Renowned Bollywood makeup artist Ayesha Wadiwala who has worked with the likes of Deepika Padukone and Kareena Kapoor speaks about bridal makeup and nailing the D-day look.

Minutes after saying 'I do', every bride has that one friend who immediately uploads pictures of her blushing face on Facebook on the day of her wedding. If your makeup makes you look like you are going up on stage to put on a skit, then you are definitely in trouble. Indian brides are going for a more natural look nowadays that enhances the beauty of oneself instead of going over the top. Ayesha Wadiwala says, “Today’s Indian bride refuses to have dollops of makeup that makes her look artificial, instead she prefers looking natural on her big day.” If you are a bride going au naturel, here are a few tips on doing your makeup on your own.

The Perfect Foundation
Ayesha points out that most brides have this obsession with lighter skin tones. Be it the bride herself or a member of the family, makeup artists are asked to make the skin tone several shades fairer that makes the bride look plastic, resulting in bad photographs. When applying the foundation and the base colour, choose a tone that looks closest to the skin tone and apply on the forehead as it is the most accurate depiction of your natural skin tone. It also shows clearly whether or not you can go up a shade or two to match your skin tone. It’s best to choose a colour that blends with the colour of your skin than opt for something lighter, for a natural look.

Big Details
While putting on makeup yourself, you might always run the risk of making the foundation look too flat. When the base is too flat, the face will end up looking like a plate. What one should remember is that our face is 3 dimensional. The nose and the eyes are the most prominent features. Base makeup is to be applied on the nose and worked sideways, into the eyes and then the cheeks. Base should be the brightest on the forehead and the nose, lighter on the eyes and cheeks and lightest on the end curves of the face such as chin, ear and corners. Even for the eyes, the colours have to be applied the darkest on the parts near the bridge of the nose and lightest towards the ear. Also when deciding on the look for the occasion, go for subtle eyes for prominent lips or go for subtle lips if you prefer to feature the eyes. Bright eyes and bright lips don’t work well together in most cases.

Real Bride Vs Bollywood Bride
Ayesha shares, “There is a huge difference between being a makeup artist for Bollywood and doing makeup for brides. I do a lot of bridal makeup too, especially destination weddings; I have done bridal makeup for a lot of brides all across India, from varied ethnicities. The difference is that, the makeup for Bollywood goes hand in hand with the effects of light on the sets, be it a scene or a photo shoot. Makeup on a bride is seen in reality and stays live regardless of the light in the room. When you have no clue about how much light exposure will be present, you have to be very careful on how much makeup is needed.”

Prep Work
So how can one get ready for the D-Day? Ayesha says that one can start off early, even by 3 months. “Relying on the makeup artist for the perfect look is not a bad idea, but if the bride were to take care of some preparation herself, it will be all the better. Upto 3 months before the wedding day, brides should start scheduling their salon appointments and take care of their skin thoroughly, keeping it fresh and clean. If the skin is clear, it is easier for the makeup artist to work on it. On their wedding day however, I would advise them to rest thoroughly. There is no point in taking care of your skin for 3 months and then coming in for the makeup with dark circles or stress wrinkles. Rub a lot of ice on your eyes before the makeup starts, it helps keep the eyes fresh.”

How can brides help maintain the look all day? “Makeup done by a professional will last quite a long time. However, to maintain the glow, what a bride can avoid is weather changes. Especially in a climate like Chennai, it is better to avoid the sun in case of a morning, outdoor wedding. It is better for the bride to sit for long in an air conditioned room. She must also avoid liquid makeup such as gloss and replace them with those that are powder based.”

What’s trending?
• A big no no to sticky, pancake-y makeup
• Go for fresh makeup products
• Your look has to be fresh, shinier and neater
• Experiment with colours (think, indigo and bronze shaded eye liners)

To be avoided
• Avoid waxing the day before the D-Day. If you are allergic, you would have to tie the knot with angry red spots all over
• Do not use random ingredients on your face without an expert recommendation
• Check the ingredients of each makeup item and brand you are using to avoid allergic reactions, if you are prone to any
• Use only a makeup remover to remove the makeup and not water/soap water or toner