Wedding Day Makeup: The Basics

Being the centre of attention for the entire day, your wedding day is perhaps the one day of your lifetime where you’ll want to look your absolute best, and more importantly, feel your best. Behold: The magic of makeup.

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Whether you do your own makeup on the big day or hire a professional, the fundamentals of great makeup remain the same. In both cases, it’s a good idea to begin your makeup trials at least several weeks before the wedding day.

Skin

(Courtesy www.health.com)

• Your skin is the basis for your wedding day makeup as this is where it all begins. Make sure you drink plenty of water and stay out of the sun in the weeks leading up the wedding.
• If you don’t already use lip balm and moisturizer, now is the time to start. These items will help to keep your skin refreshed. Lip balm will moisturise your lips which is helpful because colour fades unevenly on dry lips.
• For brides with oily skin, be sure to avoid any harsh skin treatments as these can actually increase the amount of oil in your skin. A better alternative is to being a skin care routine with cleansers and balancers made specifically for your skin type.
• Don’t be afraid to experiment with makeup in the months leading up to the wedding. You should aim to have your makeup choices made at least a month before the wedding so that you can be sure you do not have nasty reactions to new products.
• Get your last regular facial a week before the wedding. If you rarely have facials, don’t get one within a month of the wedding.
• Use a handkerchief tucked in the bouquet to wipe lipstick from your groom’s mouth after the kiss

Base

Now that your skin is looking fantastic, you’ll want a flawless complexion

(Courtesy stylecraze.com)

• It is a good idea to apply some moisturiser about twenty minutes before you start to apply your makeup. This will help to reduce slide.
• Use some concealer underneath your eyes. If you anticipate that you’ll be doing some crying, look for an oil-based concealer.
• If your usual foundation wears away easily, try to find a formula with a little oil in it as this will help. Complete your foundation with face powder.

Cheeks

• For a blushing bride look that doesn’t disappear and fizzle out during the ceremony, use a powder-based blush because they will usually last longer than cream blushes.

(Courtesy realsimple.com )

Eyes

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• Avoid plucking or waxing brows the day of the wedding. There’s always the chance overdoing it and you could develop red rashes.
• A good effect is to use eye shadow primer before putting on the eye colour and apply a neutral shadow over the eye. This will give you a softer more natural look. Prep your eyelids with an eye shadow base or a little face powder. Use an off-white pencil inside the lower rims of the eyes to brighten them
• Apply two coats of waterproof mascara. Let each coat dry for a few seconds before applying the next layer. If you think you’ll cry a lot, leave your lower lashes clean and you will reduce the smudging.
• Another idea you might like to try is an eyelash perm. They will last for about nine weeks.

Lips

If there’s one thing you can bank on, it’s that you will be doing a lot of kissing on your wedding day. This means you’ll need a lip colour that will last. For a long lasting, kissable look, try the hints below.

(Courtesy www.bellasugar.com.au)

• Be sure to use a colour that looks good with your hair and eye colour and use lip liner in the same colour family. First outline your lips, and then fill them in for an extra layer of colour. Use a matte or longwearing lipstick because you don’t want to be constantly reapplying your makeup during the day.
• Layer lip products, such as primer, balm, or lacquer to help to make the lipstick stay on
• Always brush your teeth beforehand to ensure clean, fresh teeth.
• Apply your lipstick with a lip brush. First one layer of lipstick, blot with a tissue, and apply the second layer.
• Be sure to have makeup remover ready for mistakes. You all know that lippy doesn’t just wipe off. Especially not off that beautiful white gown!

Test Your Makeup

Make sure you test your makeup at least two weeks before your wedding. This will give you time to make any adjustments. Keep your makeup on for the duration of a meal, and see how you look after a few hours. You might even want to get a spray bottle and spritz some water on your face to simulate tears. This will help you determine if your makeup has the staying power you will need.

For further inspiration:
– Check out the makeup books on offer (many of which provide a specific section on wedding makeup). These can be found at just about any good bookshop, department stores, as well as many boutique and chain makeup shops.
– Visit pinterest.com and search “wedding makeup looks” for great ideas
– For application techniques, visit youtube.com. These generally have step-by-step makeup videos which often  include products used and hundreds of tips. There are also several channels run by professional makeup artists; so if you’re looking to save money, this is a great alternative to an actual makeup artist.

The variety of looks you can acheive with makeup is endless- so give yourself the time to not only try out the makeup, but get comfortable with the look and feel of it. And remember to get some cheeky pics of your new hubby covered in your kiss marks!