A Bridal Makeup Tutorial for a Flawless, Long-Lasting Makeup Look

Your wedding day makeup look is likely the most important makeup look you will ever sport. Every little speck of shimmer and swipe of lipstick needs to be in perfect placement, your face needs to photograph beautifully and your makeup needs to last through crying, celebrating and a long night of dancing. Needless to say, the stakes are high and you want your makeup to look its best so you can feel your best.

The truth is when you want your makeup to go the distance, you have to start with your primer and base because those determine the rest of your makeup look. In an effort to help you perfect your makeup look for your big day, below, we’re sharing a bridal makeup tutorial that covers every step of your routine to create a long-lasting makeup look.

Long-Lasting Bridal Makeup Tutorial

1. Prime for Your Skin Type

You'll need to start with a solid base to ensure that your makeup look will last through a full day of wedding activities and the best way to achieve that is with makeup primer. Even if you forgo primer on the other 364 days of the year, your wedding day is not the time to skip. Taking an extra moment to smooth on primer before breaking out the rest of your face makeup could make all the difference in how long your look lasts and how easily your makeup applies. 

Choose a primer that targets your unique skin concerns. For a long-lasting, matte makeup look, we love the L’Oréal Paris Prime Lab Up to 24H Matte Setter because it reduces shine and boosts your makeup wear time to 24 hours. If you’re not aiming for a matte face, the product line also includes options for reducing pores, redness and brightening.

2. Apply a Long-Wearing Foundation 

To look just as free of imperfections when your wedding ends as you did at the very beginning, be sure to wear a foundation that offers long-lasting coverage. Try the L'Oréal Paris Infallible Up to 24HR Fresh Wear Foundation, Lightweight, which has a natural finish and lasts all day long without transferring. Another great option is the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Up to 24H Fresh Wear Foundation in a Powder, it’s long-lasting, mattifying, sweatproof, smudge-proof and heat proof.

Pair your long-wearing foundation with a full-coverage concealer, like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Full Wear Concealer up to 24H Full Coverage to brighten your under-eyes and conceal blemishes. 

3. Set With Powder

Long-wear liquid foundations will have more staying power if you set them with a face powder. To avoid looking like you’ve caked on tons of makeup, opt for a lightweight powder. Dip a fluffy makeup brush into translucent powder and sweep it onto your face, focusing on your T-zone — where you’re most likely to get oily as the day goes on.

4. Add Dimension and Color With Powder Blush and Contour 

On days when we’re trying to achieve the ever-trendy no-makeup makeup look we love cream blush and contour products, but they aren’t quite right for long-lasting bridal makeup. The reason is that they have a tendency to fade and not last as long as powder-based products. Thankfully, it’s simple to swap out any creams you were planning to use for powder alternatives. 

For your contour, look for a neutral or cool-toned powder that’s two to three shades darker than your skin tone. We like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Up to 24H Fresh Wear Soft Matte Bronzer, because it melts into the skin and the neutral tone never looks gray on the skin like cool-toned contour sometimes can.

For your blush, look for a blendable powder formula, like the L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Makeup Radiant Satin Blush with Camellia Oil. It has the slightest bit of shimmer that helps to illuminate your skin without looking sparkly.

5. Prime Your Eyes Before Eyeshadow

Primer isn’t just for your face, so if you’re planning to wear eye makeup, you’ll want to prime your eyes too. A great hack is to take a waterproof eye pencil, like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Last Waterproof, Up to 24HR Pencil Eyeliner in Nude or Ivy and fill your lid with color. Use a finger to smudge the liner all over your lid and you’ll have a long-wearing, waterproof base for your eyeshadow.

For your lids, you can’t go wrong with a smokey eye moment. Use the L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Pocket Palette Eye Shadow in Boudoir Charme, as it has the perfect mix of light and dark shades to create the iconic sultry blending. For a shimmery finish, layer on the L’Oréal Paris Brilliant Eyes Shimmer Liquid Eye Shadow Makeup to make your eyes pop.

6. Wear Waterproof Eye Makeup

Let’s be real, your wedding is bound to get emotional. As such, you’ll want to prepare for inevitable waterworks by wearing waterproof eye makeup. We have all your bases covered below:

For waterproof mascara, try the L'Oréal Paris Telescopic Instant Lift Waterproof Mascara. The formula is great for lifting and separating your lashes sans clumps.

For waterproof liquid eyeliner, try the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Grip Precision Felt Waterproof Eyeliner. The precise felt tip is perfect for crafting a sharp cat eye and the formula is long-wearing, waterproof and transfer-proof. If you want to wear winged eyeliner for your wedding, we suggest finding the right type of wing for your eye shape.

7. Opt for a Matte Lipstick

Chances are you’ll have to reapply your lipstick a few times on your wedding day. When you’re kissing your new spouse and sipping on champagne, touch-ups are a must. Whether or not you’ll have to reapply isn’t up for debate, but how often you’ll have to is. For a comfortable velvety matte finish, we love the L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Intense Volume Matte Lipstick. The slim bullet doubles as a lip liner so application is quick and easy. Plus, it comes in a variety of shades so you can rock a pink lip, a nude lip or a bold, red lip for your big day. For a liquid formula that will stay put for hours, try the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Matte Liquid Lipstick. It offers intense pigment and wears for up to 16 hours.

8. Finish With Makeup Setting Spray

Wearing a face full of long-wear makeup products is a great way to extend the life of your makeup look, however, it isn’t all you can do. The final step when applying your makeup can make all the difference in how your look holds up. For the perfect finishing touch, lock in your makeup with a few spritzes of the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Spray and Set Make-Up Oil-Free Setting Spray.

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Photographer: Chaunte Vaughn