Doing Your Own Wedding Makeup

 

With wedding season here, I wanted to do a post on wedding makeup. I did my own makeup for my wedding. I was indecisive for the longest time on what look to go with. I got married in the evening which allowed me to go heavier on eye makeup as opposed to a day wedding. If you're doing your own makeup, it's best to not try any new products once you hit the one month countdown. You don't want anything to irritate your skin! You want your skin in the best shape for your special day. I also recommend consulting your dermatologist to see if they can give you a cortisone shot for acne. I got a cortisone shot a few days before my wedding and this prevented any acne from surfacing. I was also very worried about my makeup running because I knew I would cry. In order to make sure my makeup would not budge, I primed and set everything. Remember, you want to look and feel like yourself on your special day!

First, avoid SPF. SPF can leave a white cast on your face with flash photography so this is really important. Moisturize and make sure you use a primer. I used the Smashbox 'Photo Finish' Light Foundation Primer. This is an oil free primer. Makeup primer creates a beautiful, smooth canvas by filling in any lines or unevenness. It helps fill in pores and blur imperfections. It will help your makeup not only last longer, but look more vibrant.

Use a good coverage foundation that fits your needs. Laura Mercier Silk Crème Foundation or Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation are two of my favorite foundations that leave a beautiful finish. The Laura Mercier foundation has amazing coverage and leaves a radiant finish. It is a bit heavier and may be too much for an outdoor day wedding. The Giorgio Armani foundation is lighter but buildable. It lets your real skin shine through a bit more. It's very flattering.

Pick a good concealer for the face to cover blemishes, discoloration, etc. that matches your skin tone. Clé de Peau Beauté Concealer is super pigmented and blends into the skin beautifully. I also suggest getting a concealer designated for the under eye area to brighten any shadows. I used Yves Saint Laurent 'Touche Éclat' Radiant Touch for a light under eye brightener and did not have to worry one bit about it creasing.

Choose a long lasting blush in the formula you love the most. You want to pick a shade that you're comfortable with. I chose to go with Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in 'Dollface', a matte pink blush. It’s not too bright or too dark. I chose to go with a matte powder so I could use a bit of a highlighting powder over the top.

If you decide to use a bronzer or contour your face, you’ll want it to look natural. I did a light contour using Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil powder. It buffs into the skin nicely and is matte so you don’t have to worry about shimmer.

Highlighting is a beautiful way to make certain features pop. I love the way it looks when the light catches it. I used the Yves Saint Laurent 'Touche Éclat' Radiant Touch to highlight down the nose, under the eyes and above my cheekbones. After using my setting powder, I applied the Guerlain Cruel Gardenia Meteorites powder over the top part of my blush. This was limited edition from a while back; it's a really gorgeous silvery pink.

Setting powder is important to keep the shine away, especially for oily skin. I used a powder foundation (A Laura Mercier one that was discontinued) for setting. I have used it for setting my makeup for years and I like the extra coverage.

Brows can be tricky. I recommend using brow powder to fill in your brows. I love using a brow pencil for every day, but used a brow powder for my wedding. Using powder to fill in your brows will look more natural. I used the Anastasia Beverly Hills® Brow Powder Duo, which helps you customize to make your perfect shade. To set your brows, MAC Clear Brow Set is a great formula that doesn't get crispy or hard.

Eyes: Prime, Prime, Prime. You’ll definitely want to use primer if you are a crier, and you want your eyeshadow to last and really pop. MAC Paint Pots in Soft Ochre or Painterly are both great neutrals that have a nice, thicker consistency. You will want something a little more liquid if you have dry eyes, Too Faced Shadow Insurance is a better alternative. Next, eyeshadow. You want to pick a formula you're really familiar with and a color scheme. I went with gold and brown. My husband does not realize it, but he always compliments me when I am wearing MAC Patina eyeshadow. It took some consistency with that for me to realize that's his favorite eyeshadow on me. For that reason, I wore MAC Patina over the lid and blended MAC Espresso into the crease and slightly smoked it out at the corners. To highlight under the brow, I used Anastasia Beverly Hills® Eye Lights Matte Highlighter in 'Matte Camille'. This blends beautifully under the brow and ties up the eyeshadow look.

Eyeliner: If you have experience with gel eye liner, I think this is the best way to go. Small strokes with the brush allow you to be very precise and if you mess up, it's an easier fix than liquid liner. MAC Fluidline gel liner is a spectacular, long lasting formula.

False lashes: False lashes are tough. If you decide to get them, you're going to want to practice as much as possible. I knew I was going to be nervous on my wedding day and an unsteady hand and lash glue would make or break my finished makeup look. I practiced with cheaper lashes and saved MAC lashes for the big day. I also bought a back up pair of lashes in case anything went wrong with the first pair and I ended up needing one of the back up lashes. Everyone has a different way of doing false lashes, but here's how I do it. First, if the false lashes are longer than the length of your eye, use facial hair scissors to cut them to the right length. Run a thin layer of DUO Eyelash Adhesive on the false lash and wait a few seconds for it to get slightly tacky and not be too wet. Using tweezers or your fingers to grab the lash, apply as close to the lash line as possible and press along the top. I use the tweezers or a Q-tip to set the lashes, then follow up with mascara.

Mascara: I used Diorshow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum as a mascara base and Clinique 'High Impact' Waterproof Mascara. Clinique ‘High Impact’ Mascara has a plush wand and really packs a punch. I love the way it makes the lashes stand out.

Before applying lipstick, use a lip balm that your lip color can easily go over. I used the Fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy Lip Treatment followed by Dior Addict Lipstick in #554 ‘It Pink’, a pretty medium bright pink that is unfortunately discontinued.

I set my makeup using Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Setting Spray to make sure everything stayed put. My bridesmaids and friends used this too!