Looking great on the big day

28 March 2006

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You have the man of your dreams, the dress to die for, the most talented hair and makeup artists you can find, and the best photographer around. But to ensure that you come out looking great in all the pictures, follow our hot beauty tips;

Skin
Your skin takes just as much attention as the rest of the details in the lead up to your big day, and however good your make up artist is, she’s only as good as the skin she has to cover. So take time out to relax and pamper yourself in the months leading up to your big day, and treat your skin well. Stay away from any harsh products, that may cause your skin to flare up for a good few weeks.

Book a facial for the month before the wedding to give your skin time to settle down before you’re forced in front of the camera, especially if you’re planning a kind of treatment you’ve never had before.

Lighting
Whist you’re planning the wedding of the year, anticipate the lighting in all of your venues.

Indoors you’ll need to consider the effect of the flash on your make up. The harsh lights from the flash of a camera will emphasis pink or ruddy skin, so a yellow foundation is a must. Avoid foundations and powders with sunscreens in which titanium dioxide or zinc oxide are the active ingredients. Both of these mineral pigments have an opaque, reflective quality that can make your face look whiter than the neck in photos. A small amount of titanium dioxide in your foundation or powder is fine; it just shouldn’t be an active ingredient where the concentration is considerably higher

Outdoors, your photographer will have less control over the light, so think about the time of day you’ll be having your pictures taken. Natural light is most flattering in the afternoon, and when the sun is beginning to set. Midday sun does no one any favours and causes shadows on places where you really don’t want them, so avoid having the outdoor pictures taken at noon.

Make up
The color of your makeup design should come from your blush and lipstick, not your eyeshadow. Keep tones muted and matte so that they emphasize, not compete with, your natural eye color. As a general rule, you can’t go wrong with eyeshadow colors that have a brown, tan, taupe, or neutral base. Think earth tones (slate, shell pink, bronze) and “food” tones (cream, caramel, coffee). If you want to add a touch of shimmer to your eye makeup, find the sheerest product possible, apply sparingly to highlight your brow bone or the inner corners of your eyes, and make sure you like how it looks in photos before the big day arrives.

Don’t forget to carry a make-up bag with you on the big day, for touch ups where make up hasn’t lasted, or has been blemished by Aunt Ethel’s sloppy lipstick kises.

At the Salon
If you feel a salon trip with your bridesmaids is as much a part of the wedding as the throwing of the bouquet, make it more than 2 weeks before the wedding, so that your skin has time to settle down. After having your eyebrows shaped, and your facial, add a relaxing massage into the mix to relax you after the stress of planning the wedding. Call in a few days before the wedding for your eyebrows touched up and your nails done.

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