone. Of course, you can go completely out of the box and pick a neon shade or a dark purple but for a festive ultimate makeup look, we’d recommend sticking to subtle hues of pink or a good cream-based highlighter. You can also apply this at the corner of your eyes. In the end, blend the heck out of the products you’ve applied to your eyes. By blending, we don’t mean rubbing it across but dabbing it gently with your brush or finger. This trick will definitely leave your audience gawking at your eyes!

Sublime recommends Daughter Earth Nude Lip & Cheek Tint-Glacial Nude. This could double as your lip tint for every day and one swoop on your eyes can make your eyes pop!

Hack 4: Shine like Midas touch

We’re talking about highlighting your face and body. All of it! Let’s first talk about the face. If you’ve opted for a dewy look then chances are you’ve opted for creamy makeup products and not matte. In that case, stick to a cream or gel-based highlighter to not budge your makeup look. Highlighters are generally applied on the tip of the nose, cheekbones, and even the eyelids. We suggest dabbing the highlighter right at the top of your cheekbones and following that line which will take you to the eye sockets’ bone. This will exactly highlight your facial bone structure to give you a lifted look. You can dust a bit of highlighter on the top of your lip line and bottom of your eyebrows. If you aren’t big on makeup then you can mix highlighter powder with a drop of your favorite face oil and apply it just where you need it. This is sure going to make you shine without foundation.

Sublime recommends Ras Luxury Oils Luminous Skin Clearing Face Elixir which is great for those with acne-prone skin type. Skincare that works as makeup with minimal efforts- our prayers are finally answered!

For the body, you can use the same trick. Mix moisturiser with a tinge of highlighter and massage it well on your legs, neck, and hands. If not on your full body, apply this gorg mix on your neck and shoulder to highlight your shoulder bones. Now, who can stop you from looking like Cleopatra?

Sublime recommends Disguise Cosmetics Velvet Glow Multistick | ROSE GOLD STORMBORN. We can’t get over this shade and formulation. They have many shades to select from and they could be used as eye shadow, liner, highlighter. Great to travel with!

Hack 5: Treat your brushes the right way

If we’ve not made it clear, the right makeup look always starts with prepping your skin with skincare products. Next is the layer of makeup which we apply with brushes. If you use dirty makeup tools while doing your makeup then chances are high that you will clog your pores and break out crazy bad. Save yourself from trouble and wash all the tools before using. You must also ensure that the brushes and sponges are damp before using because if they are not then your makeup is bound to not sit well on your skin. So the ultimate festive makeup loop starts with using just damp brushes and sponges.

Hack 6: Here’s how to ‘touch-up’

We often relate touch-ups with just a compact. But that’s not the right way. If you’ve opted for creamy formulations throughout your makeup instead of powder then the right way to touch up is by using a creamy concealer and dabbing it wherever you believe you need coverage now and then. If you’ve opted for a  matte look then the products you’ve used must be powder formulations and so pressed powder makes the right choice. The rule for a touch-up is to stick to powder or cream based on the products you’ve used while creating your makeup look.

Sublime recommends Sandiva SPF Top-Up Loose Powder With Sandalwood that has SPF 30 with PA ++++ so when you apply this, you’re technically reapplying SPF too. Win-win!

Hack 7: Smokey eyes in a minute 

All you need is eyeliner for this. Just make sure you aren’t picking a waterproof liner since that could be difficult to work with to achieve smokey eyes. Apply the liner on your upper lash line and with the help of your pinky finger, gently rub it to spread on your lid. Now, we don’t want raccoon eyes so don’t smudge it all over your lid. Just a tiny bit over your lash line. If you have small eyes, then you can highlight your eye shape by putting eyeliner on your waterline as well and then dabbing it a bit on your outermost corner.

Sublime recommends Ruby's Organics Smoked Kohl + Eyeliner that glides so smoothly since it has Mango and Shea butter. It also has Almond oil to ensure that your eyes aren't irritated.

Hack 8: Lift your cheekbones

We focus on the apple of our cheeks more than the high points of our cheekbones. Here’s how we can change this. While applying blush and highlighter move towards your hairline following the cheekbone. This will instantly lift your cheeks as if you’re in your teens again. We kid you not. Watch Priyanka and Deepika the next time they’re walking on the carpet!

Sublime recommends Ruby's Organics Crème Blush that has a range of blush shades and is all curated keeping in mind the Indian skin tones. As for the highlighter, you can pick Asa Blushing Moon 01 Luminising Powder which we have on our platform specifically because it is addictively good and a natural glow-giver!

Hack 9: Lower eye line perfection with just mascara

Yep. Just mascara. We all sure do apply mascara on our lower lash line but some of us end up with spidey lashes. Not suitable for the ultimate look. What you need to do instead is to apply one coat on your lash line and then smudge it a bit to add definition. You can also apply a second coat on the outermost ending of your eyes. This will open up your eyes without getting the lashes all goopy and spidey. 

Sublime recommends first using Fae Beauty Brash Primer - Base Coat Mascara that adds volume and length to your lashes after which you could use a very natural and subtle mascara like Asa Easy Ebony 01 Everyday Mascara this will definitely not give you spidey lashes but it will just give them the right amount of lift to make them appear naturally long. 

Hack 10: Kim K hairstyle without heat? Yes, please!

We can’t even start with how we abuse our hair every day in the name of styling. There are means to not harm our hair and yet style them just how we want. For a great sleek look, all you need is two clips. Part your hair in two horizontal sections, separating the front hair from the rest. Brush your second section which has all the hair except for the front section. Now twist and tie it in a bun. For the front section, brush it and tie it as a pony resting on the nape. Sleep with it and then open it in the morning when you're getting ready. 

Sublime recommends Coccoon Safe Styling Combo(Protective Hair Serum + Polishing Hair Mist). This is great for all us girls who are a victim of frizzy hair. Use the Serum before you style and the mist once you've tied your style in place. Nothing can stop you from looking like a diva if you have your hair in place!

Hack 11: Perfect and easy-peasy way to curl

Okay, we may have heard this a gazillion times but we say it is worth giving a shot. All you need to do for this hack is tie your hair in tiny braids. Yeah sure this will take some time but if you leave it overnight then we promise that you will wake up with beautiful curls that will remind you of Moana. To keep the curls in place, spray a bit of setting hair spray and you’re done!

Hack 12: Apply your lipstick just the right way for the perfect pout

A perfect pout is easier than it looks. The first step is to moisturiser your lips with a thin layer of lip balm. Then begin with a lip liner that matches your lip shade. Line your lips a thread higher than your original lip line. And now the final step is to use your favourite lipstick and swap it on the lips within the line that you’ve drawn. For an extra dose of plump, apply lip gloss. Voila, this is the sure way to achieve that perfect pout selfie!

Sublime recommends Asa Ravishing Rose C32 Crème Lipstick. Asa has a range of shades to pick from. This particular shade is just the right fit for most Indian skin tones and it is so creamy that it glides just perfectly on your lips.

We can list down umpteen hacks for the perfect makeup look but there are certain factors that a user must note to achieve a flawless base. Factors like the product quality that will ensure it doesn’t oxidise quickly when applied, ingredients used that will ensure that your pores don’t clog or are irritated, your skin’s health that will help you determine if you need to let your skin breathe or you can apply makeup on it. We’d say stick to organic and breathable makeup products to ensure that your skin isn’t harmed due to makeup. Makeup is an art and skin is the canvas. Be mindful with both skin and makeup!

-Divya Salvi