Glow goals that work in Dubai's heat

Beauty expert Deepali Akuula breaks down festive makeup blunders, trends we should retire, and the ones we could do with

- By Manjusha Radhakrishnan

It's Diwali party season — which means lights, laddoos... and a whole lot of makeup mayhem.

From glitter overkill to foundations that don't match anyone's neck in a five-mile radius, festive glam can quickly go from glow to oh no.

So, I sat down with a beauty expert, Deepali Akuula, who isn't afraid to spill the truth — with equal parts sass and science.

In this no-filter chat, she breaks down the biggest festive makeup blunders, the trends we need to retire immediately, and the glow goals that actually work in Dubai's heat.

What's the biggest Diwali makeup blunder you see every year?

The biggest one is expecting glitter to fix everything. Glitter is fun, but when it's sprinkled on top of a weak base or slapped onto unblended eyeshadow, it ends up looking patchy, settles into creases, or worse... it gets into your eyes and you spend the night teary-eyed. And blending — oh, it's so underrated. Harsh lines between contour, blush, or shadow can completely break a look. I always say: your makeup should blend into your skin, not sit on top of it like a mask. The whole idea is to enhance your features, not change them.

What's one thing you'd want permanently banned?