Four years ago, I was exposed to the colorful world of bridal and runway makeup. I saw beforehand how the backstage people in the Malaysian community worked, their tips and tricks, and of course, the drama.
But to hell with the drama, let’s talk about the bridal makeup in general.
Since eternity I have always loathed bridal makeup. Not the technique or anything, but the way it was executed. I thought it will be better nowadays, but no. I was involved in four weddings this year (there’s my eldest brother and his wife joined wedding reception, my third brother’s wife reception, my fourth brother’s wife reception, my third and fourth – who are twins – double wedding reception) and I saw how nothing has changed.
Heck, just look at a Malaysian magazine's cover and compare it to Western – or even Japanese – magazines and you can see how dreadful the makeup is.
(you can't really see it here, but if you go to a bookstore, really look at the model's face on the cover, then you can see the foundation lines showing and caking on their faces. They could've airbrushed it, and many attempted on it, but it never really looks natural enough in my opinion)
Okay, to be fair, I suppose the eye and lip makeup are bearable. (The makeup in that cover above is very pretty in my opinion)
What really gets on my nerve is the foundation. That cream, stick foundation that they pile up inches and inches on those brides’ face.
I even said this to my sister, “A bride is beautiful when she tried on her clothes, complete with those shoes and accessories, but it all goes downhill once her face is painted with makeup.” To which, all my cousins who were nearby agreed.
Cakey, cracked foundation, eyes that look as if someone punch you in the face, lips too pink for comfort, harsh contouring, especially on the nose, I can see it in everyone’s eyes that they dreaded their wedding day, if only for the disastrous makeup.
And makeup is supposed to make you feel beautiful, isn’t it?
I asked those makeup artists before, “Why don’t you use liquid instead of cream?”
Because in my opinion, liquids look more natural than cream on the skin. At least when compared to the cream foundation that they’re using.
Their answer was, “It wouldn’t last as long.”
Which is true, I suppose. In our humid and hot weather, foundation can melt very easily and it won’t do to have our bride lost her radiance as well as coverage. Plus, most of those female guests will wear makeup as well, and big possibility they’ll wear liquid foundation on that day, and we wouldn’t want the bride to look the same as the rest, do we? We want the bride to overpower them, don't we?
“Besides, it wouldn’t photograph as well as this.”
I don’t particularly think it photographs well either, it looks too cakey in pictures to bother me enough, but the foundation does give some sort of a bridal feeling to it, so I digress.
Another thing that irks me about this all is that they use a one color fits all.
If a person is fairer, she’s going to look orangey.
If a person is darker, she’s going to look grayish.
Okay, I kid. That’s only this one store. There’s this other store, where they actually have three. One for ultra fair, one for kind of dark, and one in between. Contouring and highlighting will alter the skin’s color anyway, so it doesn’t matter if the color doesn’t suit the bride all that much at first, because everything will be blended in and it would look normal.
At least normal by bridal standard.
But I don’t like how the fair ladies look orange. And the tanned ladies look grey. I just don’t.
So this is what I wish those makeup artists would do. And if I have the money, I would so do it, but alas, bridal makeup is not my career (or at least at the moment).
1. Invest in airbrush system
- okay so, I’m not sure how it’ll fair in Malaysian’s weather but I think it’s high time they try a new technology. I’ve seen people with airbrush makeup and while it looks quite dollish and surreal, it is smooth, brimming with radiance and not cakey at all. I think it’ll photograph well, after all, isn’t this what they use in those international fashion shows anyway? No? Okay scratch that I’m not even sure myself. :/ And if those makeup artists can afford thousands ringgit of brushes and a whole array of lipglosses then they for sure can at least buy a small airbrush kit. Hey if people loved your makeup they’ll contact you for your service, and if they really like it they'll recommend you to their friends and relatives, which means more profit for you, right?
2. Ultra long false eyelashes that could possibly touch your browbone
- Falsies are eyes opener. Yes I would agree but what do you call a broom on an eyelash? I don’t think you need such an exaggerated effect to appear lovely in pictures. I believe in subtle beauty and if it opens the eyes enough, and makes her look alive then I think it’s good. Save those kinds of falsies for runway, PLEASE.
3. Don’t force things to bride that could make them uncomfortable
- If they don’t want to shave their eyebrows then don’t, just hide it with foundation. If they refuse to wear falsies then just use a heavy duty mascara. After all, it is their pictures and if they aren’t pleased with that then at least you can be ensured that they are comfortable on their wedding day. My sister in law is farsighted, and on her wedding day, her makeup artist forced her to wear circle colored lenses that have no power at all. My SIL demanded to wear her own contact lenses but the makeup artist refused to hear any of it. She said it wouldn't be pretty that way. The results? She couldn’t see any of the guests, and has to rely on my brother to walk around. I really want to smack that makeup artist’s head but what I can do, I can only smack my own. And are her eyes really that pretty that day? Well they say if you’re happy then it’ll reach your eyes, sparkling with happiness. I can't say for sure. I didn't talk to her that day, she couldn't recognize me. Or rather, she couldn't see me.
4. Don’t draw lips so thin it’s creepy.
Imagine walking up to a bride and notice her drawn lips are half her original lips. Shudder. I understand the need to balance both the upper and lower lips, but all I’m thinking is that they have a pattern to follow and instead of enhancing their features, they are actually transforming the brides into everyone else. I don’t like that. And because of that...
5. Why couldn't they enhance the brides' features and make them look lovely yet still retain their original beauty instead of painting a completely new face on them?
By no means am I an expert. I’m just an observer who likes to observe stuff, who happens to like makeup and how it can sweeten up a person’s complexion. Yes, sweeten up, because I happen to think that people who have proper makeup can look very sweet and charming, exactly how they’re supposed to look like on their wedding day.
Many will probably beg to differ, and I apologize, but on behalf of my loved ones, I seriously wish everything could be changed, and in this era and time, brides will no longer look disastrous and scary, but instead, elegant or cute or whatever their features call for.
I'm still very bitter and scarred just from seeing my sister-in-laws makeup, and I can see that they obviously hated it very much. And the makeup is forever embedded in their wedding pictures.
I don't want anyone to feel that way ever again. Hence the post.
That is all, thank you for reading my rant. -.-
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