The OurWeddingDay Blog

1. Choose the right foundation. Getting the right foundation for your skin tone is the most important part of bridal makeup. Go to a department store where professional makeup artists can match your skin color, and don’t be afraid to go to a few different makeup counters. Before purchasing a foundation, go outside into the natural light with a mirror and ask someone you trust to give you their opinion. Even if your wedding is at night, you still want to get the best match possible. Also, wear the wedding makeup for a few hours to make sure that it the color pigment stays true to your skin tone.
2. Coordinate with bronzer. Match your face color to your neck. Many brides get an airbrush tan a few days before their wedding, so they get their wedding makeup done, the foundation color no longer matches. This was easily taken care of with an excellent bronzer. Make sure that you tell your makeup artist if you are planning to get a tan before your wedding day. That way, he or she can be prepared to compensate.
3. Wear fake eyelashes. Some brides do not like the thought of anything fake, but this is one instance to go with fake over natural. Just make sure to get a brand that looks like your real lashes. Cover them with waterproof mascara on the day of your wedding.

Read more:

• How to Get Perfect Wedding Makeup
• High-Tech Wedding Makeup Tricks
• Hiring Your Makeup Artist

To keep your face in fabulous shape for your wedding, whether you have oily or dry skin, take a few fresh tips from makeup pro Keri Berman:

“For dry skin, it’s important that you use a good, hydrating moisturizer primer, which goes underneath the foundation,” says Berman. “The key to dry skin is prior—drink lots of water the week before your wedding.”

Berman downplays doing anything during the actual reception. “If you have dry skin and start to sweat, don’t use powder. Simply wipe the sweat away, and reapply the foundation. More powder will just dry you out more.”

For oily-skinned brides, Berman suggests very little moisturizer, and a tiny bit of foundation. “You don’t want it to look heavy, and you don’t want it to get in the T-zone, the area from your eyes down to your nose.” Berman says you can use powder to keep your face dry, but adds that you need to make sure you don’t overdo it.

“Powder is great at the beginning,” she says. “But hours and hours of doing that is hard. After the first couple of times, use blotting paper. It will remove the oils from your face, and you can get it anywhere.”

For every bride, the most important tip is to keep things in perspective, and not to panic. “If your makeup looks bad, reapply when you have a few minutes,” says Berman. “And don’t sweat it.”

Read more

• Hiring Your Makeup Artist
• High Tech Tricks for Perfect Wedding Day Makeup
• How to Make Your Makeup Last Though the Entire Wedding

Elysa Ross is a celebrity makeup artist & paramedical Aesthetician who has been perfecting bridal makeup & skincare for over fifteen years.  Check back next week for more beautiful bride tidbits and add anotherlook weddings to your Facebook favorites for more wedding advice!

Many times I’ve worked with brides who had a certain “look” or style in mind, only to be vetoed by their parents and friends.  This presents the question, “should one listen to themselves or others?”  There are different vantage points to consider.

1. Are you or your family paying for the service/product in question?  If you are footing the bill for your hair & makeup and desire a sophisticated updo and sexy lips; but your mother envisions banana curls and frosted-pink lipstick-stay true to yourself.  However, if said mother is paying for hair & makeup, try incorporating her ideas with your style.  Instead of a dated hairstyle with tightly curled tendrils, opt for a look with loose, soft curls.  Suggest buffering the prismatic pink lips with a neutral, more muted lip color on top for a more up-to-date look.
2. Are the friends you defer to in the beauty business, whereas you are completely overwhelmed by cosmetic choices and how to wear your hair?  If this is the case, take their suggestions into consideration.  Ask them for guidance and direction, but make sure to voice your opinions and concerns.  If your maid of honor is a whiz with makeup, and elects a dark lipstick that you feel uncomfortable wearing, tell her how you love everything, but the lips overwhelm you a bit and ask her for another suggestion.
3. Are you known for quirky or obscure fashion and beauty choices?  If your typical outfit is a mini-skirt with yellow and blue striped leggings and a Rolling-Stones tee shirt with a cut out neckline, your hair & makeup choices probably follow suite.  If you have outlandish, colorful taste and want a more traditional bridal look, follow the opinions of your more conservative and cosmetic savvy friends.

