District Weddings

Today Kerry shares insider tips on how to perfect your bridal makeup for the big day!

As a former department store cosmetics counter girl, I absolutely love makeup. I knew I wanted to have my makeup professionally done for our wedding day, so I set out to find the right makeup artist early on in our planning.

A lot of brides want to look very natural, almost as if they are not wearing any makeup, but that just isn’t me. I want to look polished and, well, made up! Also, when your makeup is too natural and your features are not properly defined, you can appear washed out on film. So what may look dramatic in person will really pop in photos.

Before my first makeup trial, the makeup artist stressed the importance of keeping my skin hydrated before the trial by drinking lots of water and not drinking too much alcohol. Despite coming home exhausted the night before, I made sure to remove my makeup, thoroughly wash my face, and apply a hydrating night cream. The next morning, I used a cleanser with glycolic acid for good exfoliation and then a moisturizer with SPF so that she had a good blank canvas to start with on me.

I had so many ideas in my head before my makeup trial that I had forgotten that the artist wanted me to come with actual pictures of what I had in mind. So the morning of my trial, my fiancé and I were poring over bridal magazines to find the look I wanted. But rather than bridal magazines, I found the best pictures of close-up faces with a variety of makeup looks in Allure magazine.

She asked me what makeup I usually wear every day and I recited a long list. I don’t mind the feel of makeup on my skin, but if you are not used to wearing a lot of product, then tell the artist. By getting an idea of what makeup you are comfortable wearing, the artist can pick and choose the right products for your big day.

My artist also asked about the location and time of day of the wedding, what flowers were in my bouquet, and what my dress looked like. She took all of these aspects into account when discussing my makeup look with me.

I liked that the artist continuously talked to me while working, repeatedly asking my opinion to make sure she was achieving the look I envisioned. The initial session is meant for trial and error, so wiping off one look to try another is perfectly fine. For instance, my idea of “cat eye” was very different from hers, so she swabbed off the eyeliner and tried again and did the exact swoop I had in mind.

After finishing, she also snapped a few photos to show me how I looked on camera instead of just in the mirror, and promised to e-mail them to me. In retrospect, I am glad I booked the trial for early morning. It gave me a chance to check my makeup throughout the day to see how it was holding up.

Having a professional do my makeup on the big day will be a fantastic and is one less thing I have to worry about doing myself. I can sit back and relax knowing I’m in good hands!