If there is one day of your life that you want your make-up to look absolutely perfect, it’s your wedding day. However, it can be hard to decide exactly what look to go for! In this article, we run through three bridal make-up looks and let you know how to achieve it.
Make-up look one: The classic bridal look
This is a classic, fresh-faced bridal look that is neutral enough to work with any wedding dress and wedding theme. The focus here is on the eyes, with a dramatic eyeliner, long lashes, and a smokey eye with a bright highlight on the eyelid.
The key things to this bridal look:
• Great eyebrows. Get yours plucked or threaded a couple of days before the big day.
• Fantastic skin. Stay hydrated, and maintain a cleanse-tone-moisturize regime in the weeks leading up to the wedding. You might want to stay make-up free the day before, to give your skin a chance to breathe.
• Dramatic eyes. Bold eyeliner and a smokey eye draw attention and have great impact — but it’s lightened with a bright silver-grey highlight.
• Neutral lips. The eyes are the focus in this look.
To achieve this look, you need to begin with great skin. Make sure you stay well hydrated in the week leading up to your wedding!
Exfoliate well, and then moisturize. Apply a primer, to help keep your make-up looking great all day, and then work in a gentle foundation. There is some minimal use of bronzer and blush to help lift the cheekbones.
Then start on the eyes. Apply a layer of grey-blue, and a darker shade of grey in the crease. Blend well. Add a light silver grey to your eyelid.
A clean thick line with the eyeliner is key to this look. Draw the outside edge of the line first, and then fill in the shape. Finish with a good quality mascara, or false eyelashes for maximum impact.
Use a nude or pink lipstick to finish.
Make-up look two: the vintage beauty
The screen sirens of the 50s and 60s created a gold standard for glamour. Your wedding day should absolutely have you looking at your most glamourous — and you can’t go wrong channeling those pin-up beauties of old.
The key things to this bridal look:
• Attention to detail. This is a high-impact look, so every detail needs to be taken care of.
• Red lipstick. It’s sexy, it’s glamourous, and yes, you absolutely can rock red lips on your wedding day.
• Accessorize, darling. Yes, those diamond ear-rings are absolutely part of the look.
Start off with your skin, which should be clean and well moisturized. Apply a good foundation, but stay away from the bronzer — this look is better for people with pale complexions.
Apply a smokey eyeshadow and blend. A smudge of eyeliner will help create definition. Brush through mascara, making sure to avoid any lumps. You will want a couple of coats.
Finish with a red lip-stick. You can go for bright scarlet if it works for you, or choose something a little darker or lighter for similar impact but without such a harsh look. Make sure you keep the edges of your lips nice and clean.
Make-up look three: Dramatic beauty
If you have darker skin you can experiment with some fantastic and dramatic colors (though don’t feel like you can’t rock the classic and vintage looks — you totally can!). One dramatic look is shown here, and uses a pale silver-blue eyeshadow and blended pinkish-red lipstick.
The key things to this bridal look:
• Dramatic eye-shadow. This look really stands out thanks to the high-contrast eyeshadow used. You can match this look to your wedding colors very easily — just work in some smokey red, or a touch of yellow. The key to making this work is to blend and blend and blend!
• Blended lips. The use of lipstick, lip-liner and some glass creates a high-impact lip. To avoid the lips taking over the face, make sure you blend well.
To achieve this look, start, as always, with the skin. Exfoliate well, and then moisturize. Apply a good foundation, and use blush if desired to define the cheekbones.
Start with the lightest shade of your eyeshadow and cover the whole area of your eyelid and below the eyebrow. Then use darker shades, building in color above the crease, across your main eyelid and a small amount below your eye. Blend it well, and dust with shimmer.
Draw a line with an eyeliner across your lash line and then below your eye inside your lash line. Finish with mascara or false eyelashes to add volume.
Use a lipstick a couple of shadow lighter than your natural lip color and then overlay with your favorite deep pink. Blend, and then add lip liner to outline your lips. Blend the line in so it looks natural.