How to remove makeup without hurting your skin

As festive time is around, attending festive celebrations and parties calls for new and interesting makeup to look your best. But, after the thrill is gone, you are exhausted and all you want to do is plonk on the bed as you reach home. But, remember, you have to remove that makeup. You cannot go to sleep without removing the makeup you have on your face.

No doubt, you can remove all that layers of cosmetics on your soft skin using a makeup remover. But most of us are unaware that they contain harmful chemicals that can damage the skin.

Makeup remover can be harsh on the skin even if they are of the best brands in the cosmetic world. If you have sensitive skin and love to pamper it with natural products, then here is a few do-it-yourself makeup removal tips

Remove makeup the easy way

Steaming: Steaming the face is the best way to get rid of makeup. Dip a hand towel in hot water. Let it cool for a few seconds. Place it on your face. The hot steam will open the pores and remove all your makeup thoroughly.

Baby oil: Baby oil can also be used to get rid of even hard makeup like mascaras. Apply this oil with a dry cotton ball on your face and wipe it off with a soft tissue or towel.

Vaseline: Put some vaseline on a cotton ball. Rub it gently to remove makeup. Especially the eye makeup can be cleared very effectively by using vaseline. Take vaseline in very less quantity because of its high stickiness and don't forget to wash your face with a face wash after applying vaseline.

Baby lotion: Baby lotion or your moisturiser can also help remove even the very hard makeup effectively, leaving your skin nourished.

Milk: Dip a cotton ball in milk and lightly squeeze it. Clean your face gently with it. All the makeup will disappear.

Honey drops: Take a wet cotton ball. Put some drops of honey on it. Add little baking soda. Wipe off your makeup. It will disappear easily.

Baby wipes: Baby wipes can also help remove makeup and clean your face gently, without irritating your skin.

Olive oil: Olive oil having strong hydrating power and is good to remove makeup. Give your face a light rubbing with a cloth or cotton ball containing olive oil. Its softening agents will leave your skin moisturised.

Keeping makeup on while sleeping is the worst thing you can do to your skin. Don't sleep without removing your makeup before going to bed. Let your skin breathe and renew while you sleep.

How to look gorgeous with matching eye makeup and attire

Dressing up for occasions is fun, but matching your eye makeup with your attire is a tricky business. Go too light and your dress will look washed out, too dark and you create an embarrassing line that just isn't cute. Now, finding the right match of clothes won't make you feel like searching for needle in a haystack. It's quite easy and interesting!

10 tips on how to match your eye makeup with your dress

1. To get an eye makeup that you feel may blend better with the dress you're wearing, test it first on your hand and not on your eyelid. Pick a shade that goes perfectly perfect with the hues and designs of your attire.

2. If your dress is designed with trends and attributes of recent past typically 15-20 years, for that retro look in minutes go for smoky eye makeup. Line the outer rim of your eyes with brown pencil and then smudge it out. Apply brow shadow, intensify your brow, line the waterline of your lower lid and coat your lashes with mascara.

3. Evening gowns demand for sexy candle-lit eyes. Create a lighter looking, yet equally sexy smoky look. Apply a light shimmery shadow over your entire eyelid as the base shade, add in some bronze eye shadow, intensify your eyes at the outer corners, line your eyes to complete the look.

4. You can master any casual dressing look like denims with a sexy cat eye makeup. You won't have to worry about effing up your winged liner to create dashes and connect the dots, draw a tiny – elongated triangle shape that connects the winged liner to the upper lash line.

5. Want a lighter cool look with your office wear? Smoky eyes don't always have to hail from the dark side. You can always create a subtle look, yet equally sexy smoky vibe by applying a light shimmery shadow over your entire eyelid as the base shade. Add in some bronze eye shadow, intensify your eye at the outer corners and line your eyes to give a sexy smoky look.

6. Sexy glided cat eyes go perfect with a gorgeous party wear dress. Switch your casual smoky eye for something super glittery. Press gold, silver or bronze pigments (whichever matches best with your dress) onto the centre of your eyelids and the inner corners of your eyes. Dust metallic shadow into the crease, add depth by subtly layering black eye shadow onto the outer corners and blend it. Sweep a glossy cream eye shadow over your brow bone and create a cat eye.

