How to: Bridal Make Up

Everyone, meet my beautiful friend Amy. She got married this past weekend (our trip to Maine over the past few days for the wedding was why I've been absent from your lives here, and for that, I am deeply sorry) and asked me to be her make-up artist for the ceremony. I've never been proposed to, but I'm pretty sure that's one of the best questions you could ever be asked. The whole "will you do my make up" thing, I mean.

It goes without saying that Amy is a naturally gorgeous human being. You'll be equally jealous to know she's as nice and sweet a person as she is beautiful. So really, she didn't need any make-up on her special day, but as we all know, make-up isn't a matter of need, it's a matter of LIFEeEEEE!!!!!!!! That said, I wanted to enhance Amy's natural radiance as much as possible, while making her feel elegant, timeless, and I mean, let's face it, sexy for her wedding. 

I think it's imperative that a bride think about how she wants to look in pictures. After all, you'll have them the rest of your life and you do not want to look back and wonder why you look so pasty or how in the hell you decided to sport a unibrow and red lips. 

Make up for pictures is NOT the same as make up you wear to like, work, or your cousin's bat mitzvah or whatever. But just because you might wear more make up than normal doesn't mean you have to look like this drag queen. It mostly comes down to the following:

• A lightweight but full coverage foundation set with loose powder
• Eye primer so as you weep with happy tears your eye make up doesn't drip down your face
• Ditto for a waterproof mascara, but only if you use lash primer--otherwise they'll be too crusty. Sick.
• A soft flattering lip color without shimmer. Shimmery lips don't photograph well. 

 So, we went with a simple but dramatic eye, fresh and dewy skin, and a soft pink lip. 

And so yeah, there were some false eyelashes added on the ends. What??? I can't help myself!!! The end result was a gorgeous bride ready for her admiring groom--and a ceremony full of onlookers.

 {A few tools of the trade}

Make up used on Amy:

Face
Bare Escentuals Prime Time Primer
Sephora Instant Radiance Foundation
Smashbox High Definition Concealer
MAKE UP FOREVER Sculpting Palette
Sephora Blush in Peach Fusion
Coty Loose Powder

Eyes
MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study
NARS Eye Shadow in Blondie
Sephora Kohl Waterproof Liner in Keep Black
MAKE UP FOREVER Shadow in Slate Gray
Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara
Ardell Half Strip False Eyelashes

Lips
Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Soft Nude
YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick in Lingerie Pink
Sephora Lip Liner in Native Nude