About Nicki
Today we’re delighted to meet make-up artist Nicki Fanning, whose talented hands have been perfecting faces for 20 years. Nicki’s experience with models on catwalks and photoshoots and of course with Irish brides themselves means she’s amassed a repertoire of pointers for how to get your skin glowing for the Big Day and how to make sure your make-up lasts from morning til night.
Nicki’s Top 10 Hero Beauty Products for Brides
With her years of experience Nicki has come across plenty of amazing products that can help a bride glow on her Big Day – but these 10 come top of her list!
1. MAC Mineralise Charged Water: This is a hydration mist infused with nourishing minerals for energising and hydrating the skin. I use it first to wake up the skin and get the best ‘bare canvas’ for the foundation to sit all day. It can also be used throughout the day too to freshen up the foundation.
2. MAC Soft Ochre Paint Pot: I literally would not be without this. It’s a cream formula eye shadow in a neutral tone, and I use it like a primer. You could go swimming and your eyeshadow wouldn’t budge. It also enhances the colour pay off on any eyeshadow and helps with blending.
3. Tom Ford Lipstick in Nude Blush: His lipsticks are so gorgeous. Amid the tons of nudes out there (I’m nude girl myself, tried them all) this is just the best. Again not too pink or too peach just perfect especially blended with Mac Whirl lip pencil. It not only stays on for hours but stays on looking fabulous for hours.
4. Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate: The perfect contour and highlight kit. The dark contour colour is the perfect ‘shade’ tone as not orange or grey. The highlight is balmy and gives a beautiful youthful dewyness to the skin and is also amazing at diffusing/blurring any fine lines too.
5. MAC Prep and Prime Loose Powder in ‘Neutralize’: I love this setting powder as it really sets foundations and yet has no powdered finish to it at all. It’s jet milled so makes the skin look velvet rather than matte. This colour is yellow so is amazing on Celtic skin which can have a pink/red undertone especially when a little anxious, it instantly cools the redness without leaving any yellow tone too.
6. Tom Ford Traceless Perfecting Foundation: This gives really great coverage without looking or feeling heavy. It’s stays all day with minimum powder, and has a velvety finish.
7. MAC Skin Base Primer: I absolutely love this primer. It brightens, naturally reduces redness and grips your foundation all day long. Keeping it even and flawless for pretty long day ahead.
8. Too faced Chocolate Bar Eye Palette: This eye palette has every colour will you ever want, no duds at all – I even like the purple tone in it. But it’s the texture and colour payoff that’s so good. Essentially professional strength pigment but so blendable and fast to use especially for a stronger smokey eye.
9. YSL Forever Youth Liberator Serum: For any brides prepping for their Big Day I would say a serum is essential. This YSL one is fantastic. It really boosts regeneration deep within the skin, enhancing tone and smoothing the surface. It’s expensive but worth it!
10. Mac Blusher “Well Dressed”: This is my all time fave blush. Just have to have a pink blush for brides.. this is almost a pastel baby pink and works great on fair brides. I even use it on my darker tone brides in a veil of colour washed over a bronzer or stronger blush as it just adds the prettiest flush of colour. My most used product ever.
Nicki Make-up & Hair Stylist
By creating the ideal canvas, Nicki is able to work her magic with a look completely tailored to each bride’s best features and personal taste. “It is my ethos to work closely with each of my brides,” says Nicki, “and to design a look around their own personal style and preference, sharing my experience and expertise for their wedding day, so each of my brides are unique.”
While working in London Nicki also trained as a hairdresser – specialising in bridal hair – and now combines the two services for brides to make everything run that bit smoother the morning of the Big Day. “I really favour the more modern approach to bridal hair,” says Nicki, “and creating softer, more natural upstyles and long flowing curls during the trial gives us a chance to try different styles.”
Nicki travels nationwide for weddings. For more, visit Nicki Fanning’s profile page here.
