Beauty Talk: Manish Malhotra On How He Created Statement Glamm For ‘Nooraniyat’

A Manish Malhotra bride is rarely demure. She is always bold, but elegant and dripping in luxury, all things that feature in the designer’s latest collection. Aptly named Nooraniyat, the edit is dripping with the radiance of opulent lehengas reminiscent of classic bridal beauty. The designer chose his namesake beauty collab with MyGlamm to create the makeup looks of the edit and is now spilling the beans on creating the stunning looks for the collection launch. 

Here are the insights from our tête-à-tête with the designer on how he conceptualised Nooraniyat.

ELLE: What inspired the Nooraniyat bridal campaign? 

MM: The campaign draws inspiration from the myriad of emotions and moods brides experience moments before they take their vows. From being excited to being nervous, maybe a bit scared of the new chapter in their life, it’s an exciting yet overwhelming period for every bride. 

My interaction with brides over the years to create their dream bridal outfits has been the main driving force behind this campaign. It takes you through the emotional journey of a bride with every choice she makes. The collection takes pride in legacies of sacred reds, plush peaches and scintillating golds that are further accentuated with the Manish Malhotra Beauty collection. 

ELLE: The dramatic, piercing eyes are a standout detail in the campaign. Which make-up elements contribute to creating the signature eye looks?

MM: The Manish Malhotra Beauty 9 in 1 eyeshadow palette, glitter eyeliner, the 24 hour Kajal Eyeliner and the Dark Knight mascara are the key products that have been used to create statement eye looks. 

ELLE: What kind of creative brief did you lay down for your MUAs for the collection? Are there any popular bridal looks (real or fictional) that inspired you?

MM: The brief was very simple, highlighting who the bride really is and making her look like herself. Make-up sometimes can change your face completely, but a bride should always look like the true beauty she is. I also believe that good skin is half the battle won, so a holistic skincare routine is crucial as it makes your skin look healthy and hydrated while giving it a natural glow. 

We prepped the skin with products from the Manish Malhotra Luxe Artisanal Skincare Range. The Tulsi Cleansing Gel & the Amla Moisturising Gel along with the Rose Lip Gel were key products used in this step along with the recently launched Manish Malhotra Luxury Sheet masks to give the perfect bridal glow. 

For make-up, we went for light smokey eyes, heavy play of red and ombre lipsticks and the dewy fresh look instead of matte.

ELLE: The make-up looks for the bridal campaign are very fresh-faced and dewy, contrasting the matte, absolutely-no-shine bridal looks that are usually popular. What made you take the dew route?

MM: Brides these days want a fresh, radiant glow,  and are more aligned with a natural look rather than a baked or matte look. We wanted to showcase how a bride can achieve this look while still looking like the traditional Indian bride she wants to look like. The Manish Malhotra Beauty Hi-shine lipstick and body and face highlighter are perfect for achieving the dewy matte makeup look. 

ELLE: Nooraniyat brides look iridescent – what are some of the secrets from the make-up chair you can share to get that glow on? 

MM: Well to start with, we had all our models in our Manish Malhotra sheet masks and our skincare range to get that skin feeling supple and fresh before the make-up session begins. We also added a layer of the body and face highlighter that gives that instant illumination of the skin which radiates even through the lens.

ELLE: The bold crimson lips painted on the models for the campaign are stunning. What made you pick this classic trend to go with your collection?

MM: While over the years brides have chosen to diverge from the colour red, it continues to stay strongly associated with the bridal trousseau. The classic red lip compliments every attire. It acts as the cherry on top for every look, be it the subtle smokey eye or winged eyeliner. A red lip accentuates the whole face instantly. All through our campaign, we have placed focus on the colour, the brides have been applying the red lip colour, which stands synonymous to the bride’s wedding outfit. 

ELLE: Which elements of traditional Indian bridal make-up have we missed to spot in the collection? 

MM: Probably the Manish Malhotra beauty body and face highlighter as it has been used in a way to achieve the natural dewy look of the bride. 

ELLE: The looks are both glamorous and super wearable to last brides through day-long rituals. What are some of your favourite long-wear staples from the collection that should be a bridal must-have this season?

MM: All the make-up products used are a must-have for every bride. However, from the curated product selection from this shoot, I would recommend the Hi Shine Lipstick, 24hr Kajal Eyeliner, 9-in1 Eyeshadow and the Dark Knight Mascara.

ELLE: Let’s talk skin prep! Please share some tips from the green room on how the models’ skin prep looked like? 

MM: The Manish Malhotra Luxe Artisanal Skincare products were used to prep the model’s skin. The MM Kesar Face Pack Gel, MM Sandalwood SPF 25 Gel and the Manish Malhotra Luxury Sheet masks were used to achieve the bridal glow you see in our campaign. We also used the Rose lip moisturizing gel to keep the lips hydrated. We wanted to achieve the natural glow of the bride on her wedding day as skin prep is the most important to achieve any look desired. 

ELLE: Which quintessential MM bridal beauty elements can we see in the edit? 

MM: The quintessential MM bridal beauty elements would most definitely be the Hi Shine Lipstick, 24hr Kajal eyeliner, 9-in1 eyeshadow, the dark knight mascara and the face and body highlighter. 

ELLE: Lastly, which are some of the biggest bridal beauty trends you anticipate going big this season? 

MM: Bridal trends that you can foresee are bolder brows & red and ombre lips, this is also a part of our bridal edit. Models are sporting red and ombre lipsticks. Dewy skin makeup that makes the face look fresh & hydrated will be another major trend. Apart from this, light smokey eyes that can be paired up with any lipstick shade are also being seen as an upcoming makeup preference. All these trends are witnessed in our bridal beauty film as well.