Basic Makeup Tips For Brides

Basic makeup tips for brides!

If you’re anything like me, you don’t know much about makeup. And, if you’re anything like me, you’re totally fine with that. Makeup just has never been a big part of my life or routine. Yes, I own makeup. And, yes, I wear some of it, sometimes. It’s just never been my thing.

Even if you’ve never been into makeup, chances are you’ll be wearing some on your wedding day if you’re a bride (and maybe if you’re a groom, too!). Of course, you may have a professional makeup artist or skilled friend help you with your makeup. But still, you may want to know what’s going on. You may even, gasp, want to do your own makeup. That’s where basic makeup tips for brides comes in.

This post is going to share with you basic makeup tips for brides. From the basics of the products you should use, to the application of them. I’ve broken the tips into sections, from products and tools, to parts of your face, and onto overall tips. Pick and choose what you need to know. When in doubt, look up online tutorials. And, remember, if you hate the feel of mascara or lipstick, skip it. Your day, your way. You’ll be beautiful no matter what.

Let’s get into it!

BASIC STARTER MAKEUP TIPS FOR BRIDES

This section is all about starter makeup tips for brides. The types of makeup there is out there. The types of tools you may want to use. To be honest, it’s a lot when you take in everything all at once. However you don’t need everything. Some staples should be just fine. It’s important to just be aware of what products are out there, though. That’s why it’s all below.

KNOW THE VARIOUS PRODUCTS

Let’s start with the various kinds of products. Most of the ones listed below are makeup. If I’m being totally honest, I don’t use or even own a few of the items listed below.

Some people like to play up their eyes, so they may want to focus on eye related products. Others like to enhance their lips, so that’s their focus. The key is to pick a focus, and stick to it. You don’t want to have dramatic eyes, dramatic lips, and dramatic cheeks. You want to look like you, but with a little embellishment. Know your best feature, and focus on the products that will make that one pop the most.

Makeup products for your skin:
- Primer – A cream or spray that creates an even canvas between skincare products and makeup. May be for whole face or just eyes.
- Concealer – A cream, liquid, or powder that spot treats dark spots, acne, and scars.
- Foundation – Can be liquid, cream, or powder. Evens out skin tone and smooths skin.
- Blush – A cream or powder that adds hints of color to cheeks. Can be applied to other parts of face, or lips, for color or contour.
Makeup products for your eyes:
- Eye shadow – Powder or liquid color you can add to your eyelids.
- Eye liner – Darkens the lines around your eyes, and helps create different looks.
- Mascara – A cream that is applied to eyelashes for darker, thicker lashes.
- Eyebrow Pencil – Fills in hairs and spaces on eyebrows.
Makeup products for your lips:
- Lip pencil – Creates a fill line around lips and contains lipstick.
- Lipstick – Colored cream added to lips.

UNDERSTAND YOUR TOOLS

Alright, now that you know what products are out there, let’s talk about tools.

Can I be honest with you? My favorite tool for applying makeup is my fingers. Particularly, my right ring finger. I know. I know. Maybe it’s not ideal. But it gives me some control, and it’s always available for me.

I digress.

If you’re not into using your fingers, or you want to actually be prepared with some real tools, these are the ones you may want to stock up on:

Brushes: Big brushes, medium ones, and tiny ones. There are lots of brushes that are meant for eye shadow, powdered blush, and foundations.
Blenders: These little spongy tools help blend colors together on your skin. They are very soft, and very versatile.
Spoolie brushes: These are great for eyebrows. You use them to comb up your arches and add in any fill color with a pencil afterwards.

Keep in mind, many makeup products come with the tools right in the product, so you don’t have to worry too much about what you may be missing.

BASIC FACIAL MAKEUP TIPS FOR BRIDES

Let’s get into facial makeup. In particular, makeup that you’d apply to your forehead, cheeks, chin, nose, and neck. The tips below are all geared towards the products for those areas.

MAKE SURE YOUR MAKEUP MATCHES YOUR SKIN TONE AND TYPE

One cardinal sin with facial makeup application is going with the wrong color. In fact, it’s a common concern among those who are just starting out. No one wants to go too light or too dark. Not only will everyone know you’re wearing makeup, but you’ll look strange.

The good news is that most stores have generous return policies when it comes to makeup. This means you can try them out and return if it isn’t a match. Many stores have testers, too, where you can apply product to the back of your hands to see if it blends in well. Knowing your undertones can help, too, but we can save that topic for another day.

When you purchase foundations and concealers, be on the lookout for ones that are meant for your type of skin. This means that you avoid oily makeup if you have oily skin. And, you avoid powders if you tend to have dry skin. If your skin is normal, makeup will be more forgiving. If you have combination skin, you may need to use different products in different areas.

APPLY FOUNDATION AND THEN CONCEALER

Another facial makeup tip has to do with the order in which to apply your makeup.

