A Vision of Exquisite Beauty!

A Hindu, Jain, North Indian, South Indian Gujrati wedding!

This weekend was any makeup artists dream come true. I got to work with one of the most exquisite faces and the most darling bride ever!

From 7:00 a.m- 6:00 p.m with coffee and poongal, giggles, music, lots of chit chat and rave reviews from the photographer, videographer, bride'smaids, cousins, brothers, mom and dad and even the groom (here here Saman!) it was a day that felt truly rewarded!

A doctor by profession, yearning to be a bollywood starlett- any as the images below will advocate, there is no doubt, she will have all the A list actresses of India on a run for their money does she decide to make her mark in the industry

:)

A 60's bollywood inspired classic elegant look for the wedding. A modern softly dramatic complimentary color theme for the reception.

XOXO

Saman

A garba/ sangeet session

Good friday, traffic like it was thanksgiving and a windy spring day all came together for the Garba/Sangeet night session for a beautiful bride!

As we travelled all over town from her Parents house in Round Rock, to lunch at Madras Pavillion, switching luggage and cars and into South Austin towards the hotel braving the traffic chaos on I-35, it was music and chit chat and time just flew by.

Every one kept asking, Saman are you her friend? From College?

:D

Once at the hotel we took over the suite gently moving the groom's family out of there and in 2 hours we created an elegant look for my dear bride in shimmering nudes and green for her red and burnt orange outfit.

Hope the photoshoot at the botannical gardens was a good one girl- and I cannot wait to work with you for the wedding and reception looks!

XOXO

Saman

Freshly washed hair or dirty hair?

The question echos through almost every consultation i have with my brides to be. Lets put it this way, would you want to touch some ones dirty hair? Im talking a couple of days old, oily goopy mangled with products.... not so nice!

But, freshly washed hair can be extremely challenging to work with especially if the hair is straight. No matter how much product is starched on, the hair may look great temporarily but it will not hold! So what we ask for is clean hair but not shampooed just a couple of hours ago. Ideally the night before the wedding is when you should shampoo, condition and dry your hair. Give it some nice brushing before bed, then again when you wake up. That will stimulate the natural oil production which will give it a natural lift and just the right amount of tackiness to the stylist to create the best, long holding hair style when coupled with the right styling products.

Happy hair styles~
XOXO
Saman

Facebook and Twitter

Happy Monday Ladies! While its bitterly chilly on what should be a warm spring day in Austin, here is a bit of warmth through chit chat and connection!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=2436679643&ref=mf

Twitter: http://twitter.com/SamanAnsari

Send in those questions~
XOXO
Saman

Some tips (From experience)

Here are some tips and tried and true recommendations for all brides to be as well as those preparing for a big event-
1. If prepping your face for a hair free look, please take care by scheduling facials, waxing and threading at least a week prior. Any less than that and you can have bumps, pimples and scars on your face that will be harder to conceal.
2. Hair works with gravity & weather- If you desire a down do with large curls, remember that they need to start as smaller curls which will open up and get looser as time progresses. Use too large a barrel for curling and the hair will go straight too soon. If the weather is dry and static, the hair will get fly away distorting those large curls again. If its humid, the large curls will stick to your neck and face and look like un-styled hair! So trust your artist and let them do tighter curls and enjoy them through the event as they slowly get looser and bigger.
3. Do not fixate your self on one portion of the face to make it perfect. Look at the entire face, from an arms length (how many people will see you from 3 inches away?) The complete look should be pleasing :) Visual balance is achieved when you stand 2 feet away from the mirror and it all looks good.
4. Do your part and get some good sleep before the event. Hydration and rest are essential and even with the finest makeup techniques nothing can compare to the real, fresh look of well rested eyes and nourished skin!
5. You know your skin and how it behaves best. So if its oily, do not go for a shimmery glowing look as it will go overboard after an hour when your natural oils come through the makeup. And yes, flash photography where the flash faces you, will enhance any shine so unless you want hot spots on your T zone that look neon- keep the shimmer/fairy dust/glitter/shine/glow/bronzer to a minimum please.
6. Don't over moisturize your skin, it will cause the foundation to slide. Don't layer on chapstick before the lip color, it will cause it to bleed!
7. Trust your experienced artist (that is why you chose them right?) You are the essence of beauty and when enhanced with makeup should look elegant, divine and diva like, so stay away from the untouchable, too perfect, too polished, too porcelain a look and have a lovely event!

XOXO Saman

Airbrush or not?

Its in great demand right now, airbrushed foundation! Its amazing for sheer natural looking skin, but then again so is a traditionally applied one with a skilled hand and a good brush. As a matter of fact for the wedding, pro makeup artists do not recommend air brushed foundation especially when more coverage is needed for spots, pigmentation, that stress related pimple, those 'didn't sleep all week' tell tale dark circles!

Here is my first Hydro Foundation of Kett Cosmetics bridal application!
To reiterate my view- here is an article from an industry professional who needs little introduction:

http://www.weddingaces.com/2009/03/wedding-makeup-airbrush-foundation-or-hand-applied/#more-1400

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