So... you've set the date, booked the venue, been to countless wedding fairs.. said YES to the dress (my favourite TV show by the way) and now it's time to turn your attention to looking perfect on the day.
With all eyes on the bride, it is easy to fret about looking exactly how you have imagined with no room for error, so with this in mind, here are my top tips to make up success;
1. Whether you are booking a make up artist or choosing to do your make up yourself, have a trial run because the last thing you want is to not like the make up on the wedding morning and have no time to correct it. Things to consider during your trial;
* If you are having a trial with a make up artist like myself, I love it when I can see photographs, not only of looks that you would like to try but also of your make up when you are going somewhere special because everyone has different interpretations of a look and this really helps to get the overall finish right first time.
* Planning on tanning for the big day? Trial it!!! Your make up will look completely different if you have transformed yourself from an English rose to a bronzed goddess and that pale pink lipstick may now look completely lost against your sun kissed skin.
* Consider your colour scheme. This may be my own ocd ha but I would recommend coordinating to a certain extent. It may not look quite right on your photographs if you are holding a big bouquet full of pink and pastel coloured flowers but you have a red lip.
* With a red lip in mind, do consider that if you never normally wear make up and the most you ever apply is a little gloss it probably isn't the best day on your wedding day to trial the red lipstick and smokey eye. The last thing you want is to lose the essence of yourself because when you look back at your photographs you want to be recognisable and to feel like you looked like "you" but at your most beautiful.
* Never be afraid to tell the make up artist that you don't like aspects of your make up during the trial. The last thing that I would ever want is to go away and you not be 100% about your look. During a trial we have the time to make changes but on the day time is of the essence so I would always rather you say when I have the time to make it right and I'm sure every make up artist would agree with me on this one too!!
* Remember that as much as you want your mum, bridesmaids and husband to be to love your make up, it is you that has to own it and so make sure you gain your own approval first and have it exactly how you want and to how you feel you look best. If you are happy and feel confident then this will shine through on the day.
* If you can, have a hair trial on the same day as your make up trial and potentially see if you can have a dress fitting too.. This is especially a good idea if you are struggling to visualise the look on the day. It is hard sometimes when dressed in every day clothes to visualise what you will look like when in your dress.
2. Consider your make up products and how they photograph; some products have a flash back and this means you could end up looking "white" on photos. I use Estee Lauder double wear light foundation, it photographs perfectly and has a buildable coverage that lasts all day.
It is worth having a lipstick in your bag on the day of the wedding, so make sure you write down the colour used on your trial so you can pick one up for on the day. If make up has been applied and set correctly then your lipstick should be the only thing that you need to re apply.
3. At a recent wedding dress appointment with my best friend who is soon to be married, the lady made a very valuable point that your wedding dress should never be bought based on a current trend because trends change and you do not want to look back at photographs of your once in a life time day and feel "dated".. This is such a good factor to consider with your make up and hair too! The kardashian contour and heavy eye make up is a look that looks lovely on many but is it wedding day worthy or are you better using make up to emulate your natural beauty? This, of course is your choice but one that shouldn't be taken lightly.
4. Timing; I quote so many brides who have 6+ ladies in the bridal party and are wanting hair and make up done by the same person. This just would not work! If you have a large bridal party, book a make up artist and a hair stylist separately. You do not want to be paying for rushed work. I like to allocate 45 minutes to each person on the wedding morning so that there is time to get everything perfect and also for top ups at the end. If you are having a really detailed eye look this could even take longer. I have worked with so many lovely hair stylists and I find it nine times out of ten working together goes well and we finish around the same time. This makes for a much more relaxed, stress free morning for everybody.
5. If you are having some photographs done during the prep in the morning, let the photographer know you would like some shots done of your make up being done once it is almost finished. This is probably my own opinion and horror ha but I have never understood why some photographers take so many photos of a bride with one lash on and no foundation.. Those kind of photos would never have made my wedding album in a million years!!!
I think that I have covered everything that I intended too but if you have read this and a question has popped up then please do ask me and I will answer it as best as I can do. I hope that these tips have been helpful. The most important thing to remember is to be yourself, don't lose yourself and stay true to who you are. If you do this then you can not fail to look every inch the beautiful bride!
Happy make up shopping xxx
