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Home » asian beauty tips, asian makeup, bridal makeup

Bridal Makeup Looks For South Asians/Arabs

18 June 2008

Unlike East Asians, South Asian/Arabic brides do their makeup very differently. The look is dramatic, bright and very sexy. I had a brief chat with the super awesome London-based makeup artist Angela Holthuis and scored a few pointers for you ladies.




Eyes
It is definitely all about the eyes when it comes to South Asian and Arabic bridal makeup. Eyeshadows in super bright, even contrasting colors, are used to match with the bride’s outfit. The key to wearing a lot of colors is to make sure they are smoked out and blended seamlessly.

According to Angela, the use of eyeliner is very important. “It sort of defines the culture, their beauty, in my opinion.” She prefers gel liners as they are easier to apply and are waterproof. “They are great for lining the inner rim of the eye and they stay put for hours, unlike pencils.”

With this much eye makeup, remember to use products that are fully waterproof and to make sure you keep your eyebrows in check.

Lips
Like the eyes, lips can come in bright reds, oranges and pinks. Steer clear from anything too pale to avoid looking washed out and make sure the color you choose goes well with the rest of your look.

Mehndi
Mehndi is, needless to say, a very important part of a bride’s makeup. It is traditionally done fully on the arms and legs but nowadays, brides usually go for a more subtle look and they try to keep the patterns modern.

Related Entries
Bridal Makeup Tips
Bridal Makeup Looks For East Asians

Image Credit: Henna Spirit.

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13 Comments »

  • Anonymous said:

    the first bride looks beautiful!
    can you please do a tutorial on how to do the eye make-up?
    it would be amazing if you could also then put up a pic of you with it!

  • Karen said:

    I lurrrrve these makeup looks! The bright colors complement their skintones so well. Such strong eyes and lips would probably look garish on me. It’s nice to see some trend that stays away from the nude or pale lips…

  • Sheryl said:

    Hi Phyllis,

    Can you please do a FOTD or a makeup breakdown?
    I haven’t done one in a long time :)

  • Michelle said:

    I like the first and last pictures.

    Are they all the same bride? The 2nd and 3rd pictures look like it’s the same person but the others…. I don’t know…

  • Ilianna said:

    Gorgeous! Even though I’ll probably go for a traditional wedding, I really want to try one of these looks when I get married. And wear something other than white!

  • tokyostargirl said:

    Love the first look! Her eyes look gorgeous!

  • [a} said:

    I’m South Asian & living in an Arab country. It’s true, eyeliner is a staple here…even to the gym lol..

    Thanks for featuring this other style on your blog :)

  • Toma said:

    This is beautiful! I love it!

  • beautyaddict1one1 said:

    Oh i love Arabic make up not because i’m Arabic girl lol
    it’s all about the eye and hot lips with a bronzer

  • egi said:

    i love arabik make up

  • Karina said:

    This isn’t Arabic. They’re South Asian. Arabic brides dress and do their makeup like Western brides. Although the heavy eyemakeup and face powder seems to be done in both regions when women dress up.

  • a said:

    Oh thanks for covering this!

    Yes, they are all Pakistani or Bangladeshi or Indian brides in those pics. But Karina’s wrong about one thing: “Arabic brides dress and do their makeup like Western brides.”
    That’s not true. They have a very distinct style, and it’s more like South Asian brides than Western ones. There are many TYPES of Arabs; Lebanese tend to go for Western white dress/soft makeup. The rest of them are more traditional.

  • anonymous said:

    Wow, none of those girls is wearing a nosering. Usually they make every possible part of you shiny.

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