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I’ve got a little treat for you here on the blog today. The subject of wedding make-up recently came up in my brides group on facebook recently and more specifically the subject of doing your OWN make-up on your wedding day. Now, I have zero knowledge of make-up. In fact, I’ve been wearing the same make-up for years and rarely do anything exciting or change my routine. I’m also not married so I felt completely un-educated and out of my depth answering this question for my brides myself!
Luckily Amanda Scruby of AS Bridal Make-Up stepped up to the plate to offer some practical and in depth information for all those interested. In fact she was so thorough I thought it would make a fantastic guest post here on the blog.
So over to Amanda to cure those Make-Up worries of yours…
Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life, witnessed by those you love and captured on film forever more. So it’s natural that any bride wants to look her absolute best and why most will employ an experienced & trained makeup artist for the day.
But what if having a professional do your wedding makeup isn’t feasible or even what you’d prefer?
With many brides & grooms choosing to get married abroad, brides are faced with either using a makeup artist they have never even met or ‘going it alone’. And with many couple’s wedding budgets under pressure it can be tempting to try and save money by applying your own wedding makeup. Realistically the cost of purchasing your wedding makeup may exceed that of employing a makeup artist, however quality branded cosmetics used correctly will last you for months, meaning you can look as flawless in your honeymoon pics as you did on your big day!
So how can you achieve flawless bridal makeup application without using a makeup artist? As a makeup artist myself, specialising in bridal and photographic makeup I have many tried & tested techniques and products… here I’ll share with you my top 10 favourite products & techniques for beautiful DIY bridal makeup.
So Here are my Top 10 Tips & Techniques for Doing Your Own Wedding Day Make-Up
- Make sure your skin is freshly cleansed, toned and moisturised before you start. Ensure you correct any dry patches with moisturiser without making your skin greasy. Even the best makeup will not sit well or last very long on greasy skin.
- Always apply your makeup in natural light. Artificial lighting can distort the way we view colours and also doesn’t show up as many flaws as natural light.
- Use a good primer. My current favourites are Smashbox’s Photofinish Primer or Laura Mercier Foundation Primer Radiance.
- Match your foundation colour to your décolletage (rather than cheeks or back of hand, which are likely a very different colour) & apply with your fingers to avoid brush strokes. I love MAC’s Pro Longwear Foundation.
- Follow on from the foundation with a good concealer (applied sparingly with a small soft brush) for under the eyes and any blemishes. Laura Mercier’s Under Eye Perfecter and MAC Studio Finish Concealer are staples in my kit. Lastly, when it comes to foundation & concealer – blend (blend, blend, blend, blend!) paying particularly close attention to the jaw and hairline.
- Shape & define your brows using small strokes of (a newly sharpened!) Laura Mercier’s Eye Brow Pencil and then brush through gently with a brow grooming brush. Correctly defining your eyebrows really opens your eyes and frames your entire face. Just remember not to go too pluck happy and always pluck no later than two days before your wedding to avoid red patches!
- To really open your eyes and give your lashes depth, apply individual false lashes which give a much more natural appearance than strip lashes; particularly where high definition photography is concerned! Salon System do some great individual lashes that start from £3 per pack!
- When it comes to mascara – make sure it’s waterproof! Even if you’re the toughest of brides & think you can get through the day without crying, you’ll still need the mascara to withstand the dancefloor! YSL’s Waterproof Mascara in Brown is perfect for the flawless bridal look and won’t smudge or flake.
- Use a cream blush applied with your fingers onto the apples of your cheeks, then gently blend with a soft brush and powder blush on top and along your cheekbone. This will help the colour to stay all day, but build it up slowly & make sure you blend well. You don’t want to look like you’ve run to the altar!
- Use a light dusting of translucent powder to set your makeup, paying particularly close attention to under the eye and any areas you know are prone to becoming oily.
For the T zone area apply with a powder puff using a press & roll motion. MAC’s Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder is great.
Finally, a light dab of highlighter under the peak of your brow arch, the highest point of your cheekbone and where the inner eye meets your nose will finish off your look beautifully and really give you that bridal radiance. When choosing a highlighter avoid silvery tones as these will reflect a lot of light and just don’t look natural on any skin tone. I love Benefit’s Highbeam or Laura Mercier’s Shimmer Bloc is really easy to work with and comes in various shades.
Something I cannot stress enough is to practise the makeup application as much as you can between now and your wedding day (taking lots of pictures and adjusting the makeup accordingly) so you’re 100% happy. You want to be able to relax and apply your make confidently, avoiding trying anything new or unfamiliar – your wedding day isn’t the time to experiment with a new look/new products. After all you still want to look like you, just a slightly more polished and radiant version!
-Amanda xx
So after this amazing advice from Amanda do you think you’ll be taking the leap and doing your own wedding make-up on the day? If you’ve already got married what was your experience of your make-up artist or did you do yours yourself? We’d love to hear your comments below. If there are any other topics you’d like me to find a guest blogger to cover, just send your questions my way! (kerrie@kerriemitchell.co.uk)
Amanda was also kind enough to share her advice with us over on Get Wed Podcast recently, so have a listen below for even more tips from the top!
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Below are all the products Amanda mentioned in todays post.
1. Smashbox’s Photofinish Primer £25.00 // 2. Laura Mercier Foundation Primer Radiance £18.50 // 3. Mac Pro Longwear Foundation £24.00 // 4. Laura Mercier Under Eye Perfecter £18.50 // 5. Mac Studio Finish Concealer £14.50 // 6. Laura Mercier Eye Brow Pencil £15.50 // 7. Salon System Individual Lashes (Starting From) £3.00 // 8. YSL Waterproof Mascara £23.50 // 9. Mac Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Power £19.50 // 10. Benefit Highbeam £18.50 // 11. Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc £31.00
You can visit Amanda’s website here: http://www.asbridalmakeup.co.uk/
Find her on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/AmandaScrubyBridalMakeup
Thanks Amanda for all of this great advice today!
