Retro drama
The 70s are back, so why hesitate to experiment? Get out your brocades and golds and perfect the look with those drawn-out eyes and elaborate hair-dos.

This look is ideal for those with arched eyebrows and a prominent jaw line. You could even try this if you wish to make your eyes appear larger. Line your eyes with an eye liner and draw out this line at the corners. Use a charcoal or grey (not black) eye shadow, and apply it on your eyelid along the line. Highlight the eyebrows by brushing in bronze eye shadow below it. Don't use a liner on the lower eyelid. Apply a coat of mascara. Add a hint of colour on your cheeks (try bronze). Fill your lips with a ruby-red lip colour. Finally, fix a style session at a hair salon and you have the perfect retro look.

Classic lines
Smoky eyes, a hint of colour on the lips and cheeks; and hair swept back casually - this is the perfect look to compliment the tailored coat and a smart, silk scarf.

The focus is on the eyes. Smoky eyes on Indian skin work well, and the good news is that it's easy to get the look. All you need is a soft, black eye pencil (try brands such as Revlon, L'Oreal Paris, MAC. or Oriflame), an eye shadow pallete with darker shades such as dark brown, grey, dark blue or charcoal and a gold or bronze eye shadow.

Line your eyes with the pencil and smudge the line with a dark eye shadow. (Take care to stick close to the line, not stray upwards.) Fill in the rims with kohl. Blend in gold or bronze eye shadow to highlight eyebrows. Apply an earthy-brown blush on your cheeks and fill your lips with a similar shade.

Less is more
A black dress or a dark floral shirt, doesn't require much by way of make-up. All you need is a touch of blush, a dash of colour on your lips and a hint of kohl to light up your face.

This look demands a flawless base. If you have a clear skin all you need to do is mix a little foundation with your moisturiser and apply it evenly on your face and neck. Mix your foundation with a little moisturiser or buy a foundation with moisturiser.

To hide blemishes you may dot the spot with a concealer and pat in with your fingertips to set. Line your eyes with a dark eye shadow and blend in a bronze shade over the top eyelid. Apply a coat of transparent mascara. Choose a peachy-brown blush for cheeks. Line lips with a maroon lip liner and fill in with a lipstick of the same shade.

Soft nuances
A classic chiffon saree calls for subtle but sensuous makeup. So, work harder at this look. Tie your hair in a neat bun and dress up your lips with a shade of pink. Let your eye shadow reflect the colour of your oufit.

Playing with shades of pink, work best for this look. For the base, mix a little pink blush with your foundation and apply it on your face and neck - this will give a soft pink glow to your face. And if pink is too daring for you, tone it down with pinkish browns.

Line your eyes with a grey eye pencil and apply a pink eye shadow on your upper eyelid - go for a shade that has a slight shimmer or else, blend in a little silver eye shadow over it. Coat your lashes with mascara. Apply pink blush on your cheeks and colour your lips in the same shade. You may apply a lip gloss if you wish. As a finshing touch, you may wish to dab your face with a little glitter powder - only for evening dos.