Your special day has finally come, and, no, I don’t mean the premiere of The Hills. It’s even better than that! It’s your wedding day. 🙂
Your plate is already spilling over with wedding plans, making sure that everything turns out right — the guest list, the seating charts, the flowers, menus and music.
With so much to do, the last thing on your mind should be your makeup. That’s where this post comes in.
It’s your beautiful face people are going to be staring at all night long. Leave a lasting impression with the help of these 101 wedding makeup looks. Go from bridezilla to bombshell in the time it takes to say “I do.”
Please note:
- The images can be clicked and lead to each respective look/tutorial.
- If you like this post, you may also be interested in 101 Hairstyle Tutorials.
- Wedding Day Makeup Lesson by Chanel: Classic Chanel style meets makeup instruction in this helpful video. I think it makes an excellent way to start our quest for the perfect makeup for a perfect day.
- Wedding Day Makeup Before and After: This video shows you some really great shots of before and after wedding makeup, so you can have a clear plan for the look you want for your big day.
- Sexy Bride Makeover!: This tutorial by Beauty Cast even shows a surefire way to apply false eyelashes — there’s one great mystery solved!
- South Asian/Arabic Bridal Makeup Looks: Here’s a nice selection of very exotic and beautiful bridal looks! Dramatic and sexy…
- MAC Makeup Tutorial for a Bridal Look: Here’s another wonderful tutorial with ideas on choosing a bridal look that’s a good fit for your personal style.
- Do It Yourself Bridal Makeup: If you aren’t one for hiring outside help, these tips will help you create flawless makeup that you can do yourself. Be brave!
- Wedding Day Makeup Tips for Brides:: This is a great post with a range of wedding day tips from what concealer to use, to how to apply colored mascara. Be prepared ahead of time, and avoid a last-minute panic.
- Tips for Long Lasting Wedding Makeup: Use these great tips to make your makeup last, and keep your fresh face even after hours on the dance floor with your new hubby.
- How to Add Unconventional Touches to Bridal Makeup: This is where your creativity comes into play. Work your magic, and show your fun, sexy side in your wedding day makeup.
- Summer Makeup Tips for Brides: Since the majority of weddings happen in or around summer, use these makeup tips to fit the season (think fresh summery glow).
- Airbrushing for Longer Lasting Makeup: Here’s a wide range of tips from a top wedding planning blog. I love the one about using airbrushing. So helpful!
- Pictorial Wedding Makeup Tutorial: This is a great blog with very detailed pictures showing how to get a great wedding makeup look.
- Makeup for an Indian Wedding: Here’s a great how-to for achieving flawless makeup on your special day!
- Concealer Wedding Makeup Tips for African American Women: An instructional video showing how to apply wedding day concealer for women of color.
- Applying Foundation for Wedding Day Makeup: This is the most important part of creating your wedding look, as the color of your foundation can make or break you. Avoid the dreaded line of demarcation along the jaw.
- How to Choose Makeup Colors for Your Wedding Day: The right colors for your makeup are the right colors for you. Let this link be your guide.
- How to Work With a Wedding Makeup Artist: You’re probably at a loss about how to even start looking for a wedding makeup artist, but this how-to will give you some great guidelines to help you make a good choice.
- Wedding Makeup Secrets: Little known secrets to help you stress less!
- How to Adapt Your Makeup to Fit Your Wedding: This how-to guide shows you how to carefully select a style of makeup that’s right for you. Beautiful!
- Do-It-Yourself Celeb Wedding Makeup: Who doesn’t want to look even better than a celeb on their wedding day? It’s your time to shine, and this blog gives tips on giving Katherine Heigl a run for her money.
- Bridal Beauty Tips From the Golden Globes: You’ll be walking down an aisle more important than any red carpet, but these celeb tips can still help you make your wedding as glam as possible!
- Exotic Bridal Makeup: Here’s a very clear tutorial that will show you final makeup looks on half a face along with demonstrations showing how to get the look on the other. Foolproof!
- Carrie Underwood Inspired Bridal Look: Outshine Carrie Underwood! Elegant, innocent and tres chic.
- Mineral Makeup Wedding Day Tutorial: This post has amazingly detailed pics to help you create your wedding makeup look with mineral makeup.
- Wedding Eye Makeup: This great tutorial on eye makeup for your wedding day combines soft pinks and browns for any, and I mean ANY skin tone.
- Smokey Wedding Makeup: Time to utilize the drama of the sexy, smokey eye. If not now, when?
