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:
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Always wear
waterproof mascara, as you don’t want to worry about getting panda eyes while
being emotional on your big day.
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False eyelashes are a great way to add
definition to your eyes and are a must
for an evening wedding.
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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.
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Do
define the eyes well at the lash line to help them stand out.
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Matte foundations are best for all photographs,
as they reduce shine.
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Do
test all products in your trials before the wedding to make sure they do not
react or irritate your skin.
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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.
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Drink plenty of water as you will be amazed at
what it will do for your skin.
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Take photos of your make-up look in each trial
or experiment.
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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.
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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.
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Do not
leave your make-up plans until the last minute, you need to experiment and find
out what suits you.
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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!
