Erin's Ever After: Bouquets and Boutonnieres

I am fortunate enough to call the talented Tammy one of my best friends, and more recently my bridesmaid. She was kind enough to do, not only my makeup on my wedding day, but also the rest of the bridal party's too, which also included my Mum. She found makeup looks for us all, with varying colour schemes and complexity, looks that were tailored to our specific features and brought out the best in each one of us.

Now I'll hand you over to Tammy, to show an example of my bridal makeup routine, enjoy...

Products used:

Lancome La Base Pro Primer
Lancome Teint Visionnaire Foundation - 005
Lancome Teint Miracle Concealer - 02

Bella Vi Mineral Silk Setting Powder
Revlon Eyeshadow Quad - Coffee Bean

Revlon Eyeshadow Quad - Blushed Wines

Lancome Le Crayon Kohl - 01 Noir

Bella Vi Eye Shadow - Moon Stone

Lancome Doll Eyes Waterproof Mascara - Black

Natio Brow Kit
Lancome Blush Subtil - 06
Lancome Le Contour Pro Lip Pencil - 315 Rose the

Lancome Creme De Brilliance Lipgloss - 132

Steps:

Photo 1:
Beginning with the already applied base

After moisturising, apply primer to the face with fingertips as you would a moisturiser.

Using a foundation brush, apply foundation starting from the centre of the face and blending outwards. Ensure coverage is even and blended over entire face, dabbing the brush instead of wiping over on any areas where extra coverage is desired.

Using a powder brush, dust setting powder over the entire face

Take the top colour of the Coffee Bean Quad and apply to entire eyelid with an eyeshadow brush.

Photo 2:

Use the eyeliner to line about 3 quarters of the way along on the lower lid keeping as close to the lashline as possible.

Photo 3:
For the top lids, feather the liner in a V shape along the lash line and then up where the eye creases.

This doesn’t have to be perfect, it’s merely a base to blend the darker shadows into later on.

Photo 4:

Using the third colour down on the Blushed Wines Quad, blend over the eyelid and about 3 quater of the way up onto the lid.

Photo 5:

Using the fourth colour down on the Blushed Wines Quad, blend over the eyelid and about half way up onto the lid, do this so you can see the deeper colour just above your eye when it is open.

Photo 6:

Using that same colour with a angled brush, blend along the lower lid over the top of the liner.

Photo 7:

With another angled brush, use the top colour from the Blushed Wines Quad and blend under the brow. Repeat this step using the Bella Vi eyeshadow by drawing a line directly under the eyebrow curve to really enhance the brow bone. Blend these two colours together so they look seamless.

Photo 8:

Using the same brush and the top colour from the Blushed Wines Quad again, apply this to the inner corner of the eye, ensuring that it blends along into the darker colour. Repeat with the Bella Vi Eyeshadow on the innermost part of the eye.

Photo 9:
Take a little of the third colour down in the Blushed Wines Quad again and blend between the lighter and darker colours so they flow seamlessly into each other.

Photo 10:

Apply mascara to both the upper and lower lids, coat the lashes from the top and the bottom then use the wand to zig zag through and ensure all lashes are covered. Repeat this step twice.

Photo 11:

Using an angled brush gently feather the Brow Powder through the brows, start very lightly and build up the colour as required. Start from the centre of the brow outward to create the arch, do one eye and repeat on the other side. Then feather along from the beginning to the middle on the first brow, then repeat on the second.

By doing one area at a time you can make sure they the brows are going to match each other and look even.

Photo 12:

Now that the eyes are finished, touch up any areas that need concealing or that need fixing from product drop down.

Photo 13:

Apply blush to the apples of the cheeks and stroke the brush backwards on an angle so it goes along the cheek bones.

Photo 14:

Line the lips using small feathering strokes, beginning from the middle and feathering outward. Then colour in the entire lip area.

Photo 15:

Finally, apply the Lipstick or Gloss to the lips.

Tips:

If you are starting a new skincare regime prior to your wedding or event, it is advisable to make sure you begin it a minimum of 6 weeks prior to the date. It takes 4 to 6 weeks for your skin cells to renew so you need to allow at least that amount of time for your new skincare to work it’s magic.
It would also be advantageous to make an effort to drink enough water each day and eat plenty of healthy foods throughout this time to help your skin be the best it can on the day.

Be careful when selecting a foundation as some can give a flashback in photographs. This can sometimes be attributed to the SPF, or in particular the ingredient in the product that gives the sun protection factor such as Titanium Dioxide which is a physical sunscreen designed to repel the rays off the skin.
If you are searching for a new foundation make sure to ask about how it photographs, and just to be extra sure, have it applied in store and then take your own photos to see how it appears in various lights.

Apply foundation before your concealer as sometimes what you are trying to conceal will get enough cover from foundation alone.
Plus as you’ll only be concealing things that really need extra coverage, and will therefore use less product.

When trying to get more coverage from your concealer try dabbing the product on the area with a brush or fingertip. That way you won’t be wiping off any of the product that you have just applied.

To prevent fall down of dark eyeshadows you can :

apply a thick layer of loose or pressed powder under the eye so it can be brushed off easily once the darker colour has been applied.
fold a tissue in half, and half again, then hold it under the eye while you are applying the darker colours to catch any drop down that may occur
apply your eyeshadow before your foundation & concealer, that way you can wipe away any drop down before you apply them.

To keep your brows in shape, spray some hairspray directly onto a disposable mascara wand and brush through your brows directing the hairs into the correct shape.

When using lip liner, you don’t have to get a perfect straight line, just build up the colour by feathering it across the lip in small strokes.
I like to start from the bow of the lips on the top, drawing the small V in the centre first and feathering outward, then feather along the bottom lip.

Colour your entire lips in with your lip liner, this will help the lipstick to last longer and reduce the possibility of the colour wearing out in the middle.

Feeling the heat? Rather than looking shiny in all your photos, carry some blotting paper in your purse. That way you can easily remove any extra oils WITHOUT removing any of your makeup.

Here are some of the makeover photos in action:

My Mum wanted something classic that wouldn't be too dramatic or irritate her eyes (she usually has issues with mascara and eyeshadow) but with Tammys application, the look lasted all day and Mum was very impressed.