Hi there! I realize how long it’s been since I last showed up around here. Truth be told I do miss this space and yet didn’t even realize when or how I felt out of touch. So for this blog post not only will I be sharing my experience of getting makeovers for my wedding events but also carry a question which I’ll eventually ask later in the post. please keep reading.
Every girl wants to look their absolute best on their wedding and fair enough, it’s her right but for that to happen, not only does she have to ensure the dresses are made and stitched as desired but hair and make-up are also other important defining features of a bride’s image that need to be taken care of. I’ll be posting about both Baraat & Valima in separate posts on Instagram here: GrammedbyRoo due to the insufficient space for a long story there.
Finalizing a makeup artist for your wedding events can be a daunting task because you’re supposed to be dressed in that certain way at least once in your life with the spotlight on you and you want to make the most of that occasion – especially when there’s an endless list of local MUAs and numerous reviews to check out before finally picking one. And that process gave me a headache since I was still contemplating doing my makeup for at least one event and unlike many other brides-to-be I didn’t have a single name in my mind with only a month to go till my wedding and with the usual busy wedding season in Karachi, you’re left with very few choices to book on such short notice.
The price list of the leading pack of local MUAs did help me cancel out some (maybe many) names because there’s no way I was going to pay so much for getting make-up done on my face for a few hours (i just don’t see the point) so eventually, it came down to a few still decent MUAs that I could go check out – but knowing the madness during the wedding season in Karachi I knew I’d have to settle for whichever MUA that’d be available on my event dates.
I booked Irene Khan for Baraat & Zehra Abbas for Valima whom I initially wanted to book for Baraat only but her slots were booked for that date. This isn’t much of a review, I just want to know if any bride has been in the same boat as me. I don’t like heavy makeup, and it doesn’t even have to be the caked-up face we usually see in Pakistani weddings, I just don’t really like putting a lot of products on my face which I had to, understandably for my events.
My Baraat was as beautiful as it could be, Alhumdulillah. but leading up to the event I was feeling some strong emotions, at one point it felt like I was PMS-ing. and no, it wasn’t anything a bride’s supposed to be feeling like because I’ve seen brides experience that and I am sure it wasn’t that. I felt neglected in the salon when the MUA did my makeup and left the lashes and liner to be done by her assistant and I had to sit there and wait for her assistant to finish my look so I’d move on to the hair station for which I had to wait again some more despite being on time myself for my appointment all the while listening to their life stories (which I don’t mind usually but that day was an exception) I felt quite vulnerable & it also might be because I was there on my own for a long time and it was frustrating to still be waiting for my turn for other services. I just couldn’t figure out the reason.
During my time there I saw that in our society, brides are supposed to be burdened like they’re SUPPOSED to be waiting endlessly for each part of their services to be done & they need to be patient all along. it’s just the usual. They must spend at least 5-6 hours at the salon IF they want to look great despite knowing it’s going to be a long night with the photo session at the venue, the event itself, and the post-event festivities. I felt like a robot, and I felt for some women who were so hard on themselves; unlike me, they weren’t moving around despite battling with visible anxiety, they were trying their best not to eat or drink or even open their mouths from the fear of ruining their make-up.
I realized it’s not for me, that was just too much for me. I couldn’t be that usual bride who sits idle gazing into the wall and who’s not allowed to feel emotions. I told myself that this is MY wedding, if I go into the event feeling like shit there’s no way it’s going to be a memorable one and it had to be it. I took frequent walks as I felt exhausted until I saw my sister walk-in for her makeover and the sight of her walking in was such a breather. I felt better instantly as it was also a sign that we were to leave the salon shortly. whew! Now, I’m not saying it was the worst since it could always be worse, like this one bride who accidentally got nail laquer spilled all over her dress whilst we were getting our nails done. she carried herself gracefully during that challenge but that just goes on to show that we don’t have complete control over everything in life.
Meanwhile all that while I was grateful and felt lucky to not have faced any setbacks during any of my events. Alhumdulillah.
This isn’t a rant, even if it seems like one it’s not, it’s an observation and something to ponder for us women. Do we really need to spend half of the day of the event in a make-up studio only to know the day will probably end up being one of the longest she’s lived yet? One would argue the excitement during the process keeps the tiredness at bay which is also correct to some extent, but is it all worth it? What I mean to say is that things could be a little simpler. that’s just what I’m saying. Now, I totally understand if some of you out there didn’t experience the same feelings as me. I had a blast during my wedding but I also remember how knackered I was by the end of the day and how I couldn’t get rid of that tiredness afterward easily.
After my Baraat, I dreaded my Valima day because I’d have to go through the same all over again and there’s no escaping it. I realized that in typical Pakistani society the bride only ever gets a breather after all her wedding events are over. Only then she’s able/allowed to take a sigh of relief, which I still remember was sweet!
On my Valima though, I was told my “laughing lines” would still appear after the full face of make-up which I had no problem with because it’s naturally like that, but to counter that, the Valima MUA ended up putting on so much face powder on my face (something I never do, but I trusted her blindly) that the foundation ended up coming off of my nose in a tiny patch during the photo session, it was embarrassing at first because my event hadn’t even started yet and my make-up was starting to go bad but I kept my calm and didn’t let anything bother me, and I did end up having a wonderful time at the event (not thinking about it at all helped).
Please know that this is my observation and that I only speak for myself. this might make it look like I didn’t enjoy my wedding; in fact, it was the best wedding I’ve ever been to! I couldn’t be more grateful and proud.
In the end, I’d like to add that no matter which make-up artist you book; expensive or cheap, the most important thing is to be HAPPY from within because it’s true that you do glow differently when you’re actually happy.
The whole point of this long story is to ask women if there’s any way we could make this whole process easier for brides-to-be of the future?
I’d also be very interested in knowing other women’s experiences. feel free to share yours either down in comments or under my post on Instagram.
lastly, thank you for taking the time out and reading this. 🙂 x
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