I love makeup – I tend to buy too much of it just because I like playing with it and trying new things. I love watching makeup artists apply makeup at weddings – it always looks so amazing! When I look in the mirror I am terrified of a heavy hand and I end up wearing just a touch of makeup. Even on days when I wear what I think is a lot I realize it isn’t much at all. I am working on wearing more and not being afraid of looking tacky!
These are just a few tips I’ve learned over the years and products that I think do the best job. I find on really long days like the wedding this past Saturday I need lots of staying power. It was a 12 hour wedding with lots of crying! Wonderful happy tears of course!
I always start with a primer – for years I liked Laura Mercier’s Foundation Primer but I’ve always felt like it made my skin dry which was odd because I always apply it right after moisturizer.
But recently I read a review on Paula Begoun’s Beautypedia about the MAC Prep + Prime Line Filler Primer so I tried that. I like it much better – a little does go a long way which is a good thing because it is a tiny bottle of primer compared to the Laura Mercier bottle.
Then after you apply your liquid foundation you can use a setting powder like the MAC Set Powder. I first saw a bridesmaid use this at a summer wedding to de-grease her oily face. It is translucent so it doesn’t cover up your existing makeup. It works great to set liquid foundation after you apply it. You can also use it after you apply all of your makeup. And then you can use it throughout the day for touchups.
Before you apply your eye makeup a favorite and must-have for long days is the Urban Decay Eye Primer. It is available in the original formula (colorless) but I prefer the one with a bit of color, conceal and sparkle called Sin. This helps your eye makeup stay in place and keep it from creasing. As with all long hot humid days it isn’t perfect – I applied it around 9am on Saturday and by midnight my eye makeup was still creased in my eye. But that was a long hot wedding day with (as I mentioned above) lots of tears! I am sure if I would have stopped in the bathroom to touch it up it would have looked fine.
After all of this is complete you really only need to bring lip gloss and coffee filters (or the MAC Set Powder) with you in your purse. Coffee filters are great – they soak up excess oil on your face and they are much cheaper than the expensive oil blotting papers you buy from makeup companies.
If you love makeup like I do you should check out Paula Begoun’s website – Beautypedia. She also has a skin care line that I love – I have used her moisturizers for nearly 10 years and if I travel I always take them carry-on since they are priceless to me! If the airline lost my luggage I would be helpless without my moisturizer!
And another tip – if you need an awesome makeup artist my favorite is Michele Hundley Mann with M3 makeup in Orlando. She has given me lessons and I’ve seen her apply makeup to lots of gorgeous brides!