A Brides Must Have Makeup Products

Achieving a long-lasting bridal makeup starts well before your big day. I suggest upgrading your bridal makeup kit in advance, even if you are getting your make up done professionally it is always a good idea to have essential products to hand so you can maintain your look till the very end of the day. I am going to share with you some hand-picked go-to products that I use regularly on my bridal clients and also in my kit for TV and editorial jobs.

Brides best foundation.

Your wedding day foundation really does depend on your skin type and the look you want to achieve. However, most of my brides tend to choose a liquid foundation, it is easy to blend and gives a ‘perfect skin’ finish. If you happen to have a favourite foundation you don’t necessarily need to change it up for the day. Sometimes a different application technique will give you your desired look

It's difficult enough to choose a daily foundation but when you're planning a wedding it can be trickier. Most of my brides want their skin to look perfectly are brushed and Instagram – worthy, but they also want it to last all day and don’t want it to look cakey. The secret is to pick a foundation that matches your desired skin tone for the wedding day, when I say desired skin tone you may have had a spray tan or simply want to look more bronzed and glowy or to match exactly to your skin tone.

It’s a good idea to choose a foundation that includes pigments that catch and absorb the light, giving your skin an airbrushed finish without being too heavy.

Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

 This foundation is a staple in my kit and one I use regularly for my bridal clients, the formula works on every skin tone. And stays on in every climate, the pigment diffuses any imperfections and/or fine lines while evening out the skin like a soft veil. I love to use this when I know I don't have much time but the skin needs to look flawless. The formula sinks into the skin and doesn’t leave the skin feeling greasy or tacky by the end of the day. It also reads flawlessly on-camera and creates a luminous refined skin that needs very little powder to set.

Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup

 Double wear foundation is perfect if you want a flawless opaque base. It has been on the market for years with a cult following of dedicated users who wouldn’t use any other foundation. No other foundation compares to the full coverage and matte finish of this foundation. So is perfect for brides with oily/ combination skin or for brides who want to look immaculate. The long last formula goes a long way. You can even use it in just the areas you feel need the most coverage. However, you may have to mix a couple of clours to get your exact match as I feel they have a good choice of warm-toned colours but not as good a range of cooler tones.

Mac Studio Fix Fluid Foundation

The MAC Studio Fix Fluid is a medium to full coverage matte finish foundation. One of MACs best-selling foundations again this will give any bride a flawless look. It does look like you are wearing makeup so if you want a more natural finish foundation maybe not the product for you. The extensive colour range is good if you find it difficult to get a match for your foundation. It also has an SPF 15. It also minimizes the appearance of pores and imperfections. I regularly use this on brides who are not afraid of wearing makeup and like the full-on makeup look. However not as much coverage as the double wear foundation.

Mac Face and Body Foundation

I love this foundation and has been in my kit for years. It’s a very sheer water-based foundation, so perfect for brides who want to look fresh and want their skin to look like skin. For brides, I do tend to use a concealer and a powder to set this foundation but only where they need it. It's also great to use on the body as it does set. The colour range is also good and as it's so sheer you can go darker to give you a tanned look instead of fake tan.

Nars Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation

I have this in my kit and is a great foundation, it is radiant but also has good coverage, without looking too matte or heavy. It doesn’t oxidise and evens out the skin tone giving a smooth finish. Nars also has a great colour range for all skin tones. It gives a flawless finish and you don’t need to powder if you would prefer more of a glowy finish.

Primer

I highly recommend a primer to my brides, it helps to keep makeup in place from the ceremony to the reception, it smooths out the texture of the skin and can help with redness. If your skin is drier I recommend the Laura Mercier primer which hydrates the skin, also pores and redness are reduced. Or another favourite is the Hourglass mineral veil primer. It feels amazing on the skin and also works to reduce the appearance of redness, pores and fine lines without feeling heavy on the skin.

Concealer

I like to use a concealer over foundation to cover any imperfections that the foundation has missed. Rather than add more foundation that can look to heavy. I use a small brush to add concealer to the exact areas that need coverage. When I apply the concealer under the eye I will study the brides under eye and pick the exact concealer colour needed to cover and colour correct.

I love the Nars Radiant Creamy concealer and has been in my kit since I first tried it years ago, It is a lovely creamy consistency but also has good coverage. You will want to keep it in your everyday makeup bag after using this. It's perfect for brides as it has good coverage without being too matte so perfect for under the eye as well.

Blush and Bronzer

I do love cheek products whether it’s a cream or powder it just finishes off your look and especially for brides can create the perfect rosy cheek or bronzed skin. For a bronzer choose a couple of shades darker than your skin tone but on the warmer side, don’t confuse this with a contour product which should slightly more on the cooler side. I love the Nars laguna and also Mac Mineralise skinfinish in a few shades darker than your actual shade.

