Wedding Makeup Tutorial + Tips and Tricks

Good Evening. Getting a late start again today. I’m trying to get my sleep cycle back to normal. I feel so unproductive when it’s backward. Why is so easy to stay up all night and sleep all day? Sigh

Anyway, in today’s post I’m going to show you have I did my makeup on my wedding day. I got married a little over a year ago but some things you don’t forget, and being a bblogger and MUA, my makeup was definitely one thing I remembered well. So I have recreated a walk through of how I got this look with all the same products. I also have some great tips and tricks for your big day, just in time for wedding season.

So if you wanna see how I got my wedding day look, just keep reading! I also included a few pics of the big day.

I used two palettes for the big day, both from Kat Von D. The Shade  + Light Eye Contour Palette for my matte shades and the Monarch Palette for my accents and shimmer shades.

 

 

I wanted to go for a warm toned look as I was getting married in the fall but it’s easily a look that can be done year round. If you would like to see a cool toned look just let me know in the comments below or any other special requests.

 

BTW, you don’t need these products mentioned. There are a million similar products on the market. These are just my ride die products I knew wouldn’t let me down.

The Eyes

I started out with eye primer and applied it from my lid all the way into my brows before filling them in. I do this to prevent creasing on the lid, but applying it into the brow gives the product something to stick too so your brows will stick around all day. For primer, I used the Smashbox Photo Finish 24 Hour Eyeshadow primer. (my favorite)

Next filling in my eyebrows, as I always do before anything else. I feel like those are an important starting point as they are the frame for your face. I also do eyes before skin in case things get messy. For my eyebrows, I used the Anastasia Dip Brow Pomade in Taupe and the Nyx Micro Brow in Taupe which is too light for me to use now but at the time I had a lighter hair color. I used the ABH Dip Brow in the recreation and corrected the tone with eyeshadow from the Shade + Light.

If you want to see how I do my brows check out my brow routine here: All About Brows – Current Brow Routine

On to the eyes.  I start out with a base shade all over the lid and to the brow which gives an even canvas and cancels out any discoloration. You can also lay a concealer down first if you have a lot of pigmentation or veins that peek through your eyeshadow. I have freckles that like to shine through and look like I splotches of shadow where I shouldn’t.

For my base shade, I used a creamy almost yellow shadow from the KVD Shade + Light called Laetus. It’s a shade very close to my skin tone.

On the brow bone, I took a lighter off white shade called Lucus. This just gives a subtle highlight to the browbone.

Next is my transition shade. I used Ludwin for this. It’s a light camel shade that is a perfect transition for so many looks. I think it gives a flattering warmth to any eye look.

On a fluffy brush, I took this shade into the crease and blend it up and out. 

I next began to build some depth in the crease and outer corner.

I used the warm reddish brown shade called Succubus on a smaller blending brush, focusing it in the outer portion of the eye and crease area. 

And on a pencil brush, I took the deepest shade called Deadhead from the Kat Von D Monarch Palette which is a soft black, just in the outer corner to amp up the drama.

Now it’s time for some shine. I took the gold (Summerfly) shade from the Kat Von D Monarch Palette and blended it into the warm brown tones. I added a touch more warm brown just create a smooth gradient effect.

On the inner portion,  I added a bit of the peachy shade called Killing Jar to soften the gold.

This part may take a little back and forth between the 3 shades to get the perfect blend but it’s not a hard look to achieve.

For my eyeliner, I wanted a nice simple flick that lifted the eye but didn’t overpower the look.

I believe of the day of I used a Nyx Cream Liner but the one from ELF is pretty damn nice, very black and easy to work with.

If you opt for liner on your wedding day, you’ll def want something long wearing and waterproof. I would recommend a good cream liner as I have found they have the longest staying power.

If you prefer liquid, though, the Kat Von D Tattoo liner is pretty long wearing as well as the felt tip pen for Tom Ford. Sadly, I can’t recommend a drugstore options for liquid that is super long wear. If you have one let me know in the comments.

Back to the liner. I softened it a bit with that same black shadow from earlier and smoked it out just a bit. I was going for a softer look. 

I also kept everything clean and tidy with a q-tip and my face primer which works like a magic eraser on liner mistakes. It also cleans up fall out like a dream. Any lotion, face primer or micellar water will do the trick.

I jumped ahead and did my face before finishing the lower lash line but we’ll get to face in a minute.

On the lower lash line, I took the warm brown eyeshadow on a small pencil brush and blend it across starting out the outer corner so the most color would be deposited there. I also took a little bit of the peachy shimmer shade into the center part and blend over into the inner corner highlight.

For the inner corner highlight, I used this champagne/oyster shade called Telepathy. It’s a really unique type of color, looks cool toned but has a golden shift that’s perfect for the inner corner.  Any champagne toned shade would work great.

I finished the eye off with a final blend with a fluffy brush around the outside edges to make sure everything looked seamless and applied a flesh-toned liner to the inner waterline. I was having some transfer issues on this particular day.

Lastly, I used a combination of Too Faced Better Than Sex and Kat Von D Immortal Lash over the top because it’s very long wearing. On the day of my wedding, I used Maybelline Colossal Lash in the waterproof formula.

I added some false lashes for some extra oompf. My favorite for brides is the Ardell Demi Whispies or a half lash. It depends on the client.

