Bridal Beauty: Perfect Timing

Image (c) Carla Ten Eyck, Makeup by Jennie Fresa

From Jacin: The lovely Jennie Fresa is back today with another installment of Bridal Beauty!  For all of Jennie’s posts, click here.

Are you a morning, mid-day, late afternoon or evening bride?

The time of day for your wedding will help you (and your makeup artist) determine your makeup choices and overall look.  Sunlight changes throughout the day and will influence how your makeup appears in photos.

You should consider paying close attention to the following details to ensure you achieve your desired look:

Image (c) Justin & Mary Photography, Makeup by Jennie Fresa

Morning weddings are perfect for a bride who prefers a more natural look.  The morning light is cool and soft, allowing you to wear minimum makeup.

Choose a foundation with a slight sheen or even a dewiness to it (unless you have oily skin, then stick with matte).  Go light with your powder.  Full-coverage powder at this time of day can appear artificial.

Choose soft, warm eye shadows, like champagne of soft taupe.  If you decided to define the eyes with a liner, opt for a chocolate brown or plum color.  These choices are great alternatives to black liner, which tends to be too harsh for this time of day.

When selecting a lip shade, try to emulate your natural lip color and apply a sheer gloss on top.

If your ceremony is in the middle of the day (12-1pm) be sure to select a light-weight foundation or powder, preferably without SPF.  ( Although you should ALWAYS protect your skin, higher SPF formulas can reflect light and you might appear washed out or too light in your photographs).  At this hour, light will be directly above you, so staying with a matte foundation is important.  Consider a matte blush and matte shadows as well.

Use soft, shimmering (not glittery) shadows only where you want to highlight, i.e. on your brow bone.  Stay away from eye shadows that are too dark.  With beaming, bright afternoon light your eyes can appear to be sunken in.  I suggest keeping your eye liner thin and go for a lengthening mascara to help open up those peepers.  Blending and color matching is always important, but especially so this time of day!

You can experiment with a more opaque gloss in this light.  Choose a shade that compliments your skin tone.  Your makeup artist can help you select the perfect color.

Image (c) Justin & Mary Photography, Makeup by Jennie Fresa

Late afternoon is the most flattering and beautiful light to be photographed in and also the most forgiving.  This is the perfect time of day to add a little drama to your look.  If needed, you can choose a fuller-coverage foundation and it will still appear quite natural looking.  As the sun begins to set, your photographer might start using a flash, so adding color to your skin, with either a blush or bronzer is extremely important!  This is also a great time to add some luminosity to your skin (unless you are oily, then stick with matte).  A subtle highlighting powder applied to the high cheekbones and temples is absolutely gorgeous!

Try false lashes.  Falsies are the perfect way to make your look more glamourous without adding more makeup.  Just remember- if your eyes are more dramatic, choose a softer lip shade.  If you decide on a simple eye, you can balance the look with a rich, statement lip.

Image (c) Robert & Kathleen Photography, Makeup by Jennie Fresa

Evening brides get the green light to go for it!  If you prefer, this is a great time to go for the glamour!  Experiment with jewel tones that compliment your coloring.  Makeup should be ‘defined’( not meaning, darker!).  Use a bronzer ( or matte powder, two shades darker than your skin tone to contour your cheekbones.  Then, apply blush on the apples of your cheeks.

Especially important in the evening, is filling in your brows.  If you are wearing a smoky eye, filling in your brows finishes and gives a frame to the look.  Consider full strip lashes in lieu of the individual ones, for added drama.

I hope this helps you decide on a direction for your bridal makeup.  Don’t forget ladies, no matter the time of day, you want to look like the best version of yourself!  Bridal makeup should be about enhancement, not transformation!  Talk to your makeup artist about your skin type, time of day and your personal style.  He or she should take all of this information into consideration when designing the right look for you!

Please feel free to call or email me at jennie {at} jenniefresa {dot} com with any questions!  I am delighted to share my advice and help you discover the look of your dreams!

XO
~jennie