Brides, you should look beautiful in your wedding photos, period. You’ve heard over & over, I’m sure, that the memories of the day that will last a lifetime . . . and I’m willing to bet you are shelling out a pretty penny to your wedding photographer to capture those memories for you! We are SO lucky in Colorado to have such uber-talented photographers, yet when I scroll through some of their blogs, the makeup often makes me cringe. It breaks my heart for bad makeup to ruin a beautiful photo. So here’s my advice: the top three things to avoid…
#3 Matte Skin
Okay, this isn’t the 90′s; “shiny” isn’t the dirty word it used to be! Gone are the days when you pull out your compact eighty-billion times a day a the first glimpse of oil. Glowing, radiant skin is key for wedding photos because your face will reflect more light, showing off your features & making you glow!
How to fix it: Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! Double the amount of lotion you would normally put on. In the days leading up to your wedding drink a TON of water, at least 64 ounces per day. Try to avoid caffeine & alcohol, but if this is impossible (can someone say bachelorette party?), make sure to drink an EXTRA glass of water for each “forbidden” beverage. On your wedding day, use a moisturizer, primer, concealer and foundation with light reflectors to contribute to the glow. To add a little extra dewiness, use a cream highlighter on the high planes of your face: high cheek bone, brow bone, bridge of nose, cupids bow, etc. One last tip: don’t forget about your body! I recommend a body oil instead of lotion, like Weleda’s Pomegranite Regenerating Body Oil. You can also add the highlighter you used on your face on your collar bones & shoulder blades for a glow-y consistency in face & body.
#2 Light Shimmery Lids
Yes, I know the metallic look is in, and I know you love your Stila Kitten eye shadow. I’m not saying you cant use it! But, fair warning: if a light shimmery shadow all over your lids is the only thing you use, in photos you’ll look like a reversed raccoon, or like you went skiing and have a lovely goggle tan. Not so pretty. The metallic particles of shimmer can reflect too much light back at the camera, giving you a strange hot spot. Not to mention, lighter shades make features appear bigger, making your lids appear swollen & puffy. Especially bad if you (like me) have swollen eyes already from wedding tears!
How to fix it: One option is to save your light shimmery shades for just below the brow, or on inner corners. If you just can’t tear yourself away, the other option is to add some depth somewhere to make sure your eyes are defined. Add a darker shade in the crease, outer corner, lash line or all three. This will ensure your peepers are photo-fabulous.
#1 “Two black holes in a blanket…”
This fun little phrase comes from my Mom. Its what she used to describe my teenage makeup look: black eyeliner, no blush, no lip color. Ladies, this look is no bueno, especially not for your wedding photos. Yet I see this look ALL THE TIME in pics. I know you want to play up your eyes, and are scared of bright color on your lips. That’s okay! But there’s a “right way” to do it.
How to fix it: I almost never use black liner for brides. Especially in outdoor light, it tends to look too harsh. Instead, choose a brown or taupe. To make sure the liner looks soft, smudge & blend it until it becomes a subtle definition at the lash line. Then bring back the black on the lashes instead with mascara (waterproof for tears) and perhaps a false lash. (Note: black liner is okay to use ONLY if you have either a deeper skin tone or a bold lip color to balance it out.)
Now onto cheeks. Brides, cheek color is your friend. Research studies show that a little extra blush makes people appear happier, friendlier, healthier, and younger. Score! To prevent the dreaded “wash-out” in photos, layer a creme blush under a powder blush. This will keep it on through the night, as well as adding a wash of rosiness in photos. Remember: you are going for “blushing bride” so don’t skimp!
Your lip color frames your beautiful smile, and shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s important to keep in mind that lip gloss is see-through, which means to a camera, it is CLEAR. That’s right, if you only wear gloss on your lips, in your photos they will look bare. Instead, I recommend either a stain (which is long wearing, highly pigmented but still sheer), or a lip-toned liner used to color-in the entire lip (also long wearing, more subtle in color but opaque like a lipstick). You can add the gloss on top for shine and moisture throughout the night.
On such a special day, you should look and feel like the most beautiful thing in the room. Putting your face in the hands of a professional is a great option (although I’m admittedly biased). But whatever route you choose, avoiding these most common mistakes will take your photos off the “don’ts list” and transform them into memories you deserve. Best wishes!
As a professional Makeup Artist, Janine Schmenk has been connecting her love for people & fashion through makeup since 2001. She is the Key Makeup artist for Wilhelmina Denver, the Colorado branch of the internationally known modeling agency. Janine enjoys educating for AVEDA, and can be seen backstage at New York Fashion Week, painting face for the runways with the AVEDA team. She appears as a special guest artist for several brands, including Shu Uemura and Smashbox. After being voted a “Top Five Makeup Artist” by Denver Channel 7′s A-List, her advice for brides has appeared on the Knot.com and Brides.com. To find out more about her services for brides, view her blog at . Janine can be reached at makeupbyjanine@gmail.com or tweet her @makeupbyjanine.