Regardless of the advice and direction you get, if you feel ridiculous or absurd-fine tuning your hair & makeup is essential.  It is your wedding day.   If while walking down the aisle, all you can think of is how out of character you feel, the rest of the wedding will be just as unfulfilling.

-Elysa

Read more: Making Your Hair & Makeup Last Through Your Ceremony & Reception, Brides with Tattoos: To Conceal or Not? and What to Do When Parents are Paying for the Wedding

Elysa Ross is a celebrity makeup artist & paramedical Aesthetician who has been perfecting bridal makeup & skincare for over fifteen years.  Check back next week for more beautiful bride tidbits and add anotherlook weddings to your Facebook favorites in September and receive a free lipstick!

Although I believe strongly in makeup, I’m a firm advocate of skincare products taking priority over cosmetics.  I’ve met countless product junkies who’ll spend mega dollars on cosmetics to cover blemishes, but never invest in items to prevent those blemishes in the first place.  Treat you’re skin well, and you’ll need less makeup!  Next time you are poised to purchase a $30 colour-think about investing those funds into a great cleanser or masque!

There are cosmetics that will illuminate and highlight your skin’s appearance, but a great exfoliiant is also key.  Exfoliants remove dead skin cells and even-out skin’s tone.  Think of your skin as an artist’s palette.  Just as an artist applies a layer of primer to smooth the surface prior to painting, exfoliating will create an even finish for your makeup.  There are numerous scrubs, masques and toners that contain acids or enzymes to exfoliate.  Budget-conscious brides can use a wet washcloth and gently use circular motions over the entire face.

A fantastic cleanser is imperative.  For those with oily skins, the right cleanser will dig deep into your pores and remove all the debris.  Some cleansers for oily skins also contain mattifyers to lessen oil production.  Dry & dehydrated skins should only be using cleansers for dry and dehydrated skins.  Using a cleanser that is for oily skin will strip of the moisture and create even more dry skin, thus exacerbating the problem.

Eye cream, eye cream eye cream!  If you have passed your teens, use an eye cream!  The first place to show age, lack of sleep or fine lines is the eye area.  Investing in a quality eye cream and using DAILY will keep you looking young and refreshed.  Good eye creams can be pricey, but absolutely worth it.  A good eye cream blows a good lipstick out of the water any day.

Everyone, regardless of skin type, will benefit from retinols.  Retinols (such as Retin-A) exfoliate and increase collagen production.  Collagen keeps the skin plump and healthy.  Although everyone will benefit from retinols-the percentage and strength will vary from person to person.  Make sure to be guided by your doctor or aesthetician as to what strength is appropriate for you.

Elysa Ross is a celebrity makeup artist & paramedical Aesthetician who has been perfecting bridal makeup & skincare for over fifteen years.  Check back next week for more beautiful bride tidbits and add anotherlook weddings to your Facebook favorites in September and receive a free lipstick!

"Do I need airbrush makeup?" This is a question that I hear quite a bit.  The answer is “no,” provided that your makeup artist is truly a talented, seasoned professional. 

Airbrushing has its’ perks: When done correctly, it looks flawless and is locked in place.  However, softening lines for a natural appearance and customized blended colors can be challenging.  Makeup artists trained in cinema, print and film have mastered techniques that will produce a perfect, enduring face without the need for an airbrush machine.

I am not knocking airbrush makeup, or those who utilize it.  Simply stated, a great makeup artist is a great artist without or without airbrush.  A not-so-great makeup artist is below par even with an airbrush makeup machine.  An “airbrushed” finish is necessary.  How that finish is achieved is not limited to being sprayed on with a machine. 

The must-haves for all wedding makeup (and the pictures that come with) are waterproof mascara, a lipstick and/or gloss, blotters (rice paper) to absorb sweat and oil and setting/finishing powder.

