Bridal Makeup

My friend Jessica got engaged to her boyfriend in February so she asked me to do a little write up on bridal/photographed makeup. It seems like every week, someones getting married, someones getting engaged, having a baby, having another baby, etc. And I'm only 19 so I can't even imagine what it's going to be like when I'm 30. *Shudder* These tips aren't only for bridal makeup, you can apply them to your daily routine or whenever you have a fancy event to go to. I'll break it up into categories; eye makeup, face makeup, lip makeup, and skincare tips.

Getting married is (almost) every girl's dream, and you can deny all you want that you haven't thought about planning it ever since you were a little girl, but we all know you have. We all dream of #1) looking gorgeous. These tips will get you there. 

Eyes:

• Avoid wearing eye shadow colors that clash with the colors of your wedding. For example, if your wedding colors are amber and gold, avoid wearing pink eye shadow.
• Get as much sleep as possible the night before to avoid sleepy looking eyes.
• Use eye drops to get rid of any redness before you start your makeup. Your eyes will look whiter and bigger.
• Get a good quality eyelash curler. (A heated one is ideal.) Curl eyelashes for length and definition. Avoid false lashes because they can peel off and will need to be adjusted. 
• Wear non-clumping waterproof mascara so tears (of joy I hope) don't smear.
• Try to choose a matte eye shadow, anything sparkly, glitzy, or frosty will reflect light in camera flashes.
• Use under eye concealer to cover up shadows and bags under eyes. Make sure it matches your skin tone.
• Make sure your eye shadow is blended very well around the corners of your eyes since camera's can pick up visible makeup lines.

Face:

• Contour, contour, contour. You may have seen a picture of Kim Kardashian with a contoured face, tons of different colored lines going this and that way. Well, all those lines have a purpose and there's a reason she looks as stunning as she does all the time. She, of course has a professional makeup artist but contouring is easy to do yourself. Contouring can differ for everyone because everyone has a different face shape. First, find your face shape; heart, oval, square, round, or oblong. Then use Total Beauty's "How to Contour Your Face" tutorial to achieve that contoured look.
• A makeup that is great to use when a lot of pictures are going to be taken is Makeup Forever. It's a little pricey, but this is your wedding! Spoil yourself. Even better, if you can get to a Sephora, ask for a little lesson of how to apply it. You don't have to buy every single product, but for foundation, concealer, and powder, these are great products. Makeup Forever actually did an ad campaign where they did the model's makeup with Makeup Forever HD products, took pictures, didn't edit them, and published them in magazines nationwide. See the ad here.
• The same thing with eyes, avoid using blushes or bronzers that clash with the colors of your wedding.
• Set your final makeup look with translucent powder.
• If you have a shimmery bronzer/blush you're using, avoid using too much of it. Pictures taken with a flash will make you look mad shiny and sweaty.

Lips:

• Stick a lipstick with a soft and delicate tone, you don't want your makeup to be overpowered by a bold, red lip.
• Match lipstick hues to your blush.
• Choose a lipstick with good staying powder, you won't have any time to reapply lipstick during the night between eating, drinking, kissing, etc.
• Use a lip liner that matches closely to your lipstick shade, and apply it evenly all over your lip to help the lipstick stay.
• Apply lipgloss to the top lip around the divot, and a small amount on the middle part of your bottom lip. It will make your lips look more full. 

Skin:

• Get any waxings, pluckings, facials, or microdermobrasians done 5-7 days before the actual wedding day. If you've never had a facial or a microdermobrasian done, you don't know how your skin is going to react, and it could be red and blotchy for a few days. The same with eyebrow plucking/waxing/threading, the skin around your eyebrows will be red so it needs a few days to calm down.
• Drink lots and lots of water to get your skin cleared up
• Eat foods with lots of antioxidants to get your skin glowing. Strawberries, blueberries, pomegranates, green tea, apples, red wine, dark chocolate, ginger, yogurt, tomatoes, broccoli, and sweet potatoes, citrus fruits, spinach, and fish.

I'd like to wish Jessica and her beau Andrew a very, very happy wedding! Thanks Jess!