Every week when we receive bridal inquiries, we are asked for “simple makeup”. What that usually means is that the bride is looking for makeup that looks natural, not over done, and doesn’t look/feel heavy or cakey. Here’s a little secret…Natural makeup is NOT simple. If it were simple, anyone would be able to do it. In fact, doing the “no makeup, makeup” look takes about the same amount of time and work, if not more, than any other makeup application.
Creating a natural look that will last hours through happy tears, kisses, hugs, dancing AND comes through in photos beautifully is no easy feat. The makeup look below gets a lot of comments and we are often asked to re-create this look or something like it. Most comments consist of:
“Her skin looks so flawless”
“She looks so natural, I want that”
“I love that her lips are natural yet have color at the same time”
? credit: April Maura
This natural look took about 45 minutes to create. The true secret is in finding the right neutral colors to accentuate you natural glow so that you don’t look ‘made up’.
To achieve the best experience and results, don’t just tell your makeup artist you want simple makeup. Perhaps try communicating that you want your makeup to look natural. Be honest, if you wear little to no makeup, tell them. If you’re contacting someone who has been doing this for a long time and knows what they’re doing, they’ll know exactly what you mean, will able to work with you and do the exact look that you want.
Want to try to achieve this at home? Concealer is a must and blend, blend, blend your shadows so that you cant tell where one color stops and the next starts. Be sure to choose a color that is two shades darker than your skin tone. As for lips and cheeks, light pinks, peaches and sands are best to achieve a neutral, natural pout.
“When we think of Valentine’s Day, we think about luscious lips. What babydoll doesn’t want kissable lips for Valentine’s Day? There’s nothing more seductive and glamorous than sexy red lips! That is, of course, if we take the right approach. No blue tints, no orange hints – using a TRUE RED lip color is the key! But a good, true red lipstick can be hard to find so we hit the MAC counter to find the perfect shade. We know, our job is sooooo hard!
MAC’s Ruby Woo lipstick is one of the best “Reds” you could ever find. Matte, velvety and long lasting, it is a must-have in any makeup artist’s kit. Wonderful for Runway, and Bridal Makeup as well.
To stir things up, dress it up with MAC Lustreglass in LustreWhite. This will make your lips sparkle like crystal cherries! Or, for irresistible gloss and shine, glaze it up with MAC VivaGlamLipglass in Rihanna. Your lips will glisten into the night!
Getting married is one of the biggest life events you’ll ever prepare for and becoming a bride is an incredibly unique journey for every woman. Your planning list seems endless and making sure that everything is done and perfect for your big day is often daunting and stressful.
How you look on the day is also paramount. All eyes are on you so it’s important that you choose what’s right for you and what makes you feel beautiful so that you have peace of mind as you walk down the aisle.
The Consultation and Trial
Your hair and makeup consultation and trial should ideally take place 6-8 weeks prior to the wedding. During this consultation, our stylist will ask you a series of questions to gain an understanding of the styles you like. Bring photos as we don’t always speak the same language! We will advise you about what will work best to accentuate your features and compliment your dress. Your role is to have an open and honest relationship with us and to tell us what you think!
Just like you would bring your shoes and the proper undergarments to a dress fitting, you need to bring all the proper goods to your hair and makeup trial. Bring your veil, headpiece, flowers or barrettes to your appointment so you can see what they will look like with your hairstyle. Come with your hair prepped as you would have it the day of your wedding: preferably unwashed with little to no product as possible. Same for your face. Show up with a fresh face (moisturizer is okay). We can provide makeup wipes if you are coming from work and applied makeup in the morning. As with the hair, your stylist will ask questions regarding colors you normally wear and how you want to look on your wedding day. Provide input and let us know if you don’t like something. We can change it.
Depending on the hair style, we may recommend hair extensions to provide extra volume – even if you are entertaining an up-do. We offer both rental and purchase options so that you can choose what works best with your budget.
What Does “Trial” Mean
It is important to note that a trial is just that – a time to see what you like and what you don’t like, what works and what doesn’t. We will take notes and photos so that we can review them on your wedding day and use the same colors we used at your trial. That being said, you may decide, upon getting home, that the red is a little too bright, or that you really do want the winged eyeliner your maid of honor decided is too dramatic. It’s ok. We are happy to make those adjustments to ensure you are the best version of you on this day!
On-the-day Preparations
We provide a tentative timeline with each and every invoice we send you. This provides a snapshot of the timeframe it will take on your wedding day to style those you’ve contracted us to pamper. We create this as soon as you secure your date so that we can catch any issues (i.e. you can’t get into the venue as early as we need to start) and adjust accordingly. The timeline is finalized 30 days before the wedding allowing you time to communicate it to your bridesmaids and anyone else receiving services. Making sure that everyone is ready to hop in the chair when assigned will ensure the day flows smoothly and keep us on track!
