The wedding make-up styles you’ll find in this article:
- Retro/pin-up.
- Soft glam.
- Nice and natural.
- Bright and bold.
- Timeless elegance.
- A bridal smoky eye.
- Gothic.
Every bride wants their big day to go smoothly, including their wedding make-up. Organising a pre-wedding run-through with your chosen make-up artist will help you work out what look you want on the day to suit your theme, location, wedding dress and hairstyle.
To help you get a head start on your bridal make-up search, we’ve found our favourite looks on Instagram. There is something for every bride, from the retro-queen to the beach babe.
You’ll also want to determine your skin type in the months leading up to your wedding and get started on a skin care routine. Your local beauty salon will be able to help with professional skin care treatments to help you achieve clear, glowing skin ahead of your big day.
Our 7 Favourite Wedding Make-Up Ideas from Instagram
1. Vintage-inspired wedding make-up for the classic bride.
Make-up in the mid 1900s was all about glamour. Red lips. Winged liner. Blushing cheeks. It sounds like wedding make-up goals to us. However, the red pout may not be the most practical for the all-important ‘you may now kiss the bride’ moment.
In the image below, the red lip has been swapped with a stunning peach shade, with slight over-lining to create the stunning pout. While on the eyes, winged liner, wispy lashes on the outer corner and a white waterline help to elongate, brighten and open up the eyes.
We can’t forget about the natural sun-kissed contour. Vintage make-up always featured beautifully flushed cheeks, so the peachy blush and natural bronzer around the hairline all accentuate this bride’s make-up perfectly.
Pair this look with some finger waves or pin curls, and you’ll be all set.
2. Soft-glam wedding make-up for the classic bride.
If there was ever a look that screamed Disney™ princess, this is it. While it’s still soft-glam wedding make-up, highlight has been used on the high points of the face (under the arch of the brow, atop of the cheekbones and tip of the nose) to catch the natural light. This will look absolutely stunning in photos and make you look like you’re a fresh, glowing bride.
As for the eyes and lips, the subtle blushing pink lets the focal point of the bride’s face be her eyes and smile. This bridal look would be perfect for any skin tone and shade of wedding dress, also.
3. Natural wedding make-up for the beach bride.
On your wedding day, there will inevitably be tears. Add in some salt spray from a beachside wedding, and you’ll be wanting to waterproof every inch of your make-up—or go natural.
Natural make-up doesn’t have to mean going without altogether. Your aim should be to highlight your natural features but not noticeably. A good tinted moisturiser or light-coverage foundation will help keep your skin looking flawless, but not heavy. Add a flush of blush, maybe a little bronzer to keep with the sun-kissed vibes, a little mascara and a lipstick similar to your lip colour and you’re good to go.
4. Bright eyeshadow for the bold bride.
The bride is meant to be one half of the centre of attention, right? If you’re already adding a bold colour to your wedding theme, you may wish to incorporate it into your make-up too.
Even if you’re not quite as bold as a full red cut crease, you could choose a brighter lip colour, create a sunset effect through your eyeshadow or use a coloured liner.
5. Elegant bridal make-up for timeless glamour.
When we began talking about wedding make-up ideas for this article, the image below is exactly what we all pictured for a classic bridal look. The subtle smoky eye, flawless skin, blushed cheeks, nude lip and swept up hair are absolutely timeless and will work for any age, skin tone or wedding theme.
6. A very bridal smoky eye.
If you like the soft-glam or vintage look but want something a little ‘more’, the bridal smoky eye is for you. It combines the elongating effect of the winged liner (but smoked out) and has those classic blush pinks and gold highlights too.
You could even incorporate a bolder eyeshadow into the smoky eye if you wanted a pop of colour.
7. Define lines and hues of deep purple for the gothic bride.
Okay, wow—we love this wedding make-up! While this bolder look may not be every bride’s cup of tea, for the more alternative couple, this would be #goals.
Again, we see a winged liner (a double this time) to elongate the eyes for a feline look, but with a more defined brow to reflect the clean cut of the eyeshadow. The deep reddy-purple on the lip has also been incorporated in the eye look for a seamless look.
Oh, and we can’t forget that killer contour for an ultra-flattering look in photos and in person.
Looking for a wedding make-up artist?
You can find one, with reviews from other brides, on Localsearch!
Feature image source: Nick Arnot on Unsplash
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