Be prepared to avoid disaster

BRIDES want to look their best, so what works best for the biggest day of a girl’s life?
“You want to look amazing, however, you still want to look like yourself. Most brides prefer a natural look. I would recommend that a bride goes for a stronger eye, with good definition. The eyes should be your focus on your special day. Bridal makeup should enhance your everyday features, whilst also being strong enough to last throughout the day and feature well in your photographs,” Claire advises.
A trained nurse, the Limerick resident started her own business, Mobilemakeupbyclaire, and now focuses on bridal makeup. While many brides opt to do their own makeup, Claire believes there is no replacement for a professional.
“I think it’s fair to say that the morning of a wedding can be a stressful event. Most brides would opt to have their hair and makeup done professionally. Weddings can be highly emotional and I would strongly advise hiring professionals, ensuring that you avoid a disaster on the day. I personally, will not do wedding makeup on a person if I have not done a trial first. A makeup artist will almost instantly know what colours/looks will or will not suit you,” she explains.
“The key to perfect makeup is finding the balance,” Claire adds. “Your makeup must be camera-friendly, not too dramatic and definitely not pale and uninteresting. Ensure the natural curves and shapes of your face are contoured correctly, avoid heavy shading. Frame the face. Don’t over pluck your eyebrows. Eyebrows define the whole shape of your face. Make them slightly darker than normal. Frame the eyes with a good eyeliner, either liquid or pencil. Add false eyelashes to widen the eye if needed and don’t over do the fake tan,” she advises.
Bridal makeup should compliment a bride’s best features but longevity is also vital. “A vital component for wedding makeup is a good, strong reliable primer. This forms a barrier between your face and your foundation. It stops your foundation from sliding off your face. Smashbox and Laura Mercier are good primers. However, you only need to use a small pea-size amount, so they last ages. You also need good waterproof mascara, you can’t beat Max Factor for this,” Claire suggests.
“Choosing the correct foundation is a top priority for any bride. You have to consider the skin tone, hair and eye colour and most importantly, if they are wearing fake tan. I would say the biggest mistake a bride makes is not having a trial done, poor skin preparation in advance and having the fake tan too dark.
“When choosing colours for a bride, I tend to opt for what suits the individual and not what is currently in trend. You don’t have to have brown eye shadow if you have brown eyes, would you wear blue eye shadow if you had blue eyes? A stronger, yet natural eye is preferential on your wedding day. If you are wearing fake tan, have a trial beforehand and have it done no later than two days before your big day. This makes it easier to fix if there are any disasters,” she continues.
As with any big event, preparation is vital and Claire advises brides-to-be to take extra care of their skin in advance of their big day to make sure the skin glows.
“You need to commence a healthy diet, drink at least eight glasses of water per day and maintain a strict cleansing, toning and moisturising routine. Establish what skin type you have, whether it is oily, dry, combination and so on. Only buy beauty products that are relevant to your skin type, not what the sales person tells you.
“If you have it in your budget, have a few nourishing facials or microdermabrasions if you are acne prone. Exfoliate your lips with an old toothbrush to ensure lip-gloss goes on smoothly. Do not get sunburned before your big day, particularly if you are wearing a strapless dress,” Claire warns.
As well as preparation, practice is key and for Claire, the golden rule is simple.
“I would say definitely have a trial to make sure you avoid any tears on the morning of the most important day of your life,” she concludes.