Remember
Wedding planning can become super stressful, especially as your day gets closer. Your wedding hair trial and wedding makeup trial is important, so kick back, relax, and be pampered! Go in with a positive attitude, bring a pal or your mom if you want to, and let yourself have a good time while you get beautified. Trust your inspiration and your stylist and you’ll leave nothing but happy!
I don’t wear a lot of makeup normally and I am afraid that I am going to look overly made up on my wedding day. How can I avoid this? – Jessica
How To Look Natural
Now days, a lot of girls are going for a natural look rather than a heavily made up finish. This is because, while we want to look gorgeous, we still want to look like ourselves. The last thing we want is to look back at the photos in a few years time and think “what the hell was I thinking!” when it all seemed like a good idea at the time. Looking natural doesn’t mean you need to look washed out! A good makeup artist should be able to identify your features and enhance them without looking too over the top. She should be able to give you a beautified version of you, instead of looking like someone else. Here are some tips to help you on your way.
Eyes You can never go wrong with neutral colors. Try to avoid from electric blues, apple greens and hot pinks. Even though they might be in fashion at the moment, save it for the Club. It’s not the kind of look you want for your wedding day.
Cheeks Don’t overdo the bronzer. Some brides like to go heavy on this product, but try not go crazy with it! You want to look as effortless as possible. You should be aiming to have a sunkissed look. I would suggest adding a touch of pink or peach to give you that healthy glow and avoid looking too orange and overdone.
Lips Vintage is back, so bright red is in, baby. Try and have only 1 strong feature to stand out, meaning if you have smokey eyes, go for natural lips. Natural eyes with eyeliner are perfect with a classic red lipstick. We love Mac’s Diva-Red.
Classic Romantic Makeup Looks That Are Swoon Worthy
I absolutely love it when our favorite wedding photographers email us GORGEOUS wedding photos of our brides…and dolls, this one is rocking my soul so hard. This classic romantic makeup look has me swooning!
Our makeup artist Sabrina did the makeup for this wedding and everything came together so beautifully. Enjoy this tasty treat on your Thursday morning.
These photos are the work of the uber talented Abby Dennison Photography. She captured this look so beautifully, don’t you think?
I always say a great makeup artist and a great photographer go hand in hand. Enjoy!
Get This Look
Eyes: Urban Decay Eye Shadows in white, kryola, warm brown and dark brown
Sabrina was also the master artist for this retro pin-up style look.
I love how the bride’s up-do perfectly complements her bight red pout! Thanks to Josh at Royal Escape Productions for perfectly capturing this Doll’s personality.
You don’t have to be a bride to want your makeup to go the distance. We all cringe when we look in the mirror at 3pm and see our freckles have popped through our foundation, our mascara is shadowing our lower lashes and our lipstick is (gasp) gone! Here are some great tips you can do to make your makeup sweat, shine and hug proof for the big day and every day beyond.
Your Foundation
1. Clean, hydrated skin. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. If you apply makeup to dry, un-moisturized skin, chances are your base will come off sooner and look uneven. The makeup or primer needs something to cling to!
2. Primer. A primer isn’t only there to make you makeup look fresh, it also helps keep your makeup on longer. Often primers double as mattifiers and pore minimizers so you can eliminate shine while giving your makeup a great surface to sit on. (Tip: primer needs to settle before makeup is applied so wait a few minutes before makeup application).
3. Foundation that works for your skin type. Foundations are not all created equal and some are built to last longer than others (Tip: to create a longer lasting base, spray your foundation brush or sponge with a setting spray before applying).
The Eyes Have It
4. Eye Primers or Cream Eye shadows. Wedding makeup is expected to last up to 15 hours. Avoid creased eye shadow by applying a primer made for the eyes or a long lasting cream eye shadow. The primers create a crease-free surface for your shadow to sit on and should make your eye makeup bullet proof. (Tip: eye primers need an oil based eye makeup remover to remove as they are built to stay).
5. Powder. You don’t need bucket loads of powder to make your makeup last, but you do need the right kind. Powders that are made to absorb oil and are color free are fantastic for long wear. Too much pressed powder can result in a cakey look so go easy.
Kissable Lips
6. Lips. If a bold lip is what you’re going for, use a long lasting or liquid lipstick. These tend to be matte and stay on for longer. A stain under gloss can also help it to last and high shine over nude lips will always give you more lip time. (Tip: Do carry a gloss and lipstick with you for touch-ups. Lips are the one thing that always need touching up).
7. Setting spray. Use a setting spray as insurance that your makeup will still look flawless even at the end of the night (Tip: hairspray is not a setting spray!)
8. Look after it. Maintain your look! If it’s a hot day and you’re sweating, use a tissue to blot down. If you are a crier, use a folded tissue or handkerchief and catch the tears before they hit your face. (Tip: Allocate a bridesmaid to be on makeup duty and have them remind you to touch up lips or de-shine throughout the day).
With these tips, you’ll have a makeup that lasts the day and long into the night.
Perfect Pin-Up