Whether
getting ready for your wedding day or another momentous
occasion, the following tips and reminders will ensure
that you look beautiful in person and in photographs:
- Keep in mind that regardless of the
product, shade, or application technique, makeup is
only as good as the skin it covers. Take time in the
months leading up to the big day to treat your skin
well and avoid using products that cause irritation or
can cause side effects such as dryness, flaking, or
redness. Anticipate your skin’s needs based on its
history and the weather (is the event in a location
where it will be more humid, arid, or cold than your
skin is used to?) then choose products accordingly.
- Do not have a facial,
microdermabrasion, peel, or any other spa or
dermatologist treatment within two weeks of the event,
especially if you have not had such procedures
performed in the past. The last thing you want to deal
with is the complications that could result. If a trip
to the spa is part of your bridal bliss, use the time
to get a stress-relieving massage or manicure and
pedicure rather than a facial.
- Anticipate being photographed and
take into account the lighting. Outdoor wedding photos
demand different makeup than indoor photos. Outdoor
lighting is most flattering in late afternoon as the
sun begins to set. If possible, avoid scheduling an
outdoor wedding ceremony and photos for midday when
the sun is directly overhead. This casts unwanted
shadows on your face and is universally unflattering.
Less makeup is preferred for outdoor weddings. Use a
sheer, satin-matte foundation, a light dusting of
pressed powder, powder blush, soft eyeshadow colors
that are matte or barely shiny, and eyeliner that is
dark brown or slate gray rather than black, which can
look too harsh in daylight. Lips can be any color, but
keep in mind that opaque lipstick with sheer makeup
can look too contrasting. Generally, outdoor makeup
looks best with creamy lipsticks. For mascara, choose
brown if you have blonde hair (dyed or not). All other
hair colors should stick with black mascara,
preferably waterproof unless you’re sure you won’t cry!
- For indoor ceremonies, you must
take flash photography into consideration. A camera's
flash tends to emphasize pink or ruddy skin tones, so
proper camouflage with a neutral- to yellow-toned
foundation is a must. Avoid foundations and powders
with sunscreens in which titanium dioxide or zinc
oxide are the active ingredients. Both of these
mineral pigments have an opaque, reflective quality
that can make your face look whiter than the neck in
photos. A small amount of titanium dioxide in your
foundation or powder is fine; it just shouldn't be an
active ingredient where the concentration is
considerably higher.
- Be sure your foundation matches
your skin color exactly. Check to be sure there is no
line of demarcation at the jaw, hairline, and temples.
In general, liquid foundations with a soft matte
finish work best because they are versatile and let
your natural skin tone show through. Cream-to-powder
and stick foundations tend to offer heavier coverage
that, unless carefully blended, can look mask-like. It
may be tempting, but do not mix a liquid shimmer
product with your foundation to make skin look more
radiant. In photos, even when used judiciously,
shimmer can make skin look slick and greasy instead of
luminescent, especially after wearing it for a few
hours. And once the event begins, stealing away for
touch-ups is unlikely.
- Seek a powder that closely matches
your skin tone. Pressed powder is more portable and
easier to use than the loose version. Look for a
pressed powder with a silky texture and skin-like
finish. Today's modern powder formulas (particularly
those from Estee Lauder, L'Oreal, M.A.C.,
Prescriptives, and Maybelline) make skin look
beautifully polished, not powdered or ultra-matte.
Apply the powder with a professional brush, not a puff
or sponge. If you have normal to dry skin, only powder
the T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin) and leave the
cheeks with the soft matte finish your foundation
provides.
- For blush, powder formulas tend to
photograph best and hold up over the long haul. If in
doubt about which shade to choose, opt for those in
the rose or pink family if you have fair to medium
skin and choose rosy-plum tones if your skin tone is
medium to tan. Do not make the mistake of under-applying
blush, especially for indoor photos. Wedding makeup is
formal, and requires more color than you may normally
wear. Make sure your blush is in the same tonal family
as your lipstick (for example, pair a pink blush with
a pink, berry, or rose-toned lipstick).
- The color of your makeup design
should come from your blush and lipstick, not your
eyeshadow. Keep tones muted and matte so that they
emphasize, not compete with, your natural eye color.
As a general rule, you can't go wrong with eyeshadow
colors that have a brown, tan, taupe, or neutral base.
Think earth tones (slate, shell pink, bronze) and "food"
tones (cream, caramel, coffee). If you want to add a
touch of shimmer to your eye makeup, find the sheerest
product possible, apply sparingly to highlight your
brow bone or the inner corners of your eyes, and make
sure you like how it looks in photos before the big
day arrives.
- Pay attention to your eyebrows. Do
not attempt any new tweezing techniques or patterns,
but do see a professional brow groomer who has loads
of experience shaping brows so they frame your eyes as
attractively as possible. A brow pro can also show you
how to make the most of sparse, thin, or barely-there
eyebrows. For wedding makeup, use brow powder, a matte
powder eyeshadow, or tinted brow gel rather than
traditional brow pencil to shape and define.
- Be sure to carry your lipstick and
lip liner with you for touch-ups after the ceremony
and before the reception. It is also helpful to carry
a pressed powder and small powder brush, as well as a
clean makeup sponge in case you need to buff or smooth
any aspect of your makeup, especially lipstick marks
from over-zealous relatives or
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