Want to look gorgeous on your big day? Celebrity makeup artist Jackie Shawn gives ELLE her best tips!
Enjoy the prep
Marriage is a rite of passage. Some women like to have all their friends around, others want to be alone to meditate on those last few hours of being a single woman.
Have a trial run
Collect pictures of yourself and tear sheets from magazines -- communication with your makeup artist is essential.
Wearing mascara for some is a lot of makeup, whereas others feel naked wearing just mascara.
Make sure your makeup artist documents your look with a digital photo. It's a great way to see how you'll photograph on the day.
Less is more
I like to use very little foundation -- if you keep adding, it's just going to get cakey very quickly. Also, it's nice to have a little shimmer and shine, but make sure you keep it light -- you don't want to look sweaty in your photos. Tell your makeup artist if you flush easily if you get excited or have champagne -- in which case, keep your blush to a minimum. If you're pale, soft pinks look really beautiful.
Someone may want red lips, in which case pare down the eye makeup. And if you concentrate on the eyes, keep the lips light. Take it easy on the mist-on tans before your wedding, especially if you don't normally use them. The day before your wedding is not the time to experiment! You can use a bronzer to give some glow -- but go lightly!
Emergency tips
If you get a mega-pimple on the day, don't panic. The first thing to do is stop the drama! When you start drawing your girlfriends' attention to it, and they're piling on the ice, then the whole wedding party will notice. Dab on a little yellow concealer -- not half the tube or you'll highlight the spot -- and finish off with powder. And forget about it!
If you get allergies, stick to a powder shadow, rather than a cream and keep away from reddish browns or pinks.
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