Wedding Guest Makeup
As a wedding guest, getting your makeup right is a tough challenge. First and foremost you do want to look amazing as you’re going to be being photographed a lot and meeting a lot of people. On the other hand, you absolutely do not want to upstage the bride.
What’s more, if you’re going to be attending both the ceremony and the reception, you need makeup that’s going to last you through the whole day or at least stay looking good until you get the chance to nip off and touch things up. Of course, wedding day schedules can be uncertain, so you won’t always be in control and be able to nip off at a time of your choosing.
The final thing to consider is that you won’t always be able to carry tons of makeup and makeup brushes with you all day so you need to carefully consider what you have with you and when you can use it.
With so much to think about, it’s no wonder that wedding guest makeup can be a bit of a minefield. Well don’t worry, our guide is here to help.
Keep It Subtle
Subtle, glowing beauty is a perfect look for a wedding. Think about when the wedding is going to be in the year. If it’s a summer wedding, then you want to think about warm colours with a sunny feel. The ideal wedding guest will work with the ambience of the wedding and their look will complement it so it’s a good idea to take a look at pictures of the venue to get a feel for the look or even ask the bride what aesthetic she’s got in mind. Sticking with subtlety as a theme, you’ll probably want to contour, but don’t go for really heavy contouring or really sharp lines. It’s a good idea to contour gently following the natural contour lines of your face (suck your cheeks in to see where these sit). Apply thin layers of contour and buff it gently with a firm brush.
Once you’ve added your contouring, you can gently add pops of colour. Do this both on the apples of the cheeks but also anywhere that you’d naturally pick up a bit of colour if you were out in the sun for a while. This will make everything look a bit more natural and help you glow. We’re thinking areas like the temples, under the collar bones and the bridge of the nose.
Prime For Success
We’ve mentioned that part of the challenge with wedding guest makeup is that you need to be sure it’ll stay on and stay looking great for the whole day; a day that can be long, hot, and with lots of people looking at you.
A primer will help to set your makeup and keep everything in place. A good primer, like our Glowful primer, will hydrate the skin, give it a glow and make sure nothing runs or transfers.
Choose Powder For The Eye
Whilst cream based eyeshadows can be used to create fantastic looks and we’re big fans of them, after lots of wear and whilst doing more physical stuff like dancing, cream based shadows can start to crack. Again, choose an eyeshadow colour that will complement a warmer feel like our Cinderella Magic Happens Eyeshadow Quad.
Add to your eyeshadow with a thin line of eyeliner, perhaps aiming for understated and subtle rather than big and bold.
Mascara wise, it’s a good idea to go for something water-resistant like our Dark Matter Mascara, now in a handy mini masara size so it won’t take up much room. A water-resistant mascara will stay looking great even if you get a bit teary in those emotional moments.
Liquid Lipstick
Lipstick is another area where your wedding guest look can come unstuck. There’s pretty much a universal agreement that a matte liquid lipstick is the best bet in terms of something that will keep looking great through the rigors of the day. Add a bit of gloss to make those lips shimmer and keep everything in place.
Practice Makes Perfect
Remember, it’s a good idea to practice before the day. Someone’s wedding day isn’t the time to be discovering that your new technique for applying brusher doesn’t make for the killer look you think it does. Try a couple of dry runs beforehand and wear the look for a while. If the wedding is likely to be on a hot day, that’s another good point to consider at the try out phase.
