Four New Trends in Bridal Makeup

There’s no hiding the glowing and radiating beauty of a bride on her wedding day. The white dress, styled hair and sparkling accessories help to complete the overall look, but the internal happiness that shines from within every bride is what truly makes her stunning. The right wedding makeup can capture and enhance this happiness, creating a perfect palette upon which it can be showcased. I’ve had the pleasure of working with so many different brides to help them design their unique bridal look – each one as different as it is beautiful.

Makeup for such a special moment in your life should reflect who you are. The theme, color and feel of your wedding can all be incorporated into your wedding makeup. The creativity of these details doesn’t just apply to a ceremony or reception anymore. Your makeup can and should be an extension of all the other very special details you’ve placed in your wedding design. As a professional makeup artist, my personal mission is to make each bride look her absolute best. This requires much more than just applying makeup, it requires the expertise to know what will translate well in pictures, what works well with the bride’s features, and how she envisions herself on her special day.

This past wedding season I’ve seen a new trend emerging in bridal makeup. Brides are breaking away from the traditional and typical wedding look. Now more than ever, brides are boldly designing their makeup around their personality and individuality. And the result? A refreshing breath of creativity to bridal makeup and hopefully the confidence other bride’s need to do the same!

Let’s take a look at four very different examples of bridal makeup I’ve created. Which is the closest reflection of what you might choose for your wedding?

Timeless, Natural Beauty (Bride: Cozette)

“Timeless beauty” is what most brides ask for and what most makeup artists suggest.  This look stands the test of time and makes for beautiful wedding photos both now and 50 years from now. The timeless beauty look is essentially a neutral palette with natural, earth-tone colors on the eyes such as beige, soft gold, ivories, beige-pinks, soft browns and opals. The lips are kept natural and a hint of soft blush accents the cheeks. For Cozette, this was the perfect look. The simple makeup accented her quiet and calm personality and let her natural beauty remain the focus. The warm earth tones kept in theme with her romantic fall wedding.

Credits: November 8, 2008, Crowne Plaza, Harrisburg, PA

Fashion Forward, Modern Soft Smokey Eye (Bride: Voula)

From red carpet to wedding day, the smoky eye remains a very popular makeup look for occasions of all kinds. The smoky eye can be a beautiful bridal makeup technique as it portrays a mysterious sexiness with an added glamour.  To keep the smoky eye both modern and unique, it’s important to remember that “smoky” is a technique and not a color-choice.  You can achieve a beautiful smoky eye with all colors of eye shadow such as brown, purple, gray, blue and green. Voula’s eye makeup incorporated hues of black, grey, metallic and pearl combined with lash extensions for added emphasis.

The overall look we achieved blended seamlessly into her entire wedding décor that I would describe as sophisticated and fashion forward with modern and luxurious silver accents. She was the breathtaking highlight of this absolutely elegant mid-day spring wedding.

Credits: May 27, 2012 at Hershey Lodge, Hershey, PA – Pictures: KM Photography

Retro Glam (Bride: Lindsey)

Retro glam wedding makeup is the ideal way to showcase classic beauty through sophisticated glamour. For her wedding, Lindsey wanted to pair vintage with modern to make a statement that was unique to her.  We achieved this by first leaving the skin slightly dewy to create a clean, almost porcelain base. Then we added a smoky eye, using earth-tones and taupe shadows. Mini lashes added extra emphasis to the eye area while still looking very subtle and natural. We finished everything off with a bold, red lip. Part old-school, part Hollywood glam, Lindsey’s makeup complimented her elegant summer wedding. From the runaway to a traditional Lancaster wedding, the retro glam makeup trend is extremely versatile and customizable!

Credits: June 15, 2012 at Riverdale Manor, Lancaster, PA – Pictures: mattnnatt

A Touch of Color (Bride: Vanna)

Another new trend in wedding makeup is incorporating the wedding accent colors into the bridal makeup. Simply adding a touch of color in the inner section or the outer corner of the eye can create an interesting and beautiful look.  Wedding colors can also be tastefully used as a liner in a deeper shade of the same accent color and smudging it around the lash line.

In the example of Vana’s wedding makeup, purple was used to give her an extra touch of glamour and incorporate her accent colors – and it was a perfect choice! Purple is the color of royalty. In times past, kings and queens wore deep purple to display their regal status. Today, purple still symbolizes royalty, but it also represents spirituality and abundance. For Vana’s colorful bridal look, I created a lush monochromatic makeup design that incorporated purple paired with a fun pink lip color.  If you look closely you’ll see real diamond particles in the lip color for added shine and shimmer. This special lip-gloss is part of my signature CARMINA-CRISTINA makeup collection and the color I used for our beautiful bride is called Starlet.

Credits: September 1, 2012 at the Box Hill Mansion, Regents Glen, York PA – Pictures: The Photograph Adventure

IN-STUDIO OPEN HOUSE: Visit Carmina’s beautiful new studio and try out the CARMINA-CRISTINA product line firsthand. By appointment only, weekdays after 5:00pm.

PRIVATE IN-HOUSE PARTIES: Enjoy the expertise of Carmina Cristina right in your own home. Gather all of your girl friends together for a private in-house makeup party with Carmina as your on-site expert. She will teach you the top techniques for beautiful every day makeup and how to spice things up for a special occasion. For brides-to-be, Carmina can also create a special party package focused on creating beautiful wedding makeup and a coordinated image for all the ladies in the bridal party.

CORPORATE LUNCHEON EVENTS: As a working woman, you still need to look your best – and in the least time possible. Learn how to create your professional daytime makeup in less than 15 minutes! Carmina Cristina is available for corporate luncheon events in which she will teach your group of businesswomen how to put their best face forward.

IN STORE EVENTS: If you’re a store owner in the Central PA area, we would like to talk with you! Carmina Cristina offers promotional in-store events in which she sets up a product display and offers mini makeovers for any interested customers. This is a great way to drive business to your store and promote purchases of both your products and the CARMINA-CRISTINA makeup line.

Please visit www.carminacristina.com or contact carmina@carminacristina.com for more information about any of these events and to reserve your spot today!