Rouge Ready!

Want to put your most flawless face forward on your wedding day The key lies in getting your makeup basics right.

Bridal makeup has come a long way, and is now more understated, sophisticated and modern. When you look back on this day, 10 years from now, you want to still look modern and relevant.

To begin with, makeup of a particular celebrity won't necessarily translate onto you. Say good bye to sparkles, glitters that can make you look like a Christmas tree!

It's also outdated to match the eyeshadow colour with the outfit. A hint of your outfit colour can be used to smoke up the corners of the eyes. Steer clear of any products with lots of sparkles, sequins and glitter as they will bounce off flash photography. A little shimmer is okay as it’s your special day, but make sure it's not in your face and looks sophisticated. Apply a sheer gold shimmer along the top of the cheekbones, on the cupids bow of the lips,and just under the brows. This makes the bride look as if she's lit from within.

Golds, reds, corals are still the colours that rule the Indian bridal palette. These colours suit the Indian skin tone and when used correctly can enhance and accentuate the features.

Lip stains are big this season. They last longer compared to a lip gloss. It's important for a makeup artist to design a look considering the jewellery, outfit, skin tone and facial structure of the bride.

Most importantly, this is the era of the statement bindi – There's no excessive use of glitters, and the emphasis is on creating a flawless skin. A slight dewy look also looks very classy.

Brides to be, remember smokey eyes can never go out of style. But again, smokey doesn't mean only black smokey. It can be a brown smokey, green smokey or any other colour that complements your skin tone.

Lastly it's most important that the bride is comfortable in her own skin on her big day. Customising the look for a bride is essential.

The writer is a makeup artist