Flawless Beauty for Your Wedding Day

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Your wedding day is finally here! After months of planning and preparing, it’s time to step into that gorgeous gown and walk down the aisle. All eyes will be on you throughout the day–beginning with the photographer’s capturing intimate moments of you getting ready with your favorite women, all the way down to your getaway with your new spouse at the end of the reception. Throughout the ceremony and reception, friends and family will be taking pictures of you, so you want to make sure your hair and makeup remain flawless from start to finish. Look the absolute best on your wedding day, whether you’re using a professional to create your bridal style or doing it yourself! These expert tips ensure your hair and makeup will stay beautiful until the very last minute.

Healthy skin is always the perfect foundation for bridal makeup. Two months before the wedding, make an appointment with a dermatologist or facialist to go over any trouble spots, such as dry patches, fine lines or wrinkles, or uneven complexion. Through a series of treatments, a skin care expert will clean and minimize pores, rejuvenate tired-looking skin or brighten up the appearance through exfoliation, microdermabrasion or glycolic acid peels. It’s important to start these treatments at least two months in advance in order to give the skin time to show signs of improvement and to calm down any potential redness or irritation after an invigorating facial. In the days leading up to the wedding, keep skin hydrated by using moisturizers and serums that contain hyaluronic acid, which attracts and retains water in the skin, or glycerin, which pulls in water and locks it in with a protective barrier to keep skin supple and refreshed throughout the day. Drink plenty of water to keep facial puffiness to a minimum and help skin stay hydrated.

When choosing your bridal look, it’s important to enhance your own natural beauty and accentuate only one part of the face to prevent appearing overdone. Want to wear a dramatic red lip with your vintage-inspired gown? Keep eye makeup to a more neutral or classic style, or add drama and glamour to the eyes while complementing them with a nude or pale pink lip. Choosing the right foundation shade is also key; what looks good in the cosmetic store might appear too light or too dark in natural daylight. Beauty experts recommend applying foundation to the jawline and stepping outside to see it in sunlight–if the makeup disappears into the skin it’s the right shade!

Shimmery shadows and bronzers add a beautiful glow to the skin, but only if applied correctly. When there is too much shine on the skin, it tends to look oily or sweaty, which is not something you want showing up in your photographs. Limit the amount of shimmery highlights or powders used on the skin; experts suggest applying it only in one place–such as along the cheekbones or highlighting the brow bone–to keep the look more natural. One essential tip shared universally by bridal beauty experts is to choose waterproof cosmetics, from the foundation primer right down to the mascara. Whether you think you’ll get teary-eyed or not, waterproof makeup stands up to sweat as well, ensuring you’ll look stunning even after showing off those dance floor moves.

While many brides pay close attention to makeup, the hair is another important component of a bridal look. Choose a style that’s appropriate for the wedding style and makeup. Getting married on the beach? A loose style with chic waves or a casual chignon is still elegant while staying true to the destination. For more formal weddings, a sophisticated updo or sleek style is perfect. The day or two before the wedding, shampoo the hair and avoid conditioning to give your hair as much texture as possible to hold long-lasting curls. Conditioning the hair softens it too much, preventing it from staying curled throughout the day. Additionally, bridal hair experts recommend not overdoing the hair products, as too much hair spray (or other product) weighs the hair down and causes it to look dull and oily in your photos.

For those who have short or fine hair, using extensions to boost volume or length is a great way to infuse new life into a hairstyle. Opt for extensions that use real hair (as opposed to synthetic) to give the hairstyle a natural, seamless appearance. Hair experts also suggest keeping a stylist on hand for touchups, as brides often get ready hours before the actual wedding begins. This allows the stylist to make any last-minute fixes before the bride walks down the aisle.

Creating a flawless bridal look from head to toe is essential, because as they say, pictures last forever! HLM

Sources: brides.com, theknot.com and stylemepretty.com.