Some tips

Stay Beautiful!

XOXO

Saman

From Punjab to Texas- A Debutant Reception

Sunday was a dull, gray rainy early March day but got brightened up very soon as my session started with a Newly wed bride who recently got married in Punjab India, and came over to get ready for her Reception in Austin!

Accompanied by her sister in law, our session was full of chatter, laughter and lush brilliant colors that not only reflected the essence of Punjabi culture but were perfect for the bride's grand debut in her new Austin friends and family.

The SIL wore a lovely deep plum sari with green, copper and gold accents we replicated the look with vibrant magenta, old gold and green eye shadows, flushed berry cheeks and soft muted lips. Her hair was teased at the crown and curled with three sizes of curling irons to create a full, soft yet elegant evening look.

The bride wore a very unique lehnga outfit that had a champagne shirt, emerald green and hot pink lehnga with traditional punjabi phulkaari embroidery & mirrors. We created an eleborate updo with a partial beehive and then exxagerated coils, barrels and curls that diminished Sarah Jessica Parkers updo at the Oscars last night! The hair was completed with two white thai orchids on one side.

The Makeup was created with heavily Kohled eyes with black track fluid line, emerald green eyeshadow on the lid, champagne eyeshadow on the inner corners, hot pink on the crease blended to a nude at the brow. Black liner on the top lid, emerald liner on the lower lid, Diva style false eyelashes & two coats of mascara. The primed face started with Studio Tech Foundation, some spot concealor,  a spritz of Fix Plus hydrating spray and mineralize face powder. The cheeks were sculpted with Sound Trip and Shadester. The full lips had a neutral look with raw refined lip liner and half n half lipstick. 

Perfect for her debut and a night full of bhangra and Punjabi style celebrations!

 

XOXO

Saman Ansari

The Beauty of Contrasts- My Jain wedding session

Sunday was a picture perfect day in Round Rock as I headed over to the lovely Casa Blanca on Brushy Creek wedding venue. Despite the unpredictable weather we had earlier, from 78 degrees to below freezing with snow in 48 hours, the location was lush with foliage, an exquisite setting for the outdoor Hindu Jain wedding ceremony and reception.

With her makeup style being only face powder and sheer lip glaze, my bride request a soft glamorous look that would be appropriate for her events. After a trial session and working on her desired colors we came up with what made her truly happy!

My bride choose a white lehnga with silvery gold embroidery and a red dupatta for the ceremony. Her rich espresso skin tone created a wonderful canvas to work in the golds and reds to create her traditional ceremony look. Healthy, thick, layered hair was a joy to work with for her updo and here is how the makeup was created:

ALL PRODUCTS BY MAC:

Prep n prime skin

Mattifying gel (my bride had uber oily skin- which is great cause she wont get wrinkles for a few more decades)

MAC skin and body foundation C5 custom blended with Studio Fix NC 50 to get the right match. Under eye and spot concealing with Select Cover Up in NW 42 and NC 40 blended.

Blot Powder- Dark

Eyes- Vanilla and Melon Pigment foilded with Fix plus spray on the lids. Basic Red pigment and bronze blended into the crease with carbon. Upper lid lined with Black track fluid line, lower lids lined with georgous gold applied wet. Custom made lashes and two coats of Fibrelash.

Cheeks- Revenge and Mystic

Lips- Mahogany liner, Diva and Dubonnet lipstick, blended.

For the reception the outfit was a vibrant blue and cotton candy pink with silver and gold kundan accents. My bride did not want to incorporate any blue so we kept the monochromatic pink scheme of the makeup as follows:

Foundation refreshed with spritz of Fix Plus, reapplied to areas where the kumkum/sindoor had left its red mark from the wedding. Matted down with blot powder.

Mineralize skin finish powder in Dark applied to natural highlight areas and the collarbone.

Eyes- Pink Opal foiled with fix plus on the lids, vex on the inner corner, lower lash line applied wet and as a highlight. Fuschia pigment with Nocturnal blended into the crease.Liquid black Eyeliner applied to the upper lid.

Cheeks- Fever and Breezy

Lips- Currant liner, immodest, captive and capricious lipsticks blended together.

The hair was changed to a soft pin curl updo with some strands framing the face (she wanted to take her hair down after the first dance). And oh did i mention we had one hour fifteen minutes to change the hair, makeup and dress her up again :)

Here's to the beauty of working with contrasting colors.

