Bridal Eye Makeup Tips

Bridal eye makeup is more than just about shadow and liner-it starts from a good foundation, like the whole bridal look itself.

For longer lasting makeup, and a clear canvas, foundation or ideally eye makeup primer should be applied to the whole of the lid-this will give something for the shadows and liner to stick to, and give extra lasting power. Airbrushing a base for the eyes is another great way to get a flawless base-in fact airbrushing the entire foundation for bridal makeup is highly recommended.

Bridal makeup is all about looking good in the flesh, and in photographs. For the photographs, the application of makeup needs to be heavier than normal, but this doesn't have to mean looking overdone. There are three main area that need extra attention-the brow bone, middle lid, and inner corner of the eye-these are the areas that need to catch the light, and if done correctly, will make eyes look defined, multi-dimensional and shining in pictures, and of course in the flesh.

Brow
Choose a highlight color that is reflective, but not glittery-a good pearl white or cream is perfect (white for gray/back shadow, cream for browns/taupes). The highlight doesn't need to go along the whole brow bone, it just needs to go in the area directly below the arch of the brow-this will draw the light to that area, making the brows look more defined, and giving the face dimension.

Middle Lid
After applying the eye makeup look, take some of the same highlight color as used on the brow bone and dab it into the center of the eyelid. This will not be totally visible to the eye, but the reflective pearlescent particles will catch the light in a photo and make the eyes look wider and brighter.

Inner Corner
Using the same highlight color again, dab it into the inner corner of the eye, over the tear duct. This can be blended a little along the bottom lash line as well. This touch adds brightness to the look, and gives a fresh feeling to the eyes. In photographs this will also counter any tendency for eyes to disappear into a dimensionless shape, as the points of reflective material at the three key areas will catch the light and bring the eyes alive.

False Lashes
Although a full set of lashes doesn't appeal to everyone, having some additional 'oomph' in the lash department is essential for a formal bridal eye makeup look. If you can't do at a full set, then a couple of well-placed individual lashes as the outer corner of the eye will widen and give a more dramatic make-up look.

If these points are taken into consideration, then bridal eye makeup can really be the centerpiece of the bridal look-creating not only a beautiful bride in the flesh, but a beautiful bride in the flash-and seeing as though you will be looking at the pictures for years to come, both are equally important.