Chances are your wedding day is going to be the most photographed day of your life. You're getting married, these photos are going to potentially be on display for many years to come. So keep that in mind when choosing your makeup look.
1. Keep it natural
I think the best makeup look you can go for on your wedding day is something natural. You want to look like a polished version of yourself. You don’t want your husband to not recognise you as you walk down the aisle. That would be awkward. Also, if you're the kind of person who doesn’t usually wear any makeup, then trust me, it’s going to be a huge shock to everyone.
2. Stay away from trends.
Following trends is fine for everyday looks, but you should stay clear of it for your wedding day. Trends are trends for a reason; they go out of fashion very quickly. In 20 years time, you don’t want people to know what decade you got married, just from looking at your makeup. A few trends that you’ll look back on and regret:
- Contouring- this is way too harsh for your wedding day and chances are you really didn’t need it anyway
- Over lining your lips! Do I need to say more
- Glitter and sparkles. It can look awful on camera too
- Block brows. I’ll talk about this next
3. No Instagram brows
It’s called Instagram makeup for a reason and it needs to stay on Instagram. Block eyebrows and ombre eyebrows have been out of fashion for a while now. In my eyes they were never really in fashion. They are a serious pet hate of mine! It’s fine to fill your brows in, but keep them natural. We don’t want you looking like you’ve picked up a sharpie and drawn them on. We want to see those hairs!
4. Going for a light to medium coverage
I always go for a light to medium coverage foundation for brides. This way your natural glow can shine through and you don’t look like your wearing makeup. AKA cake face. I then use concealer to cover problem areas. If you have good skin why would you want to cover it with a full coverage foundation? There’s no need!
5. Stay away from airbrush makeup
A lot of brides ask me if I do airbrush makeup. I am trained in it, yes, but I will never airbrush a bride’s face or anyone’s for that matter. Just because it’s called airbrush makeup doesn’t mean you're going to look airbrushed. It gives you a very flat finish, which means you have to have a lot of blusher and a lot of contour. It’s also impossible to touch up! People are going to be hugging and kissing you all day; you don’t want them to think you're wearing a mask.
6. Pick one or the other
If you’re wanting a smokey eye, pair it with a nude lip. Same goes for red lips. If you're wanting a red lip, pair it with a minimal eye look, maybe some fluttery lashes and inner corner highlight. Not many people can pull off a dark lip and a dark eye and if they can it’s not really the right look for their wedding day.
Most of the makeup techniques I’m telling you to stay away from were originally created for drag makeup. I want you to look your best and have pictures that you can show your grand kids and not be embarrassed of.
I always ask my brides to send me pictures of makeup and hair they like. Pinterest is amazing for this. But try to be realistic. If you have a complexion like Nichole Kidman, images of Kim Kardashian are probably not the most useful.
Images by Rachel Rose and Lottie Ettling. Dresses by Ailsa Munro, white velvet dress in collab with Victoria Fergusson. Flowers by Clare Kilgour. Model Jemima.