The Photo-Ready Wedding Makeup Plan
Drew Barrymore, Eva Longoria, Uma Thurman, Ashley Judd and Nicole Kidman – ladies who all looked lovely in person for a big event, but had glaring white powder show up on their faces in photographs.
Here’s how to avoid similar makeup mishaps on your wedding day. After all, there are no picture do-overs on.
Outdoors/Natural Light
If your festivities will be outside in the bright sun, Erin Skipley, a Seattle-based hair and makeup artist, says that semi-matte skin, softly-defined features, and thoughtfully placed color and highlighting are the key to looking your best. “Less is more when you’re in natural light,” Skipley says. “Use a foundation or tinted moisturizer that has a semi-matte finish, and set with a translucent matte powder. Failing to set with a powder can result in makeup melting off or settling into creases after a few hours.”
To get that lit-from-within glow, Skipley recommends using a cream blush before your setting powder and lightly dusting your cheekbones with a soft highlight powder. Products that contain mica can make skin look greasy or sweaty, she warns, so use them sparingly to highlight, never all over your face. “Always keep glitter and shine to a minimum, as they can create unflattering hotspots and glare,” Skipley adds.
Danielle Stewart, a makeup artist and owner of Des Moines, Iowa-based Beauty of All Faces, says “heat loves to eat up your beautiful makeup.” Because of this, Stewart advises applying it in multiple layers – for example, using a primer for all skin types and one that will help with shine in the T-zone. Also, using a lip stain under your lipstick will ensure color that lasts through all your pictures, Stewart adds, even if the first layer wears off.
Finally, don’t forget about sunscreen. Find one that’s below SPF 30 and doesn’t contain a lot of titanium dioxide, says Skipley. “When bright light hits the SPF, it will act like a million tiny mirrors and could make you look ghostly,” she says.
Indoors/Low Light
Photography for indoor weddings will likely require some sort of hot lighting — such as on-camera flash — which can uncover skin damage and dark under-eye circles that aren’t visible in natural light, notes Skipley. Still, she takes a less-is-more approach while still covering her bases. Her picks: a lightweight, matte-finish foundation that has little or no SPF and a medium- to full-coverage concealer. Minimizing glow-y products while bumping up the intensity and definition of eyes, cheeks and lips also are among Skipley’s tactics for indoors.
Too much white powder or powder foundation can create that nasty flash-back in high-definition photography, adds Stewart, so use it lightly where you’re most likely to shine, or — better yet — opt for a translucent powder with a slight hint of color.
Whether your wedding photos will be taken indoors or out, Stewart also advises against waxing within four days of the event; no bride wants to immortalize a red, swollen brow or upper lip! If you plan to get a spray tan, schedule a trial well in advance. “You don’t want to appear orange or spotty in your pictures,” Stewart says. “Better to be safe than sorry.”
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