1. Classic Old Hollywood: This is one of my favourite looks that never goes out of style and one of the easiest to re-create. It's all about defined brows, flawless skin, bold lips, and flirty eyes. Before applying any makeup, make sure your skin is clean and moisturized. Wait for about 5 minutes after applying moisturizer to let it set and soak into the skin before putting on your base. Prep skin with a primer (one with an SPF is even better) like M.A.C.'s Prep + Prime Face Protect SPF 50 or Lorac's aquaPrime Oil Free Makeup Primer to keep makeup on longer.
Your foundation should last long and not look powdery or caked on. Your skin should look radiant and fresh and not shiny and oily looking. For wedding makeup I recommend the following foundations: oily skin I like MAC's Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 or Make Up For Ever's Mat Velvet + Matifying Foundation, normal or combination skin I love Face Atelier's Ultra foundation or MAC's Face and Body Foundation, and for dry skin try Bobbi Brown's Moisture Rich Foundation or Bobbi Brown's Luminous Moisturizing Foundation. Use concealer only where needed: under eye, around the nose, and obvious blemishes. Set with a loose powder and touch up shiny skin with blotting papers throughout the day.
Use an eye primer or base before applying shadow so that it will not crease or fade. I like using MAC's Eye Paints as a base in any of the neutral colours. Use shadow colours in light shades like champagne, silver or taupe. Benefit's new Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner comes in many beautiful shades including a black one which can be used as the black liner. Finish off the eyes with lots of waterproof mascara from Maybelline and fake lashes in #4 from MAC (optional). To define the brows, use a slanted brush and brow powder for a natural effect like Benefit's Brow Zings which comes with a brow wax to keep in place, brow powder, tweezers, and slanted brush.
For blush, I would add a little more colour than the picture because you don't want to look pale. Go for neutral tones in browny pinks or rose. I like powder blushes from Bobbi Brown's in Almond (toasted almond) or Tawny (medium pinky brown). This look is all about a strong, bold lip in red. And since this can get messy with all the kissing you'll be doing you want to make sure it stays put. I like Nars' Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Forbidden Red because it also acts as a lip liner. If you'd prefer a lipstick then make sure to get a lip liner to prevent the colour from bleeding like MAC's lip pencil in Brick. If the red in the picture is too strong for you opt for more berry-reds or reds in a sheer form. Make Up For Ever has a great lip matifyer called Matte Lip that you can apply over any lipstick or gloss with long-lasting effects. This is a great option for people who don't normally buy matte lipsticks. For even more kiss-proof lips try Make Up For Ever's Lip Plus Lipstick Sealer.
2. Youthful but Classic: This is today's version of the Classic look just more youthful and softer. The brows are still softly defined, skin is still flawless but is slightly luminescent, the eyes are warmer and not as defined, cheeks are rosier, and lips have a pop of colour but in sheerer tones of red and are not strongly defined. Use a nice gold shadow on the lid and in corner of eyes like MAC's Eye Paint in Base Light. Smudge a brown shadow like MAC's Espresso into the upper lash line and outer crease. Load on the waterproof mascara and add some falsies to the outer corner. Sweep a soft pink powder blush onto the cheeks like MAC's Dame (one of my favourite pink blushes!) or Benefit's Dandelion highlighting powder. Finish the look off with a juicy pout in MAC's Venetian Lustreglass or L'oreal's Colour Juice Stick in Cherry Freeze (Ali from ChickAdvisor.com had this in her makeup bag and we used it on her podcast shoot!). Be sure to line lips in a corresponding shade to prevent feathering or bleeding but blend really well with a lip brush so it does not look too defined. Wearing a lip primer is a good idea as this will also keep your lip colour on all day. I use Benefit's Lip Plump all the time to smooth out lines and to prep the lips before applying colour. For extra lasting effects apply Make Up Forever's Lip Plus Lipstick Sealer as mentioned in #1.
3. Classic Bridal Beauty: This is a look that looks good on almost anyone and can be used any time of the day. Brown tones on the eyes, pink rosy cheeks and a pink pout. Check out Bobbi Brown Cosmetics.com for tips and instructions on how to re-create this look. She has even created a custom bridal palette!
4. Looks for Darker Skin Tones: I love doing smokey looks or deep cocoa and amber colours on darker skinned women. Darker tones can get away with doing a smokey look on the eyes because it doesn't look overdone as it would on someone with fairer skin. Check out Iman Cosmetics for tips and products. There are some amazing looks on there!That rounds out my list for my favourite bridal beauty looks! I hope all you brides out there were able to get some ideas and helpful tips. Remember, in the end you want to look like you but only better on your wedding day. Congratulations and all the best on your journey to wedded bliss!
2 comments:
Just came across this comment just as I was wondering if a black woman with a dark skin could get away with a smokey eye. This is an excellent blog. Do you think we could see more products for the dark skinned and perhaps some good but cheap stuff from Shoppers. I am in TO and most times I just end up with make up that is not really meant for my skin and looking like something that escaped from the zoo! I am currently struggling with CoverFX. I know its a good product but maybe its just me:(
Pretty insightful post. Never thought that it was this simple after all. I had spent a good deal of my time looking for someone to explain this subject clearly and you’re the only one that ever did that. Kudos to you! Keep it up
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