Festive hair and makeup for Deepavali and Pongal

Deepavali and Pongal are our busiest days outside the wedding season. Families want to look their best for the morning pooja, the visits to relatives and the evening photographs, and our four chairs fill quickly. Here is how to plan.

For Deepavali, the oil bath and new clothes come first, so most clients want their appointment between 7.30 and 11 am, after the bath. These slots are booked two to three weeks ahead. If you can come the evening before, we can do a blow-dry and set waves that will hold through the next day, if you sleep with your hair loosely tied. Gel nail art booked the week before lasts well through the festival and costs from ₹1,500.

For the festive look itself, we usually suggest soft, fresh makeup that will hold through heat, lamps and sweets: a light base, defined eyes with kajal and a long-wear lip colour that suits your silk. A party makeup and hairstyle together takes about 90 minutes. For Pongal in January, when families gather in the morning and cook outdoors, keep it lighter still, and choose a braid or a low bun with flowers, which stays neat by the fire.

Book early, and if you are coming as a group of three or more, tell us so we can arrange chairs side by side. We open at 7 am on both festival days. Rescheduling is free up to 24 hours before, but festival slots are rarely free once they go.