Beat the Heat
Your summer base: keep it matte, light and cheerful. Photo: Bina Khan
When it comes to the searing heat and merciless humidity of a Karachi summer, your beauty regime has got to be seasonally savvy. As you lighten up your wardrobe with light cottons and breezy fabrics, your hair and make-up need to change too.
Beyond the Blow Dry
There is a need to have summer hair and winter hair that go with your summer look and winter look. Translation: don’t only live in the land of the straight blow dry.
Karachi girls have started to have a predictable uniform: LV bag, bouncy blow dry, designer sweats, scrawny (albeit very enviable) bodies, light streaks, designer glasses, and no make-up other than liner and lipstick. Its so 90s, girls! I love a good blow dry, but summertime calls for more relaxed, flowing waves. Try a less severe blow dry and follow it up with a good tonging or a smaller Velcro roller. Keep the smooth shiny hair for the more severe colours of winter. Just because our seasons barely vary doesn’t mean that we should persist in being monotonous too. Relaxed and colourful now, severe and smart in the cool.
Bases that Beat the Heat
The success of a summer base relies on you keeping it matte, keeping it light and keeping it cheerful. Choose colours for the summer that will create your “look of the season.” Coral blush, peach lipstick, gold eyeshadow all make up a nice sun-kissed palette, but a greasy base will put an end to all of that. With this in mind, the crucial cog in the wheel of summer hotness is that heat-defying base.
One success story in this climate has been the mineral base. I have reviewed mineral bases before, but with more experience comes more advice. A mineral base is a wonder of modern make-up technology: thick, dense, clingy powder swirled over your face (in circular motions) gives you natural but intense, oil-free cover. To use as a concealer, simply dab with a finger tip, and for more coverage, swirl another layer on. There are some pitfalls to mineral bases, though:
- Buy a colour a shade lighter than your skin, as it darkens substantially over time.
- Do not use the brush attachment; the bristles are cruelly rough.
- Start with a thin layer. For more coverage, add another thin layer. You can look cakey fast, so beware.
- Start with clean oil-free skin, or else you will still break out.
- I have found mineral bases to cause an increase in white heads, though regular cleansing will circumvent this issue.
Modern make-up marvel: A good mineral base. Photo: Bina Khan
All these issues aside, a powder that turns into a base to give you one-step coverage remains a miracle. I like L’Oreal “True Match” the best.
The other base that works well here is by an Italian company called Karaja. Unsurprisingly, since southern Italy can be as hot and as humid as Karachi, their bases handle heat and humidity extremely well. The “Stop Shine” range does just that and you don’t even have to powder it if you don’t want to. Plus Italian skin and ours are very good matches for each other (as opposed to foundations for Asian or black skin, which can get a little too yellow). A light powdering for the evening is advisable, though in the day a bit of dewiness is no bad thing. This is my favourite base of the moment and perhaps the best base for our skin and climate that I have used so far.
If your base does its job quietly, then you can feel free to add that little bit of shimmer here and there with a swish of peach and a splash of gold, leaving you looking dewy but un-wilted, and summery yet serene.
The opinions expressed in this article and the views shared by readers in the comment forum below do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance or policies of Newsline.
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Bina.. my skin is kinda oily.. and whenever i apply base it becomes extra oily and my face shines with that :S but thats oil shine =(
what should i do?
Well, skin prep is really important. Use a facewash that deals with oiliness, use an oil free moisturiser and then one of the bases I mentioned above. That should sort you out.
BINA!! this is awsome.. first your blog and now this totally loving it:) bookmarking this too:).. not to mention this is the most read article on the website:)…xx
Thanks for the tips Bina,i’ll definitely look into that Karaja Stop shine.
Love it! This was the natural next best thing for you to have done
heeeyy Bina
i just loved ur tips….
can u plz give some of ur advice as to how stay at home mommys with oily and acne skins should take care of them selves. wht base should we b using? and wht kind of home remedies could be useful? actually i got my acne treated 3 yrs bck whn i was abt to get married, and my doctor gave me a hell of a lot of antibiotics, which for the time being worked….and since i had to move from lhr to khi….my skin has gotten worse.
i so much hate it now….i also dont hve a wide option of travelling within khi as i m dealing with my inlaws responsibilities all the time :$ and also cant drive on my own! i hve taken facials a few times from a famous salon and each time came up with much terrible skin than before and soooo much redness
plz help me out plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…..
i will pray a lot for ur goodness in this month of Ramadaan !
