Blushing bride

MINAL KHONA reveals fundamental tips for the bride-to-be, which will make her special day a unique one l The bride-to-be must concentrate on skincare and haircare from the day she starts planning her wedding. l Her skin must be well-prepared so that when we apply make-up along with other products like a glow serum, the skin must have a soft, dewy, fresh appearance. A lot of brides prefer the au naturelle look, so flawless skin is very important to get that no make-up look. l The skin has to be primed so that it has no facial hair, no zits, scars or blemishes. Nails must be clean and manicured. On a personal level, I think that if a girl doesn’t want to look like a painted doll, she must make sure her skin is in very good condition. l Sometimes the bride-to-be comes to us with hair that is in absolute shambles. If she wants an elaborate hair-do or extensions, she must have a good haircut, some protein treatments and conditioning treatments done. When a client has scanty hair, I even suggest voluminising treatments so the hair gets more body and bounce. l One doesn’t need to go overboard spending money on beauty treatments. You can go to a good salon in the neighbourhood to get your hair treated with some deep conditioning treatments. l For your skin, if you have blemishes or problematic skin, consult a dermatologist. If you have flawless skin, you can continue using the products that work for you and even keep it clean with a homemade scrub made from besan l You can experiment with colours and try out eye pencils, lip colours etc., based on your face, personality and the colour of your outfit on your wedding day. You may want to wear a certain colour, but it must look good and you should be able to carry it off. l If you have a look in mind, consult your make-up artist to ensure that the look you have chosen is going to work for you, given your personality and overall looks. l Coloured lens are a big fad these days, so try them on and see if they look good on you.

Just like you plan the rest of your wedding, take time to decide on the look you want on the most important day of your life. Wellknown Bollywood make-up artistes Ojas Rajani and Kumar Iyer have been in the business for more than a decade, and know all the techniques to make sure the bride looks her best.

Ojas Rajani: Skin-care is essential a few days before Ojas Rajani is a well-known make-up artist who has worked with personalities like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (he styled her make-up and hair for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne), Urmila Matondkar and Neha Dhupia among others. He is much sought after for all high profile Mumbai weddings. Here are a few tips from Ojas.

Kumar Iyer: The classical, simple look is the best Kumar Iyer is a veteran in the business of make-up for the last 13 years, and is the hand that waves the magic wand to style many of the commercials we see on TV for some of the leading cosmetic brands in India. l If a bride-to-be has good skin, she should make sure she maintains it well. If she has problematic skin, she must consult a professional. l For people who have good skin, I would suggest that they finish with their facials and clean-up treatments at least ten days before the wedding. So even if they have a break-out or eruptions on the face, they could subside within a week. l Start your skincare routine at least three to six months before your wedding day. Make sure you maintain a healthy lifestyle, exercise and avoid late nights. As it is, there are several occasions before the wedding that call for late nights, so prevent additional stress to your skin by keeping those occasions to a minimum. l Unless you look after your skin from within, the best skincare clinic in the world and the best products cannot give you good skin in a short span of time. l If you want to have hair extensions done, try them out at least a month in advance. They can get itchy and the scalp cannot take the stress, so it is best to try them out, see if they work for you and if they do, get them done for your wedding day. l Some girls like to have gel nails added onto their nails. If you bite your nails, grow them a bit, and try on the gel nails at least two months prior to the wedding. Your hands need to get used to having them on as they tend to get stuck in embroidery on outfits; the diamontes get entangled and can cause minor disasters. l Check out colours for lipsticks, blushers and eye pencils when you have the time. It is best to have minimalistic make-up, not a heavy caked-up look, so it’s best to go easy on the foundation. l If you want to look like, say Kareena Kapoor in some movie, sit down with your make-up artist and see if that look will work for you before insisting on it. l You can seek professional help to remove blemishes and have your hair in good condition before the wedding. l Avoid current fads like tattoos on arms, rainbow coloured nails and going over the top with make-up. The classical, simple and understated look is the best.

Sushmita Sen and Manisha Koirala are regular clients.