Bridal makeup – tips and inspo for choosing your look

2019 was a year filled with stunning brides, beautiful bridal parties and fabulous venues. I had endless requests for beautiful, timeless bridal makeup. Red carpet makeup where you wear the makeup, the makeup doesn’t wear you.

Book Gemma Clark for your destination wedding – UK and international

Bridal bookings take up a large percentage of my work and I’m lucky to travel around for weddings wherever I am needed. I will travel to your chosen wedding destination. Wherever you chose to get married I will travel to your location. UK or international.

You should consider this when booking your bridal Makeup Artist so you find the perfect supplier for you

Bridal makeup is a specialist area of makeup artistry. My clients rarely ask for a full evening look for their big day. That’s not to say they don’t look glam – far from it. In my opinion, there is something very beautiful about some fluttery lashes, a statement lip or a sultry smokey eye.

There is a fine line between too much and too little. I often hear the same concerns from clients who have had unsuccessful appointments elsewhere.

“It was too heavy”

“My makeup felt like like ‘night out’ makeup”

“The results didn’t look like anything I asked for”

“I looked orange”

How to get the most from your bridal makeup trial

It can feel strange letting someone else do your makeup. Here is the thing… your makeup shouldn’t feel like you are caked in heavy products. Mature skin requires different products and application to ensure a flattering result. This is where the consultation process begins.

Honesty is key to a successful makeup appointment

Your trial is a 2-way conversation. Your Makeup Artist should be able to get a feel for the kind of look you are aiming to achieve by talking through how you usually wear your makeup. You should discuss what you love about your inspiration images and your Makeup Artist should advise you on how the look is best achieved. At the end of your trial appointment there might be tweaks you wish to make. You might want to add an eyeliner, make the eye shadow darker, decide against the false lashes after trying them…

Those are only minor tweaks and perfectly natural and easy to fix. I always encourage complete honesty with my clients. If there is something you’re not sure of, tell me, I’ll change it. I want you to feel excited for the big day and not nervous about your makeup look.

Most requested bridal makeup looks

I really love soft eyes and my signature glowing skin.

I wanted to share some of my favourite looks with you from my 2019 weddings.

All images are taken on my iPhone camera phone with natural light only. I never edit my images in any way.

Bridal makeup low down

GLOWING SKIN

Glowing skin is my signature look.

Signature bridal makeup and flawless makeup on Bride Adele and Mother of the Bride at her wedding at Rudby Hall — Bride Adele and her mum at Rudby Hall

Glowing skin for the bridal party makeup at Wynyard Hall, Yarm — Taken in natural light, this gorgeous bridesmaid’s skin looks amazing.

Dewy skin and soft pink tones for this stunning bridal party makeup at Wynyard Hall, Yarm. — Beautiful glowing complexion perfectly accompanies the soft makeup.

Stunning dewy bridesmaid makeup for a wedding at Rushpool Hall — That pretty glow and perfect smile!

Glowing natural makeup for the bridal party at Great Ayton — Dreamy dewy skin created for this bridesmaid at Whinstone View

Dewy makeup with pink tones for the bridal party at Wynyard Hall, Yarm. — Beautiful natural makeup and glowing skin for this gorgeous bridesmaid

Dewy skin and beautiful bridal makeup including a nude glossy lip was the brief for this bridal pubilcation — I created this glowing look on model Ella Bulmer for a beauty editorial for British Bride Magazine

BEAUTIFUL NATURAL BROWS

Brows. My own rule of thumb is to add a little definition and fill in any gaps where needed. Believe me, the ombre brow, the pasted brow, a heavily blocked off brow – its all a trend. I’ll be honest, if you ask me for a trend brow, I probably wouldn’t do it for you.

How to ensure enviable bridal brows

I LOVE a natural full brow.

With all brows, your eye makeup will look much cleaner if your brows are tidy (threaded, waxed, whatever…). Those photographers love a close-up of your makeup-prep!

