Many things might have drastically changed in the wake of the pandemic but there are certain things that have remained unperturbed, no matter what. Irrespective of the number of guests present or the venue, looking one’s best on her wedding day remains as non-negotiable as it always was. And hence, despite the lull in other professions, make-up experts were busy decking up brides for their special days. But the way brides love their make-up has undoubtedly gone through a sea of change.
Ace make-up artist Abhijit Paul agrees that post-pandemic brides are more confident in their skin and ready to take on the world with their natural looks. “Enhancing the natural features and keeping makeup bare minimum is anyways trending for the past few years, the pandemic simply reinforced the same. With the weddings becoming cosy intimate affairs in this one and a half years, brides do not want to go for the heavily made-up looks and insist on keeping it bare minimum. But with a slow resurgence of the big fat weddings, they want to look good again but with a much greater thrust on minimalism and sophistication. Flawless skin and shiny mane are what happy brides want to highlight during their wedding days,” explains Paul.
The pandemic also saw a surge of online makeup classes on social media where eager would-be brides take lessons on the right ways to get the perfect bridal looks. “Girls have now become more interested in learning about the tricks of doing the right make-up. They want to know the right ways to use the products like a highlighter, a shimmer or even a pigmented shadow. Also, the pandemic has taught us how to use a single make-up product in multiple ways. Conscious and minimal brides are the toast of the season, if I may say so,” he observes.
For Paul, nothing much has changed due to the pandemic when it comes to his profession except for the fact that he wears his mask and maintains utmost hygiene, which in anyways is an integral part of any professional artist’s life. “Any good make-up artist always carries sanitized brushes and sponges and make-up tools, it’s nothing new for us. But what has actually changed for a makeup artist is that he has to know and be a part of the entire bridal look including the trousseau and jewellery. A successful make-up artist often has to have a very good styling sense of styling and there are often several sittings with the bride to know what exactly she wants to look like,” he tells.
Also, having a good social media presence has become imperative to survive post-pandemic. “People are now more sure of the artists whom they find on social media because they can get a feel of their work through all the posted pictures and videos. Social media, more than word of mouth, has become important for adding to your credibility,” stresses Paul.