You took an extra month off from work to prepare for your wedding and you are almost through. From sending out the wedding invitations to curating the food menu, everything around you is all set for the big day. Only if you knew how to go about the most important thing, the right bridal makeup look that would do justice to your expensive dress and jewelry. You’ve scoured high and low on YouTube for the ideal DIY makeup tutorial and have a couple of MUAs on speed dial as a Plan B. But irrespective of who ends up creating your bridal makeup look, the big question is, where do you begin?
As one of the most diverse nations on the world map, brides across India dress very differently, based on their respective faiths. Think of a Bengali bride. The first image that pops up in your head is probably the beautiful red and white motifs that adorn her forehead and dramatic eyes that make THE most impact. Similarly, from Muslims to South Indians, every bride has a distinctive wedding makeup look that is an ode to her origin.
Indian Bridal Makeup Looks
We’ve broken down traditional makeup looks so you know how to go about with your D-day bridal look.
1. Bengali Bridal Look
Get the Look:
- For a flawless canvas, start off with a primer, concealer and foundation keeping your skin tone in mind.
- Now, tracing your temples, cheekbones and nose, blend contouring powder into your base with the help of a sponge. For a natural look, go for a shade that’s two shades lighter than your base.
- Get the smear-proof liquid kumkum out and gently draw the red and white motifs along the brows. Forget anything else, but you can’t afford to skip this for Bengali bridal makeup.
- Your eyes are the window to your soul and a Bengali bride is proof of that. Using smudge-proof formulas, go full glam on the eyeliner and kohl. Also, don’t miss the mascara at any cost.
- End it with a swipe of the most elegant shade of red on your lips.
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2. Muslim Bridal Look
Get the Look:
- Prep your face with a primer. Follow it up with a concealer and foundation to achieve the perfect base.
- It’s your big day and you need to put your best brow forward. Smoothly fill any sparse areas in your brows with an eyebrow pencil. Br-wow there!
- Sweep a dark brown eyeshadow shade over your lids while blending some highlighter above the crease. Also, thanks to the lack of pheras around a fire, you don’t have to worry about any adhesive mishaps. So false eyelashes, here we come.
- It’s your wedding, blush blush. Dab and sweep some blush on the apple of your cheeks for distinct, rosy hues.
- Lastly, let’s swap the usual bridal blood red pout with a more wine-inspired shade. Now let the compliments roll in.
3. South Indian Bridal Look
Get the Look:
- Begin with a perfect blend of primer, concealer and foundation to achieve a smooth even base for South Indian bridal makeup.
- Using a flat eyeshadow brush, pat and sweep a dark green shade all over your lids. Gently blend in a black smokey shade as you reach the outer corners of the eyes, with the help of a smudging brush.
- Thicker eyelashes, anyone? Use the most dramatic pair of falsies to up the hypotic eye game.
- Stick to creamy contours for a natural-looking dimension. Swipes lines of contour over the high points on your face and blend with a brush.
- Finish off by applying two generous coats of a pinkish red lipstick.
4. Marathi Bridal Look
Get the Look:
- Prep with the perfect blend of primer, concealer and foundation to achieve a smooth even base.
- Focus on contouring and highlighting your face well, so that the wedding photoshoot turns out even better than expected.
- Using an brow pencil and smaller strokes, head on the path to structured and defined brows.
- Now sweep a little golden shimmer eyeshadow over the lids and blend it with a darker shade at the edges.
- For the lips, go for a rosy shade of red that stays long. After all, considering the number of pictures that you’ll be posing for, the last thing you want to bother about is a touch up.
5. Catholic Bridal Look
Get the Look:
- Start with the flawless base essentials for Christian wedding makeup. Apply primer, concealer and foundation on your face and even the neck area.
- Moving on to the eyes, above the crease area, gently dab pink pigment and blend it with a sponge.
- Now, draw a winged eyeliner with the help of a waterproof eyeliner. Then graduate to three coats of mascara on your lashes to open the eyes.
- Apply a dash of highlighter to the inner corner of your eyes. This trick will give your eyelids more dimension. Further, sweep some shimmery silver eyeshadow over the eyelids.
- For the lips, opt for a shade with pinkish hues and you’re set to walk down the aisle. Ooh la la!
