Taking cues from RAlia, experts give beauty tips on acing the delicate day wedding look

Photos from Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt's wedding stormed social media, as netizens went ga-ga over their intimate yet elegant celebrations. From attire to makeup, every element of their wedding was discussed and adored. Traditional bridal ensembles today have nothing to do with the basic crimson and heavy-duty glitter. "With trends like 'less is more' and ‘no make-up' cosmetics, brides today are favouring neutral palettes," explains Ajoy Sengupta, head of retail training at Enrich.

"The Gen Z brides are no longer ruled by preconceived beliefs about bridal cosmetics but the brides are all about embracing their natural beauty and feeling at ease in their own skin," he adds. With years of experience as a beauty professional behind him, Sengupta has perfected the daytime look. "It's always been my mantra when it comes to makeup, especially daytime makeup; I always suggest that my brides go simple and uncluttered." Below, he outlines beauty tips that will help brides as well as attendees ace the daytime wedding look.

Skincare regime for the win

Get yourself on a skincare regime and stick with it, the longer you stick to it the more improvements you see. A well-maintained skin will have minimum need for heavy or corrective makeup.

Hydration and SPF

Remember to nourish your skin with adequate hydration. It is recommended to use products that will hydrate your skin for up to six to seven hours, followed by an SPF from 30 to 50, if you know you will be exposed to the sun most of the time during the day. If you are going to be indoors mainly, then a basic SPF from 20 to 25 should be great.

SPF should always be applied at least 20 minute before leaving the house to allow it to absorb and settle on the skin. SPF can double up as a primer most of the time.

Primer

Use a primer as per your individual skin requirements, a basic hydrating makeup primer will work just fine too. If you have uneven skin tone then a yellow or peach primer will work wonders to even it out. Opt for a green primer if you have any redness or flushed skin, in this process you will need to use a smaller amount of foundation to get the perfect look.

Foundation

A light to medium coverage hydrating foundation works best for most Indian brides. Serum formulas, especially for the day are always recommended, as they are light enough to manage but give you enough coverage as well. In harsh daylight, the more the coverage the cake-ier it's going to look in the long run. For drier skin, a cream foundation or light face oil will retain moisture and give you a glow.

Foundations today are long-lasting for up to eight to 12 hours, so just setting it with a loose powder should be enough. For dry skin use mineral powder, mineral makeup is talc-free so it won't dry out your skin and mineral makeup tends to have soft-focus sheen.

Setting powder

Use a setting powder only where required and keep a translucent compact and sponge handy to pat up during the day.

Makeup colour and tones

When it comes to day makeup and colour--the colours can be the same as you would use at any other time, only the intensity needs to be less so as not to look harsh in the daylight. It's essential for the bride to appear as natural as possible. Daytime festivities are all about pastels and nudes that glow in natural lighting as opposed to night festivities which are more of bold and heavy hues.

If you're going to use colours, keep in mind that your makeup doesn't have to match your clothes. Choose hues that will brighten you up and complement your skin tone.

• Pastel colours are all the rage, use matte on the eyes and make sure the shade is not too pale for you.

• Always remember warm hues for a warm complexion and a cool colour palette for a cool skin tone.

Avoid shimmer

Try to stay away from shimmer or satin pearl finish. In fact, try not to use any kind of shine at all, your skin will get a natural sheen during the day (unless you have very dry skin and need a highlighter) for most of us the heat of the day will give us enough natural shine.

Lips

The lip colour can be neutral or nude depending on the eye makeup or a complementary shade to the eyes. It's essential to complement your lip colour to that of your eye makeup as it enhances the look.

Eyes and cheeks

I generally don't contour and instead prefer a pretty blush to give a healthy flush to the skin. If the eyes and lips have colour then the cheeks should stay light, if the eyes and lips are neutral or nude, then you can go with a little more colour on the cheeks. Make sure you don't use too much hue or a dark one on the cheeks as it will focus all the attention on the cheeks.

Makeup hacks

It's daytime, and the makeup needs to be of a lighter nature (due to daylight) than you might usually use at night in low or artificial lighting. Keep a hydrating mist with you (I suggest rose water or a Vitamin C enriched mist) so you can mist your face at any time when you feel the need to hydrate your face.

I like to mix a drop of foundation and a dash of cream, it gives this creamy translucent dewy finish that looks so natural and lasts for a while (a touch up with a powder or cream blush later during the day).

Hair

For daytime hair, I recommend keeping it off the neck and shoulders to allow the skin to breathe, and keeping it relaxed and light with nothing too pushed back or tight. Go for it if you're comfortable with your hair open. Flowers or hair jewellery can be added to a light texture or beach waves.

Glam waves

Getting rid of the bun and going for a natural hairstyle with wave-like tresses flowing softly over the shoulder or like a cascading waterfall might make the overall look even more ethereal. It's a classic look for long and mid-length hair that may be super-sculpted for a vintage vibe or left undone for a contemporary vibe.

Half-up, half-down

Wearing your hair half up, half down allows you to experiment and show off different features of the outfit throughout the day. It's entirely up to you whether you draw it forward for the ceremony or fling it back for the celebration.

Attire

Many brides have been moving away from the traditional red, embracing pastels especially for daytime weddings. "It's interesting to see how couples now are incorporating classic but also unconventional elements on their wedding day. We see lots of experimentation with colour. Brides are trying blouses with modern silhouettes--puffy sleeves, ruffles, etc. The whole aesthetic of Indian weddings has changed with even the decor being very calm and toned," says Khushi Shah, founder of Shanti Banaras - a clothing brand. Below, the fashion expert shares simple tips for you to up your daytime glam:

Pastels

Lots of pastels are now in trend. The good thing about a pastel lehenga or saree is that it is easier to carry for other lighter functions. You can always change the blouse or the dupatta and reinvent a whole new look. Pastels are also very soothing while being rich in their own way. It adds a sophisticated palette to the ensemble.

Subtle shades

It's always nice to go for subtle and muted colours instead of sheer bright tones. Subtle coloured sarees with fabrics like organza, georgette, or cotton are ideal for the summer. Colours like lavender, lemon yellow, mint green, ivory are also soothing for the eyes and perfect to carry. We're also seeing lots of brocade suit sets in silk consisting of soft hues like baby pink or soft green.

Pop it up

If you're going to be outdoors--experiment with pop colours meeting pastel--an embellished top with a soft coloured skirt and a touch of nice bold lipstick will ace the look.