Images by Visionary Photography
Today we’re joined by Nicola Walsh from Blush Make-up who will be showing us how to create a pared back, bridal beauty look – perfect for brides looking for something a little more subtle on the make-up front come the big day! Here Nicola explains how to get beautiful bride Caron’s pretty, natural look and what products to use…
During my time as a make-up artist, I have to say that the majority of brides ask for natural make-up for their wedding day. Brides want to be who they are… just more beautiful!
1. The first step is to PREP, TREAT & PRIME. The more the skin is prepped the better the finish. I love Clarins Beauty Flash Balm on the cheek area for that healthy glow that it gives skin. And primer is an absolute must! For my bride, Caron I used my Pore Perfecting Primer on the T-Zone for her slightly oily condition and my Retexturising Face Primer on the rest of her face. These Primers treat the skin differently: the Pore Perfecting Primer absorbs any oil on the skin to completely mattify it and it is also an oil-free product, the Retexturising Face Primer provides anti-oxidants to seal in moisture and keeps skin looking fresh and hydrated.
2. Creating a natural make-up does not mean having little make-up. While colour shadows and heavy liners etc are pared back, the skin still requires a good foundation, especially for photographs. For my bride’s make-up I matched a foundation perfectly to her skin tone, using a foundation stick which gives medium to heavy coverage. I then contoured with a foundation two shades darker to give a healthy radiant glow to her skin, and used a light peach concealer for the under eye area. Next I used my Invisible Blotting Powder (a must for combination to oily skin as it absorbs oils and mattifies the skin). Instead of a loose powder for setting, I used a Baked Hydrating Powder Foundation which gives an ‘airbrush’ finish to the skin, and stippled this into the foundation.
3. Another great tip is eyeliner – I absolutely love Master Drama by Maybelline. Draw a fine line on the lid directly with the pencil and then, using a fine eyeliner brush, perfect the line with a smooth straight line. I also incorporate black (or brown) matte shadow to set the liner for a perfect finish. When creating a natural look it is important to also line the inner upper lid as far over the lash line as possible. The bottom lid should be lined two-thirds of the way from the outer corner to the inner corner, and faded along the rest of the way. Placing dark shadow or liner under the eye closes them up, so keep dark shadow to a minimal for framing only so that the eyes really open up.
4. Eyeshadow is very much a personal choice, I love to highlight the inner corner of the eye as it makes eyes bright and clear. I used Rose Quartz and Tourmaline to really show off my bride’s blue eyes.
5. The blusher is a combination of Nectar on the apples and Rose Gold contoured (our Rose Gold was very highly acclaimed by Suzanne Jackson of www.sosueme.ie).
Clockwise from left: Master Drama Eyeliner by Maybelline | Baked Blusher by Blush Makeup | Clarins Beauty Flash Balm | Retexturizing Face Primer by Blush Makeup | Baked Hydration Powder Foundation | Invisible Blotting Powder by Blush Makeup
For any Blush Makeup products please visit www.blush.ie where you can shop online and see their gallery of brides. For more information on Nicola, click here!
