Your wedding makeup is supposed to be the makeup that makes you your most beautiful you. It’s supposed to highlight your best self and make your partner’s jaw drop on seeing you walk down the aisle or however you choose to make an entrance.
Some brides are big makeup wearers and like to look as glam as possible on their special day. This is completely fine, however, if it’s not your style, I strongly suggest keeping it as natural as possible on your big day. In fact, the best bridal makeup is makeup that makes you look like a genetically blessed version of your self, with a little something special, not like you are obviously wearing makeup at all.
For a natural, healthy, youthful and stunning bridal look, here’s how to get it. Note: Paired back, this can also make a fabulous day wear or going out look depending on what subtle changes you might make.
My favourite type of bridal skin, is dewy, plump healthy looking skin. So prep the skin by applying a rich moisturiser and massaging it in thoroughly. For our lovely model Jess, who turned up with clean moisturised skin, I skipped this started off straight away with a primer. I used the Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer ($45), which is fantastic in creating soft supple skin.
For the foundation we used L’Oreal Nude Magique Eau de Teint ($24.95) which I applied all over the face with a sponge, building where necessary. This foundation gives an extremely natural healthy skin finish, with a lovely glow. It is a sheer foundation, so I would recommend using something heavier for those who need extra coverage. Jess has fantastic skin so this was perfect for her, we just builded application around the nose and under eye area.
Next we concealed under the eye with Maybelline New York Fit Me Concealer ($14.95) in number 10. For the under eye area you want to use a concealer that is slightly lighter than you foundation, just to give highlight and lift. For any blemish covering, your concealer must be the same shade as your foundation. Jess only needed a little extra coverage under the eye, so I applied the concealer lightly with a brush and pressed in with my fingers. Once concealer has been applied and smoothed out, set with loose powder by pressing in. I used Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder ($58) under eyes and will keep aside for final powdering.
Now the eyes are the major focus of bridal makeup, you want to enhance what you have, but in my opinion keep heavy smokey eyes for the hens night. Unless you love makeup and typically wear it a little heavier, you definitely don’t want to do something crazy on the one day you want to look like your best self. You may regret it. So for eyes I like to use soft browns, taupes, pinks and nude tones and accent with a little eyeliner or darker shadow in key places.
For Jess we decided to highlight her gorgeous blue eyes with a fabulous taupe tone called Smoke from Arbonne Cosmetics ($27 each). I washed this colour all over the lid and then used another Arbonne shade called Sand in the crease. Next I took a deeper grey brown shade from the Bobbi Brown Limited Edition Sand Palette ($110) and added depth into the corner of the eye and crease, creating a sort of “C” shape going from the outside corner of the last line to the outside end of the crease.
Next we lined the eyes with black eyeliner. I used MAC Eye Kohl ($32) then pressed a dark grey/black shadow from Bobbi Brown ($40) into the eyeliner to make sure it sets and doesn’t budge. Lashes were coated with ModelCo Lash Extend Mascara ($20) , which isn’t a volumising mascara but separates and adds length to lashes. For more lash volume try Maxfactor Masterpiece Max in Black ($23.95).
Once the eyes are finished, make sure that the base is clean and there is no fall out from the eye. I then added some extra glow by dabbing Vani-T Highlighter in Angel ($40.95) on cheekbones and outside of brow bone and along bridge of the nose.
I like to keep bridal makeup light and fresh and don’t usually like to go too heavy on the cheeks, unless appropriate. For Jess, we used Benefit Cosmetics Rockateur ($28) which is a fabulous shimmery bronze pink shade blusher. I applied this along the cheekbones lightly and accentuated the rosiness by using Bourjois Blush in Rose d’Or ($20).
To finish the look I lined Jess’s lips with a Nude lip pencil and filled with Maybelline Colour Sensation in Tantalising Taupe ($16.95). A fabulous and versatile shade that suits almost everyone.
The final touch was a bit of light pencil in the brows and a dash of gloss.
For a more dramatic look try NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Hyde Park ($39) for the perfect crimson pout.
For bridal makeup trials and consultations please don’t hesitate to contact me via my website www.georgiawalshmakeup.com or at [email protected]
Arbonne product can be bought from your trusted Arbonne representative. All the fantastic Arbonne products supplied to me were provided by the lovely Kate Henderson. Kate can be contacted on 0414754102 or [email protected]. She will be more than happy to discuss your skincare and makeup needs over a cup of tea.
All Maybelline, L’Oreal, Max Factor and Bourjois product mentioned in this article can be purchased at Priceline Stores.
Bobbi Brown, MAC and Laura Mercier product can be bought at most David Jones Stores throughout Australia.
Benefit and MAC products can be bought at MYER stores throughout Australia.
All Model Co product can be bought online at www.modelcocosmetics.com as well as selected department stores.
Vani-T product can be bought online at www.vani-t.com.au.