Photo courtesy of Jared Wilson Photography.
Okay, this isn’t the 90′s; “shiny” isn’t the dirty word it used to be! Gone are the days when you pull out your compact eighty-billion times a day a the first glimpse of oil. Glowing, radiant skin is key for wedding photos because your face will reflect more light, showing off your features & making you glow!
How to fix it: Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! Double the amount of lotion you would normally put on. In the days leading up to your wedding drink a TON of water, at least 64 ounces per day. Try to avoid caffeine & alcohol, but if this is impossible (can someone say bachelorette party?), make sure to drink an EXTRA glass of water for each “forbidden” beverage. On your wedding day, use a moisturizer, primer, concealer and foundation with light reflectors to contribute to the glow. To add a little extra dewiness, use a cream highlighter on the high planes of your face: high cheek bone, brow bone, bridge of nose, cupids bow, etc. One last tip: don’t forget about your body! I recommend a body oil instead of lotion, like Weleda’s Pomegranite Regenerating Body Oil. You can also add the highlighter you used on your face on your collar bones & shoulder blades for a glow-y consistency in face & body.
#2 Light Shimmery Lids
Yes, I know the metallic look is in, and I know you love your Stila Kitten eye shadow. I’m not saying you cant use it! But, fair warning: if a light shimmery shadow all over your lids is the only thing you use, in photos you’ll look like a reversed raccoon, or like you went skiing and have a lovely goggle tan. Not so pretty. The metallic particles of shimmer can reflect too much light back at the camera, giving you a strange hot spot. Not to mention, lighter shades make features appear bigger, making your lids appear swollen & puffy. Especially bad if you (like me) have swollen eyes already from wedding tears!
How to fix it: One option is to save your light shimmery shades for just below the brow, or on inner corners. If you just can’t tear yourself away, the other option is to add some depth somewhere to make sure your eyes are defined. Add a darker shade in the crease, outer corner, lash line or all three. This will ensure your peepers are photo-fabulous.
#1 “Two black holes in a blanket…”
This fun little phrase comes from my Mom. Its what she used to describe my teenage makeup look: black eyeliner, no blush, no lip color. Ladies, this look is no bueno, especially not for your wedding photos. Yet I see this look ALL THE TIME in pics. I know you want to play up your eyes, and are scared of bright color on your lips. That’s okay! But there’s a “right way” to do it.
How to fix it: I almost never use black liner for brides. Especially in outdoor light, it tends to look too harsh. Instead, choose a brown or taupe. To make sure the liner looks soft, smudge & blend it until it becomes a subtle definition at the lash line. Then bring back the black on the lashes instead with mascara (waterproof for tears) and perhaps a false lash. (Note: black liner is okay to use ONLY if you have either a deeper skin tone or a bold lip color to balance it out.)
Now onto cheeks. Brides, cheek color is your friend. Research studies show that a little extra blush makes people appear happier, friendlier, healthier, and younger. Score! To prevent the dreaded “wash-out” in photos, layer a creme blush under a powder blush. This will keep it on through the night, as well as adding a wash of rosiness in photos. Remember: you are going for “blushing bride” so don’t skimp!
Your lip color frames your beautiful smile, and shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s important to keep in mind that lip gloss is see-through, which means to a camera, it is CLEAR. That’s right, if you only wear gloss on your lips, in your photos they will look bare. Instead, I recommend either a stain (which is long wearing, highly pigmented but still sheer), or a lip-toned liner used to color-in the entire lip (also long wearing, more subtle in color but opaque like a lipstick). You can add the gloss on top for shine and moisture throughout the night.
On such a special day, you should look and feel like the most beautiful thing in the room. Putting your face in the hands of a professional is a great option (although I’m admittedly biased). But whatever route you choose, avoiding these most common mistakes will take your photos off the “don’ts list” and transform them into memories you deserve. Best wishes!
As a professional Makeup Artist, Janine Schmenk has been connecting her love for people & fashion through makeup since 2001. She is the Key Makeup artist for Wilhelmina Denver, the Colorado branch of the internationally known modeling agency. Janine enjoys educating for AVEDA, and can be seen backstage at New York Fashion Week, painting face for the runways with the AVEDA team. She appears as a special guest artist for several brands, including Shu Uemura and Smashbox. After being voted a “Top Five Makeup Artist” by Denver Channel 7′s A-List, her advice for brides has appeared on the Knot.com and Brides.com. To find out more about her services for brides, view her blog at . Janine can be reached at makeupbyjanine@gmail.com or tweet her @makeupbyjanine.
Photo courtesy of Jared Wilson Photography.
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