Tips to help you tackle your beauty problems

As with any other learning process, mishaps and dilemmas are an integral part of experimentation with make-up. Unlike beauty experts who can invent their own solutions on the spot for make-up problems, we need all the help we can get. Friday spoke to Mamta Thakkar, Merle Norman's UAE GM and local beauty expert, for advice on tackling some of the more vexing make-up problems. You're not keen on wearing heavy foundation but the greasy feel of tinted moisturisers also does not appeal. What should you do? Even if you can't be bothered with wearing foundation or a tinted moisturiser this summer, it is important to have an even skin texture and tone. So apply a make-up primer (over your regular daytime moisturiser) by itself instead. The primer forms a non-greasy base for the make-up and also refines and smooths the complexion by filling in fine lines. Primers also have optical diffusers that minimise the appearance of pores. Allow the primer to settle on your skin before dusting a light film of loose powder on your face. This trick allows you to ditch the foundation and still sport a flawless complexion. You wake up with puffy eyes and you need to get to work in less than an hour. Dab a dot of revitalising eye gel (best kept in the refrigerator for additional cooling benefits) under your eyes and over the lids. Lightweight, fast-absorbing eye gel instantly revives tired-looking eyes. When the eye gel has been fully absorbed by the skin, apply a dot of concealer in a shade that matches your foundation. Now you are ready for your eye make-up. Puffy eyes can be due to incorrect product use - using face moisturiser on the eye area, for example, poor blood circulation or a lack of sleep - so ensure you identify the problem and seek a solution in the long run. Placing cotton pads soaked in cool water on your eyes for ten minutes, also helps combat puffiness. You've run out of lip plumper. How do you get a pout? Wearing clear lipgloss is an old trick to create an instant, natural-looking pout. Dab your favourite shade of lipstick over it to make the pout long lasting. Another trick is to purse your lips together a few times before applying lipliner/lipstick/lipgloss. Also make it a habit to nourish your lips with a lip balm on a regular basis. In the absence of a lip balm, Vaseline, glycerine, yogurt or unsweetened fresh cream can help to keep your lips soft and supple, an important criteria for a youthful pout. A big event is coming up the next day and you know a pimple is on its way. Always keep a spot treatment gel handy. Whenever you feel a zit coming up, apply the treatment product to the affected area up to three times a day. A spot treatment gel with salicylic acid is a fast-drying formula that calms the skin and minimises redness. The next day, use a concealer to camouflage any leftover signs of the blemish and you will have successfully controlled a breakout. You want to wear your new short dress but post a waxing/epilation session, develop ingrown hairs. Exfoliate your skin with a mild body scrub, rinse it off, towel dry and apply a rich body moisturiser. This is a great quick-fix for downsizing ingrown hairs that would otherwise show up as ugly bumps on the skin. Smoothing the legs and arms with a subtly tinted shimmering dry oil/body lotion can help camouflage the bumps further. You've overdone the dark smoky eyeshadow and ended up with ‘panda eyes' and there's no time to start again. Clean up the extra layers of the dark eyeshadow in quick but gentle strokes using a cotton bud soaked in eye make-up remover. Allow the damp to dry between each removal. Now apply a nude eyeshadow over the lids to tone down the shade further if you wish. Your foundation just doesn't seem flawless enough anymore. If the same foundation has worked for you in the past, then in all probability it is your skin that is the new problem and not the foundation. Your skin changes with the seasons and it might be in need of some good old exfoliation or a more thorough cleansing. Ensure you follow the daily ritual of cleansing and twice weekly exfoliation to maintain a clear, clean complexion. Toning, moisturising and using a primer on a daily basis also helps your skin wear foundation flawlessly. How can you avoid glitter eyeshadow landingon your cheeks? Before applying a glittery eyeshadow, first dust loose powder on your cheekbones so your skin is prepped and dry. That way, if a bit of glitter falls on your cheekbones, it can be easily brushed off with the fluffy powder brush. You wanted a thick, even line of black eyeliner but ended up with a wavy disaster instead. The trick here is to clean up the line without letting the entire eyelid be covered in a black sludge. Soak a cotton bud in a mild eye make-up remover and place it on the line, bit by bit, for a few seconds each time, to allow the remover to get to work. Dab the eyeliner with a soft tissue so it comes off neatly without spreading all over your eyelid. Reapply concealer on the eyelid followed by your eye primer/base and a nude eyeshadow. If you think your hands have steadied enough to attempt a straight line again, go for it. Otherwise, happily ditch the eyeliner and go with a volumising mascara instead. Your hair looks greasy, you have no time to shampoo and have a must-attend event to go to. An important event on a bad hair day can still be a good experience. It's all about clever styling that can camouflage greasy hair. Pull your hair back tightly into a high ponytail and smooth it with a styling mousse or gel. Alternatively, opt for a hairstyle that keeps hair from being left loose. Pile it up and use a hair clip to hold it in place or twist it into a low chignon. Dress up hair with a smart, stunning accessory that will draw attention to itself and not your locks. You wake up in the morning and realise your roots are showing. One trick that instantly camouflages grey roots is applying strokes of a soft eye pencil in a shade that matches your hair colour over the roots. Fill in the colour along the parting and keep the rest of the hair in place with a clip for the day. You want to wear a vibrant lipstick during the day but don't want to look like you got it wrong. A vibrant shade of lipstick is a great fix on a dull day or when you're in urgent need of energising your complexion. If you aren't confident about sporting a full-on bright colour, mix it with a bit of clear lip balm to dilute the strength and get a glossy effect. Keep eye make-up to a minimum, create a matte, flawless complexion and wear a dress in a muted shade. All these allow for the bright lip colour to appear like a style statement rather than an overdone mistake. You've run out of SPF and you have to step out. Make sure you apply plenty of moisturiser, a concealer around the eyes and a heavy foundation on your face. Use a pressed powder as an additional barrier. These layers of make-up will help minimise the sun's damage to the facial skin. For the body, minimise your exposure to the sun by wearing a cotton or linen long-sleeved shirt, trousers and a hat, if possible. You have broken a nail. How do you repair it on the spot? It's not a great idea to try to stick together a broken nail. A wiser approach would be to avoid further damage to the nail bed and so trim the broken nail and shape it evenly. Then trim the rest of your nails to match. File to smooth the edges and remove any bright nail polish you might be wearing as vibrant hues draw attention to the hands and you wouldn't want that at this stage. Apply a clear base coat and repaint your nails cleanly in a frosted pearly white shade to create the illusion of neat and freshly mainicured nails.