JazakAllah khier…
Allah hafiz
Hello Bina..I have Maybeline face powder, but whenever i use it, it increases white heads on my face… Plus after a little while my face looks dark and gives a cracky effect under the eyes… I have a combination skin.
What base would you receommend to use?
Bina, i have tried bases and concealers of Karaja, L’Oreal as well as MAC but cant get the right shade and it never looks natural. What to do?
Although i do a good job with the tanned look (a shade darker).
The True Match Mineral Base comes with the brush. So should we use a separate brush to apply it on our face or the one that is provided? Also whenever i buy a cover up or base of any kind i look darker than my usual color. Can you tell me some tips to avoid that because i try to get the color that best matches my skin.
Bina, great article. Can’t wait for the meds to wear off so I can come in for a facial. But can’t let go of the straight blow dry!
Love this article! There is a serious need for such tips for us girls who have limited knowledge regarding application of make up. THANK YOU BINA!
Hira, thanks so much! I am totally jazzed as well! That’s girl power for you!
Maheen, you need to get regular adult acne facials (they deal properly with sensitive skin, so you won’t get redness) and follow a proper at home regime. But your inability to move around freely and your demanding home life are probably contributing to stress- the leading cause of acne. Hire a driver and make some time for yourself, madam!
Afia, as i mentioned in the article above, regular cleansing will circumvent the issue of whiteheads. Also, I have already recommended two bases above, so try either of those.
Shifa, the best way to check a base is in the daylight. Try s few shades on in the store, then step out in to the daylight. The base that disappears is your winner.
Almas, as I mentioned in the article, buy a colour a little lighter than your skin as bases darken over time. And yeah, ditch the in built brushes, they are just too rough. Use any soft face brush that you already have.
Zaini, Sara, Razia and Shamaila, thanks for the kind wishes!
Heeeyy Bina
i am so glad tht u responded…
so tht means tht i should start coming to you ASAP ?
i dont hve ur address btw…plz guide….
and yeah u r so very right….its the stress and tensions…
i keep taking all the time….i think we will be meeting real soon…INSHALLAH….
thanks and Allah hafiz
For other posts on this and other topics or directions you can go to my facebook group and my blog.
Hey Bina !
Where do i buy karaja products from? I cant find the range in Khi. Can u recommend any store that has the entire collection of karaja?
You can find Karaja and indeed L’oreal at Aghas or Ebco….
hey Bina! finally someone has reviewed the mineral base!! indeed the Loreal true match is great! i quite like it myself and love the natural and non-oily look it gives!
with ur advice i can use it with better results.
what brush should i use? the big blush ones?
hey Bina!
during summer when my hands are exposed to sun it becomes irritating after sometime it starts getting itching even if i apply sunblock cream. what shall i do?
Hello Bina,
This article is greatly appreciated since I am on a search for the perfect summer foundation for Karachi weather. I live in Toronto and I will be visiting Karachi for a month in June/July. I usually go there during winter so I am able to use whatever foundation I use in Toronto. This time I am quite nervous and am at a complete loss as to what will work for me in the hot/humid weather. I have tried using the L’oreal True Match with my MAC 109 brush, but I don’t like the coverage it provides. Also, I have been using MAC Studio Fix powder Foundation for the past 12 years or so and it works well for me. Do you think it will be suitable for Karachi?
On a side note, since bright lipsticks are really in right now, I was thinking of taking some with me. I really like MAC’s Girl About Town, Show Orchid, Russian Red, Pomposity and Up the Amp. These paired with a pale eye look nice on me. I do enjoy smoky eyes with nude lips, but that’s more of a winter look for me. What kind of looks will work in that weather? You have mentioned peachy/coral colours, and I will be sure to take some of those, but other than that could you please suggest some fool proof “looks” for evening functions. It would be very helpful if you could specify MAC colours as that’s the brand I use most often.
Thanks.
hi bina…can u plz name the base that is in your first picture…i guess it ends on boss
Sara: it’s called smashbox
hope that helps!
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