Are you getting married soon? Are you a bridesmaid in a wedding? Do you know someone who is getting married? Are you doing the makeup for a bride and/or her bridal party? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then you’ll want to take notes. I’m about to share with you some of the BEST bridal makeup tips for the season.
If you’re a bride, did you know that the time of day you’re getting married directly correlates to how your makeup should be worn? Yes, it’s true. Pay attention to what I’m about to share with you so that you can look your very best on such a special occasion.
Morning Brides:
If you’re getting married in the morning, there is a lot of natural light that always tends to photograph with more of a ‘blue’ hue. Less is more when it comes to makeup for a morning bride. It’s the perfect time of day for “natural girls” to get married; not so much for someone with less-than-perfect skin.
Matte foundation is always a good choice for photos but morning brides can also opt for something that has a slight sheen or dewiness to it, because the morning light offers a nice softness. Do not use a lot of powder and/or concealer as it will not photograph well. The goal for a morning bride is to choose a color palette that is warm, soft and subtle on all areas of the face. Make sure to blend everything well and consider false lashes to define the lashline instead of a heavy layer of eyeliner.
Midday Brides:
During the middle of the day, the sun is directly over head which can be harsh and cast shadows. Just like morning brides, if your skin is less than perfect, it’s not the optimal time to get married. Also, if you have very deep-set eyes, midday lighting can make your eyes look like “black holes” if you don’t choose the correct colors and/or you don’t blend your makeup to perfection.
Midday brides should not wear foundation that has any sheen to it- stick to a matte finish. Blush should be matte as well; creme blush is a great option. However, if you have oily skin, stick with a powder blush that is matte. The highlighter shade for the eyes should have a shimmer to it- no frost. The midtone and accent color for the eyes needs to be matte. If you do wear eyeliner, keep it extremely close to the lashline and blend, blend, blend. For a midday bride, there is no such thing as overblending! You can also consider using false lashes to define the eyes instead of worrying about the possibility of eyeliner looking too harsh.
Late-Afternoon Brides:
This is one of the best times of the day to get married! The sun is beginning to set and it casts as beautiful golden light on everything it touches. Photos comes out the best in this type of natural lighting. A late-afternoon bride can choose to be a little more dramatic with her makeup application. Also, she can wear more powder and concealer to cover up flaws without worrying about looking overly made up.
Since evening is just on the horizon, a photographer will most likely use a flash for pictures. Make sure to wear enough blush so that you don’t look washed out in your photos. You can choose to use a light application of bronzer as well to add a warm, soft glow.
Late-afternoon brides get the “A-OK” to wear richer colors because they don’t show up too intense in photos at this time of day. Your blush can have a shimmer-effect to it and your eye highlighter should be a shimmer as well- no frost. Choose a matte hue for your midtone and/or accent eye color. Never use a shimmer for all 3 colors because your eyes will photograph too shiny. Lastly, you can wear more eyeliner and false lashes should definitely be used for some added glamour.
Evening Brides:
Ah, if you’re a “drama queen”, then this is the time of day for you! You can most certainly glam-it-up with color and application. Smoky eyes are a great choice for evening brides- just remeber to go neutral on the lips.
The key to evening bridal makeup is to make sure everything is well-defined: eyes, lips and cheeks. However, well-defined DOES NOT necessarily mean you have to go darker with colors. You can add more drama with brighter colors, bronzer and also from contouring your face. Remember, all photos will be taken with a flash so you want to avoid looking washed out and ‘flat’. Choose eye colors with flair and shimmer but NO frost in order to avoid looking overly shiny. False lashes are really a must-have for evening weddings because they really help to define the lashline. Also, if you have very light brown to blonde hair, make sure to use a brow definer so that your brows show up in the photos and don’t get washed out by the camera’s flash.
Bridal Makeup Quick Tips:
-Bridesmaids should NEVER be more made up than the bride- no exceptions.
-Bridesmaids’ makeup doesn’t have to match- just the intensity of the makeup has to match.
-ALWAYS do a trial run for hair and makeup!
-Get bridal ready in this order: Hair then makeup then dress
-If you dont’ like false lashes or can’t wear them, just be sure to curl your lashes really well and then layer your mascara to get really nice defined eyes.
-If a bride and groom lick their lips before they kiss, the lipstick will not transfer. (yes, this really does work!)
If you follow the advice I’ve given you, your wedding day look AND photos will be picture-perfect!