They Look Like Themselves (only better)You want your husband-to-be to recognise you walking down the aisle? Then keep your make-up simple, say beauty experts. “Think about Carrie in the first
Sex and the City film, with all that heavy make-up – so ageing and not her,” shudders Lanolips creator Kirsten Carriol, who may have been married in a fairytale-like chateau in France, but insisted on a “low-key” look. Similarly, Estée Lauder publicist Alice Hocking channelled simplicity for hair and make-up. “My bridesmaids and I didn’t have overly made-up styles,” she says. “It felt right to keep our wedding-day looks natural.” Fellow beauty publicist Dani Lombard-Treacher warns against changing your beauty style – or body – too much. “You want to look at your wedding photos and think, ‘I looked so happy’, not, ‘I’ll never look that hot again’!” laughs Lombard-Treacher, whose Byron Bay beach wedding suited a pared-back approach. “Although I wish I’d had my teeth whitened,’ she adds.
They Glow (but don’t glitter)
Forget lashings of illuminiser – beauty girls prefer a more subtle style of glow. Model Kristine Duran Thiessen asked her make-up artist Rae Morris to set off her plunging neckline and back with a glimmer-infused oil. “Use a dry oil,” says Duran Thiessen. “It won’t come off on your white dress.” Beauty writer Brooke Le Poer Trench, who also hired Morris as her make-up artist, notes that glow is about moisture as much as shimmer. Her favourite moisturiser? “A lotion with light-reflecting particles. Most people perspire when they’re nervous, so keep it light.”
Remember: The Bigger The Veil, The Smaller The Hair (and vice versa)
Call it matrimonial maths: major hairstyle + mini veil = perfect bridal balance. For instance, Carriol’s rippled “Veronica Lake” hair was set off with a “small, fluttery Maid Marian veil”. Flip the equation however, and a maxi veil works back perfectly to a more minimal ’do. “I’m a sucker for a veil,” says beauty writer Sally Hunwick. “It trailed right down my back, so it made sense for me to sweep my hair back into a bun.” Beauty therapist Lauren Murcia also balanced her floor-length veil with an up-style, although she discovered another reason to keep her hair tied up: “At Jewish weddings, you’re jumping up and down all night. My hair stayed put!”
They Like Lived-In Hair Colour
A colour should be the last thing on your mind (or hair) in the days before a wedding. “I had mine done two weeks prior so it would settle in,” says Avon publicist Michaela Chanmugam. While drastic colour changes are not ideal, Chanmugam recommends investing in a full head of highlights if you’re planning on wearing your hair up. “That way you won’t look top deck,” she explains. Hunwick also ordered extra highlights: “It meant we could play around with the parting.” And if you’re darker-hued? “I had a tone-on-tone semi a few weeks before the wedding,” says Le Poer Trench. “On the day, it didn’t look so inky but was nice and glossy.”
They Tone Down Their Tans
Unless you’re pale and marrying an Italian (“I asked for a triple coat of spray tan so I didn’t look too white against him,” laughs beauty publicist Jacqueline Canturi), stick to a light layer of tan. “Two nights before the wedding I applied St Tropez mousse all over,” says Murcia. Chanmugam used Avon Skin So Soft Satin Glow Daily Body Moisturiser ($9.99, 1800 646 000). “It was enough colour to look healthy but not so much I had to worry about it being uneven,” she says. Of course, you can also get married in skin as light as your dress. “I’m pale and like my skin that way,” says Le Poer Trench.
They’re Besties With Their Make-up Artist
Working in beauty has several perks, and pulling favours from the top make-up artists has to be up there. Rae Morris is one of the most in-demand among the beauty-world brides. Chanmugam was able to nab celebrity-favourite make-up artist Lesley Cameron for her wedding, and Carriol employed the skills of one of her guests, a make-up artist turned beauty editor. But what if you’re not so connected? Or getting married out of town? It’s a case of trial and error. Hocking, who was married in Adelaide, lucked upon a make-up artist who would one day become known as a MasterChef with formidable blush-wielding ability: Poh Ling Yeow. “As soon as I met her I knew she was right,” says Hocking. “Her own make-up was gorgeous and we clicked straight away.”
They Emphasise Eyes
The unexpected muse of bridal eye make-up happens to be the determinedly unmarried Angelina Jolie. “I had photos of her as reference for my make-up artist,” says Lombard-Treacher, explaining that “a flick of liquid eyeliner is enough to define the eyes, and it also helps to disguise any individual false lashes”. Liquid liner, notes Le Poer Trench, is also “eye definition that can go from day to night”.
They Commit To Regular Facials
“As soon as I got engaged I booked my facials,” laughs Canturi, who opted for a basic steam and clean. Duran Thiessen, who was already committed to monthly facials, requested an at-home program: her facialist prescribed Dermalogica. For Murcia, being a facialist herself meant the pre-wedding prep was a no-brainer. Her advice: “Go for facials where you not only get a deep clean, but also a relaxing face and shoulder massage. Have the final facial a week before the wedding, but leave any stimulating component out, as this could cause a breakout.” Her top at-home product also happens to be by Dermalogica. “Age Smart MultiVitamin Power Concentrate [$87, 1800 659 118]. Applied to exfoliated skin, it gives a beautiful glow,” she says.
They Match Their Nails To Their Dress
This is where attention to detail really pays off. When Hunwick booked her pre-wedding pedicure and manicure, the nail technician requested a swatch of her dress. “She found the perfect ivory shimmer,” says Hunwick. Other brides’ nails were similarly soft in hue, with gardenia creams, baby pinks and French manicures all nominated as top picks by our beauty experts. “I did consider going with a bright red for my hands,” says Canturi. “But there’s already so much else going on as a bride. It makes sense to work the nails back to the dress.”
By Katrina Lawrence