Sisterly Bridal

Salut mes amis :))

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of doing a bridal makeup trial on my beautiful friend Amelia and a couple of her gorgeous bridesmaids. I always get extremely excited when working on faces other than my own, so needless to say, I had a blast. Yes, I am a true makeup nerd and proud of it!!! Reason for this post--other than the obvious--is that I want to remember all the steps I took in creating Amy & her sister Lizzie's makeup looks and what better way than to blog it :))) Plus, just look at these two stunners, how can I not share this beauty with the world?!

Striking their signature sisterly pose: Amy--the bride to be (ironically in pink :) & Lizzie--the bridesmaid to be (in white :)

Read more for pix & deets :)))

Bridal makeup isn't about a drastic transformation or bright party colors; rather, it is all about bringing out the natural beauty of the features and playing up the personality of the bride and/or bridesmaid. Amy and Lizzie are naturally gorgeous and never wear makeup--they don't need to--so for the special occasion, they wanted to feel a bit more glamorous while still looking and feeling like themselves. Here's how we accomplished that :)))

Lizzie

the sexy sister of the bride and bridesmaid

To play up Lizzie's luscious features for a bridesmaid look, I did a structured, smokey mini cat eye to bring out her natural kitty slant and full lashes. To balance out the simple eye, I applied a rosy-coral lipstick (Nars Niagara--you know the one) to her lippies; contoured her nose, cheekbones and jawline; and highlighted her cupid's bow, cheekbones, brow bone, and nose bridge with Nars Albatross (to bring out her golden undertones). 

On Lizzie's eyes, I used several shadows from the Urban Decay Naked palette (perfect for bridal makeup) as well as some neutral shadows from a 28-piece neutral palette.

• Sidecar (center lid)
• Buck & Naked (crease)
• Darkhorse (outer "V" and lower lash line)
• Golden Sandy e/s from neutral palette (to blend the harsh lines)
• Shimmery Pink & Matte Peach e/s (inner corner)
• Nars Albatross (highlight under brow)
• Stila kajal pencil in Topaz (waterline) *not pictured
• Clinique cream liner in Black Honey

Lizzie is clearly very pretty and I can't imagine any color combination or makeup style looking awkward or wrong on her--she can pretty much pull off any look. Lizzie's face can handle a lot of makeup as well as none at all... plus she's a firecracker and has got the purrrsonality to own any fierce maquillage look. Aaaaand, because of that, I really hope she can make a reappearance on my bloggy... So, this is my way of asking, Lizzie, will you be my muse? pretty please :))

Amy

the beautiful, blushing bride

For her bridal makeup, Amy had 2 requests: a neutral lip and bronzed skin. Ironically, hot pink is not a color that Amelia wears very often; on the contrary, she likes muted tones, minimal accessories, and natural makeup, if any. For her big day, however, she wanted to step outside of her comfort zone and gave me the honor to doll her up :)) As much I would've loved to play with her striking features and apply a bold lip and glitter all over (haha), I just don't think it would be fitting to Amy's personality--hence, the nude lip and a soft eye was the perfect choice. Amy is one of the most gracious women I know--she is humble, sincere, warm and kind. Her beauty shines from within and her quiet strength is truly inspiring. No Bridezilla claws here, not even close!!! As I was applying Amy's makeup, I thought about her incredible spirit and let this energy guide my artistry. 

Here's what I used on Amy (excuse the dirty palette I didn't have time to clean :)

On Amy's eyes, I used: the NAKED palette and two Clinique cream liners: True Black & Black Honey

• Sin (all over lid)
• Virgin (inner corner)
• Toasted (crease & outer "V")
• Naked & Buck (blending)
• Smog (lower lash line)
• Ardell lashes

For Amy's lips, I used two MAC lipsticks in amplified finish: Profusion (for a rosy undertone) and Warm Me Up (for the nude finish).

To balance Amy's soft look, I prepped her cheeks with Benetint; contoured her nose, cheekbones, jawline; and added a subtle bronzy glow all over her face to fake a tan. I reshaped her eyebrows just a bit to follow their natural shape and finished the look by spritzing some MAC Fix + spray. For the big day, we plan on bronzing up her arms, neck and chest to offset her ivory dress and perhaps do a lipstick change for the reception. 

Stay tuned, Amy's big day is right around the corner and with 5 bridesmaids, there will be loads of beauty & makeup to share :)))

bisous,

Maryam Maquillage

Special Thanks to Amelia & Elizabeth ♥

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Maryam Maquillage © 2012. www.maryammaquillage.com