- Taylor Swift Soft Bridal Makeup: Look as youthful and vibrant as Taylor Swift on your wedding day!
- Wedding Makeup and Skincare: Here’s a super helpful guide showing how to prep your skin and makeup for your big day!
- Beauty Countdown: This countdown walks you through everything you need to do to look ravishing on your wedding day.
- Wedding Makeup for the Camera: You’ll be photographed hundreds if not thousands of times on your wedding day. Here’s how to look great in your wedding pics.
- Wedding Makeup Advice: This post discusses letting your wedding day makeup enhance your normal makeup style.
- Do It Yourself Bridal Face Makeup: When you can’t trust anyone else to do your makeup, do it yourself with confidence and the help of these tips.
- Applying Eyebrow Makeup on Your Wedding Day: You probably don’t want to make a mistake here by looking like Grouchetta Marx. Get it done right with the help of this eyebrow makeup tutorial.
- An Asian Style Bridal Makeup Look: Here’s an incredibly helpful post for an Asian bridal makeup look done right.
- Wedding Makeup Guide: This bridal makeup guide breaks things down into sections for face, eyes and lips, so you get exactly what you want from your wedding day look.
- Bridal Makeup Tips: These are fantastic tips, like how to use corrective foundation to achieve truly flawless skin. Divine!
- How to Apply Bridal Makeup: This post boasts easy tips like emphasizing blush and lips to create a timeless bridal beauty. It’s your day!
- Wedding Day Makeup: This video makes it all seem so easy. Don’t you have enough to stress about?
- How to Apply Bridal Makeup Eyeshadow Base: Applying a shadow base helps your eye makeup look fresh all day. Now is not the time to run or smear (that should be the last thing on your mind)!
- Flawless Bridal Makeup Part 1: Part one of this two-part tutorial focuses on the individual elements of bridal makeup, so you have a clear idea of what you’re dealing with. Pencils ready?
- Flawless Bridal Makeup Part 2: Part two of this tutorial picks up where part one left off, putting together your bridal makeup from start to finish. Tada!
- Apply Pink Neutral Makeup for a Wedding: This is a soft, elegant look that’s perfect for a day wedding.
- How to Choose Makeup Colors for Your Wedding Day: With so many colors to choose from, where do you even begin? Why, right here, of course. 🙂
- Create a Fall Colored Wedding Eye: If your big event takes place in the fall, then this video will be loads of help. Hooray!
- Bridal Makeup Tutorial: This Howcast will take you through the steps from your foundation to false eyelashes — very informative!
- Celebrity Wedding Beauty Secrets: This is a fantastic post that will tell you exactly what the celebs are doing to stand out on their high profile wedding days. Enjoy!
- Makeup for the Mature Bride: Find the best makeup styles to suit a mature woman on her wedding day. Stand out from the crowd!
- Picking the Ultimate Makeup Artist: How do you find good outside help? Use this guide to select a wonderful wedding day makeup artist.
- Top 10 Wedding Makeup Mistakes: Learn from these oft-repeated mistakes; what to avoid when you’re trying to orchestrate the perfect wedding makeup look. Read on!
- The Perfect Bridal Makeup for Your Wedding Day: This post offers some very unique tips on creating a perfect makeup look, like choosing a long lasting lip color and the best way to line and define your lips. Brilliant!
- Professional Bridal Makeup: This video teaches you the professional way to enhance your bridal makeup look!
- Wedding Makeup Dos and Don’ts: Ladies, this is exactly what you need to avoid any fatal makeup blunders on your wedding day! So not the time to be unprepared…
- More Wedding Makeup Secrets: More secrets to help you pinpoint your ideal wedding makeup look, with advice you may not have heard before.
- Perfect Eye Makeup: This will walk you through a truly perfect look for your bridal eye makeup. Magnify your gorgeous peepers to better gaze upon the one you love!
- How to Do Your Own Bridal Makeup: Great advice, like applying anti-shine liquid powder to your face.
- The Perfect Bridal Makeup for Your Wedding Day: Looking natural is key, so you don’t want too much or too little makeup. Here’s help to get things just right.
- Pink Chic Wedding Makeup Look: These are the best of the pale pinks and gorgeous plums for a clean and elegant bridal look. Go pretty in pink!
- Wedding Makeup Warm Glow: Here’s a look featuring dramatic eyes, bare blush and full lips. Isn’t that exactly what you’re looking for?
