If there’s one time in your life when you need to look your beautiful best, it’s your wedding day.
With your closest family and friends to hand – and an over-eager photographer snapping at your heels – being a bride should be the happiest day of your life. So the last thing you want to worry about is make-up blunders.
“The best wedding make-up is subtle and unobtrusive, yet reveals and enhances everything that’s most beautiful about a bride’s face,” says make-up artist Jemma Kidd.
Whether you’re being made up by your best pal or a team of professionals, ensure you’ve got your look prepared by way of a few trial runs.
Make-Up Musts
You may be a master of make-up for everyday looks, but bridal is a very different marriage of techniques.
“Bridal make-up needs to have enough colour to compensate for the whiteness of the dress,” explains make-up artist Bobbi Brown.
“Apply your make-up as if you were going to a formal event – everything should be a bit stronger than the make-up you normally wear.”
To ensure your lip colour lasts throughout the ‘kiss the bride’ peck and beyond, Bobbi advises lining and filling the lips with a matching lip pencil before applying your lipstick.
Beaming with love, you may have a natural glow on the day but you’ll still need a touch of colour.
“When choosing a blush, go for pink if you are fair and rose if you are dark. Apply it to the apples of your cheeks for a healthy glow,” Bobbi recommends.
Avoid embarrassing make-up blunders during the speeches with tear-proof products. Look for waterproof and long-wearing formulas in both mascara and eyeliner to avoid smudges and streaks.
Face powder is a must, according to Bobbi: “Set concealer and foundation with a powder puff. And don’t forget to bring pressed powder in your evening bag for touch-ups throughout the day.”
I Do... And Don’t
“On your wedding day you should look like yourself at your most beautiful,” says Bobbi Brown, whose top tips for wedding day beauty are:
DON’T: Go to a tanning bed right before your wedding. If you want more colour, use a self-tanner. Test the product weeks before the date and apply several days before the wedding in case you need to make corrections.
DO: Complete a make-up trial to avoid any surprises.
DON’T: Use concealer on the eyelids. It causes eye make-up to crease.
DO: Keep your look natural, fresh and modern using colours you’ve worn before and know they suit you.
DON’T: Apply shimmer all over the face. One or two accents are enough.
DO: Make sure your foundation is right for your skin tone. Your colour may have changed since the make-up trial.
DON’T: Wear frosted, shiny or sparkly shadows as it will reflect camera flashes.
DO: Try and put your dress on after you have done everything else. Make-up should be completed beforehand.
