For a lot of us Indians make-up is restricted to special occasions like a wedding or a party. Simply because we believe that makeup is not for daily use. We ‘save’ it for special occasions. If you think about it you will realize that we are too conscious. We believe that putting on make-up is a clear sign of being self-obsessed or we feel that the make-up means painting our face with all the cosmetics that we hoard.
But the problem seems to be deeper than that, I do not think we have been exposed to the right cosmetics and the right techniques for putting on make-up. Watching our mothers put on make-up or our coolest sister has been the only exposure most of us have had. With a lot many products coming in the market in bewildering variety, it is becoming a problem of too many options.
I have never been comfortable with the idea of using make-up. So when my mom told me that we need to make a “Wedding Make-Up Trousseau” , I panicked as my make-up has been quite limited to Kajal & Mascara. Having never owned a single lipstick, it seemed like quite a project to pick an entire make-up kit. Having used MAC Mascara & Kajal before, I decided to go to the MAC store and explore other cosmetics. To my surprise, they have already thought through this problem that every Indian bride faces and hence devised a “Wedding Trousseau” package.
I was intrigued by the concept and signed up for it, I would like to take you all through this amazing experience.
So once you sign up for the MAC wedding Trousseau service which is for Rs.12,500 and take an appointment, you get a one on one 2 hour session with a MAC make-up artist who teaches you step by step on how to create 3 different looks . After the session, you can take MAC cosmetics worth Rs. 12,500 back with you in a glistening golden wedding trousseau box.
I went to the MAC store and met my make-up artist Geeta and we had a consultation session where we discussed my skin type, the products that I use and my everyday beauty routine.
Some Simple Pointers-
# One needs to make sure that the skin is clean before applying make-up.
# Moisturizing the face is extremely important before the make-up and hence its important to use the right moisturizer for your skin type (Oily, Dry or Combination)
Then we discussed about the 3 looks I would like to try on my face: For morning getting started look , afternoon brunch with friends & Evening party.
Once the looks were decided we spent some time picking the right cosmetics with my preferred colors for the lipstick /eyeshadows/kajal etc.
Morning Look:
For Skin: After applying moisturizer we used a primer and then ‘Studio Finish’ concealer to hide dark circles and after that we used the ‘Studio Tech’ foundation to get a basic coverage as it works well for mornings by giving you a very even neat look.
For Eyes: I wanted to try a Kajal color other than black so we went with blue and then with an eye shading brush we smudged the kajal a little towards the corner of the eye and spread it over the eye lid giving it a smudged look. And add Mascara to finish the look.
For Lips: As I did not want to use heavy make-up for the morning look, I went with a pink undertone ‘Gold Frost’ lipstick to just about give a hint of it. If you want your lipstick to stay for long, you must use a lip liner before using the lipstick.
For Cheeks: Just a hint of “Stay Pretty” blush and we were good to go.
Afternoon Look:
For Skin: We used the same as the morning look.
For Eyes: We added a basic texture and then gave a slight highlight keeping the eye make-up not too heavy & bright.
For Lips: With the general look of the face being simple, I wanted to try a different lip color and hence chose Coral.
For Cheeks: As I have a wide face, I wanted to try contouring to learn how to give it a slightly thinner look. And yup contouring is something I recommend you experiment with.
Evening Look:
For Skin: After the regular moisturizing and the concealer , we went ahead with the’ Mineralize Satin Finish’ foundation in order to have more coverage for an evening party look.
For Eyes: I always wanted to perfect the art of Smokey eyes (I am not sure if I still have – Maybe a post on this soon? ) Geeta encouraged me to try a different color smokey eyes instead of the classic Black. As my sangeet lehnga was green I decided to try the green smokey eyes look.
For Lips: As the eye make-up was heavy and I wanted to highlight only one part of the face, I used a neutral shade “Taupe” and added a slight gloss “Liquid Passion” to glam it up.
For Cheeks: We added a blush on the apples of the cheeks (had to smile a lot to find the apples 😀 ) and added a slight golden highlight on the cheek “‘Gold Deposit’.
Geeta taught me how to apply different cosmetics with quick tips on how to hold the brush, direction in which to move the brush etc. , doing the right half of my face . I applied the make-up on the other half of my face under her supervision. I had to make quick mental notes as I felt very nervous infront of a professional. It was a matter of time that I got very comfortable with the brushes and the application process and starting enjoying it. You can see from the picture how much fun it was. 🙂
Quick Tip – Learning how to apply all that expensive Make-up contributes a lot to your look. So learn up!
Once the look was done, Geeta made face charts with details of all the cosmetics including the brush names used for my future reference.
My looks were tailor-made keeping in mind my skin tone and style . I liked the fact that the make-up enhanced my features and at the same time did not make me look like someone I don’t recognize. It was interesting to note how a hint of blush or the right concealer can do a lot to brighten and lift one’s look.
So at the end of the session, my perception of make-up changed and now I use a lot more cosmetics and quiet differently for different occasions. Two small instances-
A. I found the best concealer for hiding those dark-circles.
B. I think I know how to do contouring & smokey eyes fairly well now 😉
After the looks were done, I picked up the products that I liked the most. I did not pick the brushes as I feel that they are little expensive and hence told my friends coming from the US to get me Sigma brushes from Sephora. 🙂
Once the cosmetics were decided I got it in this beautiful golden box which is quite prone to scratches but is a pretty one nevertheless.
There is no need to shy away from make-up! If you spend some time in front of the mirror working on your face, it will not only make you look well groomed, but also boost your confidence. So take some time out, check tutorials on youtube or sit with an expert, its well worth the effort!
If you have any queries regarding this service or would like to know more about my personal experience, feel free to connect with me on or наполнение контента