Making sure to look your very best on the big day is one of the biggest considerations for every bride, many of which who spend months deciding on the perfect outfit, accessories, and hairstyle. But, it’s important not to forgo another crucial aspect of the bridal look - makeup.
Whether you’re looking for simply natural enhancement or a full glam for your event, there are a few must knows for ensuring the longevity, quality, and affordability of your makeup look. We’ve compiled a list of what we find to be top considerations for bridal beauty, so you can reduce stress going into the planning process.
1. Makeup Artists - To Hire or Not To Hire
Many higher-budget weddings opt for a makeup artist that services all members of the wedding party, since their expertise makes them both excellent and efficient. Professionals are also more practiced at creating a cohesive look or aesthetic for the bridal party as a whole, and can adhere most closely to an inspirational photo or desired image.
Additionally, makeup artists are more practiced in perfecting your look for photos. Their knowledge on the optimal amount and application of makeup for wedding photography will go a long way in ensuring your glam doesn’t look cakey or begin to melt throughout the event, ensuring timeless memories in the form of flawless photos and videos.
However, there are downsides to hiring a make-up artist for the big day. The most obvious is cost, with make-up artists typically charging for services, products used, and travel (depending on the location). If you are a regular makeup wearer and already have an impressive collection of your own, it might feel unnecessary to pay for the products of an artist (who typically use their own materials and do not do makeup using a customer’s products), particularly if you know for a fact which products work best for you.
While being a professional, the artist will also be less familiar with your skin type and texture, especially if they have not seen it beforehand. Some brides might have dryer skin that requires additional moisturization to avoid flakiness, while others might need the look adjusted to more oily skin. If you are already well versed on how to achieve a long-lasting look on your skin type with specific products, it might actually be the most beneficial to do your own look.
2. Research
This step is crucial for both DIY makeup looks and makeup artists. If looking for a professional, make sure to do your research on ensuring their quality, experience, qualifications, and customer service. Having a makeup artist running late or unable to get the look right right before the event is a setup for disaster, so make sure to read reviews before hiring.
If you do decide to go with a professional, they will likely give you some guidelines on how to decide on the look based on your overall aesthetic, wedding gown, and how you’re accessorizing. Either way however, it’s always still good to do some research on Pinterest photos, wedding blogs, and magazine images to get an idea of what you’re looking for.
Planning a DIY look will take a little bit more research and time, and it’s advisable to look up some tutorials for certain techniques on a look that you aren’t familiar with doing. These will also provide more information on which products are most often suggested and how much product to use to achieve your desired look.
3. Practice the Look and Test Products
Practicing the full makeup look is key for creating the perfect DIY look. This allows you to get a sense of how long the process will take, so you can plan accordingly, as well as giving you the opportunity to get familiar with different products and application techniques. Practice makes perfect, so make sure you get as comfortable as possible with each aspect of the full face.
Additionally, some trial and error might be necessary for creating your own look. It’s highly beneficial to try wearing the full “wedding day glam” for a whole day (or as long as your event will require) to see how the products hold up against time and different activities. Try to also seek out similar conditions, like climate and temperature, to see if your look is melt and sweat proof.
Building on this, doing a rehearsal photoshoot with the same makeup look will allow you to adjust based on how the glam looks on camera. If you're booking with a certain photographer for the wedding day, it might be beneficial to have a brief rehearsal shoot before to get a full idea of how the makeup fits the full look. For this shoot, also make sure to keep your venue location and lighting in mind.
One other very important consideration for the products being used on the wedding day is testing for allergies. Unless you are only using products that you wear on a regular basis and have been consistently applying, make sure to do a test swatch at least 48 hours ahead of time to guarantee you won't have any type of reaction.
This is also applicable if you are hiring a professional, who will likely bring their own products that you might not have tried prior. When hiring, make sure to inquire about the different brands and ingredients being used, particularly if you are already aware of some products that you are allergic to.
4. Set Set Set
This step might seem like a no-brainer, but it is a huge determiner on how your makeup will look at the end of the day. Applying a loose setting powder will go a long way in holding your foundation and concealer in place, while also providing a mattifying feature and preventing cracking or flaking throughout the event.
The Laura Mercier translucent setting powder comes in various shades and is excellent for smoothing out any creasing in base makeup, creating an almost flawlessly smooth finish. Apply this product after foundation, concealer, and contour, before moving onto bronzer and highlighter to avoid dulling your final glam look.
Finally, seal your look in with a waterproof, 24 hour setting mist to lock in the entire look, keeping it safe from any sweat or tears (after all, it is an emotional event). You might also want to try out different setting sprays prior to the big day, particularly if you are doing your own makeup look. We recommend the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dewy Set Hydrating Setting Spray, which seamlessly blends products together while completing the look with a dewy, radiant finish.
5. Take Your Time
This tip is primarily for DIY makeup, but can also apply to booking a professional. While most makeup artists will give you a pretty accurate estimate for how long they will take for a specific look, it’s hard to say what might come up on the wedding day. Unless absolutely unavoidable, try not to schedule different appointments back to back, giving yourself at least 20 minutes of wiggle room between each time block.
However, if you’re planning on doing your own makeup, try to be more generous on time. Practicing your makeup look before the big day is good to get an estimate for the amount of time the full glam would usually take you, but accounting for variance is advisable especially if you are doing a look you’re not familiar with.
In any circumstance, pre wedding jitters and stress can negatively impact your work, and doing your makeup while stressed usually doesn’t turn out too well. On your big day, when you want to look your best, make sure you have enough time to tweak your makeup a few times until you’re fully satisfied.
6. Stay True to You
Although you undoubtedly want to look your best and go a little bit out of your comfort zone with the makeup look, it’s still important to be true to yourself. Don’t overdo it, try to keep the look similar to how you typically see yourself. Remember, your spouse loves you for you, so don’t try to transform your look to something you don’t feel suits you.
Looking for some bridal makeup inspiration? Check out our Bridal Makeup & Beauty Pinterest board for glam and natural looks, or read some of our other blog posts for here for more tips on anything wedding related.
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