After the wedding...

Here’s how new brides can restore their beauty after their hectic wedding festivities, writes Shahnaz Husain

Weddings are a busy affair. With late nights and festivities, the new bride also has to cope with fatigue, which reflects on her eyes and skin. Those day-long events, exhausting rituals and unending meet & greet take a toll on the bride. But here are some tips to help every new bride maintain that lovely glow long after the wedding festivities are done:

Cleansing first

Cleansing assumes more importance, especially every night, in order to remove make-up and impurities. For normal to dry skin, use a cleansing gel containing aloe vera, which not only rehydrates the skin, but also restores the normal balance. For oily and combination skin, use a cleansing lotion or light cleansing milk. For the area around eyes, it is best to use a cleansing cream or gel. Apply it around the eyes with a light massage, using only the ring finger. Then wipe off gently with moist cotton wool.

If there is excessive sun exposure or sunburn, just apply cold milk using cotton wool. It helps to soothe sun-damaged skin. After cleansing, tone the skin with rose water or a rose-based skin tonic. Soak cotton wool pads in it and wipe the skin. Then pat the skin briskly. Cotton wool pads soaked in chilled rose water can also be used as eye pads over the eyelids. Lie down and relax for 15 minutes, while you have the eye pads on. This is extremely relaxing and refreshing.

Care for hair

Styling products like sprays and gels tend to cling to the hair and can also collect on the scalp and block the pores. They can also make the hair dull. The best thing would be to have a deep conditioning treatment. Mix one teaspoon each of vinegar and honey with one egg. Beat them together. Massage the mixture into the hair. Wear a plastic shower cap and keep it on for half an hour. Then wash the hair. If the hair is dry, apply a creamy conditioner after shampoo. Apply a very little amount and massage it lightly into the hair. Leave on for two minutes and rinse off with plain water. A beer rinse also helps to add body and shine to the hair. Add the juice of a lemon to the beer before rinsing the hair with it. Leave on for five minutes and then rinse off with plain water. Wrap the head in a towel and allow it to soak the water. Comb the hair. To disentangle the hair, start at the ends and work upwards.

Make-up tricks

Every new bride has to meet new people, keep looking her best and make an impact. With make-up, it is so important to keep the time of day and occasion in mind:

* For the day, line your eyelids with brown or grey eye shadow. This gives a softer effect. Then apply mascara, which helps to make the eyes look darker and brighter, but prevents the ‘heavily made-up’ look. For lipstick, use light pastel colours like mauve, browns or pink, provided it complements your skin colour. If you have a sallow (yellowish) complexion, avoid shades of orange and go for pinks. The colours should not be too intense. If you like, you can wear only lip gloss. Products with a matte or creamy finish are better for the day.

* For the night, try a gold foundation, to add a golden glow to the skin. Then apply a golden tinted powder. This adds a golden glow and is great for night make-up.

* For lips, a dark complexion looks good in vibrant colours. Avoid very pale colours. If the skin is fair, avoid very dark colours. For normal Indian complexion, go for warm earthy colours, like coral, wine, plum, strawberry, red and shades of red. A dark pink or rose-red would look good, too.

* Blusher colours need not match lip colour exactly, but it should be in the same colour tone.

* For a glamorous eye make-up, use brown, bronze and gold eye shadow. Apply dark brown eye shadow in the crease of the lids to add depth. Highlight under the brows with gold. Outline the eyes with it. Apply it on the upper lid, close to the lashes and smudge with a cotton bud. Gently blend a line of kohl or eye pencil on the lower lid.

(The author is a beauty expert)