The Christmas Miracle

The Holiday season 2009 brought about the opportunity to work at an exquisite destination, a unique wedding, the biggest challenge of my career and my christmas miracle!

St Kitts was the destination for my week long wedding event- 4 events, 4 looks, beach side wedding events and oh yes... lost luggage!

My bags were lost by the airlines and i was sans clothing, sans products and sans all my tools for 4 days- The airlines had no clue where my bags were, the Island had very limited resources, the products available were all for the natives with rich cinnamon skin, my bride was creamy hued! Needless to say this was the most challenging time of my career and resorting to techniques i would never have reverted to other wise (borrowing makeup) I still made it work :) My bride was a darling and kept her faith in me at every moment- thank you for that my dear! My luggage and all the products finally arrived at the evening of Christmas and after my umpteenth trip to the airport and a mad dash back to the resort i was able to service my bride with my own tools!!!

Here are the 4 looks from the Duaa Ceremony (pre-wedding prayer), Nikah (wedding), Reception and Valimah (post wedding reception from the groom's family)

An Authentic Punjabi Celebration!

Thanksgiving weekend was once again dedicated to working on an out of town wedding! But i had no complaints on missing out on the turkey as this was one of the most enjoyable weddings i have ever been part of. Spanning over 3 days and two cities, with live dhol players, bhangra, gidda, punjabi style feasts, music, masti and more it was an event to remember!

Before i start with the looks we worked on for the Sangeet, wedding and reception i would like to express how honored i was with the heartfelt hospitality, respect and love of my bride and her family. Her best friend was truly a matron of honor and took on the responsibility of not only last minute details for the bride but also ensuring that i was taken care of. Thank you so much for every thing!

Sangeet night was thursday evening and my bride wore a traditional wine colored patiala shalwar kameez ensemble with antique embroidery detailing. She wanted a true punjabi look so we braided her hair at the back with accents of tassels at the base and parted her bangs to gently frame her face on one side. The makeup was an evening look with pearlesque pink, wine and antique bronze eyeshadow, black eyeliner and kohl, fake eyelashes in the most natural set, contoured pink cheeks and a taupe/pink lip color.

For the wedding, it was all about the maharani look. The exquisite lehnga was a maroon/burgundy completely laden with antique zardozi, kundan, gota and gemstones in golds, bronzes and emerald green. The dupatta was extremely heavy due to the embroidery so we did a very high behinve style updo that came down to just the right height once the dupatta was pinned.  The makeup was a classic gold, maroon, vanilla, copper, bronze eyeshadow, winged black liner on the top line, emerald green shimmering liner on the bottom line, black kohl, more defined black fake lashes. The cheeks were sculpted with a dark taupe, blush was a peach tone with antique gold highlights, the lips were a soft copper on apricot and the skin was finished with a mineral face powder finish to add a subtle glow to the matte foundation. Bindis were placed around the brows in red and white crystals and the dupatta was draped maharani style.

I don't usually attend the wedding ceremonies but this one i did, and her entrance was so surreal that i got a tear in my eye and goosebumps from the grandeur. As she walked under a drape of flower garlands, to the sounds of live 'Ohmmm mangalam' chanting and her face glowing with regal elegance reflecting the sparkles from her wedding outfit!

The next morning a 4.5 hour drive from one city to another and we were ready to work on the reception look. This was going to be red carpet diva all the way. The burnt russet sari once again had antique detailing and a lush maroon velvet blouse.  So we did the hair in large soft curls on a side part with a lot of bounce and touchable feel.

For makeup i worked with russet, cream and olive green on the eyes, black liner done cleopatra style, olive liner on the lower lash line, black kohl rimming the eyes and true diva style eyelashes. Cheeks were copper toned, the lips were a mocha pink layered with two toned gold/orange pigment and then glossed. True starlett material indeed!

And the love poured on...

November 8th 2009 started with a foggy haze with a chance of thunderstorms as I headed out to the wedding at Nature's Point in Lago Vista. A lovely location overlooking the lake- the setting was dreamlike with an outdoor mandap of drapes and florals against a gray lake backdrop...

