"Ethnic Bride Series" - NayNay Make Up

The first episode in our "Ethnic Bride" series focuses exclusively on Naima Mohammed, founder of NayNay Makeup, an up and coming Make-Up Artist with a real flair for wedding style. Extremely talented, Naima has recently assisted Black Pearl Weddings with a styled photo-shoot, soon to be released for your enjoyment.

Developing her career, Naima is a versatile and adept artist with a speciality for Afro-Caribbean and African make up, although her prowess extends to European, Asian and traditional make up styles. 

Here we find out more about Naima and her vocation.

Tell me about yourself?

I have always been interested in make-up and the makeup industry, from a young age I was fascinated by Makeup as an Art form. I saw Art in media which developed my passion for creating makeup looks on my family and friends. I increased my knowledge by paying for several makeup courses. With further self-study I gradually built my skills and I became a Makeup Artist. I have been working as a freelance makeup artist for a year now. I specialise in creating that perfect look for weddings and special occasion, I know all of the secrets that include how the lightening affects the way make-up looks and how certain colours can make your best features stand out. I have the skills to provide the professional service that clients expect and deserve and I always stay updated on all the latest trends and styles. I am passionate about makeup.

What type of makeup do you specialise in?

I specialise in makeup for ethnic brides, bridesmaids and mothers and flower girls. I also do make-up for photo shoots for model portfolios and special occasion.

Do you have any makeup tips you can share?

"Set your foundation with a translucent powder, less powder goes a long way". The most naturally looking powder on the market is translucent powder, a white loose powder or pressed powder that applies clear and translucent. Translucent powder helps achieve an airbrushed look on your face and has blurring properties making your pores look smaller and your overall skin look smoother. Also it's great at keeping your face shine & oil free. However, beware if you apply too much powder it can cause a white flash in flash photography. It can be used as an everyday powder it not only sets your makeup like a traditional powder but it’s much more silky & finely milled so it looks airbrushed. My favourite translucent powders are Makeup Forever HD powder, MAC Prep & Prime, NARS Translucent powder.

What type of makeup suits an ethnic bride?

Ethnic women have the most beautiful features such as dark thick eye brows, almond shaped eyes and fuller lips which non ethnic women love to achieve in their makeup. In the makeup industry ethnic beauty is a trend which, celebrities and the media have helped promote. The main focus is the eyes when applying makeup for ethnic brides.

For my ethnic clients I like to enhance their strong features such as the eyes, eye brows and lips. I would enhance their eyes, by applying a natural eye make-up with eyeliner and lashes or an exotic smokey look of various colours, eye shadows of gold, green and red colours, and eye shadows of their choice. I would finish the smokey eye look with lashes. Smokey eye makeup suits an ethnic bride, however, most ethnic brides go for a natural look that that gives a glow, which can be achieved by matching the right foundation and getting the skin tone right, as most brides fear having ashy and heavy makeup on their big day.

For this beautiful bride picture above, I used a shimmery golden brown with dark brown Matt eye shadow from the corner of her eye and crease. I also pumped up her lashes with a few false individual ones and plenty of mascara. I also defined her brows to further enhance her eyes. Ethnic women vary in complexion tones from golden complexions to darker, richer tones. By choosing the right makeup colour for your specific skin tone, I can create an absolutely flawless look.

What advice would you give a bride when picking a makeup artist?

When choosing your Bridal Makeup Artist it’s really helpful to have a look at their portfolio, do they have real life examples of the Brides that they have made up? Does the beauty of the bride shine through? Are you inspired?

All Photos are courtesy of Naynay Makeup.