-Elysa

Elysa Ross is a celebrity makeup artist & paramedical Aesthetician who has been perfecting bridal makeup & skincare for over fifteen years.  Check back next week for more beautiful bride tidbits and advice and add anotherlook weddings to your Facebook favorites for more wedding advice.

Although each bride has different tastes, concerns and color palettes, there are a plethora of products that can work for most brides, moms, maids and guests.  The following are some of my favorites:

When it comes to any cosmetic being applied to the face, I am a believer in natural and holistic makeup.  A trip to Wholefoods or your local vitamin store is a great option.  Many of the fabulous department store products have a high chemical content.  Such chemicals are absorbed into the skin and passed into the bloodstream.  Organic products may have more basic packaging and advertising, but that’s due to the focus on the ingredients as opposed to marketing and flash.  

Bare Minerals and Jane Iredale foundations are always a great choice.

Real Purity products are wonderful.  “Peachwood,” “Light Coral” and “Indiandust” are soft yet vibrant blush choices that are not overwhelming. 

Loreal Colour Riche Lipcoulors are hydrating and long-lasting.  Glamour magazine just rated them as the winner of the year’s best choices. 

My absolute favorite lipgloss is MAC’s lipglass.  VivaGlam Cindy and Gaga are colors that anyone can wear and 100% of the proceeds go to helping people living with Aids.  Gorgeous and charitable is always right up my alley!

Maybelline’s Great Lash mascara is a timeless favorite.  Loreal’s Voluminous Hydrofuge  is superb and Dior’s Diorshow is decadent.   MAC’s #1 and #31 lashes are natural yet full, providing natural yet eye-catching looks.

Lastly, for blemishes and pimples:  Obagi’s Clenziderm is just plain amazing.  The benzoyle peroxide molecules are so small that they penetrate small pores and attack from the inside instead of just sitting on top of the skin and addressing only the surface.  Image’s medicated acne is another great choice to get the job done.

Read more: What To Do About Wedding Day Acne, Hiring Your Makeup Artist,  Wedding Day Makeup: Eyeliner Suggestions

Wedding planning is wonderful, exciting, and, of course, stressful. Should you experience acne on the day of your wedding, or right before, the most important thing to do is stay panic-free.

“If you get a pimple on your wedding day, you can hide it,” says makeup artist Keri Berman of Berman & Co. “Don’t pick at it. If it’s not an open cut makeup can cover it.” Berman tells brides to start with concealer, then to add some powder, and finally a little more concealer.

Brides who have a history of bad skin, and who break out a several days before their wedding will often see a dermatologist for medicine. Since that isn’t an option the day of, and if the breakout is fairly severe, Berman suggests an airbrush machine. “Many makeup artists use them; it’s very drying, but it will cover almost anything.” Even if you own a machine yourself, Berman says it’s a job that you need a professional to handle.

Depending where the breakout is, you can also talk to your hairstylist about changing your ‘do to cover up, say, one cheek or your forehead. “You can’t completely change your hairstyle,” says Berman. “But if you’re comfortable changing your hair, and it makes you feel more confident, go ahead.”

The best advice Berman can give to any bride is to keep things in perspective. “You cover your pimple up the best that you can, and then you move on,” she says. “It’s easy to get caught up in the wrong thing on your wedding day because you want everything to be perfect,” she says. “But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you have one pimple or 15; that’s not why you’re there.”

Berman likes to remind brides that, once you have your dress on, your hair done, and your bouquet, “no one is going to be looking at a blemish.” And if you’re worried about the pictures, relax: “Your photographer can Photoshop a pimple out in about 2 seconds.”

Elysa Ross is a celebrity makeup artist & paramedical Aesthetician who has been perfecting bridal makeup & skincare for over fifteen years.  Check back next week for more beautiful bride tidbits and advice and add anotherlook weddings to your Facebook favorites for more wedding advice.

Bridal beauty and skincare may seem overwhelming.  With so many products, a plethora of wedding websites, and countless makeup mavens offering advice, dissecting what is appropriate for you may seem daunting.  But without over-simplifying, less is usually more.

