I have a damned wedding to go be in as a bridesmaid, and they are forcing me to wear makeup [hello Bridezilla sigh] but the closest I normally come to makeup is chapstick for the SPF value. I got told to use blue eyeshadow, wasn’t that a 70s disco thing? Last time I read any sort of girly magazine was like 15 years ago and I was in it for the sex quiz [well, it was sitting in the waiting room at my OB/GYN and my battery was low and I didn’t want to read my book and kill my phone.] That magazine said blue was out, and the bronzes were in. Or some such damned nonsense. This one, in lapis blue with a lace jacket thingy over it and ballet flats. How the freaking step pause crap is going to work in a wheelchair, no freaking clue. All I have to do is get the damned dress, get there for the rehearsal and show up for the hairdresser and makeup guys.
Help … ? Any links for eye crap suitable for a saturday early afternoon early summer wedding? Suggestions for an incurable disease to come down with to get out of the damned wedding?
More data required. That said, if it turns out that you’re supposed to bring your own materials, I’ll ask my daughter to put some thought into it this afternoon when she returns from the store.
I don’t know if this is a possibility for you, but in some large department stores like Belks or Macys, they will give you a complete makeover for free. Call them and explain your situation, and you may find they will help you out, provided it is doable for you to go there in your dress before going on to the wedding. You might want to check and see if they are working on salary or commission, and if it is commission buy something like moisturizer or if on salary, write a note of thanks to their boss about how helpful they were. I have done this twice when I needed to to go to a fancy dress event, and it beats the hell out of buying a ton of makeup and tossing it in a drawer till it goes bad.
If the makeup guys can’t help, any Sephora or MAC store will do your full makeup for a minimal charge, or do a mini makeup lesson with no charge. Highly recommend you try that out.
I love doing makeup and used to spend hours just playing with different looks, so I am pretty comfy, but in order for you to do your own, you’ll have to buy a bunch of products, easier to just get it done, less money and effort in the long run
I don’t think it makes someone a “bridezilla” to expect her bridesmaids to wear makeup so they don’t look like shit in her photos.
I don’t wear makeup on a daily basis and I rarely wear it on occasions when I should, but I do realize that it makes everyone look nicer.
Sounds like you should just decline this invitation. You don’t seem to want to be there for the bride at all. Do it quickly so she can find a replacement.
ETA: If you must continue to be a part of this poor person’s special day, *Ulta *is another store that does makeup sessions.
also, the make up counter people are doing it to make money so asking them for a makeover with no intention of buying the makeup would be a little iffy for me. I contacted my hairdresser one time for some specialty costume make up and had them do my hair and make up. I am pretty sure they do make up for special events like weddings. If the bride is supplying hair and make up people for you, I wouldn’t worry about it.
If I wear makeup, it is mascara, tinted lip gloss and that is it. If I wear the liquid crap on my face, i get pizza face within hours, and that is the ‘good’ noncomedogenic shit. I do not feel I need to wear anything other than mascara and lip gloss, I do not have blemishes, I have freckles as a result of the red head gene in my genetic complement. I am willing to add crap on my eyelids, but as I wear tinted glasses [photo issues thanks to medications] unless I pancake shit on like that heavy chick on the comedy show that has screaming huge racoon eyes in blue disco shit you pretty much can not see my eye sockets.
And if the damned bridezilla was not a niece, I would be more than freaking happy to bail. Everybody knows I already tried to politely decline and was informed that as her only aunt, I was going to be in the wedding whether or not I wanted to be. I still have no fucking idea how we are going down the fucking aisle with me in a fucking wheelchair. And effectively short of being in hospital, I am going down that fucking aisle in that fucking dress [at least it is not a duplicate of the freaking marry kay pink organa I got forced into when my brother got married to his bridezilla.]
If I have at least minor control over what the fuck I look like, I will be a fuck ton more comfortable than just showing up and getting forcibly madeup, and I categorically refused to get my hair cut - me and a pixie cut/pageboy are NOT in the works. Here is a freaking reason both my weddings were more or less elopements [well the first one was a BBQ with casual dress with a small JoP ceremony of about 5 minutes in the middle of a housewarming.]
