Opinions wanted about make up (wedding relateD)

In My Humble Opinion
1

OK, getting married in less than 4 weeks, and one detail I haven’t figured out is what, if any make up I should be wearing. I never wear makeup, hardly even unless it’s a Halloween party or something, so I have no experience with this. I have pretty even skin and few blemishes, though I do get them. I’m wearing a sorta fancy white dress and having my hair done, not in a big crazy 'do, just off my neck because I anticipate it will be hot. We’re not have a professional photographer, just some amateur friends taking photos.

My SIL, who works in a salon, says I should have foundation and powder, with some blush. She says if I don’t, I will look blotchy from the heat and the makeup won’t stay on. My friend Colleen, who just got married and looked great, had only her lips and eyes done, and said all that makeup looks fake anyway, makes you not look like you.

What is the advice of women who wear makeup regularly, or just know about it: do I need it? What do I need exactly? I can do mascara and liner if I have to, some shadow, basic lips, that’s it. If you are of the opinion that the rest is necessary, can you explain why, and how to go about getting the right stuff and best ways to apply so I don’t like really tarted up? I want to look like me and be comfortable with how I look on my wedding day. If I’m going to do this myself, I need some explicit instructions and advice in how to do it. Otherwise, I’d just go minimal and it might not be enough. Or maybe it will be…

Help please!

2

If you never wear makeup – especially foundation and powder and blush – it doesn’t seem like your wedding day is a good time to experiment.

But you might be surprised and like the look. Maybe you could experiment over the next couple of weeks. Try the foundation-powder-blush and eye makeup --see how it holds up over a period of 10-12 hours. (Make sure you’re not allergic.)

If you’re getting your hair done special, you might feel like something’s missing if you’re not wearing any makeup – the spiffy new hair-do might draw all the attention away from your face.

Will there be wedding photos? Kittens, puppies, babies, weddings – we’ll need photos. :slight_smile:

3

What kind do I get? Do you recommend I go to the make up counter at the BonTon, or what? I really have to start from scratch with it. What kind of tools do you use to apply this stuff?

I don’t want to look like a clown.

Mostly I want the hair off my neck and none of those frizzies I get around my face when it’s hot and humid, so I’m having them do it so it stays, but nothing big and fancy and weird. Casual, but in place, kinda thing.

4

My advice: don’t wear any make-up. No lipstick. No eye-stuff. It all does look fake.

Disclaimer: I am not a woman and I don’t wear or like make-up, but I get the feeling from the OP that you don’t really want to wear it. And you don’t have to. My wife only wore tattoo cover-up on her chest (no face paint!), and she looked great. Yes, I’m biased, but whose opinion mattered on this occasion? Mine and hers.
Congrats on your marriage!

5

Personally, I think your wedding should be about you and the guy you’re marrying, so the hell with whether or not you “should” wear makeup. It’s your day, enjoy it and try to make it as stress-free as possible.

That said, if you do want to consider the option, I suggest the following:

  1. Call close female friend.
  2. Say “Hey, Jane, want to come by for coffee and teach me about makeup?”
  3. Meet with friend. Have her bring supplies, do you up, and explain what she’s doing/how/why/etc.
  4. If you like it, go with cosmetic shopping with said friend.

Note: I write this as someone who had a brief, high-school flirtation with lip gloss, and has worn proper makeup once, on Halloween, when it was applied in fully by someone else.

6

If you have even skin and no blemishes, I’d just go with some translucent powder to keep you from shining in pictures. Maybe you’re not the shiny type, though, so that may not even be necessary for you!

If you don’t wear makeup much, maybe just some mascara and lipliner, possibly with gloss on top. Lipliner stays on a long time. You can just touch up the gloss if you like glossy lips. I like mascara because you’ll be photographed a lot and it helps bring attention to your eyes.

Another alternative is one of those longwearing lipsticks which goes on with a wand and dries. These are fabulous if you don’t have chapped lips, but if you do they will be hell. Screw the fancy brands, too - the best one I’ve tried is Revlon.

BUT!

If you don’t really like makeup, don’t wear any! You don’t need it. I bet no one would even notice if you didn’t wear any, especially if you don’t usually - everyone will think you’re beautiful anyway. It’s your wedding and you can go bare-faced if you darn well please. :slight_smile:

7

My best friend got married in January, and she had a high-end photographer, who recomended women wear a little extra eyeliner or mascara, and lipstick a shade darker than normal-- so if you don’t wear, have some kind of liner/mascara on, and some sort of lipstick. In the heat I might also recomend powder to keep you from looking to shiny. At a recent wedding I was in the photographer’s flash was reflecting off the shiny forheads of all the dudes.

I wouldn’t reccomend more or you won’t look like “you”. A proffesional make-up artist, or the ones in the mall (in my experience) will put on SO much that you’ll see a clown when you look in the mirror.

8

Only wear it if you want to. If you already have clear skin and don’t usually wear makeup, then don’t wear it. NinjaChick’s plan sounds reasonable, if you have a friend who’s into makeup.

