2017 DIY BRIDAL MAKEUP APPLICATION

Doing your own makeup for your wedding is a great idea because (1) it's cheaper and (2) no one knows your features better than you. With that said, being responsible for your own makeup on one of the most photographed days of your life can be intimidating. Pro makeup artists Matin Maulawizada, Joanna Schlip, and Colleen O'Neill know a thing or two about getting brides camera-ready for the big day. Here, all three share their secrets for making your makeup last and look flawless all day (and night) long.

Pick an Inspiration Photo

Nars lead makeup artist Phuong Tran says: "It's important for brides to do their own research and look up reference photos of different beauty looks. Sometimes I have them bring in a photo of the day they felt like they looked best before this. That helps us create the look that makes them feel like themselves." Here is my inspiration!

Prep Your Skin

To get your skin ready, Phuong says, "Make sure to tone, because it dissolves the dead cells. And wear tons of lip balm—all day, every day, and to bed—the week before the wedding."

Get Your Base Picture-Perfect

"Really spend time on your skin, getting your complexion perfect with concealer, foundation, powder, blush, and bronzer. Foundation should be applied with your fingers in a circular motion in sections on your face down to your neck. Wherever you see any darkness, apply concealer with a brush. Focus on the undereye area, around the nose, and then on any other red spots on the skin. Add highlighter where you want to add light to your face. Then, set all of the cremes you use with a loose powder, which will give you a light, even wash."

Concealing a Breakout

What to do if you have a blemish? "Put foundation on it, and then wherever you need more help, use a matte concealer. Then set it with powder. If you still don't have enough coverage, repeat with concealer and powder and layer it once more. Make sure to pat the concealer on instead of rubbing it."

Apply Some Bronzer

Here's a handy trick, when you apply bronzer, do it in the shape of a 3. "Start in the hairline, which will add warmth around your face. Then bronze your forehead, the perimeter of the face, and under the cheekbone. Next, around below the jawline. Start light and then build to more for the desired effect."

Add Blush

"You want to wear blush on your apples. Apply it a two-finger distance away from the nose, so you don't add redness [where you don't want it]. [To finish], do a little check-mark motion at your cheekbone for a natural blush."

Natural Eye Makeup

"Use eyeshadow base, which will [hold] your eyeshadow down. Then apply concealer to brighten the eye before [applying] on any color. For this look, we are using a light shadow color all over the eye and a medium-tone crease color. Take a little bit more eyeshadow and add it into the corner for some extra drama."

Here's How to Create a Wide-Eyed Look

"In order for your eyes to look big and open, use liner on the top and bottom. First, use a pencil to line the inside of your upper lash line, which will give definition to your eye and connect your lashes. Then use a liquid eyeliner around the shape of the lid. You want to extend the line in an upward slant to open up the eye. For the bottom lash line, use brown, which will look most natural."

Lashes That Pop

Phuong recommends two mascaras, a volumizing and then a lengthening. "This is the best option if you don't want to do fake lashes. After curling the lashes, apply mascara by wiggling from side to side from the root. Make sure you touch the tips too and wiggle at the top."

Perfect Brows

"Brows help frame your face, [and] you want to go a little darker on your wedding day to [ensure they'll show up in] photos. Go with the natural line of the brow and fill in with brow powder, working it out to the tail. You want the tail to be as long as the eye to enhance the arch. Go with the angle of the hair, and then brush through with a spooly brush." Avoid any harsh lines!

Lips That Last

When applying a bright lip, use a lip treatment that hydrates underneath so you don't see any dry lines. Fill in with your color almost to the edge of the lip, then use a lip liner to [define] the shape of the lip and to seal it all in. [Apply] a little more color to blend the liner and lipstick together." Pro tip: "Some women like to smash their lips together, but don't do that—it will make [your color application look] lopsided."

Set With Powder.

Use light-reflecting setting powder to blend in the whole look and finish it. It will give the skin a softened glow. Plus, the camera loves this stuff." But take note: Some powders can look funky with a camera flash, so be sure to choose a very fine, skin-toned shade—and test it out beforehand in some DIY photos.

For the perfect wedding glow, use highlighter.

To avoid a shiny face, choose a matte formula for most of your makeup (foundation, primer, concealer, bronzer, powder). Then, to give yourself that angelic red-carpet glow, take a shimmery cream highlighter, such as Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector, and apply it with a fan brush across the tops of your cheekbones, down the middle of your nose, above your cupid's bow, in the middle of your chin, and over your brow bone. O'Neill notes that you should only apply the shimmer highlighter to the areas on your face that naturally catch the light to avoid looking like a disco ball. Also, avoid highlighting areas with breakouts because the product will, well, highlight your blemish.

Finish with a setting spray to keep your makeup in place.

Spritz your face with a product such as Japonesque Color Makeup Setting Spray once you're completely finished, O'Neill says — your makeup won't budge.



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Brave.