How to Apply Makeup: DIY Wedding Makeup

With wedding season in full swing, brides to be are making various preparations for their big day, including reserving a venue, choosing a dress, catering, cake, and flowers, deciding on bridal party attire, etc. It’s a busy time for any potential bride, and all those arrangements and services can get costly. Arguably, however, one of the most important decisions (besides the dress) is figuring out who will do your wedding makeup. It’s a long day and often your makeup will need to withstand outside weather and heat, with pictures being taken constantly.

There are plenty of professional makeup services that will do wedding makeup, but their services can be expensive, and they don’t really know your features like you do. Many women are doing their own wedding makeup for these reasons, and if you choose to do the same (which you really should consider), here are some essential tips:

1. Have a goal picture

It’s always important to have a clear goal in mind, especially when you are trying to figure out how to apply makeup for your wedding. Some makeup artists suggest finding a picture of yourself where you feel like you look your best. This gives you the goal of looking flawless, while still looking like yourself.

 

2. Look for makeup that is long wear or water resistant

With how long weddings can run, and all the potential sweating and heat, you want wedding makeup that will not run or wear off. One of the best options is to use a water-resistant airbrush makeup, as it will dry into a long-lasting finish that will not rub off or smear.

 

3. Use toner beforehand

Using a daily toner in the weeks leading up to your wedding will help break down dead skin cells, moisturize and condition your face, and clear your skin. Consider using a spray toner with plenty of botanical ingredients like this one, as it is an easy way to add toner to your routine and can be very nourishing for your skin.

 

4. Moisturize first

Be sure to moisturize before applying your makeup. In addition to being great for your skin, moisturizing also helps lessen the appearance of wrinkles. Consider using a rich moisturizing peptide cream or an oil-free moisturizer with vitamins.

 

5. Use primer

A thick primer like this Prep and Prime silicone primer will help keep your face feeling moisturized while also helping your makeup adhere better to your face. This is especially true for mineral makeup powder.

 

6. Devote extra attention to your concealer and foundation

When trying to achieve that flawless wedding makeup look, you will want to make sure that you conceal your blemishes with the right concealer and get your foundation as perfect as possible. Having a flawless base will make all your other makeup look better. For more info on choosing the right concealer shade, read our concealer comparison article here.

 

7. Stick with a matte finish

It is best to stick with a matte finish airbrush foundation or powder foundation for your wedding makeup since too much shimmer could wash your face out in pictures.

 

8. Blush

With your blush, you will want to stay with a fairly natural tone and apply it mostly to the apples of your cheeks, as well as a light application to your cheekbones.

 

9. Don’t be too bold with your eye makeup

The key here is to accent your daily look, not to do something completely different and shocking. Go with a relatively natural shade of eyeshadow, or a slightly bolder version of what you typically wear and keep the eyeliner pretty natural.

 

10. Avoid highly reflective finishing powders

Just as with shimmery makeup, you will want to avoid high-definition powders, as they can be overly reflective with a flash.

 

11. Do a trial run and take pictures – under different lighting

Practice how to apply your wedding makeup in the months leading up to your wedding and once you get it where you want it, take some pictures with your makeup applied in different lighting situations to get a good idea of how it will show up in photos.