As a beauty buff, swatching lipsticks and eyeshadows is one of my favourite things to do when I go out shopping. But not anymore — the pandemic has completely changed the way I shop. I avoided wearing makeup for the first few months of the lockdown because (A) I had nowhere to go and (B) out of fear of using up all my products and being left with nothing when I finally do get the opportunity to wear it. But during the lockdown, a few of my makeup essentials expired and since I had to restock my beauty stash, I decided to give online makeup shopping a try.

I started off with shades I’d already been using, but once I figured things out and used the virtual try-on feature, online makeup shopping became a breeze. So, I decided to put together a handy guide that’ll ensure you’re never left disappointed with your online makeup purchase ever again.

 

Consider your skin type

Consider your skin type

While makeup is used to enhance your features, not every formula and product will do that. Some will do the exact opposite. If you apply a powder-based or thick foundation on dry skin, it won’t blend easily and end up accentuating the dry patches on your skin— not cool. To avoid this, opt for a lightweight foundation like the Lakmé 9to5 Weightless Mousse Foundation that blends like a dream, gives a feather-like finish and is perfect for dry skin type. For girls with oily skin, a mattifying formula like the Lakme 9 To 5 Primer + Matte Perfect Cover Foundation will control excess shine and give you a smooth and even finish.

 

Use foundation matching tools

Use foundation matching tools

Understanding your skin type and picking the right foundation formula is the first step, now for the tricky part — picking the right foundation shade. Top makeup brands like Lakme offer the Virtual Try On feature on their websites. It allows you to pick a model with the same skin tone as yours or upload your photo and try on different shades to see which one suits you best. We bet you can’t go wrong with the help of this excellent feature!

 

Try on lip and eye makeup products too

Try on lip and eye makeup products too

If I had a penny for how many times a product ended up looking completely different than what I had expected… well, I’d be sipping Chardon on a jet plane. I’ve had to give away a lot of lipsticks because the shades looked very different in pictures. But that was before I tried the Virtual Try On tool during the lockdown. Not only did I get what I paid for, but I also ended up buying and loving so many new shades that I otherwise wouldn’t have.

 

Talk to an expert

Talk to an expert

Makeup is an investment and you shouldn’t end up buying something you didn’t intend to. You always have a salesperson at the shop to make your job easier and clear your doubts, right? Well, with Lakme you can talk to an expert on WhatsApp! That’s right, shoot your questions and let the experts answer them for you!