When it comes to hair and makeup, a lot of brides gets overwhelmed with the number of looks they can choose from. There’s the vintage upstyles with red lips, all out with natural makeup, side ponytail with a rosy cheek, chignon with massively long lashes and more, so what really suits? As a hair and makeup artist, I get asked this at every trial. It’s very normal for us girls to get a bit over excited, after all, who doesn’t like to be dolled up? But the question is, what would be the BEST look out of all for you?
Image by Pepper Image, Hair & Makeup by Amy Chan
Makeup
Now days, a lot of girls are going for a natural look rather than a heavily made up finish. This is because even though all of us want to look as beautiful as possible, we still want to look like ourselves. The last thing we want is to look back at the photos in a few years time and think “what the hell was I thinking!” when it all seemed like a good idea at the time. Looking natural doesn’t mean you need to look washed out! A good makeup artist should be able to identify your features and enhance them without looking too OTT. She should be able to give you a beautified version of you, instead of looking like someone else. Here are some tips and rules to help you on your way.
- Eyes You can never go wrong with neutral colours. Try to stay away from electric blues, apple greens and hot pinks. Even though they might be in fashion at the moment, it’s not the kind of look you want for your wedding day.
- Cheeks Some brides like to look really bronzed up, but try not go crazy with it! You want to look as effortless as possible, so packing on those bronzers is not going to help. You should be aiming to have a sunkissed look. On top of this, I would suggest you adding a touch of pink or peach to give you that healthy glow and avoid looking too orange.
- Lips Vintage is back, so some girls love to have their lips coloured bright red. The trick here is to try and have only 1 strong feature to stand out, meaning if you have smokey eyes, go for natural lips. Natural eyes with eyeliner are perfect with yummy red lipstick.
Hair
Ok so this is the complicated part! Your hair style should compliment your dress as well as your face shape. So sometimes the style you like might not match your dress (as it might cover the details on the dress) or your face, so its always good to get advise from your stylist as he/she will know what suits you best!
- Upstyle This will suit most dresses and faces. To avoid this making you look too mature, you can ask your stylist to do a soft loose updo. Soft curls put up in a messy bun, this has been very popular these past few years!
Image by Craig Paulson, Hair & Makeup by Amy Chan
- 1/2 up 1/2 down This is great for those who ‘think’ they have a rounder face and want to cover the sides. This style will give you a slimmer look and again will suit most dresses.
Image by Lumiere Photographie, Hair & Makeup by Amy Chan
- All down Think soft waves, beach babe look, that’s what you’re looking for! This can definitely slim down the face, but remember don’t cover your face too much! We still want to see that beautiful girl under all that hair! Again soft curls are very popular. Another very popular style is going vintage, very tidy look, hair parted one side, and tucked behind the ears on the other. Curls for this look are very tidy, think 1920s curls with a modern touch!
Hair & Makeup by Amy Chan
- Side bun/ponytail This has become very popular over the past few years, as it gives a modern twist to the traditional bun. This style suits most faces, and is great for those who like a bit of hair showing but still want it off their shoulder. It always looks really beautiful with a flower! Very girly, young and fresh! One thing you need to remember is if you have details on your dress on one side, don’t have the hair on the same side.
Image by Billy Button Hair & Makeup by Amy Chan
- Hair accessories As much as you want to rush out and buy everything you like JUST IN CASE you can wear it for your wedding day, STOP! Try going shopping after you’ve had your trial just so you know what to look for. Also, the style you thought you like may not necessarily be the one you end up having. Instead, borrow from your friends or go through your jewellery box to see if you have anything to bring along to your trial. This way you can see what looks good and what doesn’t without breaking the budget.
Just one last thing, please be realistic! Everyone’s skin and hair is different, so what you see in a photograph may not be right for you. Instead, your stylist should be able to do a version just for you so that it matches your features and dress so be open to suggestions and don’t stress about it! Have fun!
Ms Gingham says: These tips come from a lady who has seen A LOT of weddings and knows what works. If you have no idea what you want your wedding style to be this is a great place to start.
About Amy Chan: Obtaining numerous national and international training and accreditations throughout the years, Amy’s work has been featured in international and Australian leading bridal magazines. You can check out her portfolio of work here.
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