After watching hundreds (thousands?) of YouTube makeup tutorials (hey, I really, REALLY didn't want to study for the Bar Exam last summer), I thought I had gotten pretty good at doing makeup. That is, until my best friend asked me to do her bridal makeup and our first test run was basically a disaster (to me anyways). So, I thought I'd pass on some products I ended up loving for her big day, and some tips that are absolute musts.
My all-time favorite big day products:
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| L to R: Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray, Revlon Colorstay Foundation, Essence Gel Eyeliner in Midnight in Paris & It Cosmetics Bye Bye Redness Neutralizing Correcting Cream |
Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray. Not only will your makeup last longer, but if you accidentally end up with cake face, it will get rid of that nasty, powdery look in an instant.
Revlon Colorstay Foundation. If you use this foundation with a Beauty Blender, your makeup will look absolutely flawless--even better than airbrushed makeup--and it will last, seriously, for 36-48 hours. Not that I'm suggesting you wear your makeup that long, but we all know what it's like to drink too much champagne and have to get on an airplane first thing the next morning.
Essence Gel Eyeliner. This product claims it's waterproof, and trust me, after all seven bridesmaids in my friend's wedding started sobbing, we've put it to the test.
It Cosmetics Bye Bye Redness. If you're a person who gets red when you dance, get nervous, or get emotional, this stuff will change your life. This is in my top ten makeup products of all time, and for good reason. It's lightweight but it completely cancels out all unwanted redness before you even put on your foundation.
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| Counterclockwise from L: Kiss Ever EZ Lash Trios in Medium, Makeup Geek Eyeshadow in Shimma Shimma, Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade & Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Cream Bronzer in 42-Rich Bronze |
Kiss Ever EZ Lash Trios. A 5-year-old could apply these false lashes. And not only that, but they look FAN-tastic, to boot. Go for the Short Combos if you want to enhance your natural lashes, and the Medium Combos if you want your eyes to pop a la Betty Boop.
Makeup Geek Shimma Shimma Eyeshadow. First of all, this eyeshadow is only $6. Second of all, it will give you the most beautiful, glowing, ethereal inner corner eye highlight. SWOON.
Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade. Please see below re: filling in those brows, girl.
Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Creme Bronzer. The way this bronzer works is you put it on in the contour and bronzing sections of your face, blend it in and then go in with your powder/blush/highlight. It blends seamlessly into your skin and seriously looks like you're just naturally that sculpted.
Moisturize and Prime. I'm not one to prime on an every day basis, but for your big day, it should be at the top of your list. Not only will it make your skin look flawless, but it will make your makeup go on extremely easily and will allow your makeup to last well past the last dance. Hell, if you find a good enough primer, your makeup should last all the way to the next morning when you drunkenly roll out of bed in your full face of last night's makeup.
Use a foundation that is not only long wearing but has no SPF. This is crucial. SPF oftentimes causes a white cast in photos, and the last thing you want is to have a flawless spray tan and then have your face look like a mask in photos. A good recommendation is to buy multiple colors of your favorite foundations and try them out in the weeks/months before your wedding. If you buy products from Sephora or CVS, they should let you return the used products that do not work for you.
Highlight. This is my favorite part of wedding makeup. There's nothing more amazing than seeing a bride that looks like she's glowing from within. And a nice highlight is an especially good way of distracting from any dullness in your skin due to too much drinking with your bridesmaids the night before. (My all-time favorite highlighter is Mary Lou-Manizer by The Balm, but use whichever one works best for your skin tone.)
Use an eye primer. Damn it, woman, use an eye primer. My all-time favorite is the Lorac eye primer, but Essence has an amazing eye primer that's only $3. Whatever brand it's from, trust me, you'll regret not using one when you start bawling and your eye makeup either runs down into your cleavage or disappears all together.
Fill in your brows--even if it's just a little bit. Nothing makes me sadder than to see a woman prancing around Sephora with a beautiful face of makeup but only 6 eyebrow hairs. It's even more sad when you see it in pictures. Get a light brow powder if you're scared, or if you're ready to dive in head first, try a brow pomade!
Practice. Whether you're doing your makeup yourself (trust me, you can!) or you're having a friend or makeup artist do it, you should be practicing constantly. For my best friend's wedding, I did her makeup over ten times between the time she got engaged and got married--I wish we could've practiced even more. Not only will it help you figure out what you like, but if any products don't react with your skin, you'll know ahead of the big day. I've heard horror stories of women buying a brand new foundation for their wedding and halfway through the ceremony have pimples pop up all the way from their forehead to their neck. UH YUCK.
Be vocal. This is the most important tip. Without my best friend being very honest, I would've never known that she prefers her eye makeup to be oval shaped instead of cat eye shaped, never known that she hates wearing eyeliner on her bottom lash line, never known that she prefers gold over champagne colored eyeshadows, and never known that one of her false eyelashes felt wonky. It's the biggest day of your entire life, so if you have to look your friend/makeup artist in the eye and tell them that they're f*cking up, they'll just have to get over it.
I hope these products and tips will help you get a good start for your wedding or big event! Let me know if you have any favorite products or amazing tips I should know about for the next wedding I help out with!
Okay, I had no idea about the SPF thing. I always thought, well if a makeup has SPF, that equals extra benefits, and I picked that one over SPF-free versions. And then I have mask face in my photos. Thanks for the tip, and I'll need to go makeup shopping ASAP.
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