Bridal Makeup 101

Hello Brides-to-be! Choosing a makeup look to highlight your best features on a day-to-day basis is tricky enough, and finding a makeup look for your wedding day is downright intimidating. Luckily, you came to our site and found this article which was written to aid you in narrowing down your choices for wedding makeup, and hopefully make at least one aspect of planning your wedding a little easier.
While this article is intended as a guideline for planning your wedding day makeup palette, the best look you will ultimately decide on is one that not only makes you look beautiful and flawless, but one that makes you still feel like your gorgeous self.

Questions to Consider:
What time of the year will you be getting married?
Unless you are the type of gal that doesn’t wear much makeup on a day to day basis and you know you want a clean and natural look, it is wise to take into consideration what time of year you will be walking down the aisle. Perhaps you are thinking about a beautiful bronzy makeup look, but you realize the Big Day is in February (and sadly not in some tropical locale). Taking that into consideration, you may want to reconsider your choice of makeup colors. Many brides that get married in the winter months tend to either choose a color palette that is deemed “wintry” (silver, white, ivory, baby blue, light pink, taupe, pearl, etc.) or a more romantic palette (red, wine, cream, black, white, eggplant, sapphire, etc.) especially if the nuptials are close to Valentine’s Day. Same goes if you are getting married in the spring and will have a garden wedding. Time of year, season, and even the time of day and whether the event will be more casual or formal are all factors to consider when choosing your wedding makeup palette.

Where do you plan on getting married?
If spring is in the air and so are your wedding bells, you may have a slightly different look to consider. You will probably want to keep the focus on your eyes with a soft wash of color. Whether that be a subtle pastels paired with dewy, radiant skin or a simple neutral eye with a pop of bright blush and stained lip are two popular looks if a springtime wedding is what you have planned. Or perhaps your dream wedding is at the beach with a breathtaking summer sunset as your backdrop. A healthy, bronzy glow that carefully applied bronzer topped with glimmering peach or toffee colored lips may be the look that suits you best. Definitely take your local in mind when choosing your look.

How exactly do I make these looks work for me?
The most important question of all! I usually stick to the rule of thumb that if you are playing up your eyes, you will probably want to keep the cheeks and lips more neutral and toned down. Reason being, if you have gorgeous smoky eyes with false lashes that just make your eyes “pop”, you don’t want your cheeks and lips competing with your eyes by wearing a dark or bright blush and vibrant lip color. It also looks too overdone and (dare I say) dated and old fashioned. To make this all a little less confusing, I have compiled a small guideline for you to create the perfect wedding makeup look for your big day.

Popular Wedding Makeup Styles:
Smoky Eyes
Smoky eyes are often confused with “black” or “dark” eye makeup smudged around the eyes. Smoky is a term describing method in which the shadow is placed. The shadow is blended around the eyes to mimic a “smoked” look. You can use any color of shadow to create a smoky eye. The look itself generally consists of 3-4 eyeshadow colors that are blended and “smoked” out to give the illusion of more depth and definition to the eye. It also adds a dramatic flair, perfect for those brides who want a “look-at-me” effect. False eyelashes and black/dark brown eyeliner is usually added to this look. Softly colored cheeks (think light pinks and soft peaches) and barely-there lips are what compliments this look perfectly. While this look can work anytime of the year, evening weddings or very formal occasions are the best fit and the look can be adjusted to fit your specific features and complexion.

Bahama Mama
Bronzed, glowing skin and alluring eyes are what make this look work. A cream or liquid bronzer can be mixed into the foundation to make the skin look dewy and naturally radiant. A highlighting product can then be lightly applied to the face where the sun would naturally hit (sides of forehead, cheeks, bridge of the nose and the tip of the chin), giving the face an automatic “lift” and added slimness. A light lip color in the bronze, apricot, caramel and toffee families are used sparingly and gold, brown and bronze shadows are mixed to give an exotic yet refreshed look. False eyelashes may or may not be used in conjunction with deep brown or black eyeliner. June through August is the best time of year to try this look, especially for a beach or outdoor wedding.

Autumn Sun
Rich, jewel colored tones are used in this look. Eyes come alive with shades of sapphire, emerald, onyx or plum incorporated with soft neutrals to make a bold statement. Lips and cheeks are given a soft focus “flushed” look with lip stains and cheek tints, and false eyelashes are almost always used to perfect the look. September through November is the most popular time of year to take advantage of this look as it is the time of the year when the days get shorter, the leaves turn a fiery array of gold, red and tawny brown and the colors of the season are warm and bold.

Snow White
This is where more intense lips and cheeks are the focus by using reds, wines, burgundies or merlot colors. The eyes are keep soft and neutral, and defined by the use of black or dark brown eyeliner and natural looking false lashes for added thickness. This look is very popular with brides getting married in the winter months, especially February. The flushed cheeks and berry stained lips give a look of almost utter innocence, but the eyes are defined, giving a sensual yet demure air about you.

Spring Pixie
This is a look that truly showcases healthy and refreshed skin. The look is complimented with dewy peach or pink colored blush and lips are creamy peach or rose. The eyes are big and beautiful using pastel or vibrant colors as a “wash” on the eyelids to give a subtle pop of color. Liner is used sparingly and is not smoked out, while lashes are lengthened and curled to give a “wide eyed” look of innocence. A great choice for an outdoors wedding held in spring.
Hopefully we were able to inspire a beauty look that you were unsure of or never even though to try. The best thing about makeup is that it’s not permanent! Try out a look or two and see which one speaks to you.