Get, set…glow

Manpriya Singh

Is photoshop really the answer to bad make-up? May be, if all the guests were attending the wedding through photographs! A fairy-tale wedding might not need a fairy but it absolutely calls for a beautiful bride. The one who isn’t descending from beneath the rainbow, but the one who needs to be readied to perfection for high definition cameras.

Even the Academy Awards have always acknowledged the contribution of best make-up and hair styling. Our Indian brides are fast catching up and have woken up to the idea of why the make-up artist is their best woman, even more than a bridesmaid.

“So many times we wonder at heroines looking absolutely gorgeous in a simple bridal outfit. The difference lies in good make-up. People are going to notice less of your lehenga but more of your face,” Richa Agarwal, founder director, Cleopatra chain of salon and services, emphasises the importance of a good bridal make-up. And also how the brides have finally taken a long due fancy to their D-day looks. She adds, “The budgets have more than doubled and even tripled since as recently as 2003. Now, on an average, brides happily spend anything starting above Rs 15,000.”

Growth oriented

As the budget for weddings gets bigger, so do the allocations for prospering allied industries. “Earlier, bridal make-up meant putting on an eye liner, eye shadow, lipstick, rouge…Now it means camouflaging, contouring, highlighting...,” Shivani, from Odara—Make-up palette by Shivani, who charges anything between Rs 21000 to 41,000 draws the stark comparison. “It depends on whether the bride wants outstation services, wants air brush make-up and how many functions she needs make-up services for. But a year from now, I will be raising the price to Rs 51, 000 for normal make-up.”

Tried and tested

When the weddings themselves shift from the conventional to themed to destination, the brides too move from the traditional to not-so-traditional to experimental looks.

“A lot of brides are very specific about what they want and like to plan well in advance. I’m already getting inquiries for next year,” shares Rabia, professional hair and make-up artist, Innoxa, who charges anything starting from Rs 15,000. “Pricing has also got lots to do with the fact that nobody is using local products these days. I personally prefer to work with cosmetic brands like Bobbi Brown and HD products more than air brush make-up.” she adds, “I have worked on clients who paid as much as Rs 1 lakh for bridal and beauty services.”

Particular clients, overconfident of what they want, are definitely good for the beauty industry if not the make-up artist’s creativity. “From the basic pre-bridal to accompanying the bride on outdoor locations, the services themselves have come to include a wide variety. For the destination weddings, many brides are not ready to trust the new place with their make-up. So, they even ask for an artist who’ll accompany them out of station,” shares Richa.

It’s a huge trust imposed by a girl on the one of the important days of her life. The only chances taken are experimentation.

And, as for the much and always talked about bridal glow has actually been a sleight of hand. It is of the make-up artist’s. Only now the brides have come to see it.

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