One of my staple blushers for a bride is Mac Trace Gold which gives a gorgeous glow without looking too much,  I like to apply this all over the cheeks first and then apply a more peachy or pinky shade on the apples of the cheeks such as Mac Springsheen or Coppertone if you have slightly darker skin tone.

Setting Powder

I love the Laura Mercier translucent Powder I have loved this since I worked for Laura Mercier when they arrived in the UK a few years ago. It blots excess oils but without looking chalky. You can use a powder puff to apply by adding some to the puff and then rubbing the two sides of the puff together and then apply to the face with a rolling action. This is how Laura Mercier herself applies the powder to have the most lasting effect on the skin.  I also really like the MAC mineralise skin finish which is not totally matte but will also set your foundation, It also has an amazing range of colours, and a slight glow so perfect if you don’t like looking too matte.

Mascara

I recommend waterproof mascara for your wedding day to avoid any smudging or flaking between photos and of course if there are any tears!

 L’oreal Paris Voluminous Lash Paradise Waterproof Mascara is flake-free but will still give you long lashes. The Pharmacy mascara is packed with over 200 bristles to ensure every lash is coated making it a bride to be must-have.

MAC Extended Play Mascara I love this mascara for a natural but defined look for lashes, perfect if you have slightly smaller eyes or tend to get mascara on your lid when applying. The brush is smaller so you can really get into the corners of the eye it also separates the lashes. And it's only £16.00. Its perfect if you a are going for a natural bridal make up look and but also build-able for a more defined look.

Eyeliner

I love a smudgy eyeliner to simply define the eye rather than overpower it, I still want to see the eye rather close it. I prefer a warm or dark brown as opposed to a black which can be quite harsh sometimes. I like Charlotte Tilbury's ‘’Rock’ n ‘Kohl’ in Barbarella Brown.

If you do want to go for a more defined eye look I can’t live without the MAC Blacktrack Fluidline eye gel. This glides on perfectly to create a tight line on the eye and is great if you are going to wear false lashes to blend them into your natural lash. I apply this with the MAC # 266 angle brush, I find you get a lot more control with an angle brush rather than the thinner liquid eyeliner brushes.

Eye Palettes

Most of my brides tend to go for a neutral eye look, combining shimmery champagnes and soft peaches with matte browns. A perfect palette to achieve this look is Mac cosmetics warm palette. Every shade in this Palette is wearable as the name suggests it’s a mixture of warm browns peaches and golds with a mixture of matte and shimmer textures. However, there are loads of eye shadows on the market and you don’t necessarily need to buy a palette individual shadows can work just as well.

Lipstick

 Your lipstick is the finishing touch to your whole bridal make up, it is the staple in your personal bridal make up kit. There are so many formulas textures and colours to choose from I have handpicked some of my favourite bridal lipsticks.

Nudes:

MAC Cherish lipstick teamed with Boldly Bare lip liner is the perfect combination and is gorgeous butterscotch nude.

Charlotte Tilbury Amazing Grace lipstick is a medium pink lipstick.

MAC ‘Shy Girl’ lipstick is a peachy nude shade with a slight sheen perfect if you don’t want a totally matte look and want a warm undertone.

 MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in "Peach Blossom" A nude with just a hint of pink, MAC's Peach Blossom gives the illusion of a fuller pout immediately after application. The formula is light, build-able and oh-so-creamy.

Reds:

Getting the perfect red for your wedding day can be daunting with so many to choose from on the market, Getting a red that suits you can depend on your skin tone and hair colour. I like to go for an orange red if you have a cooler skin tone so something like MACs Lady Danger, If you have a warmer skin tone then MAC Ruby Woo which is a true red would look amazing. Other reds to try are Nars Ravishing Red a pink red in a creamy texture.

Highlighter:

Highlighter is definitely a bridal make up staple and one which I apply on 90% of my brides. It’s all about choosing the formula that’s right for you whether it be a powder, balm or liquid.  I've rounded up some of my favourites.

 Charlotte Tilbury's contour palette contains everything you need to sculpt, trim, and highlight your features of choice. The bronzer mimics the look of sun-kissed skin, while the highlighter contains Light Flex Technology to capture and reflect light exactly where you want it. 

Mac cream colour base in Pearl. Is a gorgeous cream that I normally apply with my finger on the high points of the face to achieve a natural glow rather than a strong shimmer. It's slightly pearlised but not glittery.

Mac Skinfinish comes in a number of shades, I normally go two shades lighter than your skin tone although at the moment some brides to like to go for a stronger highlighter. I particularly like the soft and gentle it does suit a number of skin tones. If you like something with more of a golden hue the cheeky bronze shade is also a staple in my kit.