Bollywood's most iconic looks

Over the years, a number of beauty trends have come, taken center stage and then faded into the oblivion. But there are a few, that despite the passing of time, have remained a classic or become a favourite with generations of women. Superdrug, a British beauty and health retailer carried out a study involving 2,000 women to mark their 50th birthday as well as to discover what women consider the most iconic beauty trend of all time. No prizes for guessing but the bright red lip look a la Holywood sirens Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor style came out tops on the list. Marilyn's vibrant pout has found many fans and a poopular cosmetic brand has even created a red lipcolour in her honour. This was followed by the smokey eyed look that has become a popular choice for red carpet looks both in India and abroad (think Kate Moss) and finally the false eyelashes taking third place. Other top voted beauty looks include the faux tan (favoured abroad) and the heavy eyeliner look. Some experts comment on the results.

GET THE LOOK RIGHT
Kapil Bhalla, make-up expert says he quite agrees with the survey. "The red lips look has been repeated time and again and I don't think it will ever go out of fashion. The smokey eyes too has many variations and works really well with Indian women. Getting the crimson lips right can be tricky. One should opt for a more orangey-red tone as they work well with our complexion. I suggest women go for a matted version of red for the day and avoid using gloss as that can look disastrous if not done right," explains Kapil. His favourite starry endorsers of these styles are Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor for the red pout and Bipasha Basu for the classic winged eyeliner look.

MORE OPTIONS FOR DUSKY WOMEN
"More than the smokey eye, I think the 60's liner look as seen on Audrey Hepburn is more chic and iconic. Smokey eyes is more a current favourite, though it's origins go back to the 1920s when flapper girls sported it. As for the false eyelashes, I would call it more an accessory rather than an iconic look. Long lashes can really add to the overall face appearance," says Clint Fernandes, make-up expert. He adds, "In the past 10 years, I think there has been a shift in beauty towards dusky women. Earlier red lipcolours were more suited for fair skin tones, but now there is a greater variety. Also with the invention of lip plumpers, even women with thin lips can sport a red, full mouth. I love the way Malaika Arora Khan wears red lips, as for the smokey eye look Bipasha Basu pulls off an exotic look with her beautiful eyes."

ICONIC LOOKS
Be it Hollywood or Bollywood, the smokey eyes has come out tops says Ojas Rajani, make-up expert. "Right from Madhubala who sported the dark eyes to the current crop of stars it's been a winner. For me, the fingerwave hair as sported by Meena Kumari should have also made the list. It's ideal to create some drama, is very in and even brides today love to sport it. I also love the thick lashes look that one can see in old TV series like Here's Lucy. It helps add expression to the eyes and with the right application of mascara looks great when women coyly bat their eyelids," says he.

Top 10 most iconic beauty trends of all time -
Bright red lipstick

Smoky eyes

False eyelashes

Fake tan

Heavy eyeliner

Winged eyeliner

Beauty spot

Full eyebrows

Thin, pencilled-in eyebrows

Cat's eyes