I believe I added a touch of the black shadow to outer corner on the lower lashline as well for more definition. This, unlike my wedding day where the makeup application went flawlessly, was another story. Just one of those days where nothing is going as you want.

And that’s the finished eye look.

The Skin

The skin is something that needs a little extra perfecting for bridal makeup and there is a lot to keep in mind because of the flash photography that is used at a wedding.

This is the one day it’s okay to skip the SPF as some formulas can cause flashback with flash photography.

Don’t skip moisturizing and lip balm.

Flashback is when the flash of the camera reflects off the makeup and gives a white cast, the most common culprit is an HD powder. The light reflects off the silicone that it’s made of. So most definitely avoid an HD powder to set your makeup.  A traditional setting powder is the way to go. If you have a deeper skin tone some translucent ones can also leave a white cast.

There is a fine line with bridal makeup, where you are applying more product than you normally would but doing it in a way that it appears natural. You want to apply enough blush, contour bronzer and highlight that you look great in photos but not so overdone in person.

This is how I did my OWN makeup as I am someone who tends to wear a lot anyway so why not on my wedding day, but when I do brides, I try to keep what they normally wear, and their personalities in mind. It’s about the bride after all. I’ve had brides ask for hardly anything and some want full Instagram makeup. Thing is, the girls wanting the Instagram makeup don’t normally do that look at all. They want full contour, cut crease, glitter and a highlight to blind the back row. They just won’t look like themselves and it can come off as very trendy. When you look back on your photos, you don’t want to think “Oh god, what was thinking with that face?!” So I try to find balance with my brides that request that. Give them glam but a refined, timeless glam. Not every bride requires that much. Just some spot concealing and perfecting. It’s something that varies. My philosophy with brides is to make them feel beautiful but keep their style and personality in it.

Now back to my face. I personally went full coverage on myself. I have a lot of freckles, redness, and pigmentation. I wanted to have flawless skin.

Here are what I used and some of my favorite products for weddings.

Primer is different from client to client. Do they need a hydrating one or a mattifying, pore minimizing what have you. I used the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer on myself. It’s a great go-to for most situations.

I highly recommend a good long wear foundation. Which one depends again on the bride’s skin type. I have dryer skin. I found the Nars All Days Luminous Weightless Foundation is great for me and a worked great on combo skin. For very oily I recommend Estee Lauder Double Wear. The Loreal Infallible is a great drugstore range if you are on a budget. Again, make sure it doesn’t have an SPF.

For concealer, I love love love the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer for special occasions. There are so many good ones on the market right now, though. KVD Lock-It Concealer is a great alternative and good old Maybelline Fit Me or Maybelline Age Rewind are good drugstore options.

For spot concealing, I recommend a cream formula and apply with a fine pointed brush, then feather the edges. Make sure it’s the same shade as your foundation.

As for powder, I’m in the hunt for a loose setting powder for baking from the drugstore, I didn’t like the Airspun. But for high end, I like KVD Lock-It Setting Powder.

On my wedding day and a couple brides, all I used was the Nars Light Reflecting Pressed Powder to just set the face, not bake. I didn’t experience any flashback with this one.

Cream contouring under the foundation can look beautiful for photography. On my day I used a powder contour from the Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette. Just make sure you blend blend blend!

For blush I chose Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure, It looks cool toned in the pan but it’s actually a warm tone. A very flattering shade. This is my favorite blushes of life. A little extra blush is fine for bridal, so the bride isn’t washed out in photos. Just have to find the right balance with this too. Start light and build up.

The same goes for bronzer. Not everyone needs or wants bronzer. I chose to use this very light shade from Hourglass. It’s a pale girls dream. If a matte bronzer is what you are looking for, Benefit just came out with Hoola Lite for the pale gals and the original Hoola is a great universal shade for most skin tones. Deeper skin tones will need a deeper warmer shade.

Highlighting ideally should be done strategically with a small face brush or large eyeshadow brush, or else you can look too shiny and it can read as oily. Just focus it on the high points.  I love a good champagne highlight. I used ELF Baked Highlighter in Moonlight Pearls on myself. I would avoid a glittery highlight as well.

A finishing powder is a great touch for a special makeup day. (Or every day if you are like me) I love the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light for under the eye and high points of the face. It has a yellow undertone which really brightens the skin.

I also like to take the shade Dim Light all over the face in a light buffing motion to make sure everything is blended and looks like one with the skin. These also give a beautiful, healthy radiance to the skin. It’s a magical product.

I finished off with some Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray to lock everything in and take down any powdery texture. In a pinch, hairspray will work. Old school trick.

The Lips 

Lastly, for the lips, I chose a red that I felt went with my makeup and vibe for the day. I used Mac Lip Liner in Auburn paired with Mac Nose For Style Lipstick which was Limited Edition. It’s looking very warm in the pics but’s a super flattering wearable red.

 

Finished Look

 

 

 

And More Wedding Pics + My Display at Home

Cake Cake Cake… And it’s not even my birthday. 

We had a Bee Themed Wedding if you hadn’t noticed. Here’s  a few pics of shelves in my office.

 

Toasting with Guinness and more Cake! I want cake now… 

I have a few more posts on Wedding stuff as well over here: Weddings

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