Basically, you want to apply foundation first, and then concealer. Foundation will even out your skin tone. It reduces redness and discoloration. Concealer is more of a spot treatment. It is for blemishes, spots you really want to conceal, and maybe for under your eyes if you have dark circles. When you apply foundation first, and then concealer, you will use less product and prevent caking, which is a good thing.

FINISH WITH A SETTING SPRAY

After you apply your facial makeup, use a setting spray to prevent smudging and keep your skin moisturized. For many people with dry skin, makeup can make it even more dry. And, oily skin can increase the risk of smudging. A setting spray can help mitigate both of these things, even if it seems strange to add a mist to your face after applying makeup.

BASIC LIP MAKEUP TIPS FOR BRIDES

Are you the kind of person who likes to play up their lips? Or, do you feel like your lips are thin and need a little help? In either way, these tips are for you.

THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIP LINER AND LIPSTICK

Many people confuse lip liner and lipstick. Lip liner goes on the outer edge of your lips. It helps lipstick stay in place. Lipstick is the color you add to your lips. Some people like to go a little darker on the lipliner (remember the 90’s, anyone?), but you can make them the same shade. You can also skip the liner if you’re not into it or feel it’s unnecessary for your lips.

EXFOLIATE, THEN APPLY

Before you apply lip liner, lipstick, or even lip gloss, take some time to exfoliate your lips. Lips can get dry and skin can accumulate on them. Not only does it not look great, but as the day goes on that skin can flake off, taking any makeup with it. The solution is to use a little lip scrub ahead of lip makeup application. Don’t have one? Don’t worry. You can make a simple one with granulated sugar and chap stick. The key is to add a little grit to your lips, move them together, and then remove.

BASIC EYE MAKEUP TIPS FOR BRIDES

These easy makeup tips for brides are all about the eyes. I love playing up my eyes. They are just my thing. If you’re like me, read on for what you should know.

START LIGHT ON YOUR EYELIDS AND THEN ADD TO IT

A common mistake with eye makeup is applying just one shade of eyeshadow and moving on. The key, though, is contrast. So, start with a lighter color. Apply it around your eyelid, using your ring finger, or a tool that came with the product. Then, go darker. The base light color will help the darker colors pop.

APPLY EYELINER IN SHORT STROKES

Many people love the idea of applying eyeliner in one fell swoop. For most of us, this just isn’t possible. Yes, we love the cat eyes look, but one shot is difficult. Break it up for evenness. Apply your eyeliner, pencil or pen, in short strokes. Gently hold your eyelid so the surface is smooth and use your other hand to apply. Make sure pencils are sharp, and be careful on your delicate skin.

APPLY POWDER TO YOUR EYELASHES BEFORE MASCARA

Applying mascara is pretty straightforward, but did you know you can prep your eyelashes beforehand? By applying a little powder foundation or shadow to your eyelashes before mascara, your eyelashes will appear more plump. Plump is good, as we all want thick eyelashes. Be sure to use a tissue to wipe off your mascara applicator so it doesn’t get clumpy over time, though.

BASIC OVERALL MAKEUP TIPS FOR BRIDES

Okay, let’s get into some overall makeup tips for brides. These are the tips that aren’t just about one part of your face, but rather the “full picture”. With these tips, you can complete your look, and change it.

BLEND, BLEND, BLEND

Blending a very important tip when it comes to makeup. Without proper blending, you will look like you’re wearing makeup. Blending is the difference between looking good and looking good, if you know what I mean. When in doubt, layer, blend, and layer again. Don’t forget to blend colors into your neck and along your hair line. Trust me on this.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO CREATE DIMENSION

With the right makeup products, you can create dimension. What does this mean, exactly? Well, with blushes, bronzers, highlighters, and shadows, you can deepen your cheekbones. Or, you can highlight any contoured areas you want on your skin. No, we didn’t go into each and every dimension-creating product in this post, but they are out there. If you’re interested in trying them, just go for it.

USE A PRIMER BETWEEN SKINCARE PRODUCTS AND MAKEUP

Do you know what primer is? It’s a spray or cream that will help keep your skin smooth and allow your makeup to last longer. Once you apply your skincare products (you can learn more about them here), you apply primer. The results are that your makeup will look better, longer.

THOUGHTS ON EASY MAKEUP TIPS FOR BRIDES

Friends, I hope I was able to provide some basic makeup tips for brides in this post. I know it’s a lot to take in if you’re not that into makeup. The key is to find some options that work for you, and stick with them. Yes, you may have a professional makeup artist doing your face on your wedding day. But, you may want to doll up for your showers and rehearsal dinner, or any other pre-wedding events. Hopefully this post gave you some tips to make the most of what you’ve got and feel confident in doing it. Happy wedding planning!

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