My bride brought her heritage of Indian Punjab and UP in the reflection of a lovely red jamevar silk bridal lehnga outfit from Pakistan elaborately embroidered with antique metal bullion. Her desired look for the wedding was enhanced sparkling eyes with a bold lip, flawless skin (to hide any signs of stress and sleepless nights) & a soft but high do to hold her heavy dupatta- We worked with tarnished gold, terracotta, olive green and bronze for the eyes with lush black liner, custom set false eyelashes, two toned foundation to create a flawless contoured look, and three shades of red to create a soft yet bold red lip.

The final look was vibrant, elegant and perfect against the gray skies- that just before the ceremony started pouring down showers of love.... a bit wet, but not a damper on the joy and festivity that continued way into the night!

A Lovely Curtain Call!!!

Last Sunday brought a lovely experience with a darling bride- A Gujarati Indian wedding in the unique setting of the One World Theater in Austin.

What a fantastic production indeed- from the eclectic setting, to the dramatic lighting, and most impressive of all, the program guide was custom designed to look like a premier theatrical production hand out! Very creative indeed.

My Bride- gorgeous undoubtedly, wore a lovely beige and red lehnga with lush crystals and antique metal bullion. We chose to do a 60's bollywood starlet inspired look with a 21st century influence. Dark Kohl lined eyes, extended winged eyeliner, long lashes, chiseled features and soft shimmery lips all in hues of golds, dull reds and bronze-

Bravo on the production and for the look... Encore!

 

From Goddess to Princess- A Tamil Bride

Halloween weekend was an exciting one for Studio Sila. While we didn't get to play dress up, we did have a fantastic time offering services of photography and makeup at a very grand wedding in Houston.

The exciting part was that hours before i left for Houston i had to have emergency dental surgery to extract 4 wisdom teeth! Cannot thank my compassionate dentists enough for giving me enough medicine to numb the pain for the travel and work.

So starting at 6 a.m on Saturday morning, the look my bride wanted was natural glamor and with her lush thick hair in curls. We worked with old gold, rich gold, bronze, maroon and olive green for the eyes with black kohl, defined cheeks with a subtle hint of color and copper based lips. The hair was half up with a poof and down with huge soft curls. By the time we were done, she looked nothing less than an Indian Goddess! The oohs and wows were echoing through the ballroom as she made her entrance carried by uncles and cousins in a lotus shaped basket!


For the reception, it was all out glitz and shimmer. A splendid silvery pink outfit loaded with crystals and custom re-designed with a crinoline petticoat created a Cinderella ball gown effect. My bride opted for side swept large curls accented with pink orchids and crystals. The eyes were steel gray, silver and pink, loads of kohl, sculpted cheeks and soft pink lips- A princess indeed!

Photo-credits: Tk@studiosila.com

A sweet living doll!

October 11th 2009 brought gray skies, freezing rain, a teasing cold front and the opportunity to brighten it all up with a wedding look for a darling bride in Austin!

A Jain Gujarati Indian wedding with a fantastic combination of tradition with modern individual touches- An intimate wedding at the Holiday Inn North West and a fun reception at Cafe' Blu at the Lake!!

For the morning ceremony we started at 9:45 a.m at the Renaissance at the Arboretum- The outfit was a lush emerald green and deep red chiffon sari with dull gold embroidery. The desired look was natural with the 'Saman's signature touch' of accentuated eyes and chiseled features... For the evening reception, the lehnga was a unique patchwork inspired piece with embroidered and woven panels in hues of magenta, emerald green, mustard and more with a gold and mustard blouse and an emerald green dupatta. And the bride with her sweet demeanor and soft features looked just like a doll!

This is the look for the morning which was tweaked for a bit more drama with the hair down for the evening and these are the before and after pictures for you to enjoy!

I am back!

