Beauty experts: The Gulf market is more profitable than the Bahraini one
Arif Khalifa: The cost of bridal makeup has increased by 300%
Mr.: 35 dinars for regular makeup and 75 dinars for the bride
Sahar: The minimum requirement for a Bahraini makeup artist in the Gulf is 200 dinars
Nour: Bridal makeup prices are “more expensive”
Shawq: The work of beauticians is considered a work of art
Fatima: The price of appropriate makeup should not exceed 200 dinars
Umm Rashid: Girls were forced not to tell the makeup artist that they were brides
Nour Abdel-Al began her great preparations to put the first touches on the night of her life. She created a special schedule with the most important requirements to prepare herself, and the top priority was makeup, according to her interview with “Al-Bilad.”
Because makeup and hairstyle are the basic elements that the bride looks like on her long-awaited night, Nour began searching and asking about the best beauty experts in the Bahraini market.
In fact, an expert in the world of beauty was chosen. I contacted her and told her that she was a bride and wanted to book an appointment to apply the makeup needed for the wedding night. The expert replied that the prices start at 300 dinars as she is a bride.
The price that Nour described as exaggerated provoked her, causing her to contact another well-known beauty expert in this market. She asked her to book an appointment, but she did not tell her that she was a bride. She stipulated that the expert apply makeup in an artistic manner. She replied that the price would be 80 dinars, and the agreement was reached.
From this real story, our investigation investigates the realistic prices of bridal makeup, or what is known in Bahrain as makeup for the night of a lifetime. Are the prices offered appropriate or otherwise? Is a lot of money wasted under the title “Night of a Lifetime”? This is what we will reveal after exploring the depths of this issue.
Makeup prices
Our start in “Al Bilad” was by communicating with many beauty experts and owners of salons and beauty centers, and they agreed that the prices of bridal makeup differ from other people’s makeup. The reason is that bridal makeup requires high precision and professional artistry in its implementation and takes a long time to complete, up to four hours, while the duration of normal makeup is a short period of no more than an hour and a half.
It turns out that the price of bridal makeup starts at 100 dinars and reaches 500 dinars in Bahrain, and the price depends primarily on the name of the makeup artist, not the quality of the makeup, which may affect the price, but to a slight degree.
Beauty expert
Beauty expert Shouq said in her interview with Al-Bilad that she does bridal makeup for only 70 dinars, and if the bride requests her presence at the ceremony venue, an amount of 20 dinars is added for the external service, pointing out that it takes about two hours because the process requires precision, noting that the prices of bridal makeup in Gulf countries up to 400 dinars.
Regarding the reason for the higher price of bridal makeup than regular or “special” makeup, she mentioned that bridal makeup requires high precision and a number of skin care products before starting, and the makeup also includes body makeup, pointing out that the work of beauty experts is considered a work of art.
She confirmed that the cost of cosmetic supplies used when applying bridal makeup is very high because the products are of high quality and from international companies
Regarding the possibility of the bride hiding that she is a bride on “Makeup Artist” by requesting regular makeup, Shouq stated that yes, she can do that and this is a normal thing, but this matter will not be in the interest of brides because bridal makeup is very precise compared to other types of makeup because cameras and eyesight Heading towards her on the night of her life, when she hides this from the beauty expert, she will be the loser, because perhaps I ask for a specific type or color and it does not match her dress and does not suit her as a bride.
She explained that she has been in the field of makeup since 2018 and has completed 7 years in it due to her great passion for the world of makeup, noting that she holds a number of certificates related to makeup and its arts.
She stated that a beauty expert who attends more than one training course and obtains several certificates in the field will naturally have a higher price than those who have not obtained it, but at the present time no one is following this matter.
Beauty expert Sherine Shehab disagreed with Shouq, pointing out that the price of makeup in the Arabian Gulf for a bride ranges between 700 and 1,000 dinars. While in Bahrain it ranges from 100 to 500 dinars.
She explained that some beauty experts ask for 200 dinars in addition to the price of the bridal makeup if the bride requests her presence in the hotel room or the party hall, while others ask for double the amount, noting that the price is not fixed and varies from one beauty expert to another.
Regarding the reason for the higher cost of bridal makeup than regular or “special” makeup, Shehab justified this by saying that bridal makeup requires preparing the bride’s skin, moisturizers, and a special type of “foundation,” in addition to covering the body, and thus the issue requires a lot of time.
Sherine considered the work of beauty experts a work of art, noting that this work requires high artistry and good taste in choosing and coordinating colors and how to draw the eye.
Regarding the cost of using cosmetics on one bride, she mentioned that estimating is difficult, but in the end, the “brands” used are not “cheap,” and prices are rising, but some people exaggerate the price, even though it is impossible for a makeup artist to use an entire foundation box, for example, on one bride.
And if you encounter cases in which a girl hides that she is a bride and asks for regular makeup, she mentioned that this happened and it depends on the “makeup artist” whether she is satisfied with that or not. Some beauty experts discover this from the bride’s henna, contacts, and the dress, while others, when they find out, do not accept it and take it. An additional amount at a time when some beauty experts accept to apply normal makeup to the bride if she requests it.
