Hello ladies!

Weddings are a lot of fun, but it's definitely a major expenditure if you are the bride. From clothes to hair to makeup, it gets exhausting to be shedding money for random things a bride needs. A bride always has this pressure of looking perfect from head to toe. But there are so many techniques you can embrace for your body like training your waist and hitting the gym for that perfect body and what not. What about your makeup?  If you could reduce some expenses like makeup and hairdo, wouldn't that be great? That's exactly what I am going to help you guys with. I did my own makeup for my Sangeet and Cocktail Party and it turned out exactly the way I wanted it to. But first, let me tell you a couple of things about the kind of person I am with respect to makeup.

First and foremost, I believe and have been told that I don't need a lot of makeup. My skin usually behaves itself and on most days I like to keep it simple. No matter what, I did not want to look too jazzy or over-done. I did not want to use more that 10 products on my face and I wanted my skin to breathe, but at the same time I love loud lipsticks and nude shades almost always don't suit me. I also wanted some shimmer on my face 'cause, duh, it's my wedding, bruh! =D I spent days and nights watching makeup tutorials on the internet a few weeks before my wedding so that I don't screw up on the d-day. I also did not want to blow my moolah buying products that I would hardly be using. So I've put together a quick guide on assembling your wedding makeup kit and also how I pulled it off without burning a hole in my pocket.

Step 1: Face 

Let me just tell you something that no one else does. Your face does not need a lot of products, but it needs a lot of TLC. Make sure you get regular facials and face massages done way before the big day, drink loads of water and keep your skin clean. Once you're fully prepped up after a round of CTM, get your makeup game on.

• Primer - Always begin your makeup with a primer! I had never heard of a primer before until I started going through YouTube tutorials. I got my hands on the least expensive and most effective one that I purchased from Amazon called Miss Claire Studio Perfect Professional Makeup Primer for about 599 INR and it was totally worth it. A primer basically evens out the surface of your skin and acts like a base for your makeup. I still use it whenever I apply anything on my face and it actually protects my skin from the chemicals in the makeup. 

You can find it here - Miss Claire Studio Perfect Professional Makeup Primer

• Foundation and Compact - Once your base is even, you can start your makeup with foundation that matches your skin tone followed by compact. I am usually a Lakme or a Maybelline person when it comes to face makeup because they're very light on the skin and don't cause much damage, but for my wedding I decided to pick up the L'Oreal Paris Mat Magique Foundation and Compact which was a little expensive than my usual drugstore makeup. So these products stay on your face for a very long time and you have to be extra careful applying it since a little bit should do if you don't have too many pimples or marks to hide. Also, make sure you get the right shade or you might end up looking like Homer Simpson or something. You can also use some loose powder to set your makeup in. For more, here's a list of top 7 best drugstore loose powder that you can pick from.

You can find it here - L'Oreal Paris Mat Magique Compact, L'Oreal Paris Mat Magique Foundation

• Blush - Now if you don't know or want to do any contouring, it's best you stay away from it because it just complicates things and you don't wanna create a mess. But on the other hand, some blush wouldn't hurt. I got this as a gift from a friend and since I don't wanna end up looking like Annabelle Doll, I just dabbed a little bit of this on my cheek bones for that rosy look.

You can find it here - Maybelline Fit Me! Blush


Pro-tip: Dab some talcum powder on your face if you're in a humid place like Mangalore or Kerala so that you don't sweat away your makeup.

Step 2: Eyes

Now you can't mess this one up! Your eyes need to do all the talking. For me, applying eyeshadow is the toughest hurdle to jump across. For my Sangeet, I wanted a little bit of shimmer on my eye lids and winged eye liner with some kohl. I am also a big fan of smokey eyes and you can definitely try achieving it if you're feeling a little adventurous.

• Eyeshadow - I already have loads of matte eye shadows and did not wanna spend on a new one, but I definitely needed something shimmery or metallic. After a lot of research, I got this highlighter brick from Sivanna Colors that works as a highlighter as well as eye shadow. It's one of the best products I've invested in! It's got great consistency and there are five shades in one brick, so you can use them all on your eyes. It's a Thai based brand and it's only 249 INR! It was definitely a steal! Since the brick did not have any shade of silver, I picked up a marbleized eye shadow palette from Maybelline's EyeStudio range. This product is also quite amazing, but it is slightly on the expensive side. However, it's a great eyeshadow to add to your collection. I dabbed the pink in this palette as my base and used the highlighter for the shimmer.

