If there’s a day your makeup matters the most, it’s your wedding day. Even before the dress, my wedding day makeup was something I thought about and researched. Having never had my makeup done professionally before, I really wasn’t sure whether to just do it myself. Today I thought I would share the makeup I went for and some other beauty essentials that helped me feel my best on my wedding day. 

Choosing a makeup artist

My vision for my wedding day makeup was glam, but not heavy and “instagram makeup” like. I didn’t want barely there, but I didn’t want to look caked in it either – you know?! I found makeup artist jodiemakeup on Instagram, the makeup she creates for brides is exactly what I had in mind, I could have actually jumped for joy when I found her! When it comes to your makeup artist don’t settle, I was so close to booking someone else who I liked, but no where near as much as Jodie. If you can’t find someone that represents your style, or you don’t absolutely fall in love when you see the other makeup looks they have created, then practise and do your own makeup.

3 tips for booking your wedding day makeup artist:

1) Make sure the makeup looks they create represent your style and the kind of makeup you like

2) Check if they have experience with brides

3) See if they can offer a trial if you’re not quite sure on what kind of look to go for

The wedding day makeup

My skin can be a bit of a nightmare and one thing I worried about was finding a foundation that would be flawless, long lasting but fresh and not cakey at the same time. Estee Lauder Double Wear has been a foundation I can rely on for years in terms of longevity, but for my wedding day I felt like it was a little too matte and quite thick. During my trial Jodie introduced me to the YSL Touche Eclat foundation, it’s so light but gives gorgeous coverage and a satin/ glowy finish. This broke down on my skin a little quicker than the Estee Lauder DW, so we mixed the two for my wedding day. This was the perfect combination for me, and I’m over the moon with how my skin looked. With foundation it’s definitely a case of trial and error, I’m glad I gave myself some time to trail a couple of different types to find the perfect one.

Another thing I’m quite particular with is brows, I feel like they can either make or break a look and it’s often what leads to makeup looking too heavy/ overdone. Jodie did my brows using an Anastasia Beverly Hills powder (I think the shade was taupe) and seriously, I wish she could do my brows everyday! They looked naturally full and were pretty much how I would do my brows, but 10x better… Brows was another reason why I wanted to have my makeup done professionally, I could just see myself having a mini melt down the morning of the wedding if I did them and they ended up going wrong.

For blusher we used Nars Orgasm, I don’t always wear blusher so I just went with what Jodie recommended, and I loved the finished look. For highlight it was a Dior Nude Air Luminizer, I can’t remember which one was used but all of the luminizer shades I’ve tried are beautiful. It has that soft formulation so the product just melts into the skin, leaving a glow but nothing that looks too over done. 

On my eyes Jodie used the Too Faced Chocolate palette. I don’t know how I don’t already have this palette in my collection, it has such a gorgeous selection of neutral shades mixed with some shimmers. A really good palette if you are thinking of doing your own makeup. I also had a very thin line of liquid eyeliner to define the lash line and a coat of the L’Oreal Lash Paradise mascara. To complete the eye look we used individual lashes from Salon System. Adding individual lashes made the biggest difference, I wouldn’t recommend strip lashes because they are more likely to move during the day (especially if there’s some tears involved), but individual lashes are perfect, I barely noticed they were there and if you lose one, you won’t really notice. 

I don’t think my wedding day lipstick will come as a surprise to you all, it had to be Charlotte Tilbury Pillowtalk. It’s a matte formulation so long lasting, and it’s dark enough to define the lips but still a soft pink/nude shade that doesn’t look too heavy. I couldn’t think of a better wedding day lipstick for me. Throughout the day I topped up with this and the Pillowtak lipliner. Now it’s my “wedding day lipstick” I keep saving it for special occasions because it just feels too precious to wear everyday!

On the day beauty essentials

I did wear fake tan for my wedding, in the end I decided to do myself. Like my makeup this is something I wondered whether to have done professionally or just do it myself, I dreaded the idea of waking up the morning of my wedding with orange elbows and a massive white patch – not the best bridal look. In the end I decided to actually do it myself. I moisturised so much in the run up to the wedding using this from Garnier. I have quite dry skin on my body and this is the most affordable moisturiser I’ve found that actually nourishes my skin and gets rid of dry patches. When I did come to use fake tan it blended well and there were no dry patches for the tan to cling to. 

On the day to give my skin a bit of extra glow I used the NUXE body oil. I feel like every bride needs this as an essential for their bridal prep. I used it during my hen party, wedding day and honeymoon. It gives my give such a healthy glow and sheen, and because it’s a dry oil it’s comfortable and doesn’t leave you looking like you’ve doused yourself in oil.

For perfume (if you haven’t heard me harp on about this already) it was Jo Malone Peony and Blush Suede, but I also mixed it with Wood Sage and Sea Salt. The combination to me is the perfect bridal scent, floral yet sophisticated and fresh at the same time. I can’t smell peony and blush suede without it taking me back to the day. One thing I didn’t do that I recommend is using a matching body cream to your wedding day scent if you can, it definitely helps it last longer on the skin. 

My wedding day makeup and beauty essentials were basically a combination of all my favourite products and brands. I loved the overall look and feel like it reflected me and my style perfectly.

Catch up on the other wedding week posts here: “5 Things I Learned Getting Married”“The Wedding Venue & Decor” “The Wedding Day Outfits” 

All photos are by our amazing wedding photographer Tom Calton.

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