On 28th July 2018, just two days after I turned 27 years young, I got engaged. Preparations for the big night started even before the Eid Celebrations, and I swear to God, there were times when I thought I was going crazy! I was the typical Bridezilla, I got upset for no reason, picked fights with people when things didn’t go my way, and was very very sleep deprived.
Imagine waking up every hour just frantically panicking about the things that *could* go wrong e.g. a breakout, bad cuticles, bad hair, falling sick etc. Thank goodness my skin behaved, my dress was ready on time, and my florist was able to create a bouquet and flower comb as closely to what I asked for as possible!
HAIR
For hair I basically kept it as simple as I could. I had blonde, pink and green hair for Eid but the closer it got to my engagement, the more tempted I was to recolour everything back to just a regular, darker shade. I went from Harley Quinn to ashy grey, but the pink stains were still visible as seen above.
Hair care was very minimal (I’m not very disciplined when it comes to hair), and I opted for a simple hairdo on the E-Day itself. I did, however, go a little extra and added a flower comb as my accessory – just because I wanted to. It felt like 2011 when Lana del Ray was Born To Die. Now she has Lust for Life.
SKINCARE
For skincare, I pretty much stuck to my daily routine – be it a.m or p.m, everything was more or less the same….except! For my eyes and daily moisturiser. I was blessed enough to have been sponsored to a few treatments including facials before the big night so naturally I would be given product samples after my sessions. However my favourites would have to include: Chanel Hydra Beauty Micro Gel Yeux for my eyes and Brighten My Day by Philosophy for my daytime moisturiser. Mind you, both are in sample sizes so I’ve only used them a couple of times before 28th July but I have to admit that I saw major difference in my skin! Hey, for a Bridezilla who managed just a couple of hours worth of sleep every day, I seriously think it didn’t exactly show on my skin , thank God!
Another product I have to give a shoutout to is definitely the Herbivore Botanicals Rose Hibiscus. I love it so much that I’m almost running out. I love the scent (it might not appeal to everyone), and it keeps me fresh. It makes me not only feel, but also look more awake. No one wants to see a pengantin looking tired and lifeless, kan?
Before putting on my makeup, of course, the Fenty Beauty primer is a must.
EYES
For eyes I kept it earthy…. If you saw the decoration at my house during my engagement, you’d notice a lot of leaves and flowers. If I were to be “one with nature” based on my surrounding elements, then earthy tones were the way to go! Did I want my eye makeup to be matte and flat? Of course not! I needed the Markle Sparkle (I’m obsessed with the Duchess of Sussex, but let’s keep that for a different time), so I decided to use Tarte Rainforest of The Sea in Rays as my base. Not too bright, but with just the right amount of sparkle.
I then went on to use the Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics palette in Extra Bitter on my crease and lower lash line, just to give it a smokey, orangey vibe so my colors aren’t too boring, and also Urban Decay Naked Smoky in Whiskey on my outer crease to finish off the look.
I had no mascara on. Hello, it’s all about the eyelash extensions!
POP OF COLOUR
Lipstick is probably my favourite part of any look, and for my engagement I applied the Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet #51 on my lips. I love it because it doesn’t feel like I’m wearing anything on my lips, but then again I didn’t put on too many layers anyway – I mostly used it as a stain. That way, the color could stay on all night long. Which it did.
For blush I used Chanel Joues Contraste #440, it has a rosy smell which might not be too attractive to those who aren’t fans of roses, but the colour when sitting on my cheeks is gorgeous. It made me look like I’m really blushing, even though I actually wasn’t. In fact, my cheeks hurt after hours of smiling but at least my blusher made me look sweet, even though deep down I was dying to crawl into bed.
To top of the look, I used the Dior 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette 566 as highlighter. On normal days I would use Glossier’s Haloscope, but this time around I needed something made of powder. I despise highlighters that look glittery. I want to shine just slightly, not like a disco ball – do you know what I mean? Which is why I normally substitute regular highlighter with the gold colour from this palette. So subtle, yet so pretty. Nothing too loud on the high points of my face.
SCENT
No look is complete without the right scent! Now I’ve been asked whether I’m more of a London Girl or a Parisienne, and to be honest, I won’t be able to answer! I love London but at the same time I love Paris too – because seriously though, if you asked me to choose between Lisa Eldridge and Caroline de Maigret I would not have an answer!
For my engagement, I layered Diptyque Do Son and Jo Malone Wild Bluebell on my skin. The outcome? The perfect scent to start off my journey in becoming someone’s bride!
My fiancé and I would like to express our biggest thank you’s to everyone involved in making our engagement ceremony a success. From our families to our friends – we love you very much.
MY LIPSTICK STAIN 