Here’s The Simple Reason Why I Did My Own Bridal Makeup

Deciding how I was going to wear my make-up on the big day was perhaps the most stressful part of my wedding planning. Bridal beauty is a pretty big deal! I’ve never been one of those women who perfectly arches their brows, and has a smokey eye that could stop traffic. I wish I had the skills to to that, but the reality is, I don’t. On a normal day, I’ll throw on some BB cream, some eyeliner and mascara, and if I’m feeling a little fancy, some blush. That’s it.  My wedding day, however was to be the exception. I wanted to look like I’d put in the effort, but not like a distorted version of myself.

I will admit that I panicked a bit when trying to decide what kind of make-up look I wanted on my wedding day. I spent so many hours on Pinterest, searching wedding make-up, and ended up even more confused! Luckily, I discovered that Bobbi Brown does free make-up lessons, so I booked myself onto one (well… two, really) and had a nice long chat with a make-up artist.

She helped me fine tune my look and find something that was natural, but also special for the day! From there, it was about updating my make-up arsenal, and adding a few new things too! I thought it would be wise to stick with what I know, but invest in some brand new products that would make me feel beautiful! I was definitely set on a more natural look. I embellished a bit with a subtle smokey eye and some false eyelashes, and a bolder color on my cheeks for that bridal glow, but even my lipstick was quite neutral. I went for a nice pinkish brown color from Lancôme, which happens to be my favorite place to get lipstick.

What I Used For My Bridal Look:

bb cream, smashbox

eye corrector + concealer, bobbi brown 

spot concealer, mac 

foundation stick, bobbi brown

powder, benefit

naked 2 palette, urban decay 

waterproof eyeliner, stila 

waterproof mascara, benefit 

false eyelashes, eyelure 

brow kit, Barry M 

blush, theBalm 

lipstick, lancôme

All in all, I think I achieved my goal of looking natural but still looking like I put in a bit of effort. I don’t wear much makeup normally so finding that balance was really important to me. I look at these pictures and think “I look really pretty!” That may sound a bit vain, but if you can’t say that about your wedding photos, when can you, after all!

I’m so pleased with how my makeup turned out! What do you think?

Photography by Joseph Galvin