Your wedding is arguably the most photographed day of your life, so looking and feeling your best is a must.
Recently, there’s been a surge in brides taking it upon themselves to do their own bridal glam, with Georgia Toffolo recently sharing her 10-minute wedding make-up look.
For those brides looking to DIY their wedding make-up, Cult Beauty’s make-up expert, Trifonia Asmar, teamed up with By Terry’s Global Educator, Melanie Barres, to uncover the insider make-up tips and tricks for your big day. The team also spoke with aesthetic practitioner, Dr Jennifer Doyle to share their skincare secrets.
“Overall, wanting to look like yourself is generally the most important factor when it comes to bridal make up. Having said that, you do need to go a little heavier than normal; this is so the make up really stands out on camera. It’s important to strike the right balance of applying a little more without going too heavy.” says Melanie.
- Plan, practice, and prepare well in advance
Melani comments, “It’s important to practise the look you want to create on yourself for your big day. Practise your DIY bridal make up a few times and research the make-up you plan to use. While it’s fine to rely on your day-to-day formulas, I would also suggest seeing what else is out there, especially when it comes to long wear products.”
Trifonia adds, “As they say, practice makes perfect! In the months leading up to your wedding day, make sure you take the time to practice your make-up look several times, this allows you to make sure you’re happy with your chosen make-up products and also get a hang of how they work. It’s also important to test how they wear through the day, so make sure you do your make-up trials on a day with lots of plans.
“It’s also worth testing how your make-up looks on camera. After trialing a few different looks, take some photos either simply on your phone, or if you have a camera, then on there too. Test your make-up under different lights, especially with flash to make sure you don’t have any flashback!”
- Don’t follow trends
Not following any big make-up trends is important around your wedding day, you want to be able to look back at photos in 10 years time and feel like you looked simply like the best version of yourself! Melanie says, “what’s more, don’t follow big make-up trends or go too heavy if you don’t normally. The pictures are going to be around for a long time and you want to look back and feel your make up was classic and timeless. Stick to neutral colours like tans, browns, and nudes. For lips you want to focus on nudes, pinks, peaches, or reds.”
Adding to this Trifonia comments, “if you don’t normally wear heavy make-up, then just stick to the natural skin look. However, if you do typically wear a bold glamour look, then you should do so at your wedding! The look you go for is completely up to you, just make sure it reflects who you are rather than any trends.”
- Rely on long-wear formulas
Without surprise, your wedding make-up has to last you all day, therefore it’s important to make sure you’re relying on long-wear formulas to see you through with minimal top-ups, Trifonia says “make sure you’re opting for make-up that has a long-wear formula as you want to be able to put all your trust in products that aren’t going to fall into fine lines and wrinkles or get overly-shiny through your special day.
“As well as opting for long-wear formulas, it’s also important to make sure you set your make-up properly. Invest in a good powder and setting-spray to keep all your hard work in place.”
- Prep your skin
Skin prep is arguably one of the most important steps in getting your make-up to look flawless, but this needs to start way in advance of your wedding, Dr Jennifer Doyle comments “Ideally, skincare should be a consistent routine, but for those working toward a specific event, I recommend starting at least 3 months in advance. This allows time to optimise your skincare with your aesthetic doctor, introduce any active ingredients, and schedule any in-clinic treatments like lasers or peels. That way, your skin has time to respond and truly glow on the day.
“Consistent, high-quality skincare is key. The non-negotiables in my own routine — and what I recommend to patients — are: a gentle but effective cleanser, a potent vitamin C serum for antioxidant protection and brightness, a retinol to refine texture and tone, and a broad-spectrum SPF every single day. These basics form the foundation of glowing, healthy skin.”
- Start with your eyes
The first step in your routine should be your eyes. Trifonia says, “Start with your eyeshadows as then any fallout can easily be wiped off without ruining your foundation and concealer. It may also be worth opting for creamy eyeshadows instead of powders, as they can be easier to blend and typically have a longer wear.”
- Water-proof mascara is essential
Trifonia comments, “This may go without saying, but water-proof mascara is an essential for your wedding day. This way you can feel all the emotions knowing that your mascara is not going to run down your face.”
- Apply your foundation with a brush
Although the go-to for foundation application may be a sponge, Melanie recommends using a brush, “apply your foundation lightly with a soft fluffy brush, as it buffs into skin for a soft, balmy glow.”. She further recommends building your foundation up in layers to get the coverage you want, rather than putting too much on to begin with and having a lot of product to buff into the skin.
Further tips for DIY make-up looks can be found here: https://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/blog/diy-bridal-make-up/
About Cult Beauty:
Founded in 2008, Cult Beauty has become the destination for the latest, greatest products that exceed your expectations. On a mission to empower everyone from beauty beginners to Cult connoisseurs to make informed choices that meet their unique beauty needs, Cult Beauty was committed to transparency before it was “a thing” (they were first to include full ingredient lists and to publish all customer reviews) and, in 2019, they pioneered the use of Provenance within the beauty space and launched their Cult Conscious initiative: an ever-expanding edit of brands and products that clearly communicate their social and environmental impact.
