Great Mineral Makeup for Brides

I’ve got a quick mineral makeup tip for you all. Whether you’re a bride looking for that perfect foundation, that will stay the day and also look natural, or whether you’re looking for an everyday solution for foundation. I love mineral makeup. Since I tried Bare Escentuals mineral makeup back in 2005 for the first time, I have been a believer. I was very skeptical of this makeup as I had only seen it on QVC…which makes one a little nervous for sure. How could a powdery makeup cover like liquid? Well I was pretty impressed to find out that mineral makeup not only covers well, it stays on much longer than powder foundations I had tried and loved like Lancome’s Dual Finish and Mac’s Pressed Powder foundation.

The only problem with my blissful new relationship with mineral makeup was the mess it made. I felt like my bathroom sink was perpetually dusty and my car, where I applied my touch ups was always a mess from minerals. Enter Pur Minerals. Pur minerals is a great brand of mineral makeup that comes in pressed form. The application can be done with a sponge or a traditional kabuki brush, but the mess is much less. You can purchase Pur Minerals foundation at Ulta stores or at Amazon here:  Pür Minerals Pür 4-in-1 SPF 15 Pressed Mineral Makeup

Cheers!

Brunette brides, really take my love for the hair color up a notch. Pull up the hair, drop down some tendrils, and add a white or ivory veil, and you’ve got a beautiful contrast that highlights the face, hair, neck and jawline of a bride.

For brunette bridal makeup, I usually use a golden wheat color to cover the eyelid. I use eyeshadow with moderate shimmer – more like a pearl finish. So you get a reflective look without too much sparkle. I then dab a chestnut color into the corner of the eye and blend inward. For liner, this depends on the bride. I often use a true black, and use a brush to get an even strong line. Sometimes a deep espresso liner looks great, particularly if the bride is tanned. Then I apply false lashes, mascara and the eyes are done!

Brunette eyebrows do not need to be darkened. Rather, they should be filled in. I highly recommend using Laura Mercier’s eye pencil in Taupe. It works for Blondes to Dark brunettes. Seriously versatile.

For blush, I love to use a peach or coral color. This is my favorite color of blush. But if that doesn’t look right, I love to use Lancome’s Miel Glace blush. It’s just enough pink.

Lips, I go minimal. A stain from Lorac, very lightly applied, and some simple pink gloss.

That’s my brunette bridal style. Here’s my brunette faves:

Leighton Meester

Jessica Stroup

Minka Kelly

Mila Kunis

My take on makeup brushes: I’ve been a makeup artist for about 7 years now. I’ve experimented with Chanel, Bobbi Brown, Mac and any other expensive makeup brush on the market. I’ve also used the bargain brushes that hang on the Walgreens shelves. While there definitely is a difference between a bargain brush and an elite brand brush, the difference is not necessarily a deal breaker. Meaning, you can get a great makeup application using any brand of brush, if you know how to wield it. This is not to say that a quality brush does not have its merits. A quality brush makes makeup EASY, which is the main reason brushes are so fabulous.

Sonia Kashuk® Deluxe Travel Brush Set

This is an actual set that I use for some shoots. The hard case is great because it allows brushes to keep their shape.

How do you wear your hair down at your wedding, without feeling too relaxed, and not formal enough? I recommend hair extensions. And there are a lot of amazing clip in extensions out there, so you don’t have to actually get extensions sewn into your hair. In fact there are clip in human hair extensions that you can curl and style just like natural hair.The other benefit of extensions is they are typically well behaved – not frizzy, and shiny and smooth, so they really look glamorous.

By choosing hair extensions you can really have a beautiful hair look that goes above and beyond your normal hair style. You can have cascading curls and big, full volume.

Recently Heidi Montag tied the knot and she opted to have her long, blonde locks down. I suspect she’s sporting some extensions.

Heidi Wedding Hair - Clip In Extensions? Probably.

And, even though the marriage was ill-fated, Jennifer Aniston’s long wedding hairstyle was positively Grecian Goddess-like. Notice how the veil and pieces of hair are intertwined. Again, this look can easily be accomplished with clip in extensions.

Jennifer Aniston's Wedding Hair, Down and Goddess-Like

ModelBride has a great set of wedding clip in extensions.

Check it out!

Hollywood wedding hair

Sorry about the mini-hiatus. My wedding makeup business has been booming the last two weeks. I’m the founder of Brynn Andre Beauty, an onsite wedding makeup and hairstyling company in Minnesota. Since many brides are getting ready for Spring and Summer weddings, I’ve been doing trial runs and bookings like crazy.

I have bridal makeup on my brain for sure. I recently wrote an article for Minnesota Bride Magazine online. It’s all about wearing your hair down for your wedding. I outline what down-do you should choose, based on your wedding theme and style. Check it out here, written by MN makeup artist,  Brynn Andre – Me!

Hollywood Wedding Down-do

Here’s a downstyle worn by the stunning January Jones from Mad Men. I am obsessed with this look. The hollywood waves are gorgeous. To achieve them, use a medium sized barrel curling iron and wrap the curls forward – not backwards. If you form the curls backwards, or away from your face, you will get a more Farrah Fawcett curl. Wrap the curls towards the face for a Hollywood curl. Make sure you let them cool, as hot hair is still malleable, and may lose its shape if you move around too much.

Next thing I love about this look is the peach lip. I know this is a love or hate it look, but if you can pull it off, I think its absolutely a beautiful spring color. It makes most skin tones look creamy and rich.