TOO GLAM TO GIVE A DAMN

IF AISHWARYA RAI COULD TAKE A RISK AT CANNES THIS YEAR AND POSE WITH THOSE NEON, “LOOK-AT-ME” PURPLE LIPS, WHAT’S STOPPING YOU, GIRL?

Lipstick shades are tricky. You never know what’s in fashion. Back in the 1940s, rouge lips marked the birth of glamour. The 1990s saw shades of moody brown in fashion — remember Jennifer Aniston in Friends? Today, lip injections (and duck faces!) confirm our obsession with reality TV shows and celebrities. So if you’re still wearing the grandma shades of red or pink, sorry but you don’t fit in with the cool kids at school. The quest for the perfect lipstick takes us to the depths of strange (at times, crazy) YouTube videos. I mean, really, people use everything from eye shadow to glitter to crystals to even rice grains on their lips. Oh wait, what lip art is that? Is that Dory swimming? ON YOUR LIPS? Thanks, that will be my next Halloween look.

But seriously, how adventurous are you when it comes to trying out daring styles, especially ones that can transform you without making you look like a loony toon?

As you’ve probably heard, lips are the windows to your heart. One quirky shade gone wrong and you can see the shocked, amused or confused look on your crush’s face. So rather than scouring Instagram or the runway for avant garde looks, let’s look at our favourite celebrities for inspiration. Yes, we’re talking about Aishwarya Rai’s purple wash at the Cannes Film Festival this year.

When the most beautiful girl in the world (read: WORLD) steps on the red carpet, shutterbugs snap away and millions of eyes grow wider. She’s scrutinised meticulously from head to toe and judged for every strand of hair that sticks out. And there she came with a delicate applique detailed floral gown from Rami Kadi, a high ponytail, and wait… WHAT?! Is that Lady Gaga pouting for a selfie?

Lips don’t lie. It was purple, it was Aishwarya, and it was puzzling. Made us wonder (a lot of things actually!) — What bet did she lose? Does her make-up artist secretly hate her? Someone on Twitter even suggested a petition to get her stylist fired. (I’ll sign that too!)

Smurf-kissing jokes

The heavy-eye-heavy-lip combo (there’s that broken rule) didn’t go down well with the critics. The Internet was filled with smurf-kissing and jamun jokes. Fashionistas and stylists looked away and started avoiding the purple shade like the plague. There were some though who lauded her bold choice and many felt empowered to try it out. Dubai-based fashion blogger Jigna Shiju, 36, had always played safe with her lipsticks, sticking to shades of brown and maroon. After the purple lips hoopla, she went straight to a MAC store and picked up the ‘heroine’ shade of purple. The colour talked about all over the Internet was now all over her face. (Well, not all over, but you know what I mean). The reactions? Fabulous? Not quite!

“My nine-year-old daughter was terrified to see me. She said I looked like an alien. Others didn’t say much upfront but they had a bemused look on their faces. A friend said, ‘Wow, that’s a bold colour!’” Many of her friends who followed suit and tried out the shade, said they weren’t comfortable going out like that. But Jigna was too glam to give a damn. “I even wear this colour to office. I bought a shade darker than Aishwarya’s and I feel it really suits my skin tone. In India, it’s challenging to pull it off without being stared at, but in Dubai we can experiment all we want.”

Sapna Sagar, a mother of two in Sharjah, keeps upgrading her makeup and wardrobe according to the trends on Instagram. Days after Aishwarya’s purple lips appearance, her Instagram page was filled with shades of bright red, unapologetic fuchsia, and concentrated violet.

“I wore the purple shade of Kat Von D’s Everlasting Liquid Lipstick and it immediately got a lot of likes and attention on social media. The colour seems to have become very popular. Critics may have panned it but none could ignore it. Credit goes to Aishwarya for inspiring me to try out bolder and crazier colours,” she said.

So if these high-profile celebrities can take a risk with these whacky, ‘look-at-me’ lips, a woman of any age can pull this off — with the right attitude (we’ve even seen it look awesome on someone’s grandma!)

Olga Lobanova, a Dubai-based PR professional, recently got a very bright blend of pink and orange from Sephora. “It’s unusual and attracts a lot of attention. When you look at me, you see the lipstick first. Of course, with it, I just wear jeans, ballerina flats and a loose T-shirt. Otherwise, this lipstick paired with, say, a red dress and a blue bag would make me look like a complete buffoon.”

Why aren’t we bolder?

When it comes to busting out your makeup kit, and going berserk, those in the UAE may be ‘playing too safe’. Nida Ubhi, a renowned makeup artist in Dubai, said, “I feel women here are very complacent with lip colours. You always see smoky eyes with nude or pale pink lips or pastel shades. It’ll be great to see them experiment more with colours. Bright lipsticks would look alluring, especially on Emirati women, with such stunning features. I would imagine them wearing a bright, smart red, and bolder shades such orange and raspberry pink. These shades should be worn a lot more than they are.”

There’s no denying that women here have what we call an ‘Arabic makeup addiction’. Much to our disappointment, the focus remains mostly on the eyes. “It would be really refreshing to see people do less on the eyes and focus on the lips,” feels Nida. “I think that’s a more classic look. Having a flawless face with no eye makeup, maybe just false lashes, with a bright bold lip can look really appealing. It’s more of a red carpet look which is understated, yet striking.”

What a patriotic pout!

Beauty trends move with the times and the latest craze (at least on Instagram) is lip art — something that is yet to grow in the UAE.

Hannah Lisa, another makeup artist in Dubai, said, “I have done a white lip with dots, even a UAE flag for National Day. It looked brilliant! If you can coordinate with events, in support of the UAE, that is fantastic. It’s not wearable at all times but you can always have fun.”

Makeup is a huge part of the UAE. To keep your lips looking prime, embrace the bigger trends a little more. Hannah goes on to say, “I think people would definitely try the zany makeup trends if the products were more available. Pat McGrath products, for example, are not easily available here which makes it difficult for people to embrace them.”

While there’s no lipstick that’s fit for all seasons, there’s surely one classic yet edgy look you can try today. Remember though: not to prime is a crime.

nilanjana@khaleejtimes.com