Celebrity makeup artist, Sandhya Shekar is renowned for being the go-to MUA for a handful of A-listers. In fact, she’s the artist behind Deepika Padukone’s ethereal Cannes looks and even did her glam for her wedding day. From Alia Bhatt to Anushka Sharma, a glance through her work will tell you that lit-from-within, naturally dewy skin is her MO along with super statement-making eyes.
Most recently, for Tira’s ‘For Every You’ campaign, Sandhya worked with Kiara Advani on everything from a naturally glowy look to a wedding glam look. The makeup maestro is definitely the queen of glam, which is why we got her to answer our pressing concerns when it comes to acing our makeup for a wedding. From refreshing hungover skin to keeping it all in place through a long-day of functions, consider this a cheat sheet guide courtesy Sandhya Shekar for wedding guest makeup that you’ll definitely want to bookmark this season.
How to fake a glow for an early morning function or post a late night
Icing your face before you start your makeup really helps in making your skin look instantly charged and fresh. My favourite product for faking a glow for tired skin would be using a tinted moisturiser. It’s an amazing combination of foundation and moisturizer giving it a luminous pearl finish to help add a glow. Instead of waking up and adding multiple steps and layers, these are easy formulas to wear. I recommend pairing it with a creamy highlighter as opposed to powder so that it looks very natural.
Makeup bag essentials to carry when attending a wedding function
I love 2-in-1 products because then you don’t really have to carry a lot. I also feel that blush tints wear off easily, so I always carry a cheek and lip tint because that way I am getting to touch them up both at the same time. My two must-haves are definitely a concealer and a cheek and lip tint that you could also use on your eyes.
On breaking down Kiara's wedding look from the Tira TVC
The Tira campaign was super exciting. Kiara has beautiful skin and it's always really nice to work with her, she is very open to suggestions and trying out new things which I think is great for a makeup artist and especially for a beauty platform.
The first look was very girl next door, super minimal and a no-makeup vibe which is also her favourite look. We did a lot of fresh, dewy skin for the first look and then we amped it up for the second one where we added lots of mascara and made her eyes pop. The third look was the wedding one where she is wearing an ivory lehenga so we made her eyes the showstopper with plenty of drama. Also, Kiara has beautiful eyes, so any kind of makeup really enhances her overall beauty. I did a pink shimmery smokey eye with a dash of gold in the center of the lids to make her eyes the statement-maker. I paired it with glossy nude lips for some added glam and fresh, dewy skin.
A fail-safe makeup look that could work for any kind of function
I think definitely would be a no-makeup look, which can be minimal and bring equal emphasis on the lip, cheek, and eyes. I feel it’s something that anybody can try when in doubt.
The best way to bullet-proof your pout
The best way is to first start with lining your lips with a lip liner and then going ahead and filling in your lips with the same liner to set the base. Go in on top of that with your lipstick. You then take a little bit of tissue to blot off the excess and you go back with your lipstick and repeat this process 2 or 3 times where you really pack the product in. To finish, you can use a loose powder over the tissue to just seal that and you should be good for a bulletproof pout.
How to keep your makeup in place through it all – a sweaty baarat, running around with bridesmaid duties or just dancing the entire night
If it’s an outdoor function or just when you know you will sweat, you should do some skin prep with a gel-based moisturiser, but if you prefer water-based formulas then ensure that you only use a small amount. My go-to would be opting for dewy finish makeup but using only a minimal amount. Even when you sweat, it doesn’t look like sweat, so it kind of like settles into your skin really well. But if a matte-finish look is what you prefer then always start with good primer and use mostly powder products as opposed to cream, because the powder will stay on longer on a sweaty day.
Signing off with a pro tip for any wedding guest...
My favourite pro tip is all about blush! Use a cream blush underneath your base and then apply a another layer on top of your foundation, followed by powder blush to pack it in. This way your blush will stay on through everything giving you a rosy glow at all times.
