Local women had the chance to find out more about traditional Asian bridal wear as part of Asian Arts Week in Reading.

It’s taken up to three hours for this Asian* bride-model to do her makeup - but it was well worth the wait.

Roopa, Henna and Pooja – three local young ladies noting bridal beauty tips for their big day – one day.

Make-up artist Shanaz Umer specialises in Asian make up for special occasions. For her the most important thing a bride can do before her big day is get into a regular routine of twice-daily skin care. This includes removing make up before going to bed, cleansing, toning and moisturising the face and neck. “It’s important not to forget the neck as this area can easily become dry. You also need to use the right moisturise for your skin type. In general the drier you skin, the more rich the moisturiser you’ll need”.

A beautiful Asian bride not only looks good , she’ll smell great as well. In the seven days leading up to the big day, female friends and relatives of the bride will gather for a special ceremony. During this time friends and relatives will rub sweet-smelling herbs onto the bride, enjoy each other’s company and sing folksongs.

Sameera Sharif organised the makeover event which took place at Reading’s WEA Centre, Eaton Road. “ The folksongs sometimes have lyrics which take the mickey out of in-laws. It’s the only time when this is accepted and a fun way of acknowledging the path of the bride from daughter to wife.”

Many hands make light work especially before a big occasion.

Traditionally red is the main colour of the bridal attire, but this is changing as modern brides begin to experiment with different colours. With such intricate and beautiful dress material facial make up needs to just as impressive. Shanaz achieves the desired effect by getting model Musarrat to change into a red top before applying lip and eye colours.

Henna is used to draw intricate and flower-like patterns on the hands and also feet as part of bridal make up.

The workshop was held in Reading as part of Asian Arts Week. Supported by Reading Borough Council, the week provides a chance for local people to try out some of the music, dance, visual arts and crafts from South Asia – much of which happens in the borough on a regular basis. Click here for more details about events happening during Asian Arts Week.