Dear Ones!
I am sorry for disappearing for quite a while but ooh have I returned from exciting trips and such wonderful learning experiences from my travels :)
Lots of weddings this summer, will post the images very soon- Till then, stay beautiful~
XOXO
Saman

Product Review- Smooth Away

$10 to the challenge, is this really a break from those expensive razor cartridges? So the product is purchased and is tried on the face (jawline and upper lip) and arms. Does not want to work on the leg (south asian hair is defiant?) No real sensation of tugging or friction though a lot of the skin turns powdery white (exfoliation?) and feels warm after repeated attempts in one area.

Exactly 24 hours later, the jawline starts tingling, then angry purple bumps start emerging all over. I try to soothe them with witch hazel, rose water, ice, neosporin, but they itch and get larger. I look like i have blisters on my face. The next day the swelling subsides and i have dull purple blotches where the bumps were. Four days later they vanish.

Lucky for me i did'nt have any public appearances scheduled other than one bridal session where the bride who had once doted over my clear skin looked shocked at what looked like i had contracted a nast skin condition!

The hair growth poked through in 36 hours, soft spikes emerged in 48, a week later the hair was long enough to be visible at an arms length.

My take- Its not worth it. My skin is not sensitive, but it did not like the abrasion. The razor does the exact same thing without the skin erruptions (of course i dont use it on my face!) The growth time is comparable to the razor, the spikes are softer at the tip so they dont look like a stubble, more like when you wax or thread your hair.

If you have tried it, feel free to post your comments on the experience!

XOXO
Saman

The Nail Story

Mehndi is an adornment of the South Asian bride that is both a marvelous piece of art and is one amazing aphrodisiac :)
So the nail design and mehndi are two parts of the wedding look that carry over to the post wedding and honeymoon and many brides for this reason choose the french manicure as their nail design.
While the french manicure may look extremely neat and very classy on a day to day basis, it doesn't always work out with the mehndi. Mehndi gets darker 48 hours after its initial application and the more your body temperature rises, the deeper it appears! And that can become too stark a contrast with the white tips- Here are my recommendations for nail color and design-
If you are wearing a red, maroon or orange theme that has gold accents and wish to stay away from those colors for the nails good alternates are:
1. Champagne or light sand shimmering nail color
2. Taupe color with copper tips (shorter nails only)


For pink, blue, green outfits that may have silver detailing
1. American manicure but with pearl tips (no white or creame please)
2. Sheer silver nail polish (it doesnt look tacky)
3. Diamond dust or very subtle glitter solars

Airbrush design on the nails is a personal preference but can some times look a bit too busy with the intricate mehndi design on the hands.

If getting solars or acrylics, do request a slightly rounded square tip and get them done atleast 4 days before the wedding event start as the cuticle area can throb or hurt the day after the nails are put on!

Happy nail styling!
XOXO
Saman

Sound bytes from desi weddings

With every lovely new bride, trial makeup session, unique wedding, excitement and buzz comes an exclusive memory of random statements... here are some of the latest ones:

1. I want to look like my self. (Of course, but do you wear a heavilly embroidered lehnga with all that jewelry every day?)
2. I don't want to look like a christmas tree. (That really isn't my style either)
3. I hate red-lipstick. (Hmm that is personal preference but i don't do red lips with a pink outfit either)
4. Can you make my dupatta feel lighter (Sorry sweetest! I can pin it so it does'nt intefere with movement but weight is something that should have been considered with purchasing the outfit)
5. I don't know what color Im wearing for the wedding. Can we do a trial makeup session ( For what color theme???)
6. I want to look pretty. (And i want the same thing for you too)
7. I don't want to look caked up (DO any of the brides you've seen in my portfolio look like they have icing on them?)
8. Do i have to pay tax too?
9. Do i have to reimburse the parking fee/valet fee too?
10. My wedding is over budget, we have 600 guests, can you give me a break (i would love to, but im working from 3:00 a.m- 7:00 p.m on your wedding my dearest to make you look and feel fantastic, shouldn't that be paid more than the price of your centre piece arrangements?
:D )

I adore all my brides- this is what makes the whole process so much fun!
XOXO
Saman