The easiest approach is to choose what your primary concern is and get products that address this matter.  Kits or coordinating products by the same manufacturer are key.  Mixing products from different lines can be a recipe for additional skincare problems, because co-mingling various products translates into blending different ingredients.  Just as mixing certain chemicals together may cause a combustible reaction-integrating skincare products that may work brilliantly by themselves with something else can cause an adverse effect.

Organic or holistic skincare is a wonderful approach.  These products are usually not chemically based and are therefore good for sensitive, unbalanced, or normal skins.   A trip to a vitamin store will typically yield fabulous products that will nurture, protect, and rejuvenate bridal skins.

-Elysa

Tattoos are more popular than ever, but on your wedding day? That’s tricky. Should you have artwork on your body that you’d like to cover up, there are better ways to go about it than calling the shop and asking for permanent removal.

Makeup, the most obvious choice to hide tattoos, has limitations. While concealer can cover a tattoo, it can also smear you dress. Despite how “perfect” a concealer product claims to be, makeup runs. Unless you have a stylist with you, be very careful about going this route, especially if you’re wearing a formal gown. Your best bet is to use makeup if the tattoo is small and in an inconspicuous place, like your foot or ankle.

Clothing is often a much wiser option. If you’re having a formal affair, and think the tattoo on your shoulder doesn’t fit the style of your ceremony, wear anything but strapless. Should you simply want the tattoo hidden for the ceremony, a shawl or wrap works wonders. If you want to hide the tattoo on your thigh, opt for a full skirt. If it’s a summer ceremony, wear a slip dress.

Other options abound: Bridal gloves can hide a tattoo on your hands or arm, and all you need to worry about is matching the length of the glove to the formality of your affair. Even a nosegay can work, if placed in the right spot. Talk to your dress-maker about other ideas, and make sure she sees the tattoo immediately.

Keeping your hair long to conceal a shoulder tattoo can work, but be careful: Even if you have tons of hairspray, styles lose their strength, and it’s quite possible the tattoo will peek out as the night continues.

On the flip side, you might want to show off your body work. There’s no law against tattoos, so it’s simply a question of how comfortable you are letting the guests see it. If the tattoo is in an extremely prominent place, it might take attention away from your outfit. However, if it’s a small, discreet design, keep it uncovered.  Never make it look like you are trying to hide it. And hey, you can always have your groom get a fake one to match.

One of the ways many brides are cutting down on their budgets is by doing their own wedding day makeup. While hiring a professional makeup artist is recommended for the best and most reliable look, going it alone is an option if you’re comfortable in front of a mirror.

Before you raid the cosmetics counter, however, you should know what you’re getting into. Professional makeup artist Keri Berman, of Keri Berman & Company, recommends that all brides get a lesson first. “Book an artist ahead of time,” she says. “You’ll get instructions on how to do it on the day of, including a face chart and step-by-step instructions.”

Even if you’ve been doing your own makeup for years, Berman says that weddings are a whole different ball game. “You need to understand certain things that don’t apply to Saturday night makeup,” she says. “Beach wedding makeup is different than indoors, and if you mess things up the photographer’s going to be spending a lot of time in Photoshop.”

Berman says that, if you learn how to do your makeup correctly, you shouldn’t have to do a lot of touching up. “You can use blotting paper and powder when the makeup is on and when you’re about to walk down the aisle,” she says. “Don’t keep redoing it.”

One of the biggest mistakes that she notices is bride’s ignoring their eyelashes. “I tell clients to do individual eyelashes, which you can purchase at any drugstore. They really stand out.”

Another mistake is to go for a look you’re not comfortable with. “Makeup should match your face,” she says. “Avoid colors you don’t normally use. Some women feel they need to go over the top for their wedding, and you really just want to look like yourself, but better.”

Time-wise, your makeup should be done about an hour before pictures. “Wear a button-down shirt, so you don’t have to pull anything over your head,” says Berman. “Hair goes next, and then the dress.”

One thing Berman doesn’t recommend is asking for a group opinion. “If you ask four people how your makeup looks, you’ll get four different opinions,” she says. “All that counts is what you like.

Check out more DIY Wedding Planning here.