Planning your wedding makeup is not an easy task, on top of everything else you have to think about!

It’s going to be one of the biggest days of your life, so it goes without saying you want to look your absolute best from head to toe.

And, an essential part of your bridal look is your makeup. Whether you’re an avid wearer or a mascara and gloss kinda girl, you’re going to want to wear some makeup on your wedding day, just to avoid looking washed out in the photos if nothing else – see our blog about why you need a professional makeup artist, for some more reasons.

But how do you decide what you want? Where do you even start?

Here at Helena Victoria, our job is to make our clients look and feel fabulous, and it’s a massive help to us if we know the kind of look you’re aiming for. So with that in mind, we’ve put together our six top tips for planning your wedding makeup:

1 – Find your perfect dress

It goes without saying that this is the lynchpin of your whole bridal look, and the style and colour of the gown you choose will naturally dictate other parts of your look. If you’re going for a boho-style dress, then glam makeup with fake lashes simply isn’t going to work. So make sure you’re completely happy with the dress you’ve chosen, before you start planning your hair and makeup.

2 – Think about what you wear now

You’re getting married, so surely that means you need to look extra glam and have ‘the works’ when it comes to makeup, right? Wrong! If you’re not normally a big makeup-wearer, then don’t do it just for your wedding day; it’ll leave you feeling and looking awkward, and no one wants that in their wedding photos. Instead, think about what you normally wear and refine it; try natural-looking false lashes or a subtle colour on your lips or cheeks to add a little something special.

3 – Think about when you’re getting married

If you’re getting married in July, chances are the weather will be hot and sunny (here’s hoping!) so using heavy foundation and textures is probably not the best idea. Colour is another factor: in winter and for evenings, you can get away with darker colours and heavier textures, but not so much in summer, so consider the weather, time of year and time of day when thinking about your look.

4 – Get the balance right

Smokey eyes, glossy red lips and even a well-placed smattering of glitter are all perfect for your hen night, but maybe not ideal for your wedding (unless that’s the look you’re channelling of course!) It’s usually best to steer clear of extremes of any kind and keep everything balanced and soft, with nothing overly strong. Red lips your signature look? That’s fine, just don’t define the lip line and go for a velvety soft finish rather than gloss or matte.

5 – Steer clear of too much contouring

Yes, we know it’s been a massive trend for the last few years, but on your wedding day? Less is definitely more. When it’s done right, it can look very flattering but if it’s too heavy or the contrast too severe, your face won’t match up to the rest of you and it just looks wrong. If it’s a look you normally wear, think about making it more natural by using lighter and sheerer textures to add subtle depth. 

6 – Try lash extensions

Let’s face it, no matter how hard you try not to, at some point there will be tears – it’s supposed to be the happiest day of your life after all! If you’re worried that waterproof mascara just won’t cut it, then think about lash extensions. Looked after properly, they can last up to three weeks and because they’re applied to each existing lash individually, they’ll always look natural, no matter how close the camera gets. Try them out a few weeks before your big day and then return 3 or 4 days beforehand for in-fills; that way they’ll last through to your honeymoon.

Now you’ve got some idea of the things to think about when planning your wedding makeup, and if you’re hiring a professional makeup artist for your big day, it’ll really help them too.

As professionals ourselves, we’re big believers in enhancing beauty, not masking it, so we’ll work with you to achieve the perfect look (red lips included!) Want to know more? Take a look at our FAQs or feel free to get in touch and have a chat.