- Wedding Makeup Fair Beauty: This wedding makeup look brings a natural glow to your fair skin with warm and peachy glows.
- How to Apply Perfect Wedding Makeup: Makeup artist Daniel Sandler demonstrates a unique makeup style for your wedding day!
- Bridal Makeup Tips: A batch of super helpful wedding day makeup tips like using neutral colors (browns and golds) for a natural look. And never forget the blush!
- Wedding Makeup FAQ: Wedding planner Carol Rosen answers a whole host of questions about the who, what, when, where and how of getting the best look for your big day.
- Bridal Makeup Fake Eyelashes: If you want the dramatic look of fake lashes without the spider effect of an application gone wrong, check out this video. Safeguard yourself against mishaps!
- Bridal Makeup Eyeliner: Want your eyes to look smooth, sultry and flawless on you wedding day? Take a few pro tips, and apply textbook bridal makeup eyeliner.
- Bridal Makeup Lip Liner: We all know how poorly lined lips are hard to miss. These tips will keep your full, sexy pout from turning into a runny mess.
- Bridal Makeup Mascara: Who wants clumps in their lashes? Not me! Watch this video tutorial for a luscious, long lash look for your wedding day.
- Do it Yourself Bride — Anne Hathaway: Emulate Anne Hathaway’s classic beauty at the Golden Globes with this wedding makeup how-to.
- More Celeb Wedding Makeup Looks From the Golden Globes: Here are even more great celeb wedding looks from the Golden Globes, including Penelope Cruz’s sexy smokey eyes.
- More Makeup for African American Brides: This article gives tips for choosing the right colors for your skin tone and getting a wedding makeup look you’ll cherish forever.
- Bridal Makeup Eye Dos and Don’ts: Tips to produce the very best eye makeup to wear with a white dress.
- A Perfect Faux Bridal Glow: No one likes a streaky orange self-tanner, so use these tips to get the most natural tan on your wedding day!
- Wedding Makeup Tips for the Latina Bride: Here’s a great guide for a lovely look featuring the most kissable lips, of course!
- 4 Basic Bridal Makeup Looks: With your wedding being one of the most important days of your life, get to know your options. Here are four basic looks to get you started.
- Wedding Day Lash Look: This guide goes into lashes in a big way, even covering eyelash extensions! Remember, all eyes will be on you…
- Purrfectly Naughty Makeup for Brides: Add a little spice to that nice with these naughty makeup looks for your wedding day/night. 🙂
- More Asian Bridal Makeup Looks: Covering both day and evening looks for an East Asian/Hong Kong style bridal makeup look. Very nice!
- More Bridal Makeup Tips: Follow this guide to be the radiant, blushing bride you’re meant to be.
- More Celebrity Wedding Makeup Looks: Browse through a sampling of celeb-inspired makeup looks for ideas you can incorporate into your own wedding day makeup.
- Basic Wedding Makeup Ideas: These ideas cover all areas the makeup application and a countdown beauty checklist taking you through the big day.
- Peaches and Cream Bridal Look: These colors flatter many skin tones and make for a fantastic bridal makeup look.
- Winter Bridal Makeup Look: This is the perfect tutorial for a winter wedding makeup look.
- Jane Iredale Mineral Makeup Daytime Wedding Look: Jane Iredale provides a fantastic mineral makeup look for a daytime wedding. The options are endless!
- Natural, Neutral Wedding Day Makeup: These are some great ideas for soft and neutral makeup that’s even office appropriate!
- Classy Wedding Look: The perfect bridal look for a classy wedding.
- Wedding Makeup Primer and Foundation: Here’s an ESSENTIAL first step tO getting flawless, picture-perfect skin on your wedding day.
- Wedding Makeup Powder and Contouring: Another vital part of putting the finishing touches on your wedding day face! Contouring will make your face even more beautiful and put together, and isn’t that just what you want?
- Wedding Makeup Eyes and Eyebrows: This guide to a wedding look shows how to get amazing eyes and eyebrows that’ll make everyone take notice!
- Wedding Makeup Lashes: Lashes are a fun way to draw even more attention to the eyes.
- Even More Wedding Makeup Tips: These are some more great ideas for brides, like using matte foundation for perfect wedding day skin.
- Indian Inspired Wedding Look: Here’s another dramatic wedding day look. There’s no better time to demand that all eyes be on you.
- Neutral Wedding Makeup: Here’s a look for the natural beauty in each of us. Get a soft, fun glow without looking too overdone on your wedding day.
