One thing I always knew when it came to our wedding was that I wanted to do my make up myself. I even included it in a post I wrote about wedding traditions I would NOT be sticking to! The simple fact is, I know what suits me, I ain’t half bad at doing my own face and I could treat myself to a few new assets to my collection in the name of love. Or at least, that’s what I told myself.
*Disclaimer* – all of the pictures in this post were taken by our incredibly talented photographers, The Twins. Go check them out.
The Look
One of my friends Amy told me that, on her wedding day, she wanted to look like the best version of herself. And she looked smoking. So I decided to follow her advice and not go for anything mad that I wouldn’t normally wear.
For me, this meant a high coverage base, a light contour, pinky brown eyes and a natural looking lip. I don’t wear huge winged eyeliner or a bright red lip normally, so I didn’t want to try it for my wedding day. I wanted to look like me.
The Products
I dread to think how many individual products there were on my face. It probably cost me a fortune! But because I was sticking to my style, I knew that anything I wore on my wedding day I would wear on a normal day. So it felt like a decent investment to buy some new things.
Base
- Primer – Too Faced Hangover Primer
- Foundation – Estée Lauder Double Wear
- Concealer – Collection Lasting Perfection
- Powder – Bare Minerals Mineral Veil
Contour
- Contour – Kat Von D Shade and Light Palette
- Blusher – BECCA x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Palette, Rose Spritz
- Highlight – BECCA x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Palette, Champagne Pop
Brows
- Brow Pencil – Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer, Medium Brown
- Brow Gel – Benefit – Ready, Set, Brow!
Eyes
- Eye Shadow – Clinique All About Shadow, Daybreak
- Eye Shadow – Urban Decay, Naked 3 Palette
- Eyeliner – Givenchy Magic Kajal, Black
- Mascara – Guerlain Maxi Lash So Volume, Black
Lips
- Lipstick – Lipstick Queen, Frog Prince
Setting
- Setting Spray – NYX Matte Finishing Spray
Perfume
- Dolce & Gabanna – The One
Wow, that is one hell of a list of products! It sounds like a VERY expensive face of make up, but the only pieces I bought specifically for the wedding were my Guerlain mascara, the BECCA palette (sadly now sold out) and the NYX setting spray. All the other pieces I already owned and I still use everything in the list above!
I know that doing your own wedding day make up isn’t right for everyone, but it really suited me to know I was in control of how I would look on my big day. And I felt fantastic.
Would you do your own wedding day make up?
♥ JH
You look gorgeous. I had a pro for my make up as im rubbish at applying make up. I still looked like me and iT was 100% worth it. I know what you mean though, sometimes brides dont look like themselves at all.
My mum was re-married at 40 ans she Thought – 8 can either spend £100 on a make up artist or splash out on £100 worth of make up. She went for the latter and splashed out at the beauty counters and received loads of samples. The make up she bought lasted her a lot longer than one day so for My mum, doing it herself was the best choice.
I thought exactly the same as your Mum – I’d rather spend the money on products I know I will use forever. It’s important to do what will feel right for you so you will feel comfortable.
? JH
I did my own makeup on my wedding day. i really enjoy playing with makeup and found the whole process very relaxing. plus i made me look like me, not a fake over done me. i did see mac and bobbi brown counters for help though i must admit and i took ideas from them and youtube to complete my look xx
It’s a really good idea to visit a beauty counter first – my friend did that at Bobbi Brown and her make up also looked great!
? JH