7. Go for a goddess look with nude prom dresses or dresses in nude hues. It's time to switch to a more bronzed bombshell vibe. Use three cream shadows – apply the darkest tone over the entire eyelid, the medium-coloured one in the crease and the lightest shade along your brow bone. Buff the shades, guard your skin and layer on some eye shadow of similar shades over each cream shadow and blend the powder eye shadows. Accentuate your lower lash line by running the mixed colours under your lower lash line, trace your upper lash line and inner rim with black liner, line the inner lower rim of your lashes, coat your upper and lower lashes with mascara.

8. With any rocker chic outfit, wear a sexy eye makeup to have sultry rocker eyes. Create a nude canvas using a blending brush and creamy concealer over the lids all the way to the brows, fake the wet look on the lids, line your eyes with creamy black pencil, coat your lids from lash line to crease using the same black creamy liner pencil, add some gun metal grey liner into the mix and then blend it with the black liner to create dimension.

9. Amp your traditional wear with some colourful shadow and make heads turn. Smoky eyes doesn't mean black always. You can flaunt them in any colour. You have to switch up your usual dark grey for a dramatic eye look. Magenta shadow with chic white liner on the lower inner rim, a bright blue hue, a Kelly green shade, an icy blue shade, a gorgeous gun metal hue, a glided bronzy look, a deep sultry plum shade, a rose gold smoke show, sunset orange on upper lid and yellow along your lower lash line, a gorgeous fuchsia with smoky orange, magical burgundy and hot plum orange are show stopper choices for eye makeup.

10. A unicorn look calls for a vibrant loud look. Add colours to your eye makeup mix. Cover your eyelid with a subtly shimmering brown shadow, apply a shimmering shade of a champagne-coloured shadow in the inner cover of your eyes and blend it in. Add a pop of colour to your lower lash line, fill in your brows using a brow powder shade that's lighter than your eyebrows to look as natural as possible.

Eye makeup that claims to match your dressing seems to be all the rage these days. Is there some sort of magic ingredient that senses what your needs are? Well, the answer is not as exciting as magic, but it's pretty cool chemistry between your outfit and eye makeup.

How to make your lip colour last

Lip colour can finish off your look, but keeping it on can be tricky. Here, our beauty blogger gives her tips for making sure yours stays put all day

Imagine what it would be like to have a lip colour that lasts all day. For some reason, I always lose colour pigment in the centre of my lips, but other people have other problem spots. The secret to a longer-lasting lip colour is very simple and, with just a few easy steps, you can ensure it stays on all day.

Step one
Just as you would prime your face before applying foundation to keep it in place, priming your lips is vital for longer lasting lip colour. I like to use the Inglot lip primer (Inglot, £10) which has a clear, matte finish. It helps prevent lip colour bleeding, although if you can't get hold of one using an ordinary face primer on your lips is better than nothing.

Step two
A lipliner is key. You can use a colour that is a close match to your lip colour, but I like to go for a deeper brown, as it blends the lighter lipstick shades to my skin tone. By outlining your lips, you can both define their shape and prevent the lip colour from bleeding out during the day. I like to use the Barry M Chocolate lipliner (Superdrug, £2.99), which is cheap and cheerful.

Step three
My go-to liquid lipstick is Buxom Cosmetics Wildly Whipped liquid lipstick (Debenhams, £15) which has a nice matte finish. But this time I wanted a cooler tone colour – on this occasion, the colour blends better with the rest of my makeup. Here, I used the Nip+Fab liquid lipstick in the colour Brownie (Superdrug, £7.95).

Step four
Matte finishes and stay-put lip colours rarely go hand in hand so it's worth thinking about a gloss finish. The way I see it, lipgloss is like a setting mist for your lipstick – it keeps the colour in place and stops it fading in some parts, while defining your lips. My favourite lipgloss is the Buxom “Full-On” Lip Polish in the colour Sarina (Debenhams, £15). This is a perfect light brown gloss with subtle shimmers to give you that more pouty finish.

Don't be afraid of getting foundation or powder on your lips during this process – before the gloss is applied – as it can help balance your natural lip colour by acting as a base. Be open to experimentation and try new products and colours – you never know, you might discover your next favourite look.