Every bride should feel confident with her wedding day look before and during the most important day of her life, no matter what her dress size.
This is something Sahida Sardar, director of Z Bridal, one of the largest Asian makeup studios in the UK, and her daughter Sami-H empathise with.
Sahida says: “I've worked with many beautiful women over the years but I find we focus on a specific body shape, but there is a huge audience of voluptuous women who tend to be forgotten about. I want to focus on these women.”
So here, Z Bridal has taken three gorgeous, normal women and enhanced their natural assets to show them that their looks should be a source of confidence, not anxiety.
Research by Dove, the body care company, shows that just 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful. That’s a dishearteningly small number. But with Z Bridal at your side, brides of all shapes and sizes can rest assured that they will look their very best on the Big Day.
Sahida, taught by makeup supremo Jawaad Ashraf, has spent 12 years dedicating herself to beautifying brides for the biggest day of their lives. “We’ve provided our services to beautifully curvy ladies and although many are confident and embrace who they are, there are those that shy away from the limelight, feeling they can't look as good as their slimmer counterparts. But let me tell you, that's not the case.”
Contouring is king
If your cheekbones are less than chiselled, there are ways of bringing out bone structure. Contouring is a technique employed by professional makeup artists. It all comes down to a clever optical illusion – using dark shades to push back parts of the face, such as a double chin or full cheeks, while using lighter tones to highlight the areas where light naturally falls. This, Sahida says, combined with lots of blending, creates more of a 3D effect. The result? Instant bone structure.
A flash of inspiration
When asked what their favourite body part is, many women say their eyes. Whether it’s an unusual eye colour, dark lashes or naturally full eyebrows, there’s a lot of love for eyes, which some say are window to the soul. Here Sahida and the Z Bridal team have taken inspiration from the outfits for the eye makeup.
The royal blue of Julie’s blouse has been used to frame her eyes at the crease, unifying her entire look. It’s easy to stick to the tried-and-tested eyeliner and mascara, but a streak of colour can be a lot more flattering and keep the eyes from looking too dark, as seen on Sukhi’s style. Purple is the most flattering shade for those with chocolate coloured eyes, Sahida tells us, so a delicate sweep of lilac has been used to open up Isma’s eyes.
Word of mouth
The general rule with lips is, if you decide to go heavy on the eyes, you should downplay the lips, or else risk the entire look from coming across as too overdone. Here Sahida and the Z Bridal team have used lip pencils to bring structure and to prevent a top coat of colour from smudging over the edges. Gloss makes thin lips appear fuller, while a matte finish can minimise fuller mouths.
The Makeover
• Z BRIDAL, 134-138 LISTERHILLS ROAD, BRADFORD • WEST YORKSHIRE • +44 7891 883 703 • WWW.ZBRIDALSTUDIO.CO.UK • info@zbridalstudio.co.uk