BEAUTY and looks are of utmost importance to most women, except me. Much to my mother's horror I am as untypical and as untraditional as you can get for an Indian girl. I have extremely short hair and I don't wear make-up.

When the editor of Limited Edition was looking for a volunteer to have a make-up lesson everybody immediately suggested me for the assignment.

As I had a glitzy Asian fashion show to attend and I really wanted to impress and, most importantly, shock my friends I happily agreed.

I enlisted the help of Ella Croft of Cherrycroft Health & Beauty Studio, Penn Road, Hazlemere to help transform me into a make-up goddess. The first step was to relax as Ella gave me a mini-facial.

She explained: "It is vital to cleanse, tone and moisturise your face before applying make-up. This will ensure that your make-up is even and will last longer than normal."

As I was not used to wearing make-up, especially full make-up, Ella asked me how I would like the finished look. I didn't want anything too daring, but I fully trusted her judgement on what would suit me.

The first thing Ella advised me on was how to apply an even base which is either liquid foundation or pressed powder.

I don't wear foundation or powder as I never know how to get the correct tone for my skin. Ella gave me her first make-up tip. She said: "When choosing the correct foundation tone to match your natural skin colour use the inside of your forearm. Take a small dot of the foundation and rub into your skin. If it blends in then it's the right colour. If it doesn't, try the next shade lighter or darker."

She then squeezed the liquid foundation, mixed with a little moisturising cream, onto the back of her hand. She soaked a triangular make-up sponge (available from all chemists) in water and squeezed the excess moisture out, using the wet sponge to evenly apply the foundation to my face.

She said: "The most important areas are in between your eyes and around the creases of your nose. These are the areas that will stand out the most if they are missed out."

She then brushed my face with loose powder to seal the foundation using a large soft blusher brush and told me that once the foundation was sealed the other make-up would stay on longer and would not slip no matter what.

My eye make-up was the next. She applied a neutral colour to the whole of eyelid and then gradually built up the emphasis using stronger and darker colours. She used a darker colour on my eyelids and gradually got lighter as she worked her way up to my eyebrows.

Eyeliner is the most important element of eye make-up. Ella chose to use a liquid eyeliner for the top of the eyelid. She told me: "There are two ways of wearing eyeliner really thin or really thick. Whichever way you choose to wear it you should only apply the liner to half of your eye from the outside in. This gives it more emphasis."

Ella also used a pencil eyeliner on the bottom of my eyes to add more definition. Pencil eyeliner is easier to control than liquid for the bottom of your eyes. Ella didn't think I needed mascara as I have dark long lashes but she applied a little to both top and bottom lashes.

My eye make-up was quite dramatic and strong so Ella felt that I didn't need much on my cheeks or my lips. She showed me how to apply blusher correctly. The secret is to get a make-up brush and place it from the top of your ear to the corner of your lips. The line it forms between the two is the area where blusher should be applied in a downward motion. The reason for brushing downwards is so that you brush along the natural flow of any facial hairs you may have.

The finishing touch is the all-important lipstick. The idea is to give full emphasis to the natural shape of your lips and the key to this is a good lip liner. Always choose a lip liner that is close to the colour of your lipstick.

Ella carefully and lightly used a rusty-browny lip liner and followed the exact contours of my lips. She then chose a rusty-peach lipstick and applied it to my lips using a lip brush. Once she applied the lipstick she dabbed my lips with a tissue and then re-applied the lipstick with the brush.

My make-up lesson was now over and my transformation was complete. I was astounded with how different I looked but extremely pleased with the overall result.

I added the finishing touches of jewellery and brushed my hair and I was ready to face my friends and the glitzy fashion show.

Call Cherrycroft on 01494 715618.

Written by Ushma Mistry