It’s All About The Skin

As a former beauty therapist (those skills never leave you) I always take a skin first approach when working with makeup and so the first step I take before I touch any makeup is to prepare your skin and to get it looking and feeling as hydrated as possible. Makeup looks so much better on hydrated skin. Read on to find out which products I used to create this look.

For Anna’s skin I used a combination of moisturises to target the dry areas of her face as well as the oily T zone.  I find working with fine layers of products give the best results. My go to products were Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost Water Gel containing hydrating hyaluronic acid.  An oil-free moisturiser, it really quenches dry skin and gives a supple, smooth hydrated look and feel.  It’s so good you can use it under foundation or on it’s own. The next moisturiser I used was Bobbi Brown’s Extra Repair moisturising balm, not only does it smell amazing it feels luxurious on the skin. Perfect for those dry patches. To add a healthy glow to the skin I used another favourite of mine, now this really does smell amazing!  It’s like freshly ground cucumbers.. it’s light, absorbing, reflective and a real treat for the skin. It’s my new purchase by Becca’s Skin Love Glow Elixir.  wow this product is amazing!  I’ve been using it during all my bridal trials so far and the results are beautiful! Everyone loves their skin after this application. This little bottle has everything you need and more for your special day.  It’s so lightweight, a skin-clarity boosting serum infused with Becca’s Glow Nectar Brightening Hydra Complex, a propriety blend of natural ingredients that instantly brighten hydrate and nourish the skin. It’s like you’ve added a filter to the skin, without adding a filter.  I love it!  My next product is a little gem for tired puffy under eyes, you know the look when you haven’t slept well.  Embryolisse Radiant Eye is enriched with aloe vera and glycerine to minimise puffiness by breaking down tissues and metabiotic which work effectively to boost circulation and reduce those dark circles. This little product is cold when it touches the skin, it instantly feels so relaxing and calming and if you want it to feel really cold, keep it in the fridge. Still working with skin prep I then applied a fine layer of Estee Lauder’s The Illuminator.  It’s a beautiful soft glow with a pale gold undertone and so pretty for pale skin tones. I applied tiny amounts to the upper cheek bones and just above the end of the brow arch to lift the upper part of the face. I didn’t want a super glow look, but rather a subtle glow to give a more natural look. The last product to complete my skin care preparations was Bobbi Brown’s lip balm. A specially formulated pale pink balm with wheat germ, avocado and olive oils, it’s non-greasy and immediately goes to work comforting and protecting the lips. It looks great on it’s own too! And a bonus as the sun was shining it contains SPF 15.  Onto the makeup!

No Makeup Look

With the skin looking radiant, healthy and well nourished I then went onto working with the eyes and the rest of the face. For this look we wanted a natural, no makeup makeup look. That doesn’t mean don’t use any makeup! that means make it look like there’s no makeup and it’s actually something I love to create. Starting with the eyes I like to use MAC painterly pro long wear cream eye shadow, it cancels out any redness and leaves a beautiful blank canvas ready for any eyeshadows, but as I wasn’t using any I used MAC pressed powder very lightly over the whole eye area to seal the cream. I then got to work on the foundation and for Anna’s pale skin tone I used Charlotte Tilbury light wonder foundation in fair. I still wanted to see her beautiful freckles. Using a flat head synthetic brush by Nanshy I gently buffed small amounts of foundation onto the skin before using a sponge to push a little more product into the areas where we needed more coverage.  My next favourite and another new buy was By Terry under eye concealer.  This product is silky smooth, a little on the expensive side, but you can really feel and see why. It’s gorgeous on the skin and a little goes a long way.  I then used a fine translucent powder by Laura Mercier under the eyes and around the nose area to set my foundation. The tiniest amount of highlighter by Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow light to medium shade was used in the corner of the eyes, the cupids bow and just between the eyebrows at the top of the nose. NOT the tip of the nose, sorry that for me is a no go!  With the foundation all done the next step was Anna’s beautifully shaped eyebrows, just a small amount of filling in was required with a wax pencil. I wanted to add a pop of colour to her cheeks and for this I used a new blusher palette by Morphe. I’ve never used Morphe products before, but having seen this demonstrated in a recent master class I attended I had to buy it and I was not disappointed. I mixed several shades to add a bespoke colour just perfect  for Anna’s skin tone. A touch of highlighter was used on the cheekbones, I used the palest brightening brick by Bobbi Brown (it’s been discontinued now)  it’s beautifully iridescent for the palest skin tone. Almost done with this gorgeous no makeup makeup look, the next step was to add my all time favourite individual eyelashes. They add so much definition and shape to the eye. Lashings of mascara by MAC and finally a pop of colour to the lips with a lip 2 cheek cream in demure by RMS Beauty almost done, I could not finish this look without a spritz of yet another one of my favourite new buys by Caudalie Elixir it smells amazing! and fixes everything in place as well as adding yet more hydration and radiance to the skin! 

Bridal Trials

Being a bridal makeup artist is so much more than just applying makeup. I truly believe that great makeup results begin with great skin care  and so my lovely brides to be, when thinking about your bridal morning or your bridal trial and how much time your artist needs to perfect your bridal look please take into account the time I need to prepare your skin so that it looks and feels it’s absolute best. Your makeup will look beautiful and stay all day and night. I’m often asked how much time is needed or how long will my trial last and very often I get a surprised look when I say at least 60 minutes for your makeup, at least!  For a more glamorous red carpet look I would say comfortably an hour and a half.  Please be patient because I want you to look your best self on your wedding day and to feel confident with how you look and you want to look and feel amazing right? 

I’m always happy to work out the schedule on the day for my brides so we have a calm morning with no stress, but if you would rather write out the schedule please allow enough time for your intricately styled bridal look to be achieved.  You are worth it! 

Photograph – Hair & Makeup by me