I was a makeup artist in a department store for 12 years…so here is what I would recommend with that experience in mind.
If you go to a cosmetic counter, please plan on spending something, even if it is the cheapest item they have. When you chose where to go, look not only at the different counters, but at the individual makeup artists as well. Someone with a lot of heavy or dramatic makeup on is going to tend to apply yours heavier that someone with a more natural look…even if you specify you want it to be lighter. The terms lighter and more natural are definitely subjective.
If you decide to do your own, I would recommend skipping the blue shadow. Blue is definitely fine to wear, but since you are not used to or comfortable with makeup, I suspect even if it looks great…you will feel odd in it and not at ease. I would go with something more neutral…browns, taupes, or grays, depending on your coloring.
Have you checked to be sure that that dress is wheelchair-appropriate? It looks to me like it would get caught in your wheels really easily.
For your eyes, I would suggest something like a slate gray with that dress. But if there are makeup guys at the wedding, I would suck it up and let them do your face. You only have to leave it on for a couple of hours.
I really don’t like being unkind, but when I think of all the truly hideous bridesmaid dresses I quietly suffered through wearing back in the day (one bright yellow, marabou-covered one that made me look like Big Bird comes to mind) for much-loved friends and family, it stuns me to see you being so awful about wearing makeup for a few hours for a niece who loves you enough to want you to be a part of her wedding.
I’m saying this in the kindest way possible…suck it up.
That being said, I agree with the suggestion about Ulta or Sephora. They are lovely and helpful in both stores and will do what they can for you.
Most of them charge something (I want to say $50 bucks, but it’s probably higher now) and if you buy something a portion of that can go towards purchase.
You will want to buy something - like a pressed powder or lipstick - for touch ups during the day.
I love Sephora. All of the makeup tutorials online are for white people. I can’t do blue eyeshadow, my skin is dark enough that the blue looks ridiculous. I need warm colors. I went in there and explained all of this to them and they were wonderful! I also bought stuff from them and continue to do so.
As others have said, it’s not going to hurt you to wear makeup for a few hours. I was resentful and bitter at a wedding many years ago and I’ve always regretted it, but I was 24 and can blame it on immaturity. Let the poor girl’s few hours be happy.
Unsolicited editorial comment: I’m an only child and my late husband was, too, and we didn’t have kids. No nieces, nephews, or grandkids for me. The fact that your niece wants you to be in her wedding, even in a wheelchair and with your ungracious attitude, is an expression of love. Please see this invitation for the gift that it is. BTW, you’ll get down the damned aisle in your wheelchair the same way you get anywhere in your wheelchair. Carry on.
It works, I tuck it in tightly like any skirt and it doesn’t get grabbed. At least it isn’t one of those little whorehouseon the prairie/fuck me at tara shit dresses.
My niece could give a shit, it is her mother and grandmother [my brother’s ex side of the bridzilla family] She wants her friends in the party. I am trying to let my brother have a bit less hell this summer, the momzilla is effectively forcing him to pay for a full on holy shit high church, full sit down dinner open bar deal [it was written into the divorce so momzilla is cramming as many people into the party as possible. ]
Well, short of coming after you with a gun, they can’t force you to be in the wedding. No one can force you to do anything. Do everyone a favor and ditch the whole event. Let someone who wants to be in the wedding take your place.
If your niece doesn’t give a shit, and you clearly do not have even the remotest interest in being in this wedding, do everyone a favour and stay home. It sounds like the best gift you could probably give the couple.
A thousand times this. Your attitude sucks. It doesn’t sound like the bride is being a bridezilla at all, but rather that you are being brideamaidzilla extraordinaire.
Stay home, cackle about shit, and let the poor girl pick someone who will be happy ro share in her special day.
Also? Non-comedogenic doesn’t mean shit if a product has other ingredients which irritate your skin.
