Wedding Makeup Dos and Don'ts

A makeup expert's advice to help avoid makeup disasters on your wedding day.

Want an elegant and timeless look on your wedding day, you don't want to spoil it with the wrong makeup choices.

Naomi Martinez, owner of Naomi’s Studio and Salon in West Hartford has the inside scoop on the dos and don’ts for makeup on your special day.

DON’T- Go Blue. “Something blue” may bring good luck – but not so much around your eyes. Martinez says she talks brides out of wearing the color all of the time. “You don’t want eye shadow that is brighter than the eye color,” Martinez said. She recommends a color that contrasts the eyes so that they can pop on the big day. “When you walk into the room, you want the features to stand out – not the makeup.” 

  
DON’T – Cake it.  There are no promises about not getting cake in the face on the big day, but caking should be avoided when it comes to foundation. “Many brides want their skin to look flawless and go heavy with foundation,” Martinez said. She suggests a skincare regiment before the big day to improve skin “95 percent of clients can avoid this heavy makeup look. And a skincare regiment will work,” she said. A natural look always looks better in pictures and in person, according to Martinez.


DON’T – Do Raccoon Eyes. “Many of our clients misunderstand the term 'raccoon eyes,'" said Martinez. "What it actually refers to is the light rings around the eyes from going crazy with concealer.” She suggests using different colors to avoid the circles. “A light salmon or a peach will look much better under the eyes."


DON’T – Do Glitter. “Many times, our clients will come to get their makeup done after getting their hair done and they’ll be covered in glitter," Martinez said. "But what some hair stylists don’t consider is the flash of the cameras." She suggests staying away from using glitter in the hair and on the face to avoid reflections from the flash. “Something not as frosty, like a shimmer will work much better,” Martinez suggested.


There are several things you can do to make your look just right on your wedding day.
 

DO – Match your Tone. “You don’t want a foundation that is darker than your skin tone.” Martinez suggests that difference in tone will stand out more, especially if you are wearing a white dress. Matching skin tone will give a more natural, even look in pictures and in person.

 
DO - Go Classic. “You don’t want your pictures to look dated 40 or 50 years from now.” Choosing hair and makeup that isn’t necessarily trendy, but is simple and timeless is the best way to go, according to Martinez.  “Big hair and blue eye shadow was big in the 80s, and if you were to see it in pictures now, you could tell it was from the 80s," Martinez said. "We try to avoid making our clients get this dated look.” 

      
DO – Go Neutral. Red lipstick is a great accent, but Naomi suggests that this type of look isn’t always the best choice for the big day. “Typically, wedding pictures are in color and in black in white. Red lipstick will look black in black and white photos,” said Martinez.. To avoid this look, she suggests not going too deep or too light with lip color. “Choose a nice medium tone. It will look better in the photographs.”

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