extreme makeover: wedding edition*
*Please be advised that this title is misleading. The makeover inside is far from extreme.
Derek and I got married! We are wed! I could conceivably say “STAY AWAY FROM MY HUSBAND!” now if the situation called for it. We had such a beautiful weekend – I was prepared for absolutely wild emotions but still wasn’t expecting the torrent of “It was amazing! I didn’t have enough fun! I had too much fun? I’m so glad it’s over! What do I do now?” that has ensued over the last couple of weeks.
I always had it in my head that I’d do a bridal beauty post, so here it is. And it’s long. I’m so sorry.
Small warning: I’m going to be talking about weddings and body image in between this picture and the next one, so scroll down if you’d like to skip to the makeup.
I can’t write about bridal beauty without acknowledging that wedding planning is designed to make you feel shit about yourself. I wrote about the early stages of this in my botox newsletter, but it deepened as we got further into it all. I could get a whole post out of dress shopping, a nightmare in which they let you stand with your ass hanging out in a dress several times too small and then expect you to pony up €1000+ to have it ordered in something approximating (but not exactly) your size. “Aspirational” wedding content, worldwide but especially in Ireland, is mostly images of very thin women groomed to within an inch of their lives. Much like the bridal tat, I thought, “That’s not me… but should it be?” The stakes seem very high, and it messes with your head.
I spent a lot of time thinking about my skin, my makeup, my body, how the pictures would turn out. These thoughts weren’t necessarily kind. Strangely, on the day itself, I forgot about it all. I didn’t stand straight with my shoulders back. I didn’t do a soft, demure smile. I barely looked at myself again after we left for City Hall. I even shrugged at the honking great spot that appeared on my chin the night before. We’ll cover it! Whatever!
Obviously, I was cursing this attitude once the photos started to roll in. I’ve never been photographed so much and from so many different angles by so many people with varying levels of proficiency. Some of them are incredible. Some are heinous. I knew seeing photos would be an issue for me. It came up a few times during the process of getting my dress made – I’d feel great in the fitting, then see a photo (of an unfinished dress taken from a mad angle) and spiral. My dress designer, the wonderful and talented Sarah Foy, kept telling me, “Remember how you felt.” It’s probably the most valuable piece of advice I was given.
Yeah, maybe I don’t look a typically elegant bride in all my photos. My mouth is open and my dress is bunched up and I switched my heels for Air Force 1s. But I cannot deny that I felt extremely happy, and it’s written all over my face. (I will say though that some photos will just be bad. Some of the first ones I saw from our day were zoomed-in snaps of me mid-chat. C’mon like. But I don’t have to look at them again! I don’t have to share them! Put them in a hidden iPhone folder and say thanks Auntie Linda but I’m grand.)
My wish for any brides-to-be reading this newsletter is that you go easier on yourselves. It’s hard when literally everything is telling you otherwise, but from the other side, I can say that “looking the best I ever have” had little to no relevance on the actual day. I looked like me and it was great!
Let’s move on to makeup, shall we? I actually did it myself (…yeeeaah), and despite the honking great spot, I felt it went really well. I had been doing variations on the same base and eye makeup for months beforehand, so I almost went into autopilot – I thought I’d need to sequester myself in a room for hours to do a good job, but I got it done fairly quickly, painlessly, and dare I say, relaxingly? I’ll break it all down by Area of Face:
Skin
I got a Hydrafacial the week before the wedding, but I didn’t do anything crazy overall, just kept up with my regular routine. Nevertheless, my skin did not play ball; eczema bloomed all over my eyelids and I started breaking out for the first time in months. Of course, it’s all cleared up now like nothing ever happened. ANYWAY. I left my products to sink in while my angel hairdresser Kathy got started on my hair – I did the Skinceuticals Hydrating B5 serum, La Roche Posay Toleriane Eye Cream, and the Inkey List Omega Water Cream (LOVE this, BTW). I also stuck on some of the Pixi Detoxifeye Eye Patches because I had gotten about four hours’ sleep on Friday night. Right before I started my makeup, I applied the Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base for extra hydration.
