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When deciding about your wedding makeup, try to
keep in mind that you want to achieve a look that is utterly gorgeous on that
special day -- and still gorgeous on all the days to follow. Once the event is
over, the photographs and video of your wedding will be an unchanging reminder
of the day that was. If you're like most brides, you don't want to look back and
wonder why you were a slave to fashion and wore that ridiculous, trendy lip
color or that gaudy nail-color-of-the-moment. Consider these strategies for
creating a wedding day makeup look that will endure the test of time.
Study the eternal beauties. Take some time
and surf the web to find photographs of the great screen beauties of the last
century. (For this exercise, stay clear of the stars of today, as elements of
their looks may just be a current fad.) Whose beauty style, in your opinion,
endures, and why?
For example, timeless screen beauties like Vivien Leigh, Rita Hayworth, Ingrid
Bergman, Grace Kelly, Sophia Loren, Lena Horne, Elizabeth Taylor, Dorothy
Dandridge and Audrey Hepburn all understood the dramatic power of well-rendered
eyebrows. They frame and emphasize the eyes and express volumes. Put together a
scrapbook of women who exhibit the kind of look you want, and try to reduce it
down to the elements they share. Incorporate those elements into your wedding
day look.
Find your
true colors. Color trends come and go, but looking good never goes out of
style. Now is the time to find the makeup shades that complement your skin tone,
bring out your eyes, and emphasize the features you love most. Once you begin
experimenting with a makeup palette that has been customized for you, you'll be
amazed at how many looks, from glamour girl to natural beauty, you'll be able to
master.
Lay a foundation. Even if you don't usually wear makeup, consider wearing
at a little foundation on your wedding day. Few of us have perfect skin, and a
foundation can go a long way to giving you a more polished look. Use a light
touch. Dust liberally with powder to "set" your makeup, and bring a
compact with you (ask a bridesmaid to carry it for you if necessary) so you can
touch up during the day. Powder is a quick and easy way to refresh your look as
the day wears on, and fights the shine that can spoil your look in your
pictures.
Follow with
your eyes. Once you have done your foundation and powder, make up your eyes.
Again, using the right colors for your skin tone and eye color will help you
achieve the right look for your wedding day. Remember, eyes are the feature that
most people notice first, so give them the most attention and let them set the
benchmark for the rest of your makeup.
Go for balance -- even if that isn't what you've been reading in the
magazines. For several seasons now, the fashion magazine have touted
emphasizing one element of your face -- eyes OR cheeks OR lips. While this
advice makes a lot of sense for an everyday look, it can make your face appear
unbalanced. Instead, moderately emphasize all three of those key elements to
create a balanced look. In particular, focus on making up your eyes and lips
with an equal degree of emphasis for a balanced look.
Keep the shimmer to a minimum. Shimmer can look like shine, as in the
shine that can result from "nervous perspiration". You don't want to
look like you've just been through a workout as you walk down the aisle. If you
want to use a shimmer or frosted element, opt for using it on your lips; keep
eye shadow and blush matte.
Think through your choice of lip pencil carefully. Your day will be
filled with kisses -- mostly given by you to others. Using lip liner will not
only help define your lips, it will also help your lipstick stay on longer.
Still, you're bound to have stretches of time where your lipstick has been
kissed away. To avoid the unnatural look of a noticeable lip liner that remains
after the lipstick has faded, consider choosing a liner in a flesh tone, or in a
color that exactly matches your lipstick. Go ahead: read up on the trends of the
moment, consider the classics, experiment and explore. Ultimately, only you can
decide just the right makeup look for your wedding day. Whatever you decide,
remember that the most gorgeous thing you can possible wear on your face on your
wedding day is a beaming smile that tells the world how happy you are. Rest
assured of this one thing: every bride is beautiful.
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