The Blending of the
Elements
Marriage
& the Law
From
Paper to Platinum
Birthstones
Read the Right Book
Catholic Weddings
Hindu Weddings
The Art of Gifting
The Lighter Side of Weddings
Beauty and the Bride
Grooming the Groom
Marriage Customs in Goa
Budget Checklist
Every bride-to-be wants to look her loveliest on her
wedding day. A beautiful bride is a memory that people
cherish for a long long time. But the bride must
remember that she should not only look her prettiest on
the wedding day, she should look the same thereafter too.
Personal freshness and hygiene are the keynote to lasting
charm and elegance.
YOUR FACE
Start looking after your skin long before the
wedding day by having a proper diet and cleaning your
face every night with cleansing cream. Use
cosmetics that are best suited to your skin type. After
washing your face with soap and water, rub a piece of ice
(wrapped in a clean muslin cloth) all over your face to
make sure you do not get pimples.
It is best to have a professional facial done to get
freshness and a glow on your face for the day. The bride
invariably gets tired before the wedding, because a lot
of running around has to be done - what with all
the clothes, jewellery and the rest of the shopping to be
done. So it becomes all the more important to give your
face a refreshing facial, which is possible only at the
beauty saloon.
Before donning your bridal make-up use ice and skin
tonic, and then your foundation mixed with a little bit
of moisturiser. But use it sparingly for that luminous
look. Do not use a very dark eye-shadow, as that does not
photograph well. A touch of blush-on is quite a favourite
with every bride, as it adds the needed glow and colour
to your cheeks.
To prevent puffy eyes, avoid late nights before the
wedding. The face comes very much into prominence on this
day. A fresh, glowing complexion reflects the happiness
of a beautiful bride.
YOUR BINDI DESIGN
For a Hindu bride red and white or red and gold dots on
the forehead make her look like a real bride. That is how
you will look different from all the other girls who have
come all decked to attend your wedding
If your forehead is wide and broad, then any pattern will
look nice. For a narrow forehead stick to a small pattern
of dots and make the design subtle and less prominent. A
larger forehead can support floral, decorative dots.
If your eyes are too closely placed, the dots should
start well away from the centre of the forehead and from
the central bindi. If they are distantly placed, these
dots can be started from either side of the central
bindi.
The most popular colours which are also suitable for
photographic effect are red and white. You could
use red and gold or red and silver, depending on your
saree and work on it. Also, with diamond jewellery you
could use red and silver, and the saree should have
silver work on it if possible. If the wedding is to take
place during the day, then dots of silver or gold will
look good, but for the night they will not show up well
in photographs, or even otherwise.
With Catholic brides, a light touch of silver or gold
dust on the face and neck will add a touch of glamour,
especially for a night function.
YOUR HAIR
Make a simple hairstyle. Do not dress your hair in a new
style which you haven't tried before. A fantastic hair-do
will make you look anything but lovely.Brush your hair
vigorously to give it body and shine. Decorate your hair
with fresh, fragrant flowers. Avoid the use of setting
gels and lotions and if you decide to pin up your hair,
make sure it is absolutely firm.
It is better to do with less hair spray and setting
lotion on your wedding day. Use a hair piece
instead so that your own hair is free of much of the hair
spray and backcombing and remains soft and silky.
YOUR EYE MAKE-UP
Ordinarily, eye make-up has a special importance, but
more so for the bride - specially with all the sparkling
jewellery and dazzling bridal attire. The eyes should
attract a lot of attention.
Avoid using a dark eye-shadow on the upper lid. To make
the eyes look larger and brighter, use a luminous
eye-shadow on your wedding day. Eye-lining in black, dark
brown or dark blue would be a suitable contrast to the
eye-shadows used. Try using a coloured, frosted
eye-shadow pencil on the lower lining. This can look very
effective. And, of course, use mascara to give your eyes
that final touch.
YOUR PERSONAL
FRESHNESS
A body massage is also very relaxing and useful. You
could mix 4 ounces of olive-oil with 2 ounces of
almond-oil to massage the body with, paying special
attention to the back, neck, knuckles, toes, elbows and
knees.
The underclothes for the day should be perfumed before
the bridal attire is worn.
Do not forget to dab perfume on your feet, under the
toes, on the legs, arms, and behind the ears. Avoid
spraying perfume once you have your bridal attire on,
lest you stain it.
As you know, the regular use of an under-arm deodorant,
as well as brushing your teeth twice a day will help you
remain fresh all the time.
Use a good perfume on the palms of your hands and on the
soles of your feet, besides wherever else you want to.
YOUR OTHER NEEDS
Use a good lip-gloss, a frosted gold eye-shadow and a
frosted blush-on this day.
A professional help to your make-up at this time is
always a far better choice than leaving everything
to your friends. Remember, too many cooks spoil the
broth.
Besides, a regular manicure and pedicure are not to be
forgotten. If you have started waxing your legs and arms,
keep it up.
The same goes with regard to growth on the upper lip, if
any. Have superfluous hair on the upper-lip, arms, legs
and underarms waxed two days before your wedding day. A
facial should be done one day before, and also the
shaping of the eyebrows along with it.
Avoid exposure to the sun as this will tan your
complexion, besides making your skin dry and rough.
Take a little time off every day, a couple of months
before the wedding where you can concentrate on sprucing
yourself up and preparing for the day.
After all, for most Indian women, weddings are a
once-in-a-lifetime affair. And if you have paid any heed
to the suggestions given above, you are about to bewitch
that once-in-a lifetime groom of yours.
.
By Shyla Lopez