Bridal Make Up

Your wedding day will see you be the center of attention for the entire day. Everyone will be looking at you & your look will be forever immortalized in your wedding photos (no pressure there then :) )... basically, you want to look stunning.  

Your make up plays an important role in complimenting your features, gown and accessories

Below are some tips to making the most of your bridal make up.

Make-up starts with great skin.

Before you start it is vital that your face has been properly cleansed, toned & moisturised & all traces of make up have been removed. Left over mascara / eyeliner will only seep down to your under eye area & ruin the finish of your foundation.

Avoid dry lips by putting a lip moisturizer on before bed and the morning of your wedding. Remember that colour fades unevenly on dry/chapped lips

Here’s a list of things you should keep in mind and avoid a few days before the wedding:

Don’t make any radical changes to the way you look in the days before your wedding. No facials, waxing, chemical peel, etc… (Any potential reactions should have the appropriate time to heal).

No changes to hair colour, hair style or bleached eyebrows

Have your eyebrows professionally shaped about two weeks before the wedding, Your eyebrows are such a major defining feature to your face, e.g. Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe...etc , you need to find the shape to suit you.

Tanning? Make sure your tan will be at the level you will have on your wedding day at least three days before the wedding. Why not schedule your tan trial to coincide with your make up trial.

Avoid substances that could give you oily skin, swelling and irritation. These include red meat, alcohol, and caffeine, spicy or deep fried foods

Remember to drink lots of water to keep hydrated and flush out the toxins

If you’ve decided to go it alone &  are not using a make up artist, here are some useful tips to make up application

Apply primer: A good primer will minimise fine lines & pores & will increase the staying power of a foundation. Test out the primer prior to the wedding day to ensure that it is compatible with your choice of foundation.

I recommend Smashbox Photofinish primer, or Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer 

Foundation: Ensure your foundation matches your skin tone. Never use a foundation to alter the colour of your skin. If you wish your skin to look warmer, use bronzer.

Foundation should be applied lightly & evenly & should only be used where needed to even out your skin tone & give you a nice fresh look.

Do not use foundation to conceal blemishes; it will end up looking caked on.

Also keep in mind that your make up needs to be done in a way that is suitable for photography. Sometimes make up, photographs very differently to how you look in person.

A few things to keep in mind when choosing a foundation for your big day are:

Mineral make up, because of its high concentration of Mica & Titanium Dioxide  is not suitable for use in photography.

Avoid foundations with an active Spf ingredient

Avoid foundations that change colour once applied.

Use a good concealer on any blemishes you may have including any skin discolouration in the under eye area. Blend the concealer well.

If you suffer from dark circles or shadows apply an illuminating product such as YSL Touch Éclat to areas of dark shadows on the face i.e. under the eyes.

Apply power with either a cotton powder puff, (dip the puff into the powder, shake off excess on your hand (less is more) & press & roll onto the face. ) or with a large soft powder brush. Brush off any excess.

Apply bronzing powder (lightly) to areas on your face where the sun would naturally tan e.g. forehead, cheekbones, bridge of nose.

Apply blush to the apples of your cheeks, (big smile & brush onto the fleshiest part).

If you wish to experiment with contouring your face, choose a light & a dark blush shade. Place the darker shade below your cheek bone & the lighter on above.

When it comes to eye make up there are two trains of thought on this.

1)      You can beware of fashion trends that may easily date, (think of bad 80’s wedding albums) Choose something classic & understated. Think about your overall look, if you wish to go for a strong lip colour then go for a very natural eye make up & vice versa.

2)      On the other hand, if your confident in your style why not define your place in time (think of fabulous 50’s & 60’s looks), you may want to look back at your album in 40 years time & tell the grandkids that’s how it was way back then

Either way, you look should represent who you are.

Lips: Keep your lipstick in tune with the overall look (see above reference). Use a lip liner to define your lips, fill in the entire lip with liner so as to avoid the dreaded lip line if the lipstick fades. Apply lipstick, blot & re-apply. Beware of using gloss if it’s a windy day as it may ruin your veil.

Practice this look a couple of times before the wedding, ask friends to take photos of you wearing it. If you are still unsure ask your photographer, they may recommend that you use a make up artist.

Make sure you have a lipstick, powder and blotting sheets with you to touch up when needed

If you are using a make up artist:

Schedule a trial

This is the time to try out various look you may have in mind & see what suits you.

Spend some time before your trial looking at magazines to see if you see anything you like. Look at old photos of yourself that you like, what is it about that look that you like? Even if you don’t find the exact look your going for, these things, as well as a chat about how you see yourself on your wedding day will give your make up artist a good idea of what your going to like.

Also, use this time to talk to your make up artist about the schedule for the day, e.g. hair appointment times, directions etc...

On the day

Sit back, relax, don't forget to eat… you will have teased out the look & shades you are happy with during the trail. Now is your time to be pampered.