She confirmed that she had encountered several cases of brides who concealed that they were brides by requesting regular makeup, and that some of them told her at the time of booking that they were brides, but they wanted something simple because the party was at home or on a small scale, and therefore the solution was to apply sophisticated makeup at a price suitable for them.
Regarding whether the price of makeup at a “makeup artist” increases with experience and certification or not, she explained that with experience the price can increase and it is normal for a makeup artist to start at the beginning of her career at a small price, and if she obtains a certificate her price increases over the days.
Regarding whether the price of a “makeup artist” is more expensive than that of salons, she stated that this is not a condition, as the price may be less than that of salons or more.
exaggerated
Returning to the bride, Nour points out that the prices of makeup are exaggerated because the same products that are used in regular makeup are used in bridal makeup, noting that before adopting this beauty expert, she contacted another beauty expert and told her that she would apply makeup for her worth 300 dinars.
Nour believed that the appropriate price for bridal makeup should range between 100 to 120 dinars, and if there is an increase to purchase any additional supplies, the increase must range between 20 to 30 dinars only.
She confirmed that the prices of bridal makeup put on by some beauty experts are “exaggerated” or what is called “the cheapest,” and that normal makeup is the same as bridal makeup, and the skin must be caked, concluding, “Why do you sculpt and have it, for example?”
On the same side, Umm Rashid, our first speaker, Nour, shared that the prices of bridal makeup in Bahrain are exaggerated, describing the situation as unreasonable.
She explained that there were girls who were forced not to tell the beauty expert that they were brides in order to escape the guillotine of exaggerated prices.
In the same vein, Fatima “Umm Badr” saw that the prices set by some beauty experts for bridal makeup were greatly exaggerated.
She pointed out that she paid 180 dinars to a foreign “makeup artist” for her wedding, which took place in 2012.
She stated that since we are in the year 2024 and given the rise in prices and the cost of living, it is better for bridal makeup not to exceed 200 dinars, noting that bridal makeup, if it is inside the salon, is about 200 dinars, and if it is outside, it reaches 350 dinars, and this price is exaggerated.
Defense front
We presented all of the above to the owners of beauty salons and centers. The owner of one of the beauty centers, Sahar Ahmed, said that the prices of bridal makeup range from 60 to 130 dinars.
She pointed out that the cost of bridal makeup done by beauty experts who work in their homes is higher than in salons and beauty centers, under the pretext that they have experience certificates.
She explained that booking bridal makeup through the salon is better because the salon is licensed and better, even if the price is slightly more expensive than them because the salon pays rent and other things.
Ahmed stated, “According to my follow-up of makeup prices in the Gulf countries, I found that the prices of makeup in the State of Qatar and the State of Kuwait start from 350 dinars and reach 500 dinars. If a Bahraini makeup artist applies makeup to a bride in Bahrain for 50 or 60 dinars, her price will be around 180 dinars and 200 dinars.” When you go out into the Gulf.
In turn, Sawsan Al-Sayed, the owner of a beauty salon, said that 35 dinars is the price of her regular makeup in the salon, and that 75 dinars is the price of bridal makeup. Inside the salon and 120 dinars outside.
She stressed that she pays special attention to customers, as she always seeks to offer various services at affordable prices because serving people with the highest standards of quality is the ultimate goal.
She pointed out that bridal makeup in neighboring countries amounts to 800 dinars and more than 1,000 dinars, depending on the financial situation and the salary rate.
Abnormal inflation
Finally, we had a moment with economic expert Arif Khalifa, who described what is going on in the world and market of makeup in Bahrain by talking, beginning with: “The rise in bridal makeup is some of it logical and some of it is not.
He explained that over the course of twenty years, the average cost of bridal makeup rose from 50 dinars to 150 dinars, that is, a rate of 300% in the Kingdom of Bahrain, while the average salaries, as announced by the government, rose over twenty years by 110%. This leads to a logical imbalance: either the salary rate rises or the rate decreases. Inflation.
He stated that cosmetics are somewhat expensive, but they are not at this high rate, adding that there is a name industry in the world of makeup that is an additional burden on the customer and has led to a logical and illogical increase in makeup.
He pointed out that after Bahraini beauty experts opened up to the Gulf countries, the beauty expert began to look at the prices of makeup in these countries and the opportunities that exist as well and compare them to the Kingdom of Bahrain because the amounts paid by customers in the Gulf countries are higher than those paid by Bahraini customers.
He indicated that there is an increase in the prices of fees, rents, and the prices of the raw materials that are used. In makeup, it did not increase by this percentage, and it is clear that the burden of living has increased on salon owners, and therefore they need more revenue, and therefore they raised their prices.
He stated that many Bahraini women, university graduates who have experience and skill, went to salons, while previously reliance in salons was primarily on foreign workers. The presence of Bahraini women enabled them to help their families, and thus prices rose at the level of salaries in the public sector or the private sector.
He stressed that the prices of bridal makeup in salons are not commensurate with the living burden of the citizen, pointing out that those who are about to get married “take a thousand calculations” regarding the cost of henna, makeup, etc., as the cost of these things has become from 500 dinars onwards.
While in Bahrain it ranges from 100 to 500 dinars.
Inside the salon and 120 dinars outside.
