FARZANA SHAKIL Signature Bride

Farzana Shakil seems to be a clairvoyant on every aspect almost to the surprise of her clients. Each and every bride comes out of the studio looking her best and almost every bride looks as regal as they imaged.

We sat and had a chat with the expert, starting off with her Signature look. The expert make-up artist admitted with a smile, "Ideally, a Farzana Shakil's Signature Bride always looks like herself. I place a lot of emphasis on the eye makeup as the eyes are the windows to the soul."

Farzana Shakil assertively confided in us, "I always prefer to keep the natural skin tone of a bride in mind as I want my signature bride to look like the best version of herself and not like someone completely different.

"There are times, I have to put my expertise to work in making them look flawless with heavy base, even though I myself prefer to use as light of a base possible".

Asked about the resurgence of airbrushes, she explained, "Currently everyone, including myself, prefers more natural makeup than airbrush techniques can provide. I would have continued to use airbrush makeup if it was in demand".

Next we wanted to know more about the eyes, the lips and the cheeks. "For brides, shades like bronze, gold and brown are a must. I also use glitters. What matters most is the attire of the bride while choosing the colour of the eye shadow. My signature look has always been smokey eyes but not everyone would look their best in smokey eyes. As for eye lining styles, it varies from person to person depending on what would complement the shape of their eyes."

For lip-colourings, she had more to add. "Lipsticks are not always dependent on the attire but I choose a lip colour keeping the skin tone in mind along with what colours would make the overall makeup look complete."

Since the 'Signature' look includes even the hairdo, we wanted to know what a preferred hairstyle by Farzana Shakil looked like.

"I suggest hairstyles based on the facial structure of a bride and also what would accentuate the entire look. Some looks are complemented with simple hairstyles while other may require intricate hairstyles but comfort matters," she said.

Eyebrows and cheeks might be least discussed but they are important as any other feature of the woman. Gladly, Farzana Shakil seemed to agree with us. "Eyebrows are tricky. Some prefer having them plucked into thin lines while others like it natural and thick. Keeping the preferred shape, I use eye-shadows to make it natural for some and defined, for the ones who would prefer it that way. As for rouge on the cheeks, it depends entirely on the skin tone of a bride".

"Contouring is done to give a flattering shape to one's face or features of the face. Everyone does not necessarily need contouring. Some brides come with a chiselled face while some might require a little contouring here and there.

"I do not like doing a complete transformation on one's face with makeup. I will not generalise requirements for 'Asian skin tone' or 'South Asian skin tone'; contouring colours are used based on the undertone of an individual and what part of the face required the contouring".

PHOTO COURTESY: FARZANA SHAKIL'S MAKEOVER SALON