Anyone that knows The Sari-Clad Bride team knows that we’re suckers for beauty products (especially since one of us is a former beauty editor!) so when we learned about Birchbox a couple of months ago, we felt as if we had stumbled into heaven. Birchbox is a monthly subscription service in which for $10 every month, you get anywhere from 4-6 samples of amazing and usually pricey beauty products. Most of the time, the sample sizes are pretty substantial so you can try out a product for a couple of days or weeks and then decide if you like it. It’s a way better process than wasting money on products that don’t really work.

Birchbox decided to take it a step further by putting together a bridal package chock-full of goodies tailored for a bride to use on her Big Day.

The Limited Edition: Here Comes the Bride includes:

• Automatic Apparel Roll-up Ballet Flats in Gold
• Ban.do Mini Pom Pom Set
• Benefit Finding Mr. Bright
• Dr. Hauschka Radiant You
• Eboost Natural Orange Tablets
• Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray
• Tiny Prints Thank You Cards

While we absolutely love the idea of this package, we think it’s better suited as a bridesmaid gift than for a Desi bride. South Asian bridal makeup is often colorful and intricate and this kit doesn’t really include much to keep that in balance. However, many of the contents of the package could be extremely useful to bridesmaids!

For example, the roll-up flats are perfect when bridesmaids are running around completing tasks or when they’re ready to hit the dance floor after a long day of servicing the bride and groom. Benefit’s Finding Mr. Bright’ contains four illumining products that can brighten up your makeup and keep bridesmaids’ looking fresh. The gals will also appreciate Dr. Hauschka’s ‘Radiant You’ clarifying skincare set, which they could use the night before and keep for after-wedding use. The Oribe texturizing spray is great for fixing updo’s and can be a handy member of the Maid of Honor’s bridal arsenal to use on the bride. The mini pom-pom set is sort of useless as are the tiny prints thank-you cards (a bride will most likely need more than the few included in the kit). The eboost Natural Orange Tablets is self-explanatory and can be useful.

We really adore at least five out of the seven of the products, so we’re definitely sold on this idea. For $55, Birchbox’s ‘Here Comes the Bride’ package makes a great bridesmaid gift or a pretty kit to include in the bride’s beauty arsenal!

One of the best parts of being a Desi bride is all the fun things we get in our bridal trousseau from the groom’s family. Help your hubby-to-be by dropping a few hints about the following makeup palettes and your beauty collection will thank you forever.

Too-Faced ‘The Blushing Bride’ Beauty Collection

This kit has everything you could possibly need on your big day, just in case your makeup artist isn’t there to patch things up. It comes with a eyeshadow pallet containing nine super-wearable shades for all skin tones, a volumizing mascara (it’s one of our favorites!), an adorable shade of lip gloss, and three primers for the eyes, face and lips. Bundle up these must-haves in the adorable makeup bag it comes with and pass it on to your maid of honor, so she can touch you up right before you make your grand entrance down the aisle.

Cargo Catwalk Kit

You might ask Mr. Fiance to act on this one fast, because it’s on sale for an awesome price and definitely going to sell out fast! Cargo’s Catwalk Kit is a must-have for the glamorous bride who is conscious of looking trendy and fashionable in her role as the Mrs. This super-slim volume contains six bombshell eyeshadows, 4 single eyeshadows perfect for creating a dark smoky eye, two sexy bronzers and three blushes.

Hint: Swirl your blush brush in all three of the blushes to create a pretty shade!

The best part of being a Desi bride is all the goodies we get in our bridal trousseau, including makeup! If your hubby or his family need a few pointers on what to include in your trosseau, send them an email about Cargo’s Hands of Hope Eyeshadow. The jewel-encrusted box is simply gorgeous and has nine lust-worthy shades perfect to match with those saris and salwar kameezes you’ll be rocking at all those post-wedding dinner parties! Each eyeshadow has a decorative ‘hassa’ hand design mimicking the design on the palette cover.

The palette also makes for a great Bridesmaid gift, especially since it’s only $29!

courtesy of Ayesha Khan

Singhar by Ayesha
www.singhar.com
SingharBeauty@aol.com

Who are you?
My name is a Ayesha Khan and I am a Stylist.

What do you do?
I mainly do makeup along with hair and styling for brides, models and anyone who is in need of a makeover.

Where are you based?
I am based in New York.

When and How did you get started in the South Asian wedding industry?
Being a model myself, I started doing makeup for fashion shows and photo shoots since I was 18 years old. One thing lead to another and people started asking me to do their wedding makeup. Every time I would attend a South Asian wedding, I would see a pretty bride with beautiful clothes and jewelry but not appropriate makeup. This inspired me more to become a makeup artist. Read more