Makeup blunders—they happen to the best of us. But a makeup faux pas on your wedding day? Now, that’s quite a blooper. Cakey face, unblended highlighter and an unnatural finish—bridal makeup gone bad on your big day can mean bad memories. Precisely why what you need is a rulebook to bridal makeup. Who better than ace makeup artist Swarnalekha Gupta to break it down for you? We got the makeup guru to give us her rules on bridal makeup. Take a look...
 

Keep it natural

Keep it natural

If there’s one big rule to makeup on your big day, it is to not cake your face up with products. This means you try to keep it as natural as possible. Make sure the makeup looks seamless and it doesn’t overpower the real you. Explains Swarnalekha, “It is necessary to let your skin breathe. So make sure you keep drinking lots of water to get that natural glow on your skin. For that added hydration, moisturise your skin well days before the wedding and on the day you’re getting ready for the big moment. Keep the base as dewy and natural as possible and ensure that your wedding makeup is blended well.”

You can use the Lakmé Absolute Skin Gloss Gel Crème as a moisturiser

You can use the Lakmé Absolute Illuminating Foundation as base makeup

 

Pay attention to the eyes

Pay attention to the eyes

If eyes really are the window to your soul, you better pay special attention to it.
“Use fresh colours on the eyes and bright colours to bring out the sheen. Colours like gold, antique gold, bronze and copper are a great choice for eye makeup. Make sure you keep the makeup light and not loud or gaudy. I personally would avoid a classic black smokey eye. I prefer keeping it clean and clear with pops of gold sheen. A wee bit of glitter or diamond powder only on the center of the eyelid would do no harm. I like using kajal on my brides because it brings out the Indian-ness of the look. Make sure you line the kajal with eyeshadow to avoid bleeding,” says Swarnalekha.

You can use the Lakmé Illuminating Eye Shadow Palette in Gold for your eye makeup

 

Make most of the red lip

Make most of the red lip

You can love your nudes and pinks but when you’re the bride, only a red lip can do justice to your pout. Choose reds according to your skin tone and flaunt your red puckers with élan. Says Swarnalekha,“Usually, it's red lips for bride. So keep it matte and avoid using any creamy or glossy red lip colour. It tends to bleed so the more matte, the more gorgeous your lips look. Remember to line the lip well before application of lip colour.”

You can use the Lakmé Enrich Matte RM14 for that perfect red lip

 

Use blush and highlighter instead of overcontouring

Use blush and highlighter instead of overcontouring

Yes, you’d love that perfectly sculpted face on your big day but going overboard with contouring can look OTT when it comes to bridal makeup. Swarnalekha explains why, “I would use more blush instead of contouring too much. I prefer using some bit of highlighter to catch the dimensions of the face where light naturally falls like the T-zone , bridge of the nose, cupid's bow, etc. But you need to ensure that the bridal makeup is minimalistic and not over the top.”

You can use the Lakmé Absolute Shimmer Brick in Pink for blush

You can use the Lakmé Absolute Moon-Lit Highlighter for that perfect glow

 

Stay away from falsies

Stay away from falsies

If you’re a pro at using falsies, go ahead. But it is advisable that you rely on mascara instead of falsies that can end up being uncomfortable on your wedding day. “I suggest you avoid false lashes and instead, use coats and coats of waterproof mascara. This is because for Hindu weddings, you’re in a mandap, in front of the fire—something that can end up melting the glue of the falsies,” tells Swarnalekha.

You can use the Lakmé Eyeconic Curling Mascara in Black for long lashes

 

Use everything waterproof

Use everything waterproof

When it comes to wedding makeup, go for all things waterproof—be it kajal, mascara or even base. Keep in mind that the rituals can be rather tiresome and the weather can be unfavourable and you certainly don’t want runny makeup on your big day. So make sure you ask your makeup artist to apply everything waterproof only.

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