The Bridal Journals: Emily G. – Natural Bridal Makeup
I’ve seen many brides in my career. I’ve shared tears, emotions, and prayers with hundreds of beautiful women over my tenure as a professional artist. As my brush touches their skin, we form a lifelong friendship. There is a lovely exchange that occurs. They entrust me with their most special day, and I humbly offer my services to them so they would walk down the aisle feeling as God made them, fearlessly beautiful. They each betroth me with unique experiences and each service I am grateful to have started Viva La Cortes Makeovers. I felt one way to do these brides justice was to start writing entries about my memorable bridal experiences. Back in October, I had the pleasure of working on the gorgeous bride Emily G. Our day went as followed:
Emily was a very special bride.
Walking into her busy house, I felt the buzz of excitement for the nuptials to come. Photographers, family, and sweet furry pets were bustling around the house in delighted excitement. I set up quickly and situated my team, so I could focus on the bride and her family.
Her Viva La Cortes Makeovers wedding service included herself, her mother-in-law, mother, and her sweet little sister. We consulted each other for over a year before her wedding and had already done a trial. She asked me specifically how I can enhance her natural features without making her look too “done up”.
Emily had this natural, stunning face that barely needed any product. She had lovely skin, so I assured her we did not have to worry too much about foundation. Her dress showed off her décolleté, so I made sure to highlight those collarbones.
For her eyes, she wanted something natural but would bring out her big brown eyes. As for the face, I went with a natural, medium coverage foundation, with light powder, perfectly matching her skin tone. Even though October is a cooler month in South Florida, I still kept the humidity in mind as I was doing her makeup.
Moving onto the eye makeup, I used neutral rose tones. I used darker tones on the outer sections of her eyes to deepen them. Her eyes were already a lovely almond shape, so I did not need much in this area. I used lighter shades on the inner parts of her eyes to brighten them. To keep the eyes looking open and natural, we opted out of liquid eyeliner, I carefully smudged a dark brown shadow along her lash line to define her eyes and bring them depth without giving too much contrast. Since her makeup was more natural and not glam, I used brown eyeshadow to deepen and accentuate her bottom lash line. It brought out the right amount of definition without making it look too harsh.
When it came to the cheeks & blush, we decided to go for more blush than contour. Emily’s face was already slender, so the contour was kept light. For natural looks, it’s okay to go a little heavier on the blush in a lighter color. This makes the skin look naturally flushed and the bride will look like a true blushing bride. For lashes, I meticulously placed individual lashes on to not look overdone.
When it was all done, Emily firmly held the mirror, ready to see her face as a bride. She gasped and the widest smile spread across her face as she excitedly turned her face side-to-side, admiring the glam. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at her radiant face.
Throughout this process, the lovely ladies of the family about to be joined were rejoicing in Emily’s relationship. The two mothers shared their stories about hardship and personal growth. I was honored to be a part of such a monumental event in their family.
The glam process was delightful. Emily was cool as a cucumber, an usual sight for a bride. After we did her glam, we did her mother in law’s makeup, then her mother’s. Finally, we did her beautiful sister’s makeup. She requested glam, of course, but we did what was appropriate for a little girl.
What was so special about this bride is that I was able to really understand her background and her beautiful relationship with her family. Emily was so close with her in-laws. Her mother-in-law was great friends with her mom, it was refreshing to see a healthy family relationship. You could tell that she was genuinely happy on this day, and she was happier knowing that her family was around her.
Services like these make my career more fulfilling than any other job. I thrive in relationship-building and creating memories. I can’t wait to share more stories with you.
Love & Blessings,
Angie