- Bridal Foundation for Brown Skin: Here’s a great way to color match and apply foundation for brown skin. A must see!
- Bridal Eyeliner for Brown Skin: This look is tailored to help you get it right by finding the correct bridal makeup and eyeliner for your skin tone. Easy as pie!
- Bridal Loose Foundation Powder for Brown Skin: Here’s a great way to apply loose foundation powder on a wide range of skin tones.
- How to Maintain Bridal Makeup: Make your wedding day makeup last and last and last.
- How to Apply Blush for Bridal Makeup: Learn how to apply bridal blush so you don’t end up looking like an actor in a bad school play (been there!).
- How to Blend Your Eyeliner for Bridal Makeup: This will get you on the right track to professionally blended eyeliner that looks natural.
- Adapting Styles: Wedding Day Makeup: Your wedding is a personal celebration of style and love, and your makeup should be, too.
- Choosing Bridal Makeup Colors for Fall: If your nuptials take place in fall, then these color tips should help!
- How to Choose Makeup for Bridal Photography: Make sure your makeup makes you proud in pictures! Here’s a little help in the photography department.
- Classic Bridal Makeup Look Using Warm Colors: Here’s some help creating a perfect bridal makeup look with warm colors. Glow all the way, girl!
So, girls, that does it for now (but there’s always room for more!). I hope you got some ideas to help you make your wedding day even more special. Oh, and I almost forgot — congratulations! 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. If you’re new here, thank you for visiting. Makeup and Beauty Blog is a makeup blog with daily product reviews, beauty tips, giveaways and the random shenanigans of a crazy cat lady/makeup enthusiast named Karen (that’s me!). 🙂
Jenna says
Wow you put a lot of work into this post!!! I like tips like these for any occasion in which I’m going to be wearing makeup for a long period of time. Thanks!
Karen says
Hi Jenna,
You’re welcome! 🙂
Sarahc says
My friend paid a makeup artist $300 to do her wedding makeup even though she herself does makeup. Anything with the word wedding before it costs an arm and a leg.
Karen says
Hi Sarahc,
I hired a makeup artist for my wedding. It was well worth the price — totally took stress off my plate.
Nikki says
thank you so much for doing this! I’m sure a lot of soon to be brides and makeup artists out there get a lot of wonderful tips from this post! I know you put out a lot of work, I just want to let you know how much I appreciate this post 🙂
Nikki´s last blog post..Nail Art Tutorial: "Queen of Hearts" Nails
Karen says
Hi Nikki,
I’m glad to hear this is useful! Hope you are having a nice day so far. 🙂
mayya says
oh Karen, thank you thank you sooo much! you’re the best 🙂 hope your blog wins
Karen says
Hi Mayya,
You’re welcome!
Thanks for voting — you can vote every day if ya want. 🙂
Christina says
This post is also great for all of us who are *attending* weddings this season… certainly don’t want to upstage the bride, but it’s good for us bridesmaids and guests to know what to do to keep the face on all day!
Thank you, Karen! What an extensive post!
Christina´s last blog post..Baldwin Wants To Love Michelle Obama
Mishel says
Aw, I totally love panacea81 and makeupgeektv!
I looove the South Asian/Arabic makeup look, as that is what I’ll have if I ever get married one day…
I can’t imagine trying to narrow down your look, so many choices! What did you sport on your wedding day Karen?
Karen says
Hi Mishel,
I got married in Hawaii three years ago, and at the time I didn’t want to deal with any additional stress on the day of (I didn’t have a planner) so I ended up hiring a makeup artist. Her name’s Dorys Foltin and I loved her work! She did airbrush foundation on me and it was kinda cool — very light and it lasted all day. She used products from her in-house line. I wish I could remember the colors!
If/when you get hitched you’ll have to send me your wedding makeup look. 😉
Kelly says
Holy crap, Karen!! This is awesome! Makes me wish I had this when I got married 2 years ago. I’m sure lots of people will get tons of use out of this list, and not just the ones getting married.
Thanks!
Karen says
Hi Kelly,
Aww, you’re still a newlywed! Where did you get married?
Sarahc says
BTW 63-66 are great!
lesley says
This was really helpful, Karen! Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart! I’m currently in the preliminary stages of planning my own wedding for summer 2010 so I’m kind of excited and makeup was the first thing next to my dress that I got excited about.
I especially like the different foundation and colour tips… since… well, no one wants their skin to look ugly on their wedding day and in the photos that’ll last for years after that 😉
Karen says
Hi Lesley,
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. You’re smart to start planning early. Do you have your dress yet? And where are you guys thinking of getting married?
