To make sure your makeup stays put for your wedding
By Jo’Nae Earls
Wedding makeup can be stressful — it’s the one time in our lives we need our makeup to stay on all day and the one day of our lives during which we sweat and cry the most. Here are the best tips, tricks and product recommendations I’ve gathered while doing bridal makeup to make sure your makeup stays put and keeps you feeling gorgeous all day long!
Step one: primer
The right face primer is very important. An easy trick to make sure you buy the right primer for your skin is picking one with the right ingredients. For skin that tends to be oily, look for a mattifying primer containing pore-filling polymers and oil-controlling minerals like Benefit’s Pore-fessional Primer. For skin that runs dry, try Tatcha’s Silk Canvas Primer with ingredients like Hadasei-3 for anti-aging and pink and gold pearl pigments to give dry skin a natural, healthy glow. Avoid any products with SPF; it’s great for anti-aging, but your skin will look ghostly white in photos as soon as the photographer turns on her speed-light, as SPF is known to cause intense flashback in photos using flash.
Step two: skin
Foundation is an important step, but how you make sure it stays is even more important. If you tend to have oily skin, use powder bronzers, blushes and highlighters, and set your whole face with translucent powder. If your skin runs dry, try using cream-based blushes, bronzers and highlighters, and avoid setting your entire face with powder.
For either skin type, Tarte’s Shape Tape Concealer packs a punch in the coverage and smoothness department, and Laura Mercier’s Translucent Loose Setting Powder has ingredients that promote 12-hour wear and zero white flashback in photos. Both of these products will give you a smooth, sweat-proof glow under your eyes or anywhere you need extra coverage.
To apply: gently press the concealer into the skin in the desired areas using a slightly damp beauty sponge. Once blended, press a generous amount of translucent powder over the concealer using the same damp beauty sponge. Let the excess powder sit for at least five minutes before dusting it away with a clean powder brush.
Step three: eyes
The most important step to long-wearing eye makeup involves three key products. Urban Decay’s Eye Primer Potion, which comes in multiple shades and finishes didn’t get its cult-classic status for anything. This primer will hold your eyeshadow in place for 12+ hours — through tears and sweat.
Second, you’ll need a waterproof eyeliner. Stila’s waterproof eyeliner pens and pencils are famous for their intense pigmentation and smudge-proof formula. Whether you want a diffused brown liner or a jet-black winged liner, it’s most important you use a waterproof product that will protect you from misty eyes on your wedding day.
Waterproof mascara is just as important as eyeliner — try Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof Mascara. It holds up through moisture while keeping your lashes jet-black, voluminous and long.
Step four: set it
No matter your skin type or what style of makeup you’ll be wearing, you’re gonna want Huda Beauty’s Resting Boss Face Setting Spray in your kit. This secret makeup weapon does exactly what most setting sprays only claim they can do: one 15-second spray and your face will last all day long.
Step five: lips
Liquid lipsticks are smudge-proof, but after two hours of wear, they can start to break apart on the lips, which can make even the healthiest lips look dry and cracked. You can add lip balm before application to add moisture, but unfortunately, this reduces the wearability of the liquid lipstick. Instead of adding more and more layers of dry lipstick all day, try using a nude or brown lip liner along with a soft coral or pink lip gloss, like Tarte’s H20 Gloss in Pink Sands, which also has universally flattering gold reflects interspersed throughout. The re-application is cleaner and faster, the formula is more forgiving with mistakes, and if it starts to wear off, it won’t be as eye-catching as a liquid lipstick would. Plus, this lip combo is perfect for subtle glam and looks great on every skin tone.
Remember, what’s most important about wedding makeup is how it makes you feel about yourself. Whether you feel best in a full-glam look or with no makeup at all, make sure your makeup helps you feel confident and beautiful — it’s your big day, after all!
