Bridal Checklists

Shilpa Shetty on her Engagement Day

1. The beauty regime, long before D-day:
   To look good on D-day, start a beauty regime way before… A complete body care plan should be started about 6-8 weeks before the wedding. Talk to your beautician about having regular facials and manicures. Don't get too much sun before your wedding. Sunburns and peeling skin shouldn't ruin your wedding day.
   
   
2. Beauty, inside out:
   Inside turmoil or stress shows on the face. Not getting enough sleep or not eating properly will without a doubt show on your face! If you are really stressed out consider having a relaxing massage once a week for a month and also a day before the wedding. Burn some relaxing aromatic candles around the house to help calm your nerves.
   
   
3. Choose your look:
   While the style you choose for your wedding make-up will ultimately depend on your personal preference, but there are some other factors you should consider: the time of the ceremony, the time of the year, your skin tone and hair color. Choose colors according to the season — a spring-summer wedding should be more inclined to soft pastels while deeper reds work well in winters. Your make up should be more dramatic than your everyday make-up else you'll look pale and washed-out in photos.
   
   
4. Trial:
   Organize a trial around 1-2 weeks before the wedding and get dressed in your full regalia — clothes, jewelry and make-up in place. It is a good idea to have your friends with you to give their input and also for them to pick out a look way different from yours. Keep the trial at the same time of the day or night as the wedding is supposed to be.
   
   
5. Touch-up:
   For D-day, ask your Mom or one of your friends to carry a powder compact, tissues and lipstick for touch-ups during the event.

Shilpa Shetty on her Wedding Day

Choose the right colors

Before you can begin to choose colors that suit your skin tone, you must first figure out your complexion type. Generally, Asians have a warm, yellow skin tone. The simplest test: try on a white shirt and then a cream or off-white top. If you look better in the white blouse, you most likely have cool skin. If the cream top is more flattering, your skin is probably warm.

1. Foundation: Foundations generally have either a golden or blue-toned base, with variations that flatter a wide group of faces in the warm and cool ranges. If you have cool skin, choose a foundation that has blue or pink undertones and use a yellow-base foundation for warm skin. Test the color on your face and have a look at yourself in sunlight to make sure that you have a good match.
   
   
2. Blush: Fair skin tones are best suited to pink, tawny, and beige blushes. Darker skin tones look best in plums if they are cooler and auburns or rich bronze if they are warmer. For olive to yellow skin tones, try blushes in copper, almond, and warm brown shades. Finally, tanned skin looks best in warm colors like peach, coral, apricot, and orange.
   
   
3. Powder: Avoid using pressed powder compacts, which can streak foundation or clump in spots. Follow the same rules you would with foundation.
   
   
4. Lipstick: Examine a tester version of lipsticks on a sheet of white paper to discover their dominant colour. If they are mostly brown, warm red, or very pale, they will look excellent on yellow skin. As for dark skin, try rose, magenta, and shades of purple. Tanned skin is flattered most by a variety of true pinks. If you have very light skin, try pinks, orange/red shades, and light purples.
   
   
5. Eye Shadow: Eye shadows are often more about colour choice than color matching. If you have warm skin, experiment with different tones of bronze, cream, light brown, red/pink, soft green, and coral. For cool skin, white, silver, pale blue, purple, dark green, and gray are good choices.
   

Look good; smell divine
Stress can be tackled with perfume too. And do remember that while weddings are a social occasion, it is ultimately about you, him and your life. Perfumes are great aphrodisiacs.

1. Wear your favorite perfume: Though floral romantics are a safe choice, by all means wear a sporty fragrance if he thinks it's irresistible!
   
   
2. If you're determined to wear something new, be sure to start experimenting the perfume at least a month before the wedding.
   
   
3. Apply the same fragrance in all its forms and layer it—starting with the bath and ending with your perfume application to the pulse points.
   
   
4. For an especially dreamy effect, apply fragrance to the palms of your hands. This way, you'll leave a lingering scent every time you touch him.
   
   
5. Arrange your entourage's scents to complement each other—and you—for perfect harmony. Their scent should be in the same fragrance family as yours.
   
   
6. Remember to keep mints handy.
   
   

Shilpa Shetty at her Sangeet

Finding the Right Make-up Artist
A prelude to the right make up is the right makeup artist, make sure you pick with care. Here are some basic moves to help pick one:

1. Experience: Experimenting with an amateur isn't a great idea at a wedding. Instead, ensure the artist you choose is qualified to do the job. Ask each artist for references and call those brides to ask them about their experience. Also take a look at each artist's portfolio to make sure you like his or her work.
   
   
2. Availability: Ask for the artist's availability and if they plan on booking another wedding before or after yours. Also ask what the cost would be for the artist to stay with you the entire day, if you want to ensure you are covered.
   
   
3. Type of make up: Check out the latest in make-up technology. Ensure the make up artists you are working with are well versed in the kind of make up you want. Be sure to ask the artist what they recommend for your face and think about what suites your style.
   
   
4. Trial: Ask the make up artist for a trial before your big day. And carry your wedding dress with you to give him an idea of the colors he or she would need to use.
   

Shilpa Shetty at her Mehendi ceremony

Bridal Make-up Tips
Here is a common sense guide to bridal make-up.

1. Use waterproof eye makeup: Even if you don't think you're the crying type, hot and sweaty weddings can make your perfectly made-up face look wilted. With so many waterproof products out there, why take a chance?
   
   
2. Use a lip stain. Apply the color once at the beginning of the day, and moisturizer a couple of times to keep lips luscious and picture-perfect.
   
   
3. Employ a 'spot checker': This could be a friend, or your mum. Ask them to keep an eye on you and let you know if you need a touch-up.
   
   
4. Stash backups: Find out the bathrooms or changing facility at the venue, and stash an emergency kit including powder, a hairbrush, hairspray, lipstick, and a sewing kit, along with anything else you may need.
   
   
5. Do a test run: Make sure you test out your beauty products—you wouldn't want to find out the morning of your wedding that you're allergic to your lipstick!