KC says
Hi Karen –
I just wanted to say you look beautiful in your wedding pic! Breathtaking! I, too, got married in Hawaii and I actually got my makeup done at the MAC counter at Macy’s in Waikiki. They did a great job! I did hear great things about Dorys, but I didn’t have the budget :(.
Cheers,
KC
Karen says
Hi KC,
The MAC counter makeup artists always do a great job. I bet you looked fantastic for the big day!
Where did you get married on Oahu?
qudz104 says
what an amazing post!! i totally wish this was published when i got married,but i had my makeup done in india (where i was married lol) and they did a pretty good job, for not as much as they charge here. btw, you looked gorgeous in ur wedding pic!! also, do you mind if i forward this link to my bride-to-be friends?
Karen says
Hi Qudz104,
I don’t mind at all! There’s an option at the end of the post called “Share This” (it’s the little heart). You should be able to forward it from there. Or, you can grab the address in the bar up top and paste it into an e-mail, too.
tanya says
wowza, thanks for the amazing post! I hired a makeup artist because I was pretty sure I would cave under pressure–am actually glad I did but kudos to the gal who can do it herself!! (Of course, day of, my husband told me that I looked as good as I do everyday–which was either incredibly sweet, or incredibly stupid). Considering the money I spent, I’m leaning towards stupid 🙂
tanya´s last blog post..au naturale
Karen says
Hi Tanya,
That’s the same reason I ended up hiring a makeup artist, too. A whole host of technical things went wrong during the day of the ceremony (uh, like the hotel caterer forgetting to place the cake decorations on the WEDDING CAKE!) so I’m glad that I didn’t have to worry about the makeup part.
KC says
Hi Karen –
We got married at the Star of the Sea Catholic church, but our reception was at the Moana Surfrider Hotel. How about you?
-KC
Karen says
Hi KC,
Oh, pretty! I’ve seen pics of that church! I bed you have some great pics. 🙂
El Hub and I got married on the North Shore over at Turtle Bay.
Mercedes says
Hi Karen,
Just wanted to let you know how helpful this post is. I’m getting married in September and as someone who absolutely loves makeup, it has been quite difficult narrowing choices for my look. Thanks for all the info!!
Karen says
Hi Mercedes,
You’re welcome! Are you any closer to picking out your look?
Mercedes says
Yes I’m definitely leaning more towards a neutral eye with a pop of color or a very subtle smoky eye. I have a couple more months to decide. but thanks again this was a super helpful
Karen says
Hi Mercedes,
Oh, sounds pretty! The neutral eye with a pop of color sounds gorge. 🙂
Are you guys getting married near your home or are you doing the destination thing?
lesley says
Hey Karen!
I’ve just begun to try on different dresses and I have many pounds of bridal magazines to get a feel for what kind of styles I might or might not want to try. We’re thinking of doing our wedding in the Philippines, DH is from Norway, so we’ll have a second reception there 🙂 We did our civil ceremony here in San Francisco… so no one is left out 😉
Hope you’re having a great weekend!!
Kelly says
We were married outside at a winery close to where we live in Cincinnati. It was THE most perfect sunny day in the fall. Since it was outside, I didn’t want my makeup to look too over-done so I did it myself with light hand, but I wore some gorgeous MAC eyelashes that made my eyes stand out in the pictures. It was the best day ever; I would love to do it all over again.
All this wedding talk is making me mushy. Where’s my hubby….
Marisol says
LOL@ the premiere of the Hills comment. You know that I am totally looking forward to it. =)
Marisol´s last blog post..Back to Counting…
Mercedes says
Hi Karen
I wish we we’re doing the destination thing 🙁 but it’s all good we’re getting married at a place that is a 15 minute drive from home lol
tokyostargirl says
love this! thanks so much, karen!
.-= tokyostargirl’s last blog post… brows =-.
Penny says
Hi Karen,
What an awesome collection of information – everything you could need for wedding day beauty. I am inspired and will send my people to you for their make-up tips!
Cd'a Bridal Makeup says
Karen,
Thanks for putting this together. I do makeup for brides regularly and this will be a good resource for me to have them look through to find a couple looks they might like! Thanks for your work on this one!!
Janell
Makeup ByMerry says
I always like your tips for makeup. Its always gives me a tips for doing my makeup and looks me beautiful and everyone gives compliments to me.