Personally, all the makeup I wear (and I’m not talking every day; I mean for going out) is a little concealer under my eyes, shimmery eyeshadow, mascara, and lip balm. If I feel really fancy, then I use the tinted lip balm. It’s all very neutral shades – the concealer matches my complexion, the mascara is a shade darker than my lashes, and the lip balm and eyeshadow are sheer. I use my fingers and a makeup sponge to apply it. I’ve never felt out of place wearing that for even fairly formal occasions (cocktail parties).

The only thing I can tell you definitely, if I’m remember your past wedding threads correctly, is that if you’re having an outside wedding, then you’ll want to wear sunblock and something on your lips with sunblock in it. Ringing in your honeymoon with a sunburn probably wouldn’t be the best way to go about it.

On preview and after reading Obsidian’s post, when I had my senior pictures taken, the photographer warned against wearing white/pastel eyeshadow because it will make your eyes look puffy. She said the best was to wear something fairly neutral – brown or taupe. She also recommended a little lipstick and mascara.

9

Just go to any cosmetic counter and tell them exactly what you want. The Clique counters will do a free make-up session. You’re not even allowed to tip and they don’t do a hard sell. You could do a trial before the wedding and if you like it, go in that day.

10

If you’re having someone do your hair, you could ask if they know someone who does makeup. It may not be all that expensive to have someone do your makeup the day of your wedding, and that way you wouldn’t have to buy any product, because they’d bring it all. You can also experiment ahead of time – have the makeup person do a dry run, and if you don’t like it, then don’t do it.

Barring that, I’d suggest that if you’re getting married outdoors, a little powder to cover the sunscreen sheen and some lip gloss should do, particularly if you don’t normally wear makeup. You can also have the friends who are doing your wedding pictures take some sample shots of you, so you can see what the pictures will look like both with and without makeup.

But I’m sure you have more important things to freak out over. :slight_smile: Don’t sweat this one if you don’t want to, and don’t wear makeup if you don’t want to.

11

I’m generally a no-makeup gal myself. But I just made a discovery that might change that. I feel like a frickin’ commercial, but I can’t believe there’s something out there that actually lives up to its own hype! (And I’ve been wanting to start a thread about it, but felt too shallow to do it, so thanks for the opportunity!)

Bare Minerals, by a company called Bare Escentuals. You can google it, I’m sure.

This stuff is amazing! It’s a series of powders which you put on with a brush. I went to Ulta (a mid-level cosmetics store around here - it’s not Walgreens, but it’s not super high end, either. It’s a little stepfordian for my taste, but they’re always very nice and save their snickering for when this hippie chick leaves the store, so they’re cool.). Anyway, the lady there took about 5 minutes to show me how to use the stuff, and it’s very neat. There’s also a DVD which covers more in detail, but she taught me the basics very quickly for free.

It doesn’t look like makeup. No, really. It just looks like you airbrushed all the uneveness out of your skin. I’ve got some acne scarring and some red spots and some enlarged pores in my t-zone. All gone. And I have horribly oily and sweaty skin, and this stuff tames it, it really does. I still FEEL sweaty and flushed from the inside, but when I look in the mirror, there’s no shine, no exertion redness and no beading on my face. I don’t really know why it works, but it does. It’s also so quick to put on - it takes me less than 5 minutes, and I’m still new at it. I’m prone to break outs from make up, and this doesn’t bother me in the slightest - I’ve even slept in it (to test their claim that you could), and no breakouts in the morning.

Plus, it has an SPF of 15, which is nothing to sneeze at.

I really recommend it. I’ve been wearing it everyday since I got it a week ago, even when I have nowhere to go, just because I feel all glowy and gorgeous, without feeling like I’m wearing makeup. It comes in a starter kit for everyday wear for about the same money you’d pay for a makeup session or for foundation, blush and powder if you don’t have it already.

I haven’t seen a reason to get their mascara - nothing beats Revlon lash tint in my book - it’s not mascara exactly but this dark stuff which goes on your lashes and doesn’t come off for three days. At the end of those three days, it peels off when you rub your eyes gently (I think you’re supposed to use remover, but whatever.)

So that’s my recommendation: Bare Minerals, with a touch of eye makeup (by Bare Escentuals or someone else), maybe just a little brown eyeliner and lash tint. You’ll look like the prettiest bride who isn’t wearing makeup, and it won’t need your attention all day.

12

Another possibility, foundation-wise, is Mac Studiofix, which you should be able to find at a department store. It goes on like powder but looks like foundation. I don’t wear other makeup on a regular basis, but I pat that on pretty regularly. If you go to the Mac counter, they can find you a good shade. It’ll even your skintone a bit. Then get a cheapy non-colored powder to take the shine off the nose throughout the day. I’m looking at avoiding the shiny face in hot weather. Maybe a little eyecolor and a light lipcolor, just so you don’t look too washed out. Even if you’re not having professional photos, you want to avoid red-eye and blank-face.

I’m sure WhyNot’s suggestion is very good, but this is something you can go try on at the store.

(Also, keep in mind I’m a little bit Goth. The suggestion of blush might not be off the mark.)

As I said, I wear Studiofix a lot without any other makeup and look pretty decent.

13

Like others said, if you don’t *want * to wear makeup, then you don’t have to. But makeup doesn’t have to look fake (if it does, you did it wrong!).

