If you do not have a budget for a bridal makeup artist or you simply enjoy applying your own makeup, here are my top tips for a flawless look on your wedding day:
When deciding on a wedding makeup look, take into account the style of your dress, how you will want to wear your hair and the colour scheme that you have chosen. If you have a fitted glamorous wedding dress, you will be able to wear more of a sophisticated smoky look, if you are wearing a more traditional dress, the English Rose look would be perfect – natural colours on the eyes and pretty soft colours in pink on the cheeks and lips. The perfect wedding lipstick for this look is the new Estee Lauder Pure Colour Gloss stick in Honey Pink, (£16 www.esteelauder.co.uk)
Book a makeup lesson with a Professional Makeup Artist. Not only will they be able to show you how to apply your makeup perfectly, they will be able to recommend products to you. Daniel Sandler has a team of fabulous makeup artists that will travel to your home visit www.danielsandler.com.
Practise your look several times before your wedding day, so you know what products you are using and the order you need to apply them. Allocate time on your wedding day to apply your makeup. Traditionally hair is done first, then makeup. Allow 45 minutes to an hour, that way you will not have to rush and you can relax and enjoy applying your wedding day makeup.
Beautiful wedding makeup starts with beautiful skin – as soon as you set the date for your wedding makeup, start a good skincare regime. Cleanse, tone and moisturise twice a day, using top quality products – I have recently discovered an amazing skincare range called NUDE Skincare (go to www.nudeskincare.com) – their products are beautiful. A very important part of your skincare is exfoliation – Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant (www.dermalogica.co.uk) is a product that you can use daily to gently exfoliate your skin and give your skin a gorgeous glow.
For complexion perfection on your wedding day, layer products to ensure that your makeup looks flawless and lasts all day. Start with a light moisturiser and for an extra glow my top tip is to mix a small amount of Dermalogica Day Bright (www.dermalogica.co.uk) to your moisturiser. Next, apply a silicone based primer. Not only will this help your makeup stay perfect all day long, the silicone will also fill in fine lines and open pores. I recommend the Daniel Sandler Retexturizing Primer (£20, www.danielsandler.com). Follow with a foundation – Daniel Sandler’s Award Winning Super Mineral Makeup (£21 www.danielsandler.com) is beautiful.
Use a light reflecting under eye concealer to lighten and brighten the eye area. Use Clinique Airbrush Concealer (£15, www.clinique.co.uk). After you have applied it under your eyes, my top tip is to apply a little on the brow bone, down the centre of the nose and around the lip line. Blend carefully – this will add light to these areas on the face, which will look so flattering in your wedding day photos.
Don’t overdo the face powder! Too much powder will leave the skin looking dry and cakey. The trick is to apply a little loose powder just where you need it. Dip your powder brush in your powder, swirl the brush in the lid, tap off the excess and gently press the powder into the skin. Apply to the t-zone, a small amount under the eyes and don’t forget your eyelids as this will prevent your eyeshadow creasing during the day. La Prairie Translucent loose powder (www.beautique.com) is perfect.
If you have a round face, a great makeup artist’s trick is to contour the face – using a bronzing powder (Guerlain make beautiful Terracotta bronzing powders), and a small angled brush, apply a small amount under the cheek bone (in the hollow part of the cheek), sweeping out towards the hairline. Then, apply a small amount around the hairline and just underneath the jaw. This will add contour to the face and your photos will look amazing!
Take a touch up kit with you on your wedding day – this should consist of your lipstick and lip gloss, cotton buds and to remove any shine on your t-zone, carry a blotting powder. Daniel Sandler has a very clever Blotting Powder – which gives a shine free, no colour finish and is suitable for all skin types. (£18, www.danielsandler.com) and don’t forget tissues for any wedding day tears!
To ensure that your bridesmaids compliment your look, buy them a matching eyeshadow (a natural colour to apply on the eyelids), blusher and lipstick, so that they all wear the same tones – you can give them these products as a small gift. They can apply their own foundation and mascara. This will make sure that you all look beautiful in your wedding photographs!
Blusher is essential for a beautiful bridal glow – to apply your blusher correctly, smile and apply a small amount to the apple of the cheeks and blend up and out towards the hairline. I use the award winning Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush, (£11 www.danielsandler.com)
Don’t forget your brows, they are the frame for your eyes and perfectly groomed brows will look stunning in your wedding photographs. Define them with a powder, which looks much softer than a pencil. Using fine strokes, apply the Shavata Brow Perfector (www.beautique.com) to your brows. It has 3 shades, so you can create your perfect colour.
For a natural wedding eye makeup look, take 3 natural shades – The Benefit Big Beautiful Eyes Kit, (£21.50 www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk) has all the colours you will need. Apply the lightest colour on your eyelid and brow bone, the medium shade in the contour and the darkest shade as an eyeliner. Using eyeshadow as an eyeliner looks much softer than a pencil and finish with a few coats of black waterproof mascara. Smoky eyes are also an option for your wedding day, my top tip is to use a shimmery smoky grey eyeshadow on the eyelid and a small amount along the bottom lashes (Daniel Sandler Sheer Satin Shadow in Thunder, www.danielsandler.com) and then use a highlighter on the brow bone. Skip the eyeliner and apply black mascara – stunning!
For kissable lips, the trick is not just what you use on your lips, but what you use around them. I always dab a highlighting product all around the outline of the lips. This makes the lips look plump and helps prevent your lipstick from bleeding. Next apply lipstick, followed by lip plumping gloss, so that if the gloss wears off, you still have colour on your lips.
(Wedding photography by www.rosieparsons.com, makeup by Sarah Brock)
