Why Perfect Wedding Makeup Requires Creative Research

Landing on what your perfect bridal beauty look can take some time as there are so many factors to consider. Things like your everyday makeup look, time of year you are getting married, time of day, colour, vibe of the look, the timeline and how long it needs to stay picture perfect are all things of the utmost consideration.

For my clients, I always suggest collecting visual inspiration for their bridal look (magazines and Instagram are the best resources) which will help your makeup artist form a clear perspective and understanding of the looks you love and what you want for your day. I do have a few key things to keep in mind while doing photo research

Find a face that resembles you. A lot of the time brides-to-be often search “bridal makeup” and some beautiful images definitely do crop up. It is important though to know what will suit you—your eye colour, eye shape, face shape and skin tone. Try and find a face that resembles you in your research—as an artist I find it helpful when a bride shows me inspirational photos of someone who looks like them.

Create a mood board. Wedding planning is busy. To ease any stress,  I recommend finding time to create a mood board for yourself and for your artist. Within your mood board include things like colours and textures you love in makeup (ie. satin, pearl, matte or glitter eyeshadows. Different types of eyeliners. Lip colours and finishes—gloss, matte or cream? What also helps is to include a photo of yourself at a previous event where you had your make up done and loved it, this be very helpful for your artist.

Also look for natural makeup inspiration. If you are not a makeup wearer, that can also be your wedding day vibe! These days you can do whatever you want and feels you for your wedding day and that includes rocking a no-makeup makeup look which has become very popular since Meghan Markle put it on the map in 2018.  To achieve this, you want to focus on great skincare and naturally highlighting a few key features like lashes, soft eyeliner and a nude lip as the focal point. An easy, breezy and very beautiful look!

Nikki Strachan has been working at a professional makeup artist for over 15 years and is currently the key makeup artist for Your Morning, The Social and an instructor at Toronto’s George Brown College with a focus on bridal makeup. She has beautified numerous celebrities and brides and loves to bring a trend-focused eye to all her clients’ beauty looks.