How-to: Bridal Makeup

How-to: Bridal Makeup

Hi guys! So I recently was a part of my cousins wedding, and I actually got to do her make up on her special day. I’ve freelanced a little bit from time to time, but this was a totally different experience. Not only was it for someone I cared about, but also on her big day as well. I made sure to get to know her skin, and take every extra step there is to create the most beautiful bridal makeup. I’m going to show you step by step, how to create this bridal look.

 

1. Prep your skin! If you want your makeup to last all day and go on as smooth as can be, make sure you prep your skin. First wash your face, then moisturize, then wait 15 minutes before the actual application.
2.  Start with eyes. I went with a natural smokey eye (as seen in the picture) and will teach you just how to get it. Any eye-shadow palette will work, drugstore or high-end, as long as you have neutral shades in it. Pick up any light colored shade and apply it to the crease. This will give you a base for the darker colors and is an important step to make sure your eye-shadow looks blended. With a smaller blending brush, choose a slightly darker shade and apply it to the outer half of the eye, but make sure not to bring it in too close to the inner corner. Keeping dark shades on the outer corners help open your eyes up. If you bring them a little too far in, it could give an opposite effect. If you don't want to add a shimmer, you can stop there. If you like shimmers, you can add one to the inner half of your eye. I added a a light shimmer on my cousin, which I think really made her eyes pop.
3. Eyeliner is up to you. Some people don't feel comfortable without a thick black line on the top and bottom of their eye. Apply your eyeliner like you always do, and if you don't wear eyeliner simply skip this step. 
4. Next step is mascara. Mascara really finishes off any eye look. Add as much as you feel comfortable with. My cousin wanted a more dramatic look, so I added fake eyelashes on her. If you want to keep it more natural, I would stick with just mascara. But of course it's up to you!
5. You should be done with the eyes at this point. Next step is primer. I would choose a primer that is oil-free and one that you know works for you and your skin. Make sure you wash your hands first, and then pat your primer into your skin gently. 
6. Apply your foundation however works best for you. I like to use a beauty sponge, because it gives me the most natural looking finish. Simply apply your foundation to your hand and pat it on with the beauty sponge, making sure to hit all areas of the face.
7. Concealer is something that is an important step for me, but you can skip this step if you don't have any discoloration under your eyes. I tend to get a blue/purple tint when I'm tired, and when that happens I need my concealer. Don't go too heavy with this, concealer is designed to be very full coverage so keep it on the lighter hand. Blend it out with whatever you used for your foundation or stick to using your fingers. Always be gentle when working with your face. 
8. Next step is contour. If you want a more natural contour, bronze instead. My method with contouring is the "three" method. simply turn to the side and move your brush in a three motion. on your forehead, under your cheek bones, and on your jawline. This makes for the most natural looking bronze. If you just apply it to the cheekbones, sometimes it can look a little unrealistic.
9. Next choose whichever blush you think best suits your skin color. Apply it with a light hand to the apples of the cheeks. 
10. Highlight time! Highlighting is one of my favorite steps. It really pulls together your whole base in my opinion. Apply it just above where you put your contour, and a little under the brow bone. 
11. Add your finishing touches, if you want to apply some powder or more mascara do it now. The last step is setting spray, and once you spray your face you shouldn't add any more makeup or it can tend to look cakey. When you're all finished with touch-ups, you can spray your face with whatever setting spray works for you. 

I hope you guys enjoyed my step-to-step tutorial of what I did for my cousin on her wedding day! When it comes to a special day like your wedding, or any special occasion for that matter, I suggest sticking with what products you know work the best for you. Every skin type is different, so sometimes what works for me won't work for you.  Let me know what you think of my how-to bridal makeup in the comment section below!