Beauty Tips for Brides

Your wedding day will be a magical and wonderful time that you will remember for the rest of your life, but with so much going on and so much to do it can be a very stressful time.  With the right planning, your make-up look can be one of the easy tasks to cross off your To-Do list.  Whether you are planning to apply your make-up yourself or hire a professional Make-up artist for your big day, here are a few things you should keep in mind.  

 Make-up is used to enhance natural beauty and build confidence, when used in the right way it can leave you feeling exhilarated and ready to take on the world.  This doesn’t mean you need to plaster layer upon layer on your face and end up looking like a clown, it just means you will need to plan ahead and choose a look that best suits you, your skin and your personality.  If you don’t normally wear make-up then you shouldn’t feel you have to walk down the aisle with a fully made up face, using a small amount of product in the right areas will help you look and feel your best all day.  Just remember, it’s your day, your wedding and as you walk down the aisle you want to look and feel like you, but the best you possible.

You should try and test your make-up looks a few times before the big day; this will give you enough time to change anything you aren’t sure about before the last minute.  It also allows you to choose the right shades and colours rather than making the wrong choice on the morning of your wedding.  It is also useful to take photographs of your look each time you test it, this will help you see what it will look like. 

While you are thinking about your wedding preparations, you also need to think about your skin.  If you are one of the very few lucky women in the world that can use soap and water and wake up every morning with perfect skin then you won’t have a problem on your big day.  But if like the rest of us you are prone to breakouts, have oily or dry patches then you need to take your skin into account in the preparation for your wedding.  A good skincare routine can help to balance out any problem areas you are having and can add to a stress free make-up application.  Any new skin care routine should be started at least 3-4 months before your wedding day; this will help ensure your skin is used to all products and reduces the risk of irritation.

When planning your make-up look you will need to tailor the look and the colouring not only to yourself, but to the time of day of your wedding ceremony.  For a day time wedding, your make up should be kept more natural whereas you can use a more dramatic look for an evening ceremony.

 For a day wedding look, keep the make-up light and natural both on the eyes and the lips.  This type of ceremony is not a great choice for those prone to breakouts as you will want to wear less foundation and concealer.  Because of the natural, soft light that is visible during the day you need to make sure you do not over do the make-up application as you don’t want your finished look to seem cakey.  Heavy powder will also look artificial under morning light, so make sure you dust powder on lightly to retain a matte, yet natural appearance.  The natural daylight will accentuate any colours on the skin, so try to wear less eye shadow and stick to warm, softer shades that compliment your eye colour and blend, blend, blend!  The light will not only show harsh colours, but will also enhance any areas that have not been blended properly.  As the day passes, the light will get stronger and will make lines more visible so you can never blend too much. 

Refrain from using bright, bold colours at any time of day, ignore what the latest fashion style of make-up is and go with what suits your face and your natural features.  Keeping to a ‘classic’ look will ensure you will still be happy to get your wedding photos out to show guests in years to come. 

For evening weddings, you can allow for a more glamorous and dramatic look, this is the best time of day for a ceremony for people that don’t have perfect skin as you can get away with wearing more make-up and still looks natural.   Although an evening ceremony will give you a bit more freedom on colour, you should still try to stick to neutral shades and just add a bit of intensity, this will mean you can still look glamorous without adding lots of colour to your look.  Remember, your photographs will be taken with a flash in the evening, so make sure you try this out in your tests as the colours will show up completely different in the photographs.  Sculpting the face for an evening look is very important; it will add colour and dimension to the face as the camera flash will flatten the look of the face, adding a bronzer will also give the skin a magical glow. 

You will need to make sure your eyes are defined for your wedding day look, it may be harder to do this for a day look but you will need to use softer colours and lighter lines to do this.  For an evening look, you can use more definition but please do not think this just means darker.  Sharper, smoother lines and shapes will help add definition from your eyes to your lips and cheekbones.  You will also be able to use richer lip colours as they won’t show up too intense in the photographs.

I know I have mentioned a lot more about the light and photo’s than I have the style of dress or the colour of the flowers etc.  If you stick to a ‘classic’ timeless look and use soft, warm colours then you can’t really go wrong.  But if you choose bright, daring colours or pile on the products for a natural morning wedding or stick with a natural look for an evening wedding, then I know you will regret it when you get the photographs back. 

In addition to this, here are a few more quick tips:

ü  Always wear waterproof mascara, as you don’t want to worry about getting panda eyes while being emotional on your big day.

ü  False eyelashes are a great way to add definition to your eyes and are a must for an evening wedding. 

ü  Individual lashes are a great way to add thickness to naturally sparse lashes.  If you do not want to use lashes, apply layers of mascara for as much definition as possible.

ü  Do define the eyes well at the lash line to help them stand out.

ü  Matte foundations are best for all photographs, as they reduce shine. 

ü  Do test all products in your trials before the wedding to make sure they do not react or irritate your skin.

ü  In the final build up to your big day, sleep on a fresh clean pillow case each night to reduce the risk of break outs.

ü  Drink plenty of water as you will be amazed at what it will do for your skin.

ü  Take photos of your make-up look in each trial or experiment.

ü  Use a setting agent like ‘Model in a Bottle’ a quick spray of this on top of your finished look will help it last all day long.

û  For afternoon weddings, do not wear foundation that has a sheen or dewiness to it, this is the harshest light to get married in because the sunlight is directly above you.  Any sort of sheen will make you look shiny in photos.

û  Do not leave your make-up plans until the last minute, you need to experiment and find out what suits you.

û  Do not plaster your face with products, you will look cakey, the right products will work for you in the right amount.

Finally, be sure to remember your wedding day should be enjoyable for you, so enjoy your make-up, smile and have a wonderful, magical day!