The Numaish Festive Fair came in with a sizzle, and ended with a bang. Last weekend saw a steady traffic of fashionistas filling up the narrow alleys of the exhibition, spoilt for choice with some of the finest designs and weaves from the subcontinent.

Citibank is Numaish’s official banking partner, and premium cardholders got access to the Citibank lounge where they could take a break from the shopping and sip on tea and coffee… and on Day 1, they even got to hang out with me 🙂

I was asked to give a talk on Indian Bridal and Festive Makeup. To be very honest, I got major jitters. I am by no means a professional makeup artist, but as a beauty blogger I have had access to the latest trends, and love playing with new products. Here is a summary on what I talked about…

When I got married (almost a decade ago… will be 10 years in Jan!), I was naive enough to leave all my makeup decisions in the hands of a local makeup artist I barely knew. Fast-forward to present day, I browse through my wedding album and really wish I had done it myself!

Be the Boss

With makeup there is no wrong or right, and in my opinion, only you know your face best… its highlights, its little flaws, the crevices, the hollows. There is no harm in reaching out to a professional makeup artist, but remember its your face. You are the boss. Tell her what you like and dislike, and don’t shy away from having a trial round before D-Day.

How Indian Bridal & Festive Makeup Is Different

Indian Bridal & Festive Makeup differs from conventional styles in one major way… the costumes! As Indians, we really deck up our dressing with a good deal of bling. I therefore believe makeup should not be competing with all that dazzle, but rather, complimenting it.

The look to go for is: Classic, Glowing, Not Over the Top

Classic: Trends come and go, but your wedding album will stay for generations. Avoid trendy colours and stick to the classics. Think jet-black eyeliner and deep ruby-red lips.

Glowing: Ever heard the term ‘Glowing Bride’? Invest in high-quality highlighters, and master the art of strobing. Click here for more.

Not Over the Top: Your makeup should compliment your best features, not compete with your bling.

 

Love Thy Skin

Makeup should never be used as a mask. Makeup merely helps us enhance our best assets. If you don’t look after your skin, no makeup in the world can cover that up.

Prep your skin months before the big day:

• Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water.
• Be active. Sweat is a great way to allow the skin to detox.
• Eat right. Load your plate with nutrition-heavy ingredients.
• Opt for organic beauty solutions.
• Find more tips from my previous post by clicking here.

 

It’s All About the Base

Weddings, especially Indian weddings, are very long-winded functions. Ideally, you want your makeup to last for as long as possible.

 

The Play of Shadows & Light

Contour to chisel out your features, and use strobing to give you the luminous glow.

Here is a contouring tutorial by one of my favorite makeup artists; Wayne Goss.

Remember to finish off with a light flush of blush!

 

Golden Eyes

Golden eye-shadow may seem over the top for most occasions, but they really are made for Indian festivities. With all that gold jewelry, a little sparkle on the lids will take you a long way!

And don’t forget to flick on that jet-black eyeliner!

 

A Little Lip Service

Nothing looks worse than dry, chapped lips. And this is all the more obvious when wearing bright shades.

Prep your lips by using a lip exfoliant. An easy, frugal way to this is to simply scrub damp lips with a toothbrush.

Keep lips moisturized with a good quality lip balm. I absolutely love the Green Tea Lip Cream by Naturalmenthe. Read all about it here.

For an Indian wedding (or any Indian festivity!) a bright red pout looks absolutely gorgeous. You might want to experiment with the new-age shades of fuchsia. The idea is to make the lips stand out.

Bright lipstick demands a lip-liner. Lip-liners define the shape of the lips and prevent color bleeding out.

Tip: For thin lips, line the outer edge with a shade similar to your natural lip color. For thicker lips, line inwards with a shade that is a few shades darker than your natural shade.

For optimally defined, fuller-looking lips, you might want to give Lipstick Contouring a go! Click here for details.

 

My Citibank Lounge Model

The gorgeous Abarna agreed to be my model for the afternoon! Here is a before & after showcasing a light, glowing look I tried on her face: