Have you considered doing your wedding makeup? I didn’t, but my cosmetics skills begin and end with a little mascara and a touch of lipstick. Not that a bride-to-be can’t learn the tricks of the makeup trade, of course, but finding a good makeup mentor isn’t always easy. Lucky for those who want to DIY their wedding cosmetics, Emily of the blog Beauty Broadcast has a YouTube channel featuring primers, how-tos, and product reviews for brides (and anyone else interested in learning a bit more about the artful painting of faces).
I will say that Emily slathers on the cosmetics a bit more thickly and darkly than I would — particularly for a bride — but the video is a good introduction to bridal makeup application. And admittedly, watching her transform herself is pretty fascinating. But if your bridal beauty style runs roughly parallel to Emily’s, here’s a rundown of the products mentioned in the video:
FACE:
–Smashbox Photofinish Primer
-Rimmel Fix & Perfect Foundation
–Bobbi Brown Corrector & Creamy Concealer Kit
–Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer
–Mary Kay Loose Powder in Beige 1
–Milani Sunset Duos (matte bronzer)
–Cover Girl Cheekers blush in Golden Pink
-Milani Minerals blush in Mai Tai
-Everyday Minerals Start to Finish powder in Soft Bronze
EYES:
–Too Faced Shadow Insurance
-Bee Luscious Shadow Magnet in Light
-Coastal Scents Neutral palette
–Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner in Blackest Black
–Revlon Colorstay Pencil Liner in Black-Brown
–Too Faced Lash Injection mascara
–Andrea Modlash 301 (half strip lashes)
LIPS:
-Rimmel Exaggerate lip liner in Ravish
–Mary Kay Lipstick in Amber Suede
–Jordana Lipgloss in Lovely
I don’t get it. If a woman usually wears makeup, doesn’t she already know how to put it on? And if she doesn’t, why would she wear it one day of her entire life?
Not saying that we can’t all learn new tricks or find a new product that works “better” for ourselves. Maybe I just don’t like all the fuss. All my husband asked for on our wedding day was that he be able to recognize me walking down the aisle. He wouldn’t have had a chance if I followed Emily’s ideas.
Carol, for me it was about the photographs. I don’t photograph particularly well, and it happened that I knew someone who does makeup for photo shoots professionally. I knew he could make me look great — as opposed to washed out or blotchy –in my wedding photos, and that was important to me.
There are those out there who would love to be more competent with cosmetics but don’t have the time to learn, can’t afford the good stuff, just can’t get the hang of it solo, or whatever. I think this kind of tutorial is really meant for them.
Photos are a big reason to wear at least a bit of makeup on your wedding day. It doesn’t need to be laid on with a trowel, though. A good base in a tone to match your skin properly, possibly with a touch of concealer underneath for problem areas like dark circles under eyes; a dab of blush in a color that goes well with your skintone, a dash of lipstick in a shade just a touch darker than your natural lips, a little eyshadow un a color that intensifies the color of your eyes, and a touch of mascara are plenty to make you look like your natural self without leaving you looking washed out or zombified in your wedding shots.
Trust me, what I listed above is about two minor steps less than I wore on my wedding day (I also used a bit of eyeliner and not one but three shades of eyeshadow), and in most of the photos, I don’t even look like I’ve got any make up on. I just look happy and healthy and fresh. In pictures where I’m not wearing makeup, I often look like I should have been buried two days before the picture was taken. Up close, I look fine. On camera, I wash out horribly.
Makeup for photos is usually a little more dramatic than in regular life. Being a photographer I always recommend hiring a pro makeup artist for your special event.
Twistie: Hey, I also look like the dead in photos! Zombies unite!
BRAAAAAIIIIINNNSSSSS!
I usually look like a vampire in photos, or possibly one of those nineteenth-century opera heroines dying of consumption. (I’m very, very pale.) When I know I’m going to be photographed, I absolutely step up my makeup routine — not so much that I look like a clown in person, but enough so that I don’t look like I’m about to launch myself at the nearest neck when the photos come back. Day to day I wear a bit of powder, mascara and lip gloss, but I break out the blush and the real lipstick when I’m a bridesmaid or I’m giving a talk.