Make-up for your wedding day is one thing I think all potential Brides worry about the most because whether you are a make-up wearer or a non make-up wearer, its the one day you want it to be just perfect. I think you just need to be the best possible version of 'you' so you still recognise yourself when you're in full bridal mode.
I recently got married in July this year so I thought I would share with you what make-up I used for my wedding day look and some general tips that may be of use to you if you too are getting married or just have a very special occasion that requires flawless make-up.
How I Got Inspired ...
Working in make-up makes this task no easier by far, in fact it makes it even harder as I know hundreds of products and looks that I like making decision making very hard, hence why other 'make-up friends' come in good use! I started off by looking through lots of wedding magazines, Pinterest boards and browsed online then I collated all my favourite looks into a photo album on my computer and then with them all gathered up I began to see a pattern emerge as they were all pretty similar, so I obviously knew what style I wanted deep down. This is a good way to get started if you need some inspiration or guidance.
Things to take into consideration with your make-up for your wedding day are your venue, style of wedding and the weather. Summer weddings are going to be very different to winter weddings in regards to colours and products as remember your skin changes with the season so oil free products shall definitely be needed in hotter months or climates and more hydrating products during the colder months.
One thing to remember with wedding make-up is that you have to apply a lot of make-up, even for a natural look so it impacts in your photographs otherwise too little can make you appear very washed out. This doesn't mean we are going for a 'drag queen' look it just means that layering products is the key for adding dimension to your face for the camera to pick up, so it just may feel like a lot of make-up if your not used to wearing much usually.
Top Tip - For any special occasion where you will be photographed, make sure that your skin bases contain no SPF as the ingredients in them cause flashback where you get that awful white glare to your face and look very washed out, so avoid at all costs for this day.
Wedding Day Make-Up Trial ...
One of my closest, most loveliest friends Laura, who was also my bridesmaid, is too a make-up artist so I asked her if she would do my make-up on the day as I knew straight away together we would nail the perfect make-up look and if nerves got the better of me than I would have Laura in control! Having worked around make-up for most of my working life I now know what suits my skin and what I like so I shopped for some new make-up and re-purchased some old favourites. We spent one full day and one full night creating a look from all my photos I had gathered and practically nailed it first time - but sadly we forgot what eyeshadows we had used as we got a little excited being in a room together, chatting and being surrounded by make-up so we spent many hours trying to recreate it. Oh the fun we had, hey Laur?!
The Final Look...
We created a glamorous but still very classic bridal look with flawless radiant skin, softly contoured and highlighted cheeks, lots of emphasis on my eyes going in with a smoky eye effect of bronze, rose gold and deep brown shades complete with real mink strip eyelashes and finished off with a dewy pink nude lip. All the products that we chose created this look perfectly.
So then the Wedding Day arrived and the beauty preparations got under way! #stress
Below are some screen shots taken from our Wedding Marryoke Video, thanks to our brilliant video guys Inverve, that capture the make-up fabulously!
Not forgetting my amazing hairdressers, Alan and Hayley from Thomas Campbell Hairdressing as they were fantastic and did wonders for us all on the day and beforehand with all the hair trials and preparation. My hair lasted for days in this style and loved it as it was natural yet glamorous without being too 'done'.
#WeddingMakeUpSelfie!
The Make-Up Products Used to Create My Look ...
COMPLEXION
Primer - Laura Mercier Face Primer Radiance here
Foundation - Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in 4.5 here
Concealer - By Terry Touche Veloutee No2 for under eyes here
& Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 2 Light for face here
Powder - MAC Mineralise Skin Finish in Natural Medium here
Cheeks - Bronzer/Blusher/Highlighter - Urban Decay Flushed Palette here
Contour - Kevin Aucoin Sculpting Powder here
I chose Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk as my foundation that day as I instantly fell in love with everything about it, the coverage, the finish, the staying power and the shades just match so well. It gives the most perfect flawless looking skin without being too matte or too dewy or feeling like you are wearing heavy make-up. Its even more perfect for the photographs as it contains no spf! Laura Mercier primers in my mind are the best primers by far and I always highly recommend for any special occasion where you want your make up to last for hours and still look fresh. We opted for the radiance version to give a natural glow to my skin.
FACE - EYES - LIPS
Brows - HD Brow Palette and Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel here
Eyeshadow Primer - Nars Eye Primer here
Eyeshadow - Chanel Quad Palette in 204 Tisse Vendome here
& Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette here
Eyeliner - Sephora Nude Kohl & Bobby Brown Black Ink Gel Liner here
Mascara - Benefit They're Real here
Lashes - Esqido Lashlorette Mink Lashes & Duo Glue here
Lips - Tom Ford Spanish Pink here
My smokey eye look was created by using all four shades in the Chanel 204 Eyehadow Quad along with the two darkest shades in the Naked3 Palette that were used on the outer corners and underneath the eye to really give definition. My inner waterline was lined with nude liner to keep it fresh looking then black gel liner was smoked out on the upper lash line. I used my favourite Benefit mascara and opted for some amazing Esqido real mink strip lashes as I wanted a very full but soft feminine lash look and these did that perfectly and really complemented my smokey eye make-up well. They even came in a rose gold box which I took as a sign seeing as that was my wedding colour! I kindly received my Tom Ford Lipstick as a gift from my lovely mother in law Chris, especially to wear on my wedding day so I shall keep and treasure it always. Its so luxurious in texture and just the perfect shade of pink thats not too nude, not too bright and has no blue tone. I chose not to wear a gloss over the top as its has such a moisturising finish that it gives a natural dewy look to your lips thats so pretty all by itself. The packaging is incredible and definitely a wedding day must!
BODY
Fragrance - Chanel Chance Edp & Travel size for Handbag here
Self Tan - Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan here
Choosing your wedding day scent is again something that is quite a major decision for any bride as you want to feel special whilst wearing it and that scent shall always transport you back to your wedding day. I was going to do the whole 'personalised scent making' but then I realised I wanted something that I loved already, a scent that was known for being me to others and one that was simply classy and elegant. So all boxes were ticked with one of my all time faves, Chanel Chance. I made sure I layered my products using the shower gel and body lotion beforehand so that the scent would last all day and night on my skin. I did feel special and pampered using them all together on my wedding morning - so my advice is always go with your instincts when it comes to your own scent to what feels like you.
In addition to fragrance, for some added colour to my body the only self tanner that I use and trusted on my wedding day was Cocoa Brown as I rave about this fabulous product all the time.
Alongside my bridal clutch bag I prepared an emergency pack in this cute little canvas bag saying 'I DO' that I bought especially for my wedding which I filled with mini items such as:- deodorant, compact mirror, mints, foot plasters, boob tape, paracetamol, hairspray, safety pins, hand sanitiser, tissues, eyedrops, lipstick, powder, concealer, eyeliner & my Chanel fragrance. All things that would need topping up during the day or help to come to someones rescue!
I hope that you enjoyed this small insight into my Wedding Day Prep as I am very happy to share it seeing as it was without a doubt the most amazing day and weekend of my entire life and shall cherish every memory of that day forever.
A huge thank you and mention to my amazing friend Laura-Marie Allen for doing such a fabulous job of my make-up and for helping me to look and feel every inch the bride I always dreamed of being - love you lots!
Much Love,
*All professional photography in this blog post was done by our most fabulous photographer Justine Ferrari who captured every aspect of the day just perfectly.*