You can find it here - Sivanna Shimmer Highlighter, Maybelline Eye Studio Color Pearls Marbleized Eyeshadow

• Eye Liner - After your eyeshadow has set in, the next step is to wing it! I like to always have two types of liquid liners in my kit - a regular one and the one that's like a sketch pen. The perks of having a regular liquid eye liner is that it can be easily removed as compared to the sketch pen whereas the biggest advantage of having a sketch pen is that it's easy to use and quick as well. Lakme is a brand that suits my skin quite well. So I picked up two eye liners from Lakme that I also tend to use everyday.

You can find it here - Lakme Absolute Precision Liquid Liner, Lakme Absolute Shine Eye Liner

• Kohl - A kajal pencil or kohl is a quintessential product in every girl's everyday makeup bag. I like eye pencils from MAC and this one that I  usually use is called Modern Twist Kajal Liner. It's very smooth and easy to use. You cannot go wrong with this! Some other options are eye pencils from Plum Goodness, Colossal Kajal from Maybelline, Iconic Kajal from Lakme.

You can find it here - MAC Modern Twist Kajal Liner

• Mascara - Mascara is like the cherry on top of the cake. Your entire eye makeup is incomplete without mascara. MAC has a great range of products that I like on my lashes. Considering I'm someone who absolutely hates false lashes, mascara is a great substitute. 

You can find it here - MAC False Lashes

Step 3: Lips

Your lips need to look flawless like everything else. There are a lot of things that could go terribly wrong, like chapped lips, getting lipstick on your teeth, applying a shade that does not complement your skin tone etc. It's always good to try a lot of lipsticks before you pick the ones you want to wear during your wedding functions.

• Lip Balm - I have super chapped lips and I am always biting the skin on my lips which makes my lips look really dry and shabby. A lip balm is almost like a lip primer. I don't really think the brand of lip balms or chapsticks you use matters. But I like something really light and hence I picked up one from the Lakme Lip Love Range. It's great for daily use as well.

You can find it here - Lakme Lip Love Care

• Lipstick - I must have mentioned earlier that I really like loud colors on my lips. Well, everybody expects a bride to wear bright shades and red is always on top of the list. Invest in a good red lipstick! I have had this one from the Lakme Enrich Satin range for ages and nothing suits my lips better than this one. It's matte, but it's quite moist and is amazing for dry lips. I love how it tastes and feels against my lips. Another brand that I would never not trust is MAC of course! MAC lipsticks are always worth the 1500 INR you spend on a basic one. They last long, the shades are gorgeous and they smell great. Pink is another shade you need to have in your makeup kit and I already had one pink MAC lipstick. I picked up another one a few months before the wedding. If you want to invest a little more on lipsticks, Bobbi Brown has the best collection ever.

You can find it here - MAC Lipsticks, Lakme Enrich Satin Lip Color

Step 4: Nails

Now that your face makeup is done, let's move on to nails. If your nails are undone, your entire look goes for a toss. Pamper yourself with a rejuvenating manicure and you can apply the nail polish yourself or get your sisters to do it for you. For weddings and related ceremonies, the best shade to apply on your nails is a mix of gold and silver because it goes with every outfit and you don't have to go through the hassle of changing it for every function.

• Nail Paint - Maybelline Color Show has a great range of nail paints that are of metallic shades and I use this gold one for almost every wedding I go to. I like to top it with something shimmery and this holographic pearls nail paint from Revlon is the best. If you like to keep it simple, blood red, maroon, copper are also great options.

You can find it here - Maybelline Color Show Nail Enamel, Revlon Transforming Effect Holographic Pearls

Step 5: Hair

Those locks ain't gonna set themselves up, lady! At the same time, there's no need to spend thousands of rupees for a beautician and use oodles of hairspray to get a complicated hairdo with one trillion pins in your hair. There are some very simple hairstyles that you can effortlessly achieve and yet, look like a million bucks. There are some very basic hairstyles that I usually try to do myself whenever I find myself in ethnic wear.

• The traditional bun and gajra look - If your hair is long enough to withstand a bun, then twist your hair into a nice low bun and adorn it with jasmine flowers.
• The classic open hair look - Buy a decent straightener and learn to iron your hair on your own. If you can't do it yourself, get a regular blow dry or hair straightening done from a beauty parlor nearby.
• The lovable soft curls look - There are a lot of easy-to-use curling irons available in the market these days. Do get yourself one of those and curl the bottom part of your hair.

And with that, here's the final look I achieved for my Sangeet!

Some YouTubers you need to follow for Indian Bridal Makeup Tutorials

• Corallista Makeup and Beauty
• Erica Fernandes
• Debasree Banerjee
• Komal Pandey
• POPxoTV
• Nykaa TV

Love,
Hand On The Hip