1. Beauty regime before the big day

To get that glowing, fresh-faced look, there are a few things to consider a few weeks prior to your wedding day. A skin and nail care plan should be started about 6 weeks before the wedding. Talk to your dermatologist about having regular facials and ask your salon of choice for a good mani-pedi.

Don't get too much sun before your wedding. Sunburns and peeling skin shouldn't sabotage your wedding day. If you want a little bit of color on your big day, try tanning beds. Spray-on tans may streak when you sweat and may stain that beautiful dress.

2. Body-Mind-Spirit

Don't forget the importance of Body-Mind-Spirit. What's going on inside is just as important to looking good. As you know preparing for a wedding is very stressful and if you are not looking after yourself by not getting enough sleep or not eating properly it will without a doubt show on your face!

If you are really stressed out consider having a relaxing massage once a week for a month and also a day before the wedding. Burn some relaxing essential oils around the house to help calm your nerves.

If you are having trouble sleeping try chamomile tea before going to bed, to help you relax and get a good night's sleep.

3. Trial

Organize a trial about 6 months before the wedding. This will give you enough time to find a makeup artist of your choice. It is a good idea to have your bridesmaids with you to give their input and also advise what kind of look they want themselves. If not, meet up with friends or your family after your trial and see how they like the makeup.

Have pictures from magazines to show the make-up artist various looks that appeal to you. Mention if you have any skin problems or allergies or if there are any particular ways you wear your make-up.

If you are having a day-time wedding it is ideal to organize the trial during the day as this will give you a better idea as to how the make-up will look. Although most makeup artists schedule appointments in the afternoon, so it's best that you just mention the time of day you are having your wedding.

4. Have pictures and swatches of wedding dress and bridesmaid's dresses

Having pictures of the dresses will give the make-up artist a starting point for designing the perfect look for you and your bridesmaids.

Fabric swatches of the wedding dress and bridesmaid's dresses and a description of the flowers will also help when choosing colours. The colours should compliment both the dress and the flowers.

5. What look to go with

The style you choose for your wedding makeup will ultimately depend on your personal preference, but there are some other factors to consider:

The time of the ceremony -is it a day or evening wedding? A lighter, more natural look is more suited to a day wedding and a more dramatic look is suited to an evening one.

What time of year is your wedding? If you are having a Spring/Summer wedding, go for bright, pastel colours. Warm, deeper shades will lend themselves well to a winter wedding.

Your skin tones and hair colour? There are two colour palettes- warm or cool .

Are you having a theme wedding? If you are, let your makeup artist now what your theme is.

Remember your make up should be a little more dramatic than your everyday make-up as you can tend to look pale and wash-out in photos if your makeup doesn't stand out. The lights that photographers and videographers use are very harsh and strong that the heavier makeup your artist would do can soften the makeup in pictures and videos.

6. Your Face

Foundations with yellow undertones work best with flash photography.

Keep away from heavy shimmer highlighters as this look will not show up well in photos and give a reflective shine. You may look greasy. Try powders with iridescent particles to give you that healthy dewy look.

Ask your makeup artist if a bronzing powder to warm your skin tone would suit your skin tone and color to give you that natural glow.

Blush- use more than not enough. This is usually the first ones that get washed out in pictures. You can always use a lot but still look natural.

7. Your Eyes

The eye area should be soft and natural with no heavy, dark lines. Keep away from up to the minute eyeshadows and make-up trends as you will regret it when you look at your photos in years to come!

If you have highlights in your hair, make sure that your eyebrows are more or less the same color as you highlights. Use a brow pencil slightly lighter than your hair colour and avoid heavy, dark shadows. Too black of a pair of eyebrows may make you look puppet-y.


8. Your Lips

Use a lip-liner the same colour as your lipstick and avoid a noticeable or dark lip line. The colour on your lips will depend on whether you are a warm or cool colour palette.

It is more flattering to define one area i.e. If you want dark defined eyes, go for a lighter lip shade and if you want dark/bright lips go for natural, light eyes. 




9. Timing on your wedding day

Ask your makeup artist to arrive as early as possible and allow plenty of time to get the job done. The last thing you want is to be rushed on your wedding day. This will also give the makeup artist enough time to do the others included in your package in time for your pictorials before leaving for the church.

10. Touch Up Tips

Ask your mom, your maid of honor, or one of your bridesmaids to carry a powder compact, tissues and lipstick for touch ups during the day. Make sure that you ask someone you are closest to so that you wouldn't have to run around looking for her to get a touch-up. Some brides entrust this task to their wedding coordinators because they are always with the bride.

All photos from sabshernandez.blogspot.com archive.