Makeup without the makeup

The trend of wedding makeups in Bangladesh has for the longest time been aimed towards one objective – to make the bride seem white. Based on this, a whole range of commercial parlours have been established catering to cake the faces of women, sometimes rendering them absolutely unrecognisable.
The fact that makeup can be applied without it visibly sticking out and bringing out the natural features of a woman is a foreign concept for most Bangladeshis. And so the makeup industry here has always been behind the rest of the world, where the concept of 'makeup without makeup' is followed to bring out the beauty in a face without having to hide it behind layers and layers of white.
L'Artiste aims to do just that – introduce a trend where makeup is subtle. As owner Nazifa points out, “In our country, the tradition has been to apply heavy layers of makeup on the bride's face. But in reality, natural beauty can be highlighted in a way such that the fact that makeup has been applied is not even understandable.”

Having studied the art of makeup from London's prestigious Delamar Academy, she founded L'Artiste in February 2014. The Spa, Beauty & Personal Care institution is run on an appointment basis, with Nazifa doing all the makeup herself. “I take just one or two appointments a day – this leaves me with enough time to complete each properly.”
L'Artiste offers makeup services not only for weddings but also for formal events, parties and for models. Nazifa feels the traditional approach to makeup still dominate the market in Bangladesh, but she hopes that the world trend of highlighting one's look and accentuating the natural features will catch on in the country. Till now, her customers have been a small but regular segment of the population.
The other services offered by L'Artiste are open all day without appointments, but even when it comes to hairstyling, Nazifa is there to direct how it is done. Though L'Artiste specialises in the art of makeup, they also offer hair styles of all sorts – from the traditional to chic modern trends.
“I am very careful with the products that I use, only the high end beauty products are used in the studio,” Nazifa says, pointing out that commercial parlours in Dhaka usually use all sorts of products in their mass commercial enterprises.
“I want to change the trend of makeup in our country to be at par with the way in which this art has been evolving in the rest of the world,” says Nazifa. The studio of L'Artiste is located at Banani Block F, Road 5, House 95. To book appointments, please call Nazifa at 01762447711.

Photo courtesy:  L'Artiste