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18 Most common Wedding makeup mistakes


wedding makeup mistakes

While your dress is definitely crucial, your makeup is equally important — not only will everyone will be looking at your face and its radiant glow, but photos are forever. To look perfect in snapshots and IRL, follow this advice and vow to not make any of these makeup mistakes.

1. Not booking a makeup trial. You wouldn't book a photographer without looking at his portfolio, would you? No. So don't skip scheduling a trial with your makeup artist. This is an important first step because you need to figure out what look you want and make sure you and your makeup artist are on the same page. The last thing you need is a spur-of-the-moment smoky eye when you wanted a lighter look.

2. Looking like someone else on your big day. "This isn't the time to experiment with makeup. Meaning, if you never wear a smoky eye, this wouldn't be the day to wear one. You should look like the best version of yourself, simply accentuated with makeup, so that your groom recognizes you when you're walking down the aisle.

3. Neglecting the rest of your body. If you're wearing anything strapless or a dress that exposes your chest, arms, back, or legs, you're going to want to address those areas with a non-transferrable shimmer lotion. Otherwise, you run the risk of your skin looking flat and blotchy. Blend a body formula, like Red Carpet Kolour Luminous Body Glow, in with a few drops of foundation to do your neck for a seamless transition from your base makeup. Then, use the same non-transferrable body glow on any exposed areas on the rest of your body.

4. Skimping on long lasting formulas. #Nope. On your wedding day, you're giving hugs and kisses, dancing like a crazy woman, crying your ass off — therefore, you're going to want your primer, foundation, setting powder, blush, eye shadow — everything — to be budge proof. That way you don't have to worry about your face slipping off mid father-daughter dance.

5. Keeping all of the makeup looks uniform between you and your bridesmaids. The bride should always stand out from the rest of the bridal party. Sure, you're already wearing a stunning white dress, but makeup-wise, you should also look different. Even tweaking your look slightly will make you that much more of the focus. "If you want to wear a smoky eye, have your bridesmaids do a softer version of the look or an entirely different look altogether," Schlip says.

6. Using airbrush makeup. Ladies, A fine mist of foundation is sprayed with a small air compressor gently covering the skin, to give the appearance of a flawless complexion. This mist covers the skin lightly allowing the skin to breath, looking more natural and not exaggerating your pores.

  • Flawless Finish in Person & In Photographs

  • Natural Looking

  • Light Weight, Invisible Look with Full Coverage

  • Water Resistant (Will NOT Come Off with Hugs, Sweat, Tears or Humidity)

  • For All Skin Types

  • Lasts ALL Day Long

  • No Touch Ups Necessary

  • Never Looks Cakey

  • Hypoallergenic

  • Sanitary

7. Not packing a touch-up kit. Your wedding day is a really long day; it's not about just looking picture-perfect for the ceremony. So think about packing a touch-up kit, which should include a little bit of everything you used when you first applied your products. That way you can fix up your makeup in the bathroom super quickly if you don't have a pro makeup artist on hand all night.

8. Using lipstick instead of a lip stain. Sure, some lipsticks promise long-wear color that won't come off on his collar, but just to be safe, going with a lip stain if you want to wear a darker lip look. The last thing you need is for you to have red lipstick all over your face when you finally kiss as Mr. and Mrs. for the first time.

9. Leaving your wedding makeup look as the last thing you think about. Your makeup is an accessory just like your veil is — except guests are going to be zoning in on your face much, much more. A good rule of thumb is to start thinking about your makeup early on — perhaps right after you lock down your dress. That way your whole entire vibe goes together. For example, if you're going with a vintage-inspired lace gown, think ethereal makeup.

10. OD'ing on highlighter. You probably want to look like a glowing goddess on your wedding day, but you need to keep a couple of areas matte, like your forehead and upper lip. If your forehead is the tiniest bit shiny, you're going to look oily, not healthy. And if your upper lip is gleaming, it's going to look like you're sweating your ass off. Be sure to only apply highlighter on your cheekbones, the bridge of your nose, and on the inner corners of your eyes.

11. Trying false lashes for the first time. Again, this is not the time to experiment with beauty looks you've never tried before. If you want to have fuller, thicker lashes on you big day, get lash extensions. Make sure you schedule your full set appointment at least a month in advance so you can have then at least 2 more refill appointments to perfect it.

12. Swiping on too much blush. While you want to bump up your makeup for photos, you also don't want to look like a clown. For perfect wedding blush, pick a soft shade of pink or a universally flattering shade like coral, and use a stippling brush to apply it. This tool is perfect because it picks up only a bit of color with its synthetic tips and then blends it all nicely with a denser hair base.

13. Go bold or go home. Well, not everywhere. If you want to play up one area, making your eyes or lips bold, do it. Just be sure to only choose one feature to accentuate, and then balance out the rest of your face. For example, if you're going for smoky eye, do a nude lip — that way you won't look too harsh both in person and in photos.

14. Skipping primer. You don't necessarily need primer, but it will make your makeup last longer. If you choose to use it, you don't need to apply it all over your face. Instead, patting it onto areas of your face tend to get oily, like your forehead, T-zone, and chin. Make sure to use a matte primer, lest you appear sweaty.

15. Plucking your eyebrows the day of. It's never a good idea to mess with your face the day of your wedding. If you wax or have your eyebrows plucked professionally, make your appointment several days before your big day. That way, if you have some random reaction to the wax or tweezing, the morning of your special day won't be spent concealing a rash or unsightly red bumps.

16. Getting your first spray tan the day before your wedding. Spray tans are almost impossible to remove, and you definitely don't want to have to deal with the aftermath of a botched job the day of. So, if you've never gotten a spray tan before or haven't in a long time, schedule a trial run for a month before your date. That way you can talk about what you want and get a sneak peek at how the results will turn out way before you walk down the aisle.

17. Caking on foundation because you think it will look better in photos. Please, for the love of God, don't do this. No one looks better in photos with more base makeup on. Instead, use a waterproof foundation base only where you need it. Too much will only leave you looking like you're wearing theatre makeup — it just won't look natural.

18. Passing on pressed powder. Hot spots happen to the best of us — those areas on your face that glow in pictures, making you look like you're getting beamed up into outer space. So to avoid them at all costs, hit any areas that tend to get that bad glow with a translucent powder, which will instantly help kill any unwanted shine.

Now you'll look perfect on your wedding day. Congratulations!

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