Marriage. A dream for some yet a nightmare for many. Still, not a single girl exists in the world who wouldn’t care about how she looks on her big day. And for that, a lot of us are willing to spend anything at all to not go for a disaster.
The extravagant weddings in Pakistan, if compared to the rest of the world are also taken to another level. Where people in the west save and spend on themselves, us Pakistanis go out on a limb to save money for the grand wedding, the collection of Jahaiz and need to worry about pleasing everyone including Aunty Salma’s neighbor’s Uncle’s son starts as soon as one is born. Where a poor person makes plans for everything way above the budget, the rich top it off with the statement wedding planners, catering, bridal showers, fancy wedding giveaways, choreographers and what not.
If talking about the brides, they grow up dreaming of it being the best day of their lives where they look like a super-rich Mughal princess waiting for the prince to woo them away. Willing to spend whatever it takes to flaunt the designer lenhnga and most important of all- the makeup stylist.
A makeup stylist- definitely someone who can make or break it. Like they say, go big or go home; salons take up this opportunity to turn into money collecting machines, cashing the brides dreams and wishes. To give a hundred thousand rupees for a day’s makeup which will get washed away after a few hours only (more thanks to the 10 pm wedding curfew) is simply atrocious. Sure if you can pay, go ahead as the world is all about choices today but if one is giving such a huge amount, they’d at least expect to be treated like a princess as they imagined. Instead- it’s a nightmare!
They say the best thing to learn is from practical experience, something I truly regret. Or in my case perhaps, the only way to take it positively is that I learned from it. As every girl dreams of looking flawless on her big day I did too- luckily it was my engagement so I still have room to make more dreams come true.
After not that much of a homework, I decided to go for the very famous Allenora by Annie for my engagement make up. And as soon as I stepped into the shiny marble floor below a life size chandelier I got jitters. The place looked pretty expensive making me a nervous as I sat down on the plush velvet sofas waiting to make an appointment. The lady finally arrived, passing through the bustling reception desk, giving me a stiff well practiced smile. The prices of the bridal packages were sky high and with a heavy heart, I selected one, paid the advance and got an appointment to get a treatment done 3 days before the big day- something which was included in the package which I paid for.
Everything went downhill from that day then.
Now it is pretty common to go to salons only to get your self-esteem crushed. How? They start on you with all the treatments you NEED because everything is wrong with you. When I went to avail the service included in my package and had paid for already, they refused to do it unless I bought another service of theirs worth 3500 rupees. Imagine the atrocity on my face as I stood there speechless! These well reputed services robbing in daylight. My My. And yes I walked out with a heavy heart, without getting the treatment I had already paid for because I wouldn’t in any case, fall in their scheming ways of earning more money.
Waving that aside- I still dreamed of getting pampered and relaxed before my big day at the salon where I had paid nearly 2 months’ worth of my paycheck. Little did I know what was waiting for me.
I felt like a dog in a dog show.
It’s not even an exaggeration. The place, even during the morning shift was bustling with brides and I could only see the cashiers ringing sound in my head as they kept coming. Though it still gave me hope- with a place earning so much per bride and their forced services, they just HAD to give me a good environment to get ready in.
The first shock was when a tag got hung around me for the salon ladies to rudely grasp it to see what I was in for. It was this particular fact that made me feel like a dog in a dog show. But I was a bride who had paid tons of money; already freaking out about her big day and the choices she was making. On top of it all, the salon decided to give me a heart attack.
After being moved from station to station I finally got where my make-up fate was to be decided. That place too had 6 uncomfortable high chairs with no mirrors. I repeat NO MIRRORS. I was to find out at the end if they made me a beauty or a beast. But since life was taking its toll on me, the lady next to me looked horrendous in the foundation they applied on her face. A term they use in Urdu phatti hui base would be most appropriate in this case. Though the lady assured me it was because of her skin, I still had my doubts. I sat patiently as my face got plastered with makeup; thinking about how I looked as she looked at me critically after applying a few strokes and then some.
The most amusing yet dreadful thing was that all the make-up artists there probably had crows for breakfast that day. I’m all up for casual chitter chatter but advising each other to commit suicide to blackmail your parents into marrying a boy of your choice is the last thing a bride wants to hear! Their attitude was so irritating as they high fived each other on the lame suicide jokes (one of them had actually done it for real in the past- I heard all the gossip) that it made me want to rip my hair off.
Suddenly, a lady came in a hurry to give them a heads up about someone coming and everything was in order instantly. It was a scene exactly like the one in Devil wears Prada where Miranda Priestly enters the office and all the employs freak out. Later I found out why. Annie of Allenora came in like a whirlwind- shouting and ordering while all the artists held on to their dear life.
Finally I was asked to go get my hair done and it was time for revelation. With a racing heart I looked at myself in the mirror and – I don’t even have words to explain how much I freaked out. I looked like I had just dipped my face in bowl of flour! Panicking I called my friend to come get me as I wanted to just wash it all off while the hair stylist consoled me that more was to be done, final touches were to be given still but it didn’t really have an impact on me.
Though I did calm down when she made my hair as it was all coming together then- the complete look. I breathed a sigh of relief as my make-up artist assured me about adding the final touches too. Now that I had seen myself, I knew what could be improved and asked her to make changes. Luckily- Annie arrived again and asked them to tone down the foundation in addition to some other tips.
With my look complete, I finally breathed a sigh of relief because at the end of this nerve-wrecking experience, I was kind of satisfied with how I looked. As I looked around to see other brides I realized something- this was indeed a money making bride factory- as almost every bride looked the same. With the same makeup style and the same big eyes, it was like dolls getting boxed up ready to be delivered after a day of being constructed in a factory.
I was a happy bride and later enjoyed by day in full swing- as the worst was over. However I did realize what had to be done in the future i.e. not to go to a place like this again where the bride is of no value. It’s the attitude that counts, the customer care that counts and Allenora had none of it.
To all the brides to be reading this- you’re special and you deserve a day free of nightmares before your big ceremony. Don’t spend large sums of money for nothing- instead go for something where you’ll feel relaxed at the salon and feel like yourself on the big day!
Staff Contributor
Aimen Tofique
