Less is Not Always More

You have been dreaming of your wedding day and have some sort of picture in your head of your bridal style, including how to do your makeup. You know what looks best on you have trends you love. Maybe there is a whole Pinterest board dedicated to this and you have your heart set on a certain look. But before you commit to your makeup, it is important to know how it works in Camera.

A few years ago the trend in bridal makeup was very minimal, every bride wanted the natural look. A hint of blush, a bit of eyeshadow, some lipgloss and that’s it. However, very few women don’t realize how much makeup is actually used to achieve this look. Time and time again while snapping getting ready photos, I hear the bride tell her makeup artist “oh that’s far to heavy for the natural look I want”. And time after time the makeup artist has explained that you need a certain amount of makeup on your face in order for it to show up on photos! I usually chime in to confirm this saying that although it looks like too much in the mirror, it will show up perfect in photos. Most brides tend to insist to have their makeup toned down and regretted it after, because the makeup did not show up in photos as they thought it would. This occurs because cameras capture light differently than our eyes perceive it. They tend to emphasize sharp contrasts and therefore, do not pick up on more subtle blending or soft conturing.

There is a reason people in the entertainment industry have rooms dedicated to makeup. They use a lot of makeup to achieve their looks. On any tv show, the actors have their make up done for every scene and get touch ups between takes. Even in scenes where someone is “just waking up”, the actor has a lot of makeup on. News anchors, talk show hosts and reporters look like they are naturally beautiful and put together. But every one of them are wearing a lot of makeup. Live theatre performers require a lot of makeup just so their features and facial expressions show up for the audience under the lights of the stage. And models spend hours in makeup before they walk down the runway or end up in a magazine. The truth is, the natural look is not that natural and you will need to trust your makeup artist. Make up in a mirror looks different than makeup in photos.

Glam is Back!

On the other end of the spectrum, I have photographed brides who went the opposite direction and had heavy makeup on for their wedding day. The glam look is coming back big time and brides are starting to ask for a dramatic and bold look with darker shades on their eyes. When done well, the Glam look is amazing! However, I do caution brides about going in this direction, especially if they do not regularly wear a lot of make up. The Glam look will often include a lot of dark eyeshadow which can make the eye look heavy or half closed. I don’t mind a good smokey look or colour on the lids, but keep in mind that your eye makeup should enhance and brighten your eyes, not hide them. 

When it comes to other aspects of of your makeup, such as lip colour, blush, conturing etc, the best things to remember is that you want them to compliment your natural skin tones. And most importantly, you do not want any of those things to distract from your eyes. After all, that is where my camera will be focused. The eyes are the window into your soul and will hold all the emotion you want captured in your wedding memories.

Match Your Dress

The last thing to keep in mind is something you may not have even thought of. Your makeup should compliment the style of your dress! If you have a dramatic dress, go with more dramatic makeup. Softer and more romantic dresses look best when matched with an equally soft and romantic pallet. Brides should contemplate on their overall look and how every aspect will together, instead of focusing on each aspect on it’s own. Think of a word or two that will best describe your over all bridal style, (romantic, princess, bold, sexy). Then choose a dress, hairstyle, jewelry and makeup that best conveys that style for you.

The best way to achieve the perfect makeup look is to discuss things with your makeup artists and do a trial run. Show them photos of your dress, and your hairstyle if you have them. Your makeup artist will help you achieve the look you desire in a way that will compliment your natural beauty.