Look pretty, not plastered!

Every girl dreams of their big day and when it finally comes round they can feel a lot of pressure to be looking at their most beautiful.  Hair and Make Up is a very personal thing so to go to a Hair and Make Up Artist and put your trust in them on your important day it is obviously something we need to get right.

The most important points with having your hair and make up done for your big day is to still feel like you.  You don’t want to be plastered in make up, yo want just enough to really highlight your best features and disguise your less loved ones.

A few must have favourite products in my bridal kit are:
MAC Fix +
Smashbox Primer
HD Brows Translucent Finishing powder
Christian Dior Waterproof & Lengthening Mascara
MAC Lipsticks with HD Brows Bare Gloss to plump the lips

Always start with a Primer - your wedding day is a long day, you need your MU to be looking just as gorgeous from the moment you walk down that aisle until the last dance of the night.  Primers are an essential piece of make up to create a perfect complexion.  It blurs pores, reduces shine and preps the skin creating a completely smooth base to hold make-up in place all day.  Smash box Primer is a favourite of mine as it has a photo finish formula which is essential when you will be photographed all day long.

Next choose a foundation right for your skin type - ensuring you have the right foundation for your skin type will keep it looking fresh, light and natural.  If you end up looking cakey, dry or patchy after a few hours, it isn’t right for you.  Look for an Oil Free fluid foundation or powder based to create a matte-textured finish if you have particularly oily skin.  Whilst moisturising foundations are needed for drying skin to give extra hydration to avoid it look patchy.

For a very natural look you are going for a Sheer Coverage with a product such as DiorSkin Nude - this will even out your skin tone but keep any freckles, beauty marks be visible, giving the appearance of a make up free face.  Go for a Full Coverage with a foundation such as Dolce&Gabbana Lift if you suffer from scars, discolouration and blemishes.

The colour is obviously essential to get right - you are looking to even up the skin and highlight its natural radiance.  You are not looking to add colour at this stage - that is what blushers and bronzers are for.  Always match to several points on the face and neck too as the face tends to be darker where the sun catches it in the summer months.   The tone can be evened out with a touch of bronzer after foundation is applied if needs be - but be careful to apply only on the places the sun would fall as if you were tanned naturally - along the cheekbones, temples, forehead and lightly along the length of the nose and chin.  This soft brush of bronze will give an extra healthy glow and lift the face.

Opt for pretty pinks, corals and blushes for the cheeks.  You want to achieve that natural flushed look.  It is good
to match this with your lip colour also.  A lip primer is essential to moisturise and even out all the lines and create a good base for lipstick to avoid it drying out the lips, MAC’s lip Prep + Prime is a great product along with their fantastic range of lipsticks to suit all, or mix a couple together to create your perfect shade.  Some favourites that I use for my brides are MAC Cosmo, Hue, Faux, Angel and Myth.  Then choose a neutral gloss - my favourite is the HD Brows 001 Bare - add this to the lip to create the illusion of a plumper more voluptuous lip.

Finally - it is all about the lashes.  Your eyes are the main focus - if you don’t wear  a lot of eye make up day to day you might want to avoid a heavy smokey eye especially on a bright summery day.  Instead get that impact from individual lashes, layering up amongst your natural lash for a more subtle fluttery look but creating depth and intensity.  They nestle right between your natural lashes to give that wide eyed effect which is really flattering and timeless.  Then add lashings of mascara!  My favourite is Christian Dior Waterproof & Lengthening Mascara, it is really long lasting and completely waterproof - which is a must as it is a very emotional day so some tears are highly likely.

Once the look is complete, finish off with MAC Fix+ a light weight mineral rich finishing spray to set your make up for the day.  Then the only keys products you should need to keep on you for touch ups throughout the day are your lipstick and gloss, plus I always advise my brides to keep the HD Brows translucent powder on them for mattifying the T-zone - this will reduce any shine from perspiration and oils without it becoming layered up and cakey, apply use sweeping motions across the face with a good Powder Brush.

Remember whenever trying out make up look for your big day it is important that you wear white - it makes such a difference to see it against a pale top rather than everyday clothes.  And Bridal MU needs to have enough colour to compensate for the whiteness of the dress.  For a natural bridal look always keep it neutral in pretty pinks, nudes, corals and blush colours that are timeless and classic.

xx