Bridal Makeup Before & After

Last weekend, my friend Melissa got married. Although I no longer take on makeup jobs, she’s asked me a long time ago if I could do her makeup for her special day. Of course I gladly accepted! I’ve done Melissa’s makeup on so many occasions and it was an honor to actually be there on her wedding day.

If any of you had a wedding of your own, or been part of  ‘behind the scenes’,  you would know the exciting chaos that goes on. My intention was to take the before and after makeup shots in the same lighting but once the professional photographer arrived and started her session, I could only get a chance to sneak in and take a few shots. Other than the difference in lighting, none of the photos have been touched up or filtered – they’re as raw as they get straight out of my camera :)

Melissa is gorgeous with or without makeup so she literally lit up the room once she stepped into her wedding gown too.

Melissa wanted a glam look which also complemented the romantic style of her hair and wedding dress. Here’s what I used for the makeup:

Face: I prepped with Smashbox Photo Finish Primer. Melissa had slight redness on her cheeks so I used a green tinged concealer from Ben Nye corrector wheel to counteract the redness. MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation is my absolute favorite for special occasions, it has perfect coverage and smooths the skin beautifully. I worked the foundation in with a Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki brush then set the face with MAC Blot Powder

Cheeks: *I did this step after the eyes but I contoured Melissa’s cheeks, her nose and the frame of her face including forehead and jawline with MAC Sculpting duo. Once blended, I added MAC Sunbasque Blush for a pop of natural color and MAC Trace Gold Blush as a highlighter on the cheekbones – which gives an amazing blurred/glowing look to the skin.

Eyes: I mixed a lot of brown shades from different brands to achieve the look we wanted so it’s a bit hard to list the exact products. After prepping with Urban Decay Primer Potion, I did a classic heavy crease look, concentrating dark chocolate brown and matte black eyeshadows to build the color towards the outer corner of the eyes, extending into a soft wing. Same colors were used to create a smudged line on the lower lashline. I then dabbed a shimmery champagne eyeshadow onto the lids and inner corners of the eyes to brighten them. I finished the look with MAC Blacktrack Fluidline gel liner by lining the top lashline, Maybelline Falsies waterproof mascara and Wispy false lashes. MAC brow powder was used to shape and define the brows.

Lips: I lined and filled in the lips with MAC Prolongwear Lipliner in Nice n Spicy which helps with staying power and also acts as lipstick. I then went directly in with Napoleon Baby Lips lipgloss. It has just enough shine, suits most skin tones and has a hint of shimmer to give the lips a fuller look. To complete Melissa’s look, I set her makeup with Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray.

I would like to thank Melissa for agreeing to be on my blog to share her special day with you guys. I wish her and her husband Daniel a lifetime of happiness filled with amazing memories….

Caught some candid shots while she was getting her pro photos taken. That beaming smile!! :)

TIPS TO CONSIDER FOR BRIDAL MAKEUP

• Bridal makeup should be an extension of who you are and what you look like on any given day.
• When you decide on a makeup artist for your special day, take photos of what you have in mind to your meeting, discuss if the look can be altered to what suits your own features.
• Do a trial and wear the makeup on a night out to see how it holds up and whether you’re comfortable in it.
• Take flash photos at night to make sure the products they used on you don’t flash back (that white cast).
• These simple pointers will ensure you are happy and confident on your wedding day and all you have to worry about is enjoy every minute of your special day…and your partner’s of course :)