Blushing Bride: Makeup Tips

The Blushing Bride: Makeup Tips for Brides.

You may think it’s odd for a photographer to be giving makeup tips, however, I consider it part of my job to make sure you look your best whether it’s for wedding photos or portraits, and makeup is a huge part of that. More importantly… what can happen to your makeup before and during a photo session and how to best be prepared for the worst.

It’s amazing how often I end up giving spur-of-the-moment makeup tips and fixes. When I’m out on a wedding session, the lighting may not be very conducive to great facial shots, or the bride’s appearance may need to be tweaked to suit the conditions we are shooting in outdoors or the artificial lighting indoors. I’ve found this to be the case so often, I bring a makeup kit with me for those last-second touch-ups. And this is windy Montana, the photo below is par for the course. Your hair will be in your face at some point, hopefully not all day, and hopefully, we don’t have 50-70 mph wind gusts on the day of your wedding, but it is highly likely. Being prepared for anything and everything is photography 101, I come prepared so you don’t have to.

Wedding Day Makeup Advice:

My first piece of advice for brides, models, or anyone wanting a high-quality portrait is to go to a salon and have your makeup and hair done professionally. Hair and makeup salons can do amazing things with makeup that you cannot, and it will look very professional and lovely. They can also do makeup airbrushing that will make you look like a porcelain doll if you want. If you don’t come out of a salon looking and feeling like a million bucks, you went to the wrong salon. I have a list of a few good salons in the South Central Montana area following this article.

Secondly, just know the minute you walk out of the salon, Mother Nature is going to decide you need a makeover. The intense sun may give your face a shine you don’t want, or the heat may make you perspire in places you never thought you could until your wedding day. And in Montana, the wind is the biggest culprit for ruining the best salon hairdo. Most salons in Montana are aware of this and if you ask, will suggest a hairstyle that might be able to compete with Mother Nature. I also suggest wearing a light scarf over your hair if possible until the minute you walk up the aisle. If your hair gets totally destroyed by the time you are doing your photo session, we can usually improvise and make improvements. I come prepared for just such improvisations so you don’t have to.

Last, but not least; take precautions if possible, bring solutions for fixes, but don’t panic or spend so much time stressing over your appearance being ruined that you aren’t focused on your special day or just being you. In the end, the expression you have on your face (which cannot be fixed) is the ultimate goal, and most superficial tweaking and fixing can be done on the fly or in the studio editing. This article isn’t meant to make you panic, just to give you some pointers so you don’t have to. More on Circkles Wedding Photography.