Eyes and brows
I did my eyes first, which isn’t usually my method, but I figured if I messed up, I could wipe it off easily. I started with the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Amplifying Eye Primer, then added a bit of MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Painterly to create an even-toned base. The eyes were fairly simple – I used Warm Taupe from the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette all over the lid, then sketched out a blended lil wing with MAC Costa Riche pencil and the darker browns from the Makeup by Mario Master Mattes palette. I finished it with a sliver of the Vieve Power Ink Liner, which is the best black liquid liner I’ve ever used (big thanks to my bridesmaid Leah for introducing me to it), L’Oreal Lash Paradise Waterproof, and a few of the SoSu Hidden Agenda Lashes at for some volume at the outer corners.
Brows were shaped and tinted two weeks before, and on the day I did a combo of the NYX Micro Brow Pencil, Lift and Snatch Brow Pen (which has dethroned Glossier Brow Flick for me), and REFY Brow Sculpt for hold.
Base
It was always going to be Armani Luminous Silk. I just know it so well! I used the Tatcha Silk Canvas primer to smooth out the T-zone, mixed a pump of Luminous Silk with Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter to establish a glowy base, then added some more foundation for extra coverage. The Charlotte Tilbury Magic Vanish Colour Corrector and Lancome Teint Idole All Over Concealer went under the eyes (and on The Spot). I set it all with the Huda Beauty Easy Bake Cherry Blossom Powder, then used a touch of the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder to mattify my forehead and cheeks. I actually didn’t have a specific highlighter – the Flawless Filter was doing enough.
And now for the fun part: bronzer and blush! I did the old “setting creams with powders” technique, which has worked well for me in the past. For bronzer, I used the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Contour Wand with the Haus Labs Power Sculpt Velvet Bronzer (this has quickly become my favourite bronzer). Blush was the Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush in Encourage with Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic in Love Glow on top. At this point, I also spritzed on a small amount of the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray.
Lips
Lisa Eldridge Velvet Ribbon! I couldn’t imagine myself without a red lip on this day. It wouldn’t have been right. It was also a way to sneak in my favourite colour combo (red and pink) with our stunning pink flowers. There were a few different reds in contention – the Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Always Red was a frontrunner, but I ultimately felt it was a bit too loud. Velvet Ribbon is as true a red as you can get; a teeth whitening, skin-brightening shade I simply love. With help from the matching lipliner, it stayed mostly in place all day with a few touch-ups (and some wiping of a new husband’s face).
Oh and NAILS and SCENT
These are just the tiny details that made everything for me. I have been on a BIAB journey in the hopes of having nice nails for our wedding day. I cannot express how much I love this set, done by Jo at Tropical Popical. GOLD FOIL TIPS. TINY STARS TO MATCH THE STARS ON MY DRESS, EARRINGS, AND IN MY HAIR. They’re like an extra piece of jewellery.
The scent I wore on the day was Jazz Club by Maison Margiela, a warm, masculine-ish fragrance that feels very special. I bought the candle to light in the room as we got ready, and the scent filled the space without it even being lit. Little luxuries!
And that’s it. Did I look totally different on my wedding day to how I’ve ever looked before? No! But I chose to do my own makeup partly because I enjoy it and partly because I am a control freak who needed to have one guarantee on the day (LOL). I had the most chilled-out morning with my bridesmaids and family – no one was rushing us, we all had plenty of time, and everyone looked gorgeous.
My makeup definitely didn’t stay pristine all day, but it did well enough through hours of crying, laughing, and sweating. I had my lipstick, powder, and concealer in a bag and touched up when I could. I wasn’t as fastidious about it as I thought I’d be – truly, I was more concerned with my undereyes in the run-up than I ever was on the day. Again… I wish I went a little easier on myself. But this is one of those things you only realise with experience, I guess. Now, no one perceive me for at least 30 working days, or preferably the rest of my life. Thank you.
If you made it this far… thanks for reading Vanity Project! We are heading off on honeymoon soon and I’m ready to fill my suitcase with J- and K-beauty products. BUZZING. See you soon for the next one!
Huge congratulations again Valerie!! I loved reading this, your makeup was perfect you really did look like you and the perfect lipstick choice, I've always thought I'd wear Velvet Ribbon if I ever got married. Also love your dress and hair! You really did look so happy in every photo.
Congratulations! You look so beautiful and happy! Definitely adding Velvet Ribbon to my wishlist <3 Enjoy your honeymoon!