Spring time festivities

Spring is almost here and lets rejoice its arrival with a look that is fresh, bold and uber glam!

Makeup by Saman Ansari on her self!

The outfit is pearl white with crystal details and here is the makeup to compliment:


All makeup by MAC unless stated other wise:
Face- Oil of Olay moisturizer
Studio Tech NC 40 applied and blended with foundation brush.
Medium Dark Blot powder dusted with a large fluffy brush.


Eyes- Prep n Prime Eye
Entire Lid- VEX applied with a wet brush for max impact
Socket- Wedge layered with sushi flower
Outer crease and lower lash line- Knight Divine
Browbone- Vanilla eyeshadow (the pigment is too gold for this look)
Inner Corners top and bottom- Silver Ring applied with an angled liner brush.
Black Track Fluid line on the water line (top and bottom lids)
Engraved eye pencil on the top lash line.
Custom made falsies & Loreal Voluminous mascara in Blackest Black on top and bottom lashes.
Shimmering white glitter NYX glitter Palette on the inner and outer corners of the eye.


Cheekbones & Jawline- Shadester applied with a contouring brush
Cheeks- Poesey creme blush dotted with index finger, blended upwards towards the temples and layered with desert rose
Highlight- Hyper Real powder in Lavendar FX


Lips-
Outer line- Burgundy, Inner line and blending Beet, Lipstick Girl About Town.


Finishing touch- the attitude to carry it off with elegance and oh yes, Glamor!
Stay Beautiful!
XOXO
Saman Ansari

Product Review

For those of you who emailed me regarding the super oil I used while styling the last blog for Maharani Weddings 


http://www.maharaniweddings.com/maharani/2010/11/studio-sila-thanksgiving-maharani.html


here are details!


So the amazing dry oil is called Moroccan Oil and it is primarily created from Agave Oil. Being a dry oil, it leaves no heavy, sticky, oily feel to the hair when used properly.


So what is proper, well, you are to use a drop (literally no bigger than the size of a penny) in damp hair and focus more on the length of the strand and the ends. If your hair is bleached, highlighted, chemically relaxed, permed or very curly you will need a tad bit more. Hair that is virgin to all chemical processes will need less. Remember it looks like a drop but it goes a long way and after the first use, you will know if you need to go up or down with the amount applied. You rub the drop of oil between your palms and smooth it down the shaft of the hair, remember the inside area also near the nape of the neck :)


It works both to naturally smooth the hair and is amazing for styling too. I use it prior to applying curlers for the softest large curls, its amazing as a serum prior to using the flat iron and if you make loose braids in almost dry hair after applying the oil 10 minutes later you have the perfect finger waves!


Here is the product- worth every penny and it is available online at Amazon!

Stay Beautiful!

XOXO

Saman Ansari

A recap of some beauty this summer

Hello gorgeous people!
Its been an artistically fulfilling yet hectic summer as I took on the role of Aesthetic Director for Saffron Affairs. My passion of makeup has not been neglected I assure you :) and here are some of the faces I worked with- Each hair and makeup look was custom created to best suit their desire and compliment not only their outfit but the theme of their event too.
Enjoy!

Tips, trends buzz on the grapevine

Google the term Indian bridal makeup or Pakistani bridal makeup and you will see a gazillion listings of discussions and forums where young females talk about how much they love certain images and tutorials they see on line.

In the same theme, you will read them cringing about how Indian or Pakistani bridal makeup is too heavy, too intense etc etc. Makes you wonder, at one end they are ooohing and aaahing about the exotic colors, dramatic contours and over all glamor and the next second they say its over done. So where is the happy middle ground?

As a professional bridal makeup artist with expertise in Indian and Pakistani bridal makeup I know one thing for a fact- its all about create a sense of balance, harmony and flow. You cannot itemize a look by focusing just on the eyes and not on the lips, just on the foundation and not on what goes on top of it. DO you follow me?

Lets say you are one of those many ladies whose opening line is ' I don't wear much makeup every day'. So lets start from there- what is the color of your outfit. Red, intense pink, maroon, turquoise? Does it have gold or silver, bead or crystal detailing all over? Are you wearing jewelry that has gemstones and will it frame your face (earrings and necklace?). Will you have a veil, dupatta or chunni on your head for the wedding ceremony? If you have answered YES to more than one of the above, you are a South Asian Bride.

Okay, so do your 'Not much every day makeup' and put on your outfit, jewelry and drape the chunni. Now, step back from the mirror at least 6 feet back and look at your face. What do you see? Has your face been engulfed in the glitz and detail of the outfit and jewelry? Has the reflection of the gems, jewels and colors of your over all dressing made your face look washed out and almost ' I just recovered from a long illness' look? Remember we haven't even put you in the elaborate setting of a wedding mandap or reception stage yet, with all that exquisite beauty surrounding you, it will only amplify how lack luster your face looks!!!

This is because this look lacks a sense of balance. And this is why South Asian Brides need to have a makeup look, custom created to bring the feel of flow and harmony from their outfit, to their jewelry to their makeup and hair.

So the grapevine has buzzed about intense eyes and nude lips for a time frame longer than comfortable for me. Talk about completely throwing things off balance! Look at your lips without any makeup, chap stick or gloss on them. What color are they? Certainly not beige, nude or taupe! So why would you want them to be a color of pale earth when you are incorporating so much drama to your eyes??? It makes the face look top heavy and oh Im sure ive mentioned this before, your lips disappear in photographs once the flash goes off! Is that really what you want to do? 

