As the grand festival of the City of Joy gets a global recognition this year with UNESCO’s addition of Durga Puja in Calcutta on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, The Telegraph got inspired to create four make-up looks taking inspiration from different cultures around the globe. Make-up pro Abhijit Paul created the looks for us on Madhurima Basak that uniquely highlights either one feature of the face or the hair. Take a cue and keep your Puja make-up game strong this year.
Japanese hairstyle-inspired bun: Madhurima’s outfit by Richa Khemka, with a sculptural drape designed with 3D birds, enhanced the Japanese hairstyle-inspired bun look. A pop of colour was added to the bun adorned with fresh flowers and hairsticks. A light cheek tint, light brown smoky eyes and coffee brown lips accentuated the look.
Try the look: “Use rollers to roll a section of the hair in the front, divide the sections with clips to hold it. Open each clip and use a hair dryer to give a bouncy look. Using hands, roll the hair and take it towards the back to make the bun,” said Abhijit.
Traditional Chinese make-up-inspired look: The Floraisonn’s two-toned firoza draped outfit was complemented with Chinese-inspired make-up, with blush highlighted cheeks on an overall nude base. The hair was worn open, straightened and styled with trendy bangs.
Try the look: “Apply moisturiser and prepare the base for a natural look with primer, foundation and concealer according to skin shade. Fill eyebrows and complete the eye make-up with mascara and pink blush on the cheeks,” suggested Abhijit
African hairstyle-inspired braided bun: Richa Khemka’s mustard tassel overlay and jumpsuit in modal satin was chosen for the braided bun look inspired from African hairstyling. Semi-nude make-up, a pop colour on the lips and gold bindi on the chin completed the look.
Try the look: “Divide your hair into sections and tie them into fish braids. Take the braids towards the back to tie them into a low bun,” described Abhijit.
Egyptian look-inspired eye make-up: The ombre gold and black tulle sleeved blazer with flared pants from Richa Khemka perfectly complemented the Egyptian eye make-up-inspired look. The gold-bronze shadow and graphic eye make-up was highlighted with contoured cheeks and semi-nude lips. The hair was straightened and worn open, styled with a chain wrapped around the forehead.
Try the look: “Use kohl to draw bold and square strokes beneath the lower lash line to experiment with the general winged liner look in reverse to attain this graphic look. Use a shimmery touch to elevate the entire look,” said Abhijit.
MAKE-UP NOTES
For this Puja, we tried four different looks inspired by different global cultures. The right kind of hair and make-up can give a magical turn to any look. Though these are inspired from different places around the world, we have tried looks that are easily doable and complement contemporary taste in fashion — Abhijit Paul
STYLIST SPEAK
Inspiration comes in many forms. For this shoot it was about various international cultures. I styled it keeping in mind the versatility and wearability of each look and how it integrates with contemporary Indian fashion — Isha Thakkar
Pictures: Pabitra Das
Location: The Astor Hotel
Hair: Sananda Mondal Laha
Jewellery: Vasundhara Creative Jewelry