A Tamil Affair!

This weekend was a fantastic one indeed, though i was up at 4:00 a.m both days to start work pre-dawn, the results were just perfect.

In the overcast balmy weather of friday i went to the bride's parents home to get her ready for the Pooja followed by the Mehndi night. Welcomed with such warmth by her family was a great start and to top it off, her mother made a fantastic cup of south indian filter coffee for me :)

Her Kanjiveeram sari was a pink with mauve undertones with a gold and green weave. So we worked on the following look that could transition from a day time pooja to an evening event. Oh by the time the session was over it was pouring with menacing thunder so i got drenched on my way out, but my bride was able to enjoy her look all day!

Saturday Morning i was at the Driskill with a winter coat on cause the weather had turned to freezing! I met up with the family and as the bride hopped in for a quick shower i enjoyed the lovely decor of the mandap that had been set up already. Her father was so generous and arranged for my caffine intake with a warm cup of coffee and we got started with the wedding ceremony look. Half waythrough the session i did the makeup of her mom, such a lovely lady indeed!

The bride wore a sari that was a family heirloom almost a 100 years old in a rich magenta and gold. Her hair was bejwelled with orchids flown in from Hawaii, a long braid, gold tassels and ruby encrusted discs! This is the hindu ceremony look-

After a quick lunch we started working on the second look for the american ceremony, we had just about an hour to get it all together but it looked splendid!

Now came the main challenge, with two sessions of product overload on the hair, the bride had to take another shower and shampoo her hair so i had to get her ready for the grand reception look in under 2 hours!!!

I had my assistant join me as we blow dried her silky hair, added huge curlers for volume, then curled individual sections with a curling iron for big bouncy curls and finally added tons of extensions for the ultimate glamorous look! I worked on her mother's evening look again and she was so delighted with the false eyelashes :)

The reception look was a red and bright blue and on my bride's cinnamon skin, it looked simply divine- Hugs and thankyou's were the culmination of the day with her bride's maids and guests appreciating how lovely she looked for each event, now that is true satisfaction! After 14 hours of non stop work, i came home delighted and yearning for a massage.

XOXO

Saman

Why so long?

Every now and then i will get a bride who at the consulation will ask, wow Saman your session is 3 hours long at a wedding? I know of artists who do the whole look in an hour and makeup counters are done with a full makeup look in 30 minutes!

Yes i know, it seems like a long time and here is what those 3 hours include from me. With over a decade of working at weddings, i know there is always 'something' that comes up- we need to have time to accomodate that surprise. Friends want to come in to take a peek, that takes up time as they all ooh and aah and create excitement. A distraught family member may think you are the source of every solution and keeps asking you about random things...

Then there is the stress of the big day, of course you are nervous, its a huge change in your life! Would you rather feel rushed with an artist who goes at lightening speed to get your hair, makeup and dressing done and is out the door?

I arrive early, i help organize and layout all your jewelry, clothes, and details. How many forget that putting ironed clothes in a suitcase causes them to get wrinkled all over again! So i iron them again for you. We start with the hair, we talk , you laugh and smile, wiggle your toes... Then we proceed to the makeup, you close your eyes and relax as i pamper you through the process. I answer every knock at your hotel room door and assist taking unwanted visitors out of your room. I dress you up, put on your jewelry, help you wear your shoes :) Your photographer arrives for getting ready shots, i help you enjoy that session. He/She leaves to capture the arrival of the baraat- you get nervous, excited, realize you need to run to the ladies room- i help you get settled again.

We look in the mirror together, you enjoy the total vision of beauty, we make any desired tweaking changes.... I stay with you till your family comes to take you down for your grand entrace.

It's the quality of service my dearest bride to be... you are in good hands because i love what i do and my commitment to pampering you is what makes it a 3 hour session!

XOXO

Saman

What joyous excitement-

This weekend i was part of a grand Indian wedding of the Maharashtran & Tamil cultures! As i made my way to the Rennaisance at the Arboretum in Austin at 5:00 a.m, the windchill was nippy. But soon the cold melted to the warmth and hustle bustle in my brides suit as we got company from her brother, mother, aunt, uncle, the photographer father, the PRIEST :), another brother, his son and lots of friends- soon there was barely enough space for me to get her ready but hey that is the fun of a true desi wedding.

As i put on her final touches i even got a suggestion or two by the priest on how she should look for the wedding :)

I headed back to the studio at 9:00 a.m and was back at the hotel at 3:00 p.m to get the reception session started. As i undid her updo there was a shower of rice that turned the carpet white, no kidding, that is the most generous amount of rice shower i have every seen come out of a hair do! As we proceeded to covert her hair style into a lush cascade of big curls, I met the groom for the first time then, lounging in his UT shorts and T with the remnants of the wedding with Turmeric color feet and a black spot on his cheek to ward of the evil eye- what a darling he was too, the next time around he looked so handsome in his tux!

From a very traditional Maharashtran bride (with some Tamil accents to accomodate the new family ) to a glamorous Bollywood diva- how divine- all in a days work.

XOXO

Saman Ansari

Spread a little cheer...

Its truly hard, you hear of friends loosing their jobs every day, you look at your finances and squeal! The savings look minimal...

Its tough to think of beauty and makeup at times like this, seems so trivial and perhaps shallow... so that glass is half empty.

Lets change the view, come stand on my side, now take a look. When its gray and cold outside, a bright colored dress changes the mood and theme...makes those blues not so bad. Its the same with the times now, they are hard, almost harsh, but with a little bit of care on how you look, when you face the mirror and give your self a pep talk about money matters, you wont get distracted with pale skin, frizzy hair, an emerging pimple. You will look good, feel confident and will be better prepared to take on the challenges.. Now with that lovely look, SMILE... spread some cheer, its contagious!

XOXO Saman