I do like Bare Minerals, but I *haven’t * found it to be the miraculous stuff that many say, and it’s not cheap, so I wouldn’t bother if you’re not going to use it every day.

I’d recommend a tinted moisturizer (don’t forget the SPF!), a bit of translucent powder, a blush that works well with your skintone, and a natural looking lipstick that harmonizes with the blush. A sweep of the blush on your eyelids combined with a bit of liner and mascara will keep your eyes from disappearing in photos.

My other recommendation is that you shouldn’t try to do this yourself! Even if you’re gifted with a makeup brush, your hands won’t be at their steadiest that day. If you have a friend you trust with this, draft her. (I’ve done most of my friends’ wedding makeup.) If not, have it done at the salon. And keep in mind that if you’re paying for it, they keep working until you’re happy with it.

Congratulations, and enjoy your wedding!

14

We aren’t getting married outdoors, though we will probably do some pictures outside if it isn’t raining. The reception is also inside, with and outside deck for people to go out to. So, not as much of an issue with needing sunscreen. I would like to dover up dark circles under my eyes which are pretty omnipresent. I’ll go to the mall and check stuff out there.

15

I’d go to a salon or Aveda store and ask if they will help. Aveda’s makeup is fairly light. I’d go for pressed powder (which I thin feels less gunky than a liquid foundation), a natural blush, a swipe of mascara, and a little gloss. The applicators for all this will come with it (though you may want a better brush for the blush). Explain that you NEVER wear makeup, and just want a very light natural look for a few special occations. I wouldn’t bother with liner - if you don’t wear makeup the mascara will be sufficient, and no eyeshadow. (Eyeliner and eyeshadow are, IMO, what makes people cross the line from “I want to even out my face a little” to “I want to look like I’m wearing makeup.”)

16

The “bridal look” tries to be as “natural” as possible unless the bride really, really, really likes two-tone lips. So if you have great skin and don’t normally use makeup I don’t think there’s any kind of reason to start just then.

If you want to give it a try, though, I second dropping by a big department store’s makeup section; the saleswomen will be able to recomend “minimal makeup” and show you how to use it. You definitely don’t want to be experimenting on your wedding day. Some makeup houses go more for the “natural” look (Clinique has already been mentioned, Revlon also tends to the discreet), others go more for “hey I have money and I spend it on makeup” (Dior, Maybelline).

For the black circles, there’s something called “concealer”. The makeup ladies will be able to tell you whether you can make do with just that or not.

Do not mention it’s for your wedding or they’ll go nuts. Just say you don’t normally use makeup, don’t even know how and would like to be able to use some minimal makeup occasionally, you’re definitely not looking for eye shadow.

It’s important to know whether your color will be the same for the wedding as now. Apart of using it occasionally to get used to applying it and to how it feels, you should have a tryout about one week before the wedding. Just a bit more or less of a tan may mean you need to buy a different shade of concealer/base.

Oh, and if you go for a base, remember to apply it on *every * bit that shows. Apply it with your clothes off, cover every part that will show, use soft TP or kleenex to wipe off any excess (don’t be afraid to rub, the redness goes away more easily than makeup on white does), then get dressed.

17

Don’t wear it if you don’t want to. If you just want a little color, a touch of blush, a tinted lip gloss and a little mascara is all you’ll need. I mean, you certainly don’t want the groom to be scanning the line of bridesmaids trying to figure out which one he’s marrying!:wink:

18

Personally, I’d wear a bit of powder (it will keep you from looking shiny in the pictures), mascara (be sure to get water-proof) and lip gloss. Foundation tends to make me older, but YMMV. I wear Cover Girl Fresh Look translucent powder, and I like it a lot. It comes in a light gray compact. I also like Cover Girl LipSlicks, which are lightly tinted lip glosses. They give your lips a hint of color without being to shiny or greasy.

I like NinjaChick’s idea. Ask a girl friend whose style you like and ask her to teach you. She’d probably even to do your makeup on the big day if you ask. I’d be wary of going to department stores and asking for help, since their goal is not to make you look great for your wedding, but to sell you makeup.

19

I would recommend scheduling two appointments at a salon to get your makeup done. The first as a test run, the second for the actual wedding. Since you would otherwise have to buy makeup and implements that you don’t plan on using regularly, think of that as offsetting the cost.

20

I never wear makeup either, but unlike you, I need it (I am pretty blotchy and uneven).

For my brother’s wedding I went all out and bought the Bare Minerals stuff that WhyNot talks about. It is both expensive and amazing.

Here is a link that lists places where it’s sold in the US. If there is one near you I highly suggest going to the shop for a free “makeover.” (they put makeup on ya) You will know right away if you like it or not and if it’s worth it for you to purchase.

If you don’t have a store nearby, you can get their starter kit which has a 60 day money back guarantee if you don’t like it.

Anything you decide, though, make sure you have PLENTY of time before the wedding to try out different things. Do not just go to your hairdresser or a makeup counter the day of the wedding and have their makeup person put makeup on you. I have gone to a couple of places and come out feeling way over-done and unhappy with the results.