While everyone hires a professional makeup artist for their main functions i.e. the pheras, the reception and the sangeet, these days many brides prefer to do their own makeup for all the other events; namely – the poojas surrounding the wedding, the maata ki chowki and sometimes even the cocktail!  In light of these recent DIY developments, we asked our makeup expert Swarnalekha Gupta to give all you brides-to-be some signature pointers to remember before you do your own makeup…

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Statement lips ahoy!
Always opt for brighter, statement lips in shades of orange, fuchsia and red.
You’re the bride-to-be aka the centre of attention, so why hesitate, right?

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Keep it sheer
Less is more nowadays so go as natural as possible with the base. You can use a minimal amount of sheer liquid foundation to give your skin a glow.
You can even rely on a few lustre drops or illuminators to add some sheen to your face.

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Softer hues for the morning
For day functions, a pretty pink, coral or soft brown eye shadow followed with brown liner and a brown kajal work best. If you have a preference for kohl and black liner, you can use the same with shadows in shades of blue and olive.

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Metallics for the evening
If it’s an evening informal function, you can match your eyeshadow to the secondary colour of your outfit – usually a gold, silver, copper or bronze. Since metallics are in, it’s perfect ok to wear shadows in those shades and follow it up with some liner and voluminous mascara.

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Seal your look old-school style
Always finish your look with a bindi and maang tikka. No matter how traditional these elements are, they make for the perfect finishing touch and complete your look.

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What not to do
The one thing brides should keep in mind is that unless you’re absolutely sure, don’t even try your hand at a smokey eye. If it’s not done correctly, it’ll just look like a black eye.