sexiest dress up

Luscious lips, smoky eyes and rosy cheeks… if you thought you had to do all this and much more to look gorgeous, you are wrong. You can be the cynosure of all eyes with minimal make-up that takes less than 10 minutes.

Surprised? You don't have to be. Here's how you can look prim and proper for every occasion, even when you are hard pressed for time.
An impromptu date
If it's one of those kinds of surprises when he lands up at your workplace one evening to whisk you off to somewhere for an unplanned date, tell him you'll be there in 10 at most.

There will be no time for any elaborate eye make up. So just cleanse your face and rub in some moisturiser. Line your eyes just on the upper lids and redo the lipstick.

Don't bother so much with the rouge. The excitement you're feeling will show through and that will be good enough! ;)
Interview perfect
A few minutes before going into the interview suite, lock yourself in the powder room for some last moment fixes.

Gently dab at any nervousness induced perspiration on your chin or forehead. Re-touch the lipstick and take a moment to relax.

If your hair is done up in a neat French knot, don't disturb it. If there're a few stray strands, push them behind your ear and tuck the lock gently back into the roll. Brush loose hair before you step out.
An unplanned evening
If your friends call and say they'd be picking you up for a party and that you need to be ready in the next few minutes, take out your makeup kit as you're getting dressed.

Smudge some kohl on the upper and lower lashes before powdering off any hints of dark circles. Touch your cheekbones with a subtle blush. Keep the lipstick for the end. Don't bother with a liner.

Give three minutes each to the eyes, cheeks and lips.
Rushing for a presentation
Spend time only on defining your eyes and lips well. Line the upper lashes. A subtle eye shadow should be just fine apart from light mascara if you'd like.

Line your lips and fill in lip color. Focus on the hair as well and brush is well if you're leaving it loose.
Off to work in a jiffy
Line the upper and lower lashes and then focus on getting the lipstick right. You might not want to fuss too much with eye shadow and blushers for work, unless you'll be meeting some important clients or it's your company's anniversary.

Give yourself just 10 minutes for a quick make up job and see heads turn!

Twenty three year-old Sareena Lalwani had never used make-up. One Saturday night, she decided to appease her friends and apply light lipstick and foundation. Rather than cheers and smiles, she was greeted with squeals of laughter. The lipstick shade was a ghastly red which was completely wrong for her dusky complexion while her foundation was two shades lighter. She looked like a heroine straight out of a horror film.

Like Sareena, if you are completely clueless about make-up, you don't have to get scared. Here are some tips to use the right products in the right way and look your ravishing best.

Fundamentals of foundation

Foundation smoothens up your skin and covers up most imperfections. Buying a foundation is pretty tricky, so it's best to tag along a friend for her opinion; try out a lot of brands before making your pick.

Apply a little on your wrist. The right shade will just disappear on your skin.

For fair skin

Got the Kareena Kapoor glow? Then when it comes to cheeks, think pink like her! Try sheer and soft pastels in different shades of pink on your cheeks and lips.

When it comes to colouring your eyes, pink is safe, but blue and lavender look great too. Though some may want to go bolder and try shades of green as well. Hey, if you can carry it off why not?

Wheatish complexion

If you are blessed with wheatish complexion like Eva Longoria and Rani Mukerji, then apricots and corals are the right choice for your cheeks. Try mauves and pinks on your eyes and opt for medium pinks and nude lipsticks.

For dusky tone

You may have heard them say, when dusky go natural. But that is so not true.

Take a good look at Halle Berry and Bipasha Basu! Take a page out of their books and try shades of red, burnt orange, maroon or other dark shades of pink for your cheeks. Kiss your lips with shades of berries or experiment with all shades of brown.

But whatever your complexion, always try the make-up before buying, the delectable pink gloss may not suit your skin, and that mauve lipstick you've been putting off may be your perfect match. The mantra is - try and buy!