Only the vain believe they know it all. Smart girls make no such claims and are always listening, grasping every last nugget of information about make-up tips and tricks to make their beauty obsession that much more legit. So when I got the opportunity to catch up with make-up mavens Natasha Nischol and Virginia Holmes, I did a little happy dance around the office. The co-founders of Fat MU are celebrating the nine-year anniversary of their make-up academy, and 15 years of working on some of the biggest movies, campaigns and editorials in India. Their film credits include Slumdog Millionaire, The Phantom of the Opera, Paa, Luck - By Chance, Vanity Fair, Dirty Pretty Things and Dil Dhadakne Do, where they've worked their magic on Bollywood biggies like Amithabh Bachchan, John Abraham, Priyanka Chopra and Alia Bhatt. They're a regular feature in editorials by Vogue and Elle, and even count brands like Flipkart, Dove, Garnier and Google among their regular clientele. Naturally I wanted to put them through the grinder with my questions on make-up tips, tricks and best products - here's what they had to say! 1. What is your style of make-up? Natasha Nischol: The classic make-up look is my favourite. Good skin, basic eyes with a nice crisp eyeliner or an invisible liner, and a dark or natural lip. The key is to have make-up on without it looking overly done or distracting, so I guess minimalist is more my style. Then again, sometimes you have to experiment as well! Virginia Holmes: I love being experimental and whacked out as much as possible. Coming up with conceptual make-up designs is challenging and fun, and keeps you on your toes. It can be minimal and intricate and/or extreme, depending on the brief. 2. What is your go-to make-up look? NN: When in doubt, bring out red lipstick! Some concealer, powder, eyeliner, mascara and a red lipstick can be worn anywhere and for any occasion, be it casual or formal. VH: Any retro look is my preferred make-up. I love the 70s and 80s in terms of the colour and different textures used back then. 3. Which are your favourite products? NN: Currently, By Terry’s CC Serum in Sunny Flash is a favourite. It is a light, illuminating serum that lifts dark under eyes and pigmentation; you tend to use less base and concealer with this underneath. Becca’s Beach Tint is another fave; it can be used on both cheeks and lips, and gives a natural look. Another favourite is Benefit’s They’re Real! Mascara, because it actually makes your lashes look lush and long with just one coat. VH: Any of Ben Nye's eye palettes. They give an artist tremendous creative reach - superb pigment, colour range and textures. Becca’s Beach Tint (Rs 4,850) 4. Which are your favourite tools...the ones you just can’t work without? NN: Shu Uemura lash curlers! They're available in different sizes and styles and are great for different eye shapes to get perfectly curled lashes. The 217 Blending Brush from MAC is great for applying washes of colour, blending and even concealing. VH: My fingers! Then MAC's 217 Brush and some Hakuhodo brushes from Japan that Natasha gave me. They really are a dream to work with. MAC Blending Brush 217 (Rs 3,706) 5. What are some must-buy products every girl should invest in? NN: A cheek and lip tint is great for the girl on the go. Two quick, multi purpose products that are great are Stila’s Pomegranate Crush Stain and Benefit’s lip and cheek stains. Good skincare is also a must. Bioderma micellar cleanser is a good soap free cleanser that keeps skin balanced and healthy. Their Atoderm moisturiser is fab as well. There’s no point in having amazing make-up if you don’t care for your skin. VH: Ben Nye palettes, Kryolan Derma Palettes, and Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream are my must-haves. Ben Nye Magicake Face Paint Palettes (Rs 6,794) 6. And some must-buy tools? NN: Good brushes are something that a lot of girls ignore when using make-up personally, but they’re a great investment and can change the way your make-up looks. MAC 239 and 217 are great brushes and you can try ones from Hakuhodo as well. VH: Shu Uemura lash curlers, good disposable mascara wands, a good sharpener like the one from Colorbar, and Tweezerman tweezers. 7. Which features do you like playing up? NN: It depends completely on the mood and the person’s facial structure. If they have full lips, I play them up, if they have beautiful cheekbones, I highlight them and if they have great eyes, a graphic liner or fun eyeshadow is a must. VH: Probably eyes first, and the rest follows around that. 8. Do you have a special tip or trick for make-up application? NN: Always dab your concealer, never sweep it. You take away more product than apply it by doing that. Match foundation exactly to your skin and don’t use too much! If you have good skin, stick to powders or BB creams that are easy to blend. Eyeliner is perfected with practise, and an important lesson is to not close your eye as you do it. Tilt your chin up and look down into the mirror to get a perfect line. When wearing dark lipsticks, always line your lips and fill them in with a pencil before you go over it with the lipstick. For mascara, wiggle the wand in upward strokes to evenly coat lashes and prevent clumping. Blush placement depends on the shape of your face. Round faces look rounder if you apply blush to the apples of the cheeks, and long faces look longer if you use blush under the cheekbone. VH: I prefer getting my main eye design on first and then starting on the base. I think it saves time and over-using products. 9. How does one get make-up to last in humid weather conditions like ours? NN: It's best not to wear heavy make-up as they melt very fast in our infamous heat. Stick to powder foundations, BB creams or silicone-based, long-lasting make-up. Using a primer like Dermalogica Skin Perfect Primer helps keep make-up on longer and also gives SPF protection and hydration. Eyeshadows tend to crease easily in the heat. Use a gel based shadow like MAC Paint Pots since they go on easily and don’t budge once applied, plus they give vibrant colour pay-off. VH: Use primers before applying your base. Waterproofing is another option for long-lasting make-up. MAC Paint Pot Soft Ochre (Rs 4,709) 10. What products do you carry in your handbag? NN: A good tinted lip balm like By Terry’s Rose Lip Balm, a pot of Bobbi Brown concealer and my Lakmé Absolute Shine Liquid Eye Liner. They’re the perfect products for a quick make-up look. VH: A compact and lip gloss. ALWAYS. 11. What are the essential items one should carry in a handbag while travelling? NN: Some travel skincare like cleanser, moisturiser and lip balm. If you want to wear make-up, pen eyeliners are great because they won’t spill and can be used anywhere. Carry a small eyeshadow quad and a lip and cheek cream for colour, and a red lipstick in case of emergency! VH: Good skincare, first and foremost. Then you can add a good eyeliner, mascara, brow definer, light blush, concealer/corrector/base, powder compact, lipstick/gloss. 12. What are your quick-fixes for make-up mishaps? NN: Make-up mishaps happen to the best of us, and here are some common ones and how you can fix them. Smudged lipstick: Get some concealer on a Q-tip or concealer brush and dab over where the lipstick has smudged to make it look perfect again. Badly blended foundation: Get a stipple brush or a sponge that’s a bit damp and blend off the excess foundation with that. Too much blush: Use a cotton pad to lightly rub off excess blush without removing your base. Messed up liner: Again, a Q-tip is your best friend. Get some make-up remover on it and sweep off the problem areas in one stroke. Your liner will be sharp and neat. VH: Wet tissues are superb for any make-up mishaps. Eye make-up fallout? Just wipe away with a wet tissue. Winged liner gone wrong? Just use the wet tissue to get a sharp edge! 13. Bollywood is a minefield of make-up inspiration. How can one incorporate those looks off-screen? NN: The best way would be to pick a star you really like and try a few of their looks. Of course, keep them appropriate to the occasion, but otherwise try all the looks you can. VH: I think pick an icon/actress you admire and look at some of her pictures and take inspiration from them. Kangana Ranaut is a super role model as she experiments a lot. Practice these looks at home and always check your lighting!
