Bridal make-up for an older bride

What could be more exciting than being a mature bride, either for the first or second time? 

You've finally met the man of your dreams and now you want to look as fabulous as possible for your big day.

Wedding dresses: A guide for older brides

A make-up artist’s top tips:

Before the wedding

Begin your preparations as early as possible. You will need to decide on what you will wear and the style of the occasion. Formal or informal? Large or small scale? Church or Register Office?

• Get your skin into tip top shape. If you can afford to, go to a beauty salon and book a series of facials after consultation with the beautician. Otherwise institute a daily regime of cleansing, exfoliating and moisturising which will improve the texture and look of your skin. Follow this religiously for at least two months.

Discover our basic skin care tips

Before you buy your outfit, decide once and for all whether you are cool or warm toned. If you are cool toned, the undertone of your skin is blue - so you look better in white, pale or dark pink, lilac, ice blue, grey or navy. If you are warm toned the undertone of your skin is yellow - so you will look your best in cream, yellow, warm greens, beige and coral pink.

• Plan your make-up as soon as you know what you will be wearing. The colours that you choose for your eye make-up , blusher and lipstick will be determined by your clothes.

• Practice your ‘wedding make-up’ at least 3 times before the day. Take photographs of yourself after each application and see how well your face looks in the photo - apart from your memories, photographs will be your only enduring memento.

How to look good in wedding photographs

On your Wedding Day

• Give yourself lots of time to prepare. It’s no good having a last minute shower and hair wash, blasting your face with a hair-dryer and then expecting your make-up to look good after applying it to hot, damp skin!

Apply a face primer. As soon as your usual serum and moisturiser are fully absorbed, apply a face primer to smooth your skin and allow your foundation to glide on. As a side note, primers also work brilliantly on occasions when you want your make-up to stay looking fresh for hours on end.

Primers for the prime of your life

Sit in a good light and apply the make-up that you have practised beforehand. If you are staying in a hotel, the lights and position of the mirrors often make it difficult to see what you are doing. Take a vanity mirror with you (one on a stand) and position it with as much natural daylight as possible.

• Use brushes to apply all your make-up. This will greatly improve the professionalism of the finished effect.

How to make the most of make up brushes

• ​ Apply an eye primer. This will ensure that the shadows you apply look their best and stay put.

​•  To help your lipstick to last, apply a lip primer to the edges of your lips. Allow it to fully absorb and dry and it will prevent the colour feathering and bleeding into the lines around your mouth. Apply one coat of lipstick and use your finger to rub the colour into your lips to create a stain. Using a brush, apply another coat and blot well on a tissue. Finish with a third coat, again applied with a brush.

Our top tips for luscious lips

•  You might want to spray a product called “Model in a Bottle’ over your entire make-up as a final flourish. This fine mist will ‘set’ the make-up and should ensure that you look really fabulous all day and well into the evening.

Tricia Cusden, Founder and MD, Look Fabulous Forever

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