Hah. That rhymes!

Yeah, I’m pathetic :p haha

Anyway, I have been trying to finalize my makeup artist and thought I’d update everyone.

I find that traditional shaadi (wedding day) makeup is the hardest look to perfect outside Pakistan. There are many makeup artists in Canada (and elsewhere) that can make South Asian brides look amazing on the reception day but not many that can create the traditional “wow” factor with shaadi makeup.

Finding that perfect makeup artist is tough – hence why I always knew I wanted to go with Shirley Wu on my wedding day. I have seen numerous Shirley brides (most of the brides I have known have been Shirley brides!) and I have loved the makeup on everyone. Her work is one of the best in the GTA and speaks for itself.

My dilemma was with finding a makeup artist for the Valima (reception). While I love Shirley’s work, her price tag is slightly high for my budget. I don’t mind splurging on the wedding because there are few (if any) that can rival her work when it comes to traditional makeup. But, I know that there are many artists who do equally great looks for the reception. So why pay almost double if I can achieve the same look by going with someone else, right?

I annoyed many of my friends and family (I think my family was just about ready to stop talking to me haha) for their advice but ultimately I knew it had to be my decision. Sooooooo I decided to go for a consultation. Here’s what I found:

• Although I had been in touch with Richard (Shirley’s husband) for several weeks, I found it hard to get responses from him. There was alot of back and forth between us – with sometimes almost 2 weeks of no communication on his part. I was slightly annoyed (duh!) but I kept at it because I know that summer is a super busy time for them (brides + IIFA awards – yup, I can appreciate how busy they were!). He finally told me a time that I could come in to the salon. YEAY!
• Upon arrival at the salon (Mississauga location), I was immediately impressed. The salon is spacious, modern and chic. I was given a tour of the salon and it is huge! Being a Hijabi, I wanted to make sure that there was an area that would be suitable for me. And yup, there are 2 areas that are good!
• The receptionist (forgot her name!) was extremely nice and friendly. She knew it was me before I even had to tell her – good customer service skills
• Shirley wasn’t in at the time I went, so I met with her sister Maggie. Maggie was great – not only did she talk me through the process, but she also gave me tips on fashions trends and what would or wouldn’t work for someone like me. You all know how obsessively organized I am, so I whipped out my notebook full of questions (we all shared a laugh when they realized I had a list of questions. Ofcourse.) and Maggie addressed all of them.

Overall, I was very satisfied and I LOVE her work.

So what have I decided?

I will InshAllah be going with Shirley for both my wedding and reception makeup. Yes, it’s alot of money to pay but I think it’s worth it. Two of the main reasons for my decision:

• Wedding:
  1. Her expertise with traditional makeup is unmatched
  2. I need my makeup to be extremely durable – Nikkah (wedding ceremony) and the rukhsati (when the bride and groom leave the wedding) are both really emotional. I’d be horrified if my makeup started melting off while the Nikkah was happening!
• Reception:
  Shirley does really good dupatta settings for Hijabi brides. I know I won’t have to worry about my dupatta looking weird or funny… or worse, falling off!

So my advice: Go for Shirley ladies! I’ll do another review after the wedding

p.s. She also does amazing party make-up.

Photography by 5 Rivers Studio