Natural Wedding Makeup—here’s how to nail it

Get wedding day makeup ideas, hacks from the experts, and let us save you from making (understandable) rookie mistakes

Listen, we all know by now that “natural” makeup is anything but. It takes a lot of work and product to look effortless. But one of the reasons we love natural wedding makeup looks so much is that it encourages brides to look like themselves. Now, there’s nothing wrong with going full glam, especially if that’s the way you look most of the time. But what we believe in is finding a makeup look for your big day that enhances your natural beauty and makes you feel like the most authentic and best version of yourself.

A lot of brides we have worked with are hesitant to get their makeup professionally done. It can be weird to put your trust in someone when it comes to how you’ll look on your wedding day. As someone who has had their makeup done and hated it, I get it. But your planner probably knows the right wedding makeup artist to go to, and you can even schedule makeup trials months before the wedding to know exactly what you’ll look like on the day of. Our favorite makeup artist not only just enhances your look, but they give you a touch-up kit to take with you. Genius! If you do choose to diy though, a natural look is a great way to go.

So let’s take a walkthrough of some gorgeous bridal makeup looks for inspiration, and we’ll also fill you in on some common mistakes you’ll want to avoid.

Now, this look is super natural. It’s also supernaturally gorgeous. While she is using full coverage foundation, the rest of this look is beautifully understated, really letting her natural beauty shine. She has some beautiful brows held with some clear brow gel, minimal mascara, and a tinted lip balm. Our only word of advice for a look like this is to consider waterproof mascara. (It tends to be an emotional day!)

This is what we consider the smokey eye of the boho world. Just a bit of warm-toned eye shadow to create a little bit of a smolder, but she still looks fresh-faced and light. (But I mean, with a jawline like that, who even needs makeup?) And she’s singlehandedly making a case for repping a nude lip, and with the amount of kissing you’ll be doing, it makes sense.

Now, here’s the opposing case for a bold lip. We love a bold lip, especially paired with a more natural face. But we only recommend doing a bold lip if it’s something you would normally do going out! Lip glosses or tints are easier to gamble on, but a hyper-pigmented pout is going to be a standout. Make sure it’s something you’re comfortable with and know looks good with your skin tone. We have had brides match their bridesmaid dresses, which we think is a great idea.

If you're going to amp up your lashes like this bridal beauty, false lashes are our preference over eyelash extensions. They look amazing and don’t affect your lashes. Eyelash extensions are gorgeous but high maintenance and can affect your natural lashes. Her gorgeous look plays up her natural beauty with a dewy glow and by accentuating her eyes with false lashes. It’s just the right amount of makeup to enhance her beauty, yet not compete with her stunning wedding dress and hairstyle.

This may not be a popular take, but we are big fans of NOT tanning for your wedding. ESPECIALLY if you don’t tan regularly (which we’d say girl, hold off on that too!). If you get married in the winter it looks out of place. And no matter the time of year, with a white dress you look tanner then you’d think! If you want a nice glowy color, then opt for a minimalist bronzer or cream blush in a warm tone (like the bride on the right). We love glossier’s cloud paint, for example.

Now, this is the perfect example of how you can still use eye makeup but look natural. She’s wearing a super fine line of eyeliner above her lash line and just a tinge of shimmer eyeshadow. What makes the eyeshadow perfect is it adds to her already dewy skin and lips, and the color draws on her gorgeous eye color. If you’re like us and you don’t have absurdly flawless skin like she does, we highly recommend Charlotte Tilbury’s flawless filter. (Did I find it by complimenting a barista’s skin like a weirdo? Maybe. But has my skin looked amazing ever since? You bet!)

Clearly, the star of the show when it comes to natural beauty looks (besides you, of course) is your skin. Be sure to practice good skincare in the weeks before the wedding. Wash your face and use your moisturizer every night. And our biggest piece of advice: don’t get anything done that you haven’t gotten done before RIGHT before your wedding. You don’t know how you are going to react. Think botox, micro-needling, micro-blading, waxing, etc. And while youtube tutorials are super convincing and will have you feeling confident in the moment, just don’t take the risk. You don’t want a rash, or a breakout to live on in your wedding photos.