'I hate red lipstick' is another term I keep hearing over and over again. I know the reason may be watching the generation before ours wear creamy red lipstick sans liner making it shift and bleed into maturing skin crevices creating a horror in your mind for a lifetime. But come to the modern day red- look at Gwen S, my goodness talk about a goddess in red lips. It just has to be done right and there is a perfect red out there for every one. Of course you wont wear red lipstick with a maroon or pink outfit but trust me, try it on with a red outfit, there is an elegance and sensuality with it that is unmatched by any other color or lack of (nudes).

'I like glowing skin' another favorite! SO do I, but your photographer wont!!! Because uber shine,glow comes out as harsh hot spots on the face when the flash goes off and trust me (again) you don't want to see bright yellow halos on your cheeks, forehead or nose in all your wedding pictures. Matte is the way to go, dewy must be done in a controlled manner or you will look like you had a role to play in the BP oil disaster clean up and are shimmering due to the oil residue....

I would never discount the importance of any of the components that together create a memorable wedding, but would emphasize that at the end of it all, when the food is all gone & the flowers have wilted, all that you have left is the capture of those remarkable details and moments in your photographs and video, and you need to look exquisite in those... thus invest the time and money to work with a professional makeup artist who will show you the options that will work and be honest about those that won't- there is no replay of the wedding day, so please, be flexible in what you want and let the pro's make it perfect for you.

XOXO

Saman

The Princess on the Lake

The first weekend in April was truly the most highly anticipated wedding weekend of early 2010- nestled in the exquisite hill country of Austin, overlooking the magnificent lake Travis, lined up were 3 events that came together as a grand production by the finest vendors of Austin! 

My bride, with her flawless complexion, chiseled features and the highest standards of artistic preferences gave me the opportunity to express my creativity of makeup artistry, hair design and styling for her Sangeet, Wedding and Reception Events.

Mint green and yellow were the colors of the Sangeet outfit and we worked with smokey lime & moss green  with custom set eyelashes and lavishly lined eyes, muted lips, flushed cheeks on a contoured bone and lots of large soft waves in her hair with extensions and diamond accents.

Soft white with crystal accents and a hint of burgundy was the look of the wedding outfit and the makeup was extremely refined with a hint of old gold, vanilla and bronze, soft black liner, custom set eyelashes, highlighted cheekbones and an enhanced blush and warm nude lips. The hair was lifted at the crown and set with an updo to provide a graceful drape to her veil.

Lush royal purple with copper, soft gold and crystals was the fantastic color of the reception outfit. The bride wanted 'Kim Kardashian' style eyes and that is what we worked with. Purple, violet, plum, shimmering lavender and mauve created diva like bold, sensual eyes complete with lots of black eyeliner and glamorous custom set eyelashes. Defined brows, glowing cheeks accenting the cheekbones, and soft warm mauve lips with just a hint of sheen. The hair was coiffed with an elaborate up do and finished with a crystal hair clip asymmetrically.

Intensely elegant, flawlessly glamorous- my signature style!

XOXO

Saman

An Ode to a dream!

With all the weddings I am fortunate to service, I end up with a lovely list of post wedding friends that had started of as brides-to-be! We stay in touch, discuss their fondest memories of the wedding (and also not so fond ones) and of course always talk about their wedding pictures :) I also meet a lot of lovely ladies from the wedding party who say ;' I wish I knew of you at my wedding, i hated my makeup!'

Very often I hear, 'I wish I had invested in a better Photographer, or kept a more reasonable budget to hire a true artist to capture the moments...' Its heart breaking to see poorly taken images!

So working together with Tauseef (http://www.studiosila.com/photography.html) we came up with a package for those brides and grooms, who wishes to relive the emotions of their most special day through a very special portrait session.  After the consulation we figure out what the greatest desire is for those images, some want a reflection of their wedding day theme- so we create an elaborate set for the shoot, others want to have their makeup done with my Signature Style, then those who want very natural interactive moments and those who want all out glamor.

Here is are some images from a 2 day session we recently conducted. The beautiful bride wanted to get her hair and makeup done from me and get some Mughal inspired portraits done with her groom for a Mehndi, Wedding and Valima Reception look- some 3 years after her actual events :D

Re-living the Grandeur of Hyderabad Deccan!

Jan 1st 2010- Worked on the first wedding of the new year on a lovely Hyderabadi Wedding. Not only was this wedding spectacular in its setting (Renaissance at the Arboretum in Austin), the wedding decor was done by Saffron Affairs and the outstanding mehndi by Anju Garg www.mehnditime.com.

My bride, needless to say, exquisite in real life and a darling in her personality carried on the tradition of Hyderabad by wearing a heavily embroidered Red Kharra Dupatta Outfit. Kundan and Emerald laden jewelry passed down as heirloom pieces coupled with an elaborate up do; boldly elegant makeup created an awe inspiring look reminiscent of the Nawab Culture of the yesteryear.

All makeup& brushes by MAC-

Prep n Prime

Foundation Studio Tech

Mineralize Face Powder

Eyes- Basic Red Pigment, Melon Pigment, Maroon Pigment, amber lights e/s, gorgeous gold e/s, engraved e/l, black track fluid line. Lashes (custom created to match the eye shape)

Lips- Mahogany l/p, Dubonnet l/s

Cheeks- Revenge, Honor

Contouring- Sculpt, Shadester

All Hair Products & irons by TIGI-

Vivacious hairspray, shiny happy people shine mist.