Four days before her July 5 ceremony at Tirtha Uluwatu, a bride named Amanda suffered a mask squeeze while scuba diving, leaving severe bruising and swelling around her eyes. On the morning of the wedding, a veteran team from Dollface Darlings concealed the damage in a 90-minute session — a turnaround the lead artist described as magical when the bride saw herself.
“She hugged me and couldn’t believe it. She said it was magic,” the head makeup artist, Wiwik “Wayan” Arisandi, told People.
The injury — and what was at stake
Between Amanda’s makeup trial and the big day, the mask squeeze — a diving injury from not equalizing during descent — created a suction effect that damaged blood vessels and soft tissue, darkening the skin around her eyes and threatening how she would feel in every photo and moment.
“In my heart, I felt very sad because I was afraid I might not be able to make her happy on such an important day in her life,” Arisandi said.
The plan that made the difference
The team’s approach began with gentle skin prep and deep hydration, especially on the bruised areas, to build the smoothest possible base — what they described as “bringing back her natural radiance.”
From there, they neutralized discoloration with peach color corrector from Tarte, then layered coverage deliberately, using thin passes of long-wear foundation blends the artist said had been “tried and tested in the humid climate of Indonesia for extreme longevity, making them ideal for a Bali wedding.”
The complexion was set with Chanel Poudre Universelle Libre and Mercredi Translucent Powder, warmed with Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Bronzer, and finished with Cheek to Chic Blush for a peachy-pink flush. MAC Fix+ locked the look for the long, tropical day.
For lips, the team lined with Bobbi Brown Lip Liner Pencil and layered peachy lipsticks from Maybelline and Charlotte Tilbury — a 90-minute transformation from crisis to camera-ready.
The moment of truth
When Amanda finally checked the mirror, her response said everything.
“Oh, my God, you hid it,” she said in a video, before adding, “Thank you so much. Can I give you a hug? Thank you.”
Arisandi recalled the embrace and disbelief in that instant. “She was very happy and emotional. She hugged me and couldn’t believe it. She said it was magic.”
How the story unfolded online — and why it resonated
In the run-up to the ceremony, Dollface Darlings documented the journey on Instagram.
A before video posted Aug. 3 explained the emotional toll: Amanda felt “devastated” and “heartbroken,” unsure if she could feel like herself on her big day. Days later, the reveal video (posted Aug. 7) framed the turnaround with the caption, “When the unimaginable happens and you pray for a miracle ...”
(Courtesy of Dollface Darlings)
Another clip captured the stakes for any bride who has to pivot under pressure: “Putting your trust in the right makeup artist is always a big decision. Especially when you get a black eye right before your big day ...”
The people behind the “miracle”
Beyond technique, there was visible empathy. Studio head Kat O’Hara said an assistant noticed tears in Arisandi’s eyes as she worked, “as she was so sad for her and wanted to do her very best.”
Arisandi, who has more than two decades of experience and 13 years with Dollface Darlings, had already handled bruising in the past.
“Because of that experience, we knew exactly what to do when the accident happened. I have covered bruising before, so I already knew the techniques needed,” she explained. “I told her not to worry, we would make sure she looked her best on her wedding day.”
Why it matters
A wedding day can hinge on how a person feels about themselves as much as how they look.
In Bali’s humidity and glare — and under the weight of sudden misfortune — skill, patience and care turned a frightening setback into a memory of grace. As the team put it, the morning’s work was about “bringing back her natural radiance” — and, in Amanda’s words, hiding what once felt impossible to hide.
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