XOXO

Saman

A Vietnamese Indian Union

This Saturday I had the opportunity to work on a Union of Asian Heritages! Nestled in the highly acclaimed Hill Country area, an intimate wedding ceremony against the exquisite backdrop of the West Lake and hills brought together the cultures of Vietnam and India!

My bride with her delicate features and petite frame went all out with a traditional heavily embroidered white and red sari, red dupatta and heirloom 22k jewelry passed down from the groom's family. She wanted to look like a true Indian bride and here is how I made it happen.

ALL PRODUCTS BY MAC:

Prep-n Prime skin, NC 35, Mineralize Skin finish in Medium.

Eyes- Gorgeous gold, Melon, Twinks, Copper Ring, Vanilla and Basic Red eye shadows and pigments. Black Track Fluid line winged, extended and smudged on the upper lash line, Bronze used wet on the lower line. Custom made eyelashes.

Cheeks- Gingerly, Desert Rose and Honor

Lips- Mahogany and Dubonnet.

How exquisite indeed!

XOXO

Saman

One look to transcend multiple outfit styles!

Yesterday I had the opportunity to work with a lovely South Indian bride to be for her engagement session. She had 3 outfit changes (Indian Traditional, Elegant formal western and Casual Western) and wanted a 'Glamorous/Magazinesque' look that would create a wow factor.

The outfits had colors that included lush magenta, turquoise, aqua, black, brown and purple! The theme was developed using a mauve staple with pinks, berries, plums and turquoise to incorporate the color palette of the outfits.

With long, lush and very thick hair, the hair style chosen was volume on top ending with large soft curls framing the face- so oomph, elegance and movement.

With flawless skin, full lips, and georous eyes here is how the makeup look was created!

All Products by MAC

Skin- Prep n Prime skin

Foundation- NC 44 Studio Tech

Powder- Mineralize skin finish Dark

Eyes- Girlie, Cranberry, VEX, Nocturnal, jewel blue (used wet as liner for the lower lash line) ,  Pink Opal Pigment, Black track fluid line eyeliner with engraved pencil,  Custom made falsies.

Cheeks- Breezy, Revenge and Shadester

Lips- Currant and Cranberry Lip pencils, Twig and capricious lipsticks.

Here is the image to show the sculpted, elegant yet fun look!

XOXO

Saman

Love the pink

Pink, an all time favorite keeps coming back to the 'trend' scene and while many a times its hard to replicate a soft pink on lush tanned skin tones, here is how to bring it in for a glamorous look from evening to wedding!

This Bridal Look can very well be translated into a party and evening makeup look by simply wearing it with a solid colored outfit (white, black, navy any thing but red or yellow) and minimal accessories.

ALL MAKEUP PRODUCTS BY MAC

The skin for this look has been prepped with MAC prep n prime for the skin, followed by Studio Tech in NC 40 applied in a stippling motion with a foundation brush for a flawless finish. The foundation gets set in place with invisible blotting powder.

The eyes start with a coat of primer, lids completely covered with Girlie pressed down into place with a flat eyeshadow brush, brow bone (highlight area) dusted with pink opal pigment and a fluffy eyebrush, inner corner (around inner tearduct area both above and below) of the eye accented with shroom on an eyeliner brush for precision. The crease and socket are emphasized with Fuschia pigment and blended with cranberry eyeshadow mixed with bronze eyeshadow. Blend well to make the colors look seamless. The upper lashes are lined winged up and out with engraved eyepencil, the lower lash line is dotted with brun eyeshadow on an angled brush then blended with the same brush dipped in cranberry eyeshadow. The lower lashes get a coat of black fiberlash mascara and the upper ones a custom made set of falseeyelashes applied with dark duo adhesive.

The Lips are primed, made soft and smooth with Lip primer, then outlined with beet and filled with cranberry lip pencils. A coat of Captive lipstick applied with the lip brush and for those who crave shine, a coat of Hey Sailor Dazzle Glass.

Cheeks first get sculpted with shadester on a contouring brush, then swept very lightly with breezy with a blush brush and highlighted with Honor dotted on with a fluffy eyeshadow brush in a circular motion.

A lot of pink, very feminine, very elegant and done right!

Stay Beautiful!

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.

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!