SOPHIE SAYS
ELLE beauty director Sophie Beresiner tackles your beauty woes and fragrance dilemmas
Beauty director Sophie Beresiner on doing your own wedding make-up
Q. I’M GETTING MARRIED IN FRANCE THIS SUMMER, AND AM PLANNING ON DOING MY OWN MAKE-UP. DO YOU HAVE ANY RECOMMENDATIONS? PHINDILE, SOUTH AFRICA
A. As a matter of fact, I happen to be qualified to answer this, because I did my own wedding make-up – that’s quite a thing for a beauty editor with some of the world’s best make-up artists saved in my contacts list. But I did a few trials, and while my make-up was undoubtedly beautiful, I just didn’t feel like me. You want to feel the most like you on your wedding day of all days, surely?
My main piece of advice is to think about the moment when you felt your most beautiful. Was it a night out? Was it a first date? Then remember what your make-up was doing and consider recreating that. For the record, mine was the first time I tried a particular red lipstick, and I was asked out twice in one night. Not a romantic tale linked to my soon-to-be husband, but a strong start nonetheless. Then consider that your wedding day will involve a shit-ton of kissing – your new husband, family, sometimes even strangers – so red lipstick, although damn sexy, is not the most viable option. Default to the second-best time you felt your most beautiful. If, like me, it was that time he took you for a curry in Whitechapel and you’d just discovered bronze smoky eyes with kohl in the waterline, and he couldn’t stop telling you how pretty you looked, then go for a bronze smoky eye with black kohl for the big day. Smoke? In summer? Yes! Do not be beholden to the season: it’s more important that you look and feel great.
The best part of this plan, it’s born from a scenario in which you’ve already done your own make-up, and it went down a storm. So there: an instant confidence-booster. Don’t worry, you’ve got this.
My most important wedding make-up tip is to go to a beauty counter to be definitively colour-matched with a long-wear foundation. You might think you already know your shade, but just double check for this occasion, OK? Then consider: France, summer, hot! So I would recommend Cover FX Power Play. It comes in 40 shades and is matte, water-resistant and sweat-proof (in other words, wedding-day proof).
If you do buy a whole new make-up kit, you’ll feel lovely every time you put on ‘my MAC Please Me wedding lipstick’ (perfect choice) or ‘CliniqueFit Mascara’ (waterproof version, I insist). You already know your other half is going to find you beautiful, you’ve already tried out this exact look, but this time it’ll be beautiful with wedding bells on.
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