There is one piece of advice I routinely give to my brides about hair and makeup... if you don’t normally wear a lot of makeup or a fancy hairstyle, don’t overdo it for your wedding. 

You want to look like yourself, only better. But you don’t want to take hair and makeup so far that you end up looking like someone else. Your fiancée fell in love with you for who you are, and he knows what you look like on your worst day (hopefully he does... if not, you probably shouldn’t be getting married). Just enough makeup to bring out your natural beauty and to look good for the camera is the best formula for success. For example, if you normally wear no lipstick at all, then bright red lips on your wedding day will make you feel uncomfortable and rather silly. If you normally wear your hair loose and natural, you’re going to hate having it glued together with hair spray.

The primary reason brides need makeup is because they want to look good, but it’s also important for the photographs. People without makeup look washed out and featureless in photos, so take some time to do some research about what works best in photos, and then go with the basics. A good foundation is extremely important to even out skin tones, and waterproof mascara is mandatory, because you’ll most likely shed a tear or two. Lipstick is also important for the camera, and you’ll want to accentuate your eyebrows as well.

There’s an enormous body of information on the internet about what works and what doesn’t, so do your homework, and try some different colors and styles until you find the look that works best for you. Different styles of makeup are appropriate for different settings. Dark, heavy makeup works better for a formal, indoor wedding at night than a daytime ceremony on a sunny beach. But even with those environmental considerations in mind, the bottom line is to be yourself.

If you choose to hire a makeup artist, he or she should know how to identify your best features and bring them out beautifully, and should also have experience working with makeup specifically for photography. As always, ask to see photos and for a list of references. © 2010 Terri Daniel

Hair & Makeup Services in the San Juan Islands