Makeup tips for the big day

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Column by Jessica Rugg

Here I will list some tips on how to make your makeup last longer and look perfect all day long!

Face:
Primer: Make sure you wear a primer! Primers will make your foundation last longer and some will even increase the coverage of your foundation.
Foundation: Get your foundation well ahead of time and test it multiple times to make sure that it matches your skin tone as closely as possible (you may have to mix multiple shades to ensure it matches), lasts all day, and has good coverage. You should try to get a foundation that is matte and has NO sunscreen or shimmer. Sunscreen and shimmer do not photograph well because they reflect flash back off the face to make your face shinny. Not an attractive look.
I recommend using a buffing brush to ensure an even coverage, and make sure you blend all the way out to your hair line and down your neck so that there are no harsh lines or obvious edges in skin tone.
Concealer: Again match this as closely to your natural skin tone as possible. Try to get a nice, creamy consistency, and blend, blend, blend! Always cover with powder to ensure that it will stay all day.
Powder: Powder should match the shade of your foundation. Any lighter and it can easily make you look washed out, and too dark will make you look fake. Apply lightly to avoid it becoming too cacky. Do not skip powder, however! It will greatly increase the staying powder of your foundation.
Bronzer: Go light on bronzer. It can become overdone quickly. Try to pick a light shade to avoid this as well. This can take practice or should be done by a professional. Try just applying it under your cheekbones to give your face some definition. You can also try this under the jaw.
Blush: Blush should be applied high on the cheekbones. Try smiling and pushing up your cheeks. Just apply it on the apples of your cheeks and blend back towards your hairline. cream blushes applied under a matching shade of powder blush can make it last much longer than just powder. Cream blush can draw attention to any blemishes in the area you are applying the blush, however, so be careful!
Highlighter: Again make sure that there is little to no shimmer in your highlighter. It can give you an odd look in photographs. Highlighter should be applied on the tops of your cheekbones, right above your blush. You can also use highlighter on your brow bones and on your chin and tip of your nose to give your face some definition. Go light with it!

Eyes:
Primer: Make sure you wear a primer! Most will feel kind of gritty to the touch. This gives something for the eye shadow to stick to. Apply it all over the eye to ensure complete coverage.
Base: This is an optional step and you want to be careful with bases. Test them multiple times to make sure that they will not crease. You absolutely want to apply primers under bases and powder over bases to give them a chance of staying all day. Avoid shimmery shades because they reflect the light from flashes and can give you a odd look in your photographs.
Eyeshadow: One word: NATURAL! Do not attempt any crazy colors on your wedding day! This just comes off as fake and tacky. You want to practice this as much as possible in the weeks leading up to your big day. Try different shades and blending techniques and see what you can come up with. The options here are limitless! Try a neutral shade on your lid, a darker shade in your crease, a yet darker shade in the outer corners and around the lash line, and finally a nice light shade on your brow bone and in the inner corners of your eyes. Blending is a key with eyeshadow. Always make sure the transitions between shades are as seamless as possible.There are plenty of videos on YouTube that can give you ideas and tips on this step.
Eyeliner: Eye liner is a crucial step in making your eyes defined and beautiful! Do not shy away from black eyeliner. Browns can look beautiful as well, but black gives you the most defined look. If you have green or blue eyes, you might try using eyeliners that match your eye color. Matching eyeliner to eye color really makes your eyes pop! This look takes practice, so play around with it in the weeks leading up to your wedding. Liquid eyeliner does not have the best staying power, so I would avoid it. Cream, gel or pencil eyeliners are the best options. Apply as closely to the lash line as possible and make sure it is nice and water proof before you apply it on your lower lashes. You can extend the longevity of your eyeliner by applying black powder over the eyeliner. If you use eyeliner if your waterline, make sure you eyes won't become itchy from powder before you attempt this on the day of your wedding.
Mascara: Mascara is a very important step! Always curl your lashes before applying mascara. You can make the curl hold longer by heating your lashes with a hairdryer for 10 seconds while the lash curler is still on the lashes (don't do this everyday, though. It will dry your lashes out and make them brittle). Again, don't be afraid of black! It defines your lashes better than any other shade. Separate your lashes with a lash comb before applying mascara to avoid clumps. Apply in quick strokes, covering the whole lash and don't forget the bottom lashes! Some mascaras work better with two coats, but some work better with one coat. Play around with your chosen mascara to see what works best for you.
Make sure that your mascara is water proof! You do not want your makeup to run if you cry during your ceremony.
Fake Lashes: Fake lashes are of course optional but many women feel that fake lashes are worth it for the wedding day. As with all of your makeup, test your lash glue before your wedding day so that you can be sure that it will not make you break out or irritate your eyes. You also want to test to see how long the glue will last and if it will hold through tears if you cry during the ceremony.
Applying lashes takes practice, so wear them plenty of times before your wedding so that you can be an expert at applying them on the day of. Always apply them as close to the lash line as possible and use eyeliner to cover up any glue that is still showing after it drys. A quick coat of mascara can blend real lashes with fake ones to make them look more natural.

Lips:
Lip Liner: Do not use lip liners to define your lips. Doing so will result in a bold color on the outside of your lips and nothing in the middle of your lips once your lipstick wears off. Lip liner should act as a base for your lipstick. Don't apply it too thickly or it may bleed onto your skin. You may want to apply it with a lip brush to get the most accurate application possible.
Lipstick: Your lipstick should be in a matching shade to your lip liner. There are many different textures to lipsticks so you should play around with all the options until you find one that you are happy with. You might want to take pictures of yourself wearing the different shades so that you can be sure that they will look good when photographed.
Again, applying with a lip brush will make your application much more accurate.
Lip Gloss: Lip gloss is optional, depending on the look that you want, but I think gloss makes any lip so much more beautiful. You can also try just dabbing gloss to the center of the lip to add some shine, but not over do it.

Other:
Pluck your eyebrows well before the week of your wedding so if you over pluck, there is still time for the hair to grow back. Just repluck the stray hairs as they grow back in. Do not wait until the day of your wedding to pluck because many women get watery eyes and even sneezing and runny noses after plucking brows due to nerve irritation. You don't want red eyes or a runny nose on the day of your wedding!
Test everything ahead of time! You never know if something will cause you to break out, or if you are allergic to a new product. Test the longevity of everything and make sure everything is as water proof as possible.
You can also find various products you can spray on your face that are designed to make your makeup last longer. E.L.F. (available at Target) has one that works pretty well for only $3.00.

YouTube is a great place to see people actually applying the makeup and getting application tips. Many YouTube channels offer tips on good brands to buy as well.
EmilyNoel83 has some really great videos! She is a newscaster so she knows how to apply natural, beautiful makeup and she does a good job of explaining everything step by step.

Good luck, ladies! Post your wedding day makeup looks in the comment section below!