How to choose your wedding make-up

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Discover your perfect palette, and how to apply it for your wedding party!

To look your best it’s wise to find out what make-up is just right for you.

Skin tone

What tone are you? If your skin goes pink in the sun, you have a cool complexion, whereas skins that go more golden or bronze in the sun have warm skin tones. If you blush easily and go pink in the sun then brown, you have neutral skin. Here's the summary:

For warm skin

With yellow undertones, generally freckly skin and brown eyes -- use muted browns, creams, lighter pinks and beiges. Give eyes greater definition with a soft kohl lining and balance with a delicate lip colour.

Cool skin

For pink undertones and English-rose types -- use lilacs, pinks and plums. Bring colour to cool skins with a creamy or glossy lipstick, playing down the eyes and using a gentle blush to the cheeks.

Neutral skin

With a balance of cool and warm -- use cool lilacs and pinks or warm browns and creams. You can get away with bolder shades for a dramatic look.

Ready, steady -- apply!

If you’re doing your own make-up, stick to these simple guidelines and make up your face bit by bit. The key is in confidence, patience, and time -- allow yourself plenty of it.

Foundation:  For summer brides, the light will be overhead, creating a soft focus and allowing you to go for a warmer or more bronzed look than usual. Winter daylight is harsher, so winter brides, on the other hand, should choose a foundation that is as close to their skin tone as possible.

Lips:  Choose a lipstick with staying power, as you'll be kissing and posing for photographs all day long and don't want to keep sneaking off for touch ups.
Eyes:  Use eye shadow to highlight the eye socket by blending and contouring colours to create a shadow effect. Build the colour gradually for a subtle look. Bring in colours from your wedding theme but be careful not to use too many colours together; two or three eye shadow colours are enough.

Lashes:  Use black mascara for your wedding day, even if you're very fair and usually go for brown -- it'll show up better in your photographs.

Cheeks:  Apply blusher over your foundation and set in place with powder over the top. Reapply before the evening reception for a bolder evening look. Apply blusher on the apple of the cheek and use pink or orange, not bronze. Use a white highlighter. 
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