Here are some of my favourite naturally full brows…

Bridal makeup showing glowing, freckly skin and well maintained brows for wedding at Storrs Hall, the Lakes District. — A perfect example of beautifully maintained natural brows. Storrs Hall, Lakes District.

Dewy bridal makeup and natural brows for Bride Harriet at her wedding at Rushpool Hall — Natural brow shape, just enhanced with a little colour by the Bride.

Pretty natural glowing makeup for this bridesmaid's makeup at the wedding at The Treebridge Hotel. — Amazing fluffy natural brows on this bridesmaid.

Beautiful flawless makeup on this bridesmaid at The Talbot Hotel, Malton. Her eyebrows were natural and just defined with makeup. — Just a little bit of definition was all that was needed on these already fabulous fair brows. The Talbot Hotel, Malton.

Stunning natural bridesmaid makeup with natural fluffy brows for the wedding at Wynyard Hall, Yarm — Brow envy with this beautiful bridesmaid

EYE MAKEUP TO DEFINE YOUR EYES AND MAKE THEM POP

Eye makeup is the easiest way to make you feel fabulous. With some clever tweaks, you can make the eyes look bigger, younger, brighter or darker for a smokey look. Nudes, metallic, smokes… they all photograph beautifully. Pop on some lashes for a bit of volume and you can transform any look to add a little extra something.

Stunning bridal eye makeup in Pillow Talk by Charlotte Tilbury — Soft pinks and metallic sheen in light grey for beautiful boho bride Siobhan.

Stunning smokey eyes using Urban Decay's Naked palette for bride Sally and her wedding at Yorkshire Wedding Barn. — Beautiful metallic finish with lashes on bride Sally.

Glowing skin and a sharp eyeliner for beautiful bride Lauren's choice of makeup for her wedding at Whinstone View — Beautiful Lauren looked sensational with a soft sheen eyeshadow and a winged liner, finished off with some natural false lashes.

Glowing skin and smokey eyes for bridal model at Chicheley Hall — I created this gold metallic eye with a subtle smokey finish and winged liner for British Bride Magazine covergirl, Lisa Amnegard.

Pretty bridal party flawless makeup for bridesmaid at Rudby Hall — Classic bridal makeup – nude eyes in soft pink tones with a natural falsh lash.

Flawless glowing makeup for this bridesmaid at Treebridge Hotel — A simple wash of soft browns and eyeliner to define the eyes on this beautiful bridesmaid

Beautiful bridal makeup for this stunning bridesmaid at Rushpool Hall, Saltburn-by-the-Sea — A very soft and nude makeup look for this bridesmaid. Barely there pink and soft brown hues on the eyes.

Beautiful nude makeup for this bridal party at Whinstone View, Great Ayton — Natural makeup for bridesmaid Alex – soft pinks and eyeliner finished off with some false lashes.

Glowing natural makeup for this bridesmaid at Rudby Hall — I adore this makeup. Beautiful nude tones for this bridedmaid at Rudby Hall

Stunning bridesmaid makeup at The Talbot, Malton — Beautiful metallic gold eye makeup for this bridal squad

Natural, glowing bridal makeup for this wedding party at Raithwaite Hall — Soft smokey eye using subtle metallic shimmers for bride Rachel.

Glowing and flawless makeup for this bride at Guisborough Hall — A natural makeup look for bride Michelle. Classic bridal makeup will always be a fabulous choice.

Those are all my favourite elements of bridal makeup. I have really enjoyed getting to know my brides again this year.

Thank you for your kind words and images from your wedding day

A special thank you to every bride who drops me a review, a thank you card, or a text message after the wedding. I save everything – its always appreciated. I love to see your professional images from the big day. Thanks to everyone who sends me photographs, tags me in social media and refers me to friends. As a self-employed individual we rely on you sharing the love and it is wonderful to feel appreciated.