Makeup for the DIY (Do It Yourself) Bride

If you're a "Do It Yourself" kind of girl, I may venture to guess that your wedding is no exception. Whether for financial reasons or just the hesitation of letting go, you may decide to take wedding day beauty into your own hands. Here is where I can help. Let me give you a few insights into creating a picture perfect bridal photo.

There's nothing wrong with doing it yourself, if you're well-informed and excellent at applying your own makeup. I've been doing makeup for well over 20 years and even still I would never attempt to do my own makeup for my wedding day. But to those who are more adventurous, I will provide you with a few important tips.

Flawless makeup begins with flawless skin. Get routine facials, wear sunscreen, avoid harmful tanning, drink lots of water, watch what you eat and take care of your skin. We can always make our skin darker with bronzers and spray-on tans but once you damage your skin with UV rays, there's no way in reversing the negative effects.

Invest in quality, professional makeup products and tools. Using consumer geared products may have less than stellar results. Consumer makeup not designed for photography may present a problem with artificial flash of the camera washing out your skin tone on pictures. Most "over-the-counter" cosmetics lack beneficial pigments and will fade away long before the night is over. Just like quality cosmetics, a good set of brushes can make your application so much easier. Expect to pay a decent amount for quality products and tools. One professional brush can set you back between $35 and $75.

When working with clients, a makeup artist will take into account such things as; weather, heat, attire, skin tone, genetics, season, indoor/outdoor and many more variables. Understanding how all these things can affect the final photography outcome would take months, maybe years to master. But if you begin to make yourself aware of them, you can start to see how it all comes together to create the end result.

Cameras will be in abundance at your wedding and you're bound to have your picture taken more times in this one day than at any other time in your life. So, you definitely want your makeup to stand up through it all.

Be sure to practice with a full blown makeup application and take as many pictures in different lighting and locations as you possibly can. Apply your makeup early in the morning and note how well it lasts throughout the day. Do this for several days; wearing your makeup while you workout, clean the house, go shopping, etc. You want to see how well it holds up under the worst conditions. This way, you can rest assured knowing your makeup will still look fabulous from the moment you walk down the aisle until you make your final get away at the end of the night.  

Many area makeup artists will offer tips and technique training classes with either individual or group lessons. I highly recommend attending a class or private session to tweak your wedding day bridal look. It may be difficult to learn how to master the art of creating flawless skin but with practice, you should be able to create a picture perfect look.

Best wishes to all the happy and beautiful brides. Please feel free to contact me for more tips. 

www.stephaniemazzeo.com