Here at Lovely, we get lots of questions about style and beauty. But one topic in particular that keeps popping up is makeup. We’ve had a lot of brides inquiring about the best makeup tips for their wedding day. So, we put together a little photo shoot and called in the experts to tackle two makeup looks that are bound to leave you glowing all day long! Below, Erin of Erin’s Faces will be answering some Lovely questions and you can see the looks that we’ve put together as a result.

Lovely: Choosing a makeup look for your wedding day can be a little scary, especially if you are not used to wearing a lot of makeup. How do you get a bride looking like the best version of herself?

Erin: I think it’s really important to think about what YOU want to look like that day — not what you “think” you should look like. Sometimes that’s really clear and sometimes certain aspects are murky. So, I would look through pictures in those huge bridal magazines or search around on-line. Tear out or print pictures that you like. Then look at the ones you tore out and think about yourself in that makeup — would it feel like too much?  Not enough? Here, you can start to shape your vision.

Having a clear idea of what to communicate to your makeup artist is a good start, then that’s where I come in. I think it’s really important for a makeup artist to listen to her bride and really hear what the vision is for her whole wedding, and reflect that in the makeup look. It’s such a personal part of the day, and something that will be photographed and remembered for years to come, so it’s important that it represents the bride and makes her look her best.

That being said, I like to veer towards a classic look for most brides. Sixty years later when you’re looking at the wedding photos with your grandkids, it will be nice to have something that doesn’t look dated.

Lovely: What is the best way for a bride to keep her makeup lasting from the ceremony all the way to the reception and the dance floor? Any tips/tricks for keeping your makeup from fading?

Erin: PRIMER!  Primer, Primer!  That is your best friend. My favorite for eyes is Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer. It keeps everything on and stops it from creasing. For the face I love Hourglass’ Mineral Primer and Mally’s Perfect Prep Poreless Primer. They keep your foundation on and stop it from caking. I also top everything off with Mally’s Poreless Perfection Skin Finisher. It’s talc free so it doesn’t look like powder, but kind of cements everything underneath it.

Waterproof mascara is also imperative! You will probably get watery eyes at least once and black lines running down your face is probably not the look you’re going for. And, when it comes to lips I generally do a liner all over the lip and lipstick/gloss on top. That way if the lipstick/gloss wears off you at least have a base color underneath. But, I think it’s key to appoint one of your girlfriends the “lip and shine” girl — it’s her job to make sure you are properly glossed and oil free through the day!

Lovely: What have you found is the most popular makeup look for brides on their wedding day?

Erin: A fresh face and a “smoky eye” face. The fresh face is probably the most popular — a soft eye with some liner, lots of lashes (I’m also a fan of individual lashes but make sure you get the Duralash Knot-Free Flares, otherwise you have little dots all along the lashline), a pretty and flushed cheek and a soft lip.

The smoky eye look is generally done with a chocolate as the smoke, but is also really pretty with a soft black, eggplant, or hunter green if you’re feeling creative. It’s really important to have impecable skin and concealer under the eye if you’re doing a smoky look because the depth of color can make your undereye look darker than usual. Add a flushed cheek and a soft lip to finish the look.

We’d like to express a big thank you to all of our Lovely contributors for the shoot! What would a photo shoot be without fabulous makeup by Erin’s Faces, gorgeous hair by Steff Glaz, and stunning photography by Cly Creation!

We’d also like to thank our amazing models, Audrey and Beverly!

As you saw yesterday from the Pretty Party pics, things got glamorous last Friday.  Not only were girls ohing and ahing at the Ivy & Aster gowns so artfully presented, but everyone fell in love just a little bit deeper with the charms of Oh La Luxxe, an amazing team of makeup artists curated by the owner extraordinaire, Michelle.

We had the joy of speaking at length with Michelle, and if it’s not already obvious by the Oh La Luxxe branding, she and her team are some of the coolest people we have met.  They have all of the chicness of the fashion industry with none of the attitude.  Michelle’s group of artists would be a joy to work with on your wedding day, or bridal shower, or just a fun reason to pull together some gal pals and have a makeup party!  And, they helped us find our perfect red (Nars Red Lizard).

Checkout their website at ohlaluxxe.com to read in full about their services.

Photography by Manolo Campion

We all know that wedding planning can take a toll despite how prepared we try to be. There will always be little stresses along the way and restless nights from excitement and anticipation leading up to the big day. But, we’ve got the quick remedies for those tired eyes that will solve those wedding woes and leave your eyes sparkling! Our tired eyes tips and tricks below.

1. Line the top of your eye three quarters of the way starting where the color of your eye begins taking it to the outer corner of your eye giving the illusion of fuller lashes.

2. Line your lashes on the bottom of your eye with navy blue to brighten the whites of your eyes. Try Laura Mercier Kohl Eye Pencil in black navy from sephora.com

3.  Mix in a few drops of brightening gel with your concealer for a subtle glow. Try banish-n-brighten from laurageller.com

4. For an instant pick me up, smudge a highlighter or shimmery eye shadow underneath your brow bone and line the inner corners of our eyes.

5. Perk up puffy eyes with a depuffing gel and deflate those unwanted bags. Try Patricia Wexler MD instant de-puff eye gel from bathandbodyworks.com

Photo via Utterly Engaged

We are super stoked to start a new feature at Lovely…which we are calling Bridal Stylist – Q&A. Scouring the web all day and reading fashion magazines like they are the daily news, you can imagine that we are just brimming with ideas to share. And since we can only get married once, we need your help in styling out other great wedding looks. Our first request comes from JD, a Fall 2010 bride who resides in Arizona.

JD writes:

I am getting married in November (in AZ, so not cold, but not what I would call warm), so I want to find THE perfect, classy yet funky, sorta couture, not-too-bridal-y wrap, bolero, or stole to go with my tea-length strapless dress. I’m even open to colors, Black, gray, not necessarily white. Thanks very much!

Well JD, first, thank you so much for sending in your request. We LOVE helping brides with all their fashion questions or dilemmas.

Adding a wrap or bolero to your dress is a great idea, we are big fans of the look as you may remember from here and here. With a tea-length strapless dress, the skies the limit! What would you say to a rock n roll leather jacket a la Buffy the Vampire Slayer!? No? Well lets explore a few more traditional options.

The soft ethereal shrugs from Louis Broad just might be the perfect marriage of classy and funky. They come in white for a more bridal look but we think the grey is a great fit for you.

Check out these super cute and affordable options from Plumo. We love the faux fur jacket, very unique! Plus you’ll be so soft and huggable the future hubby won’t be able to keep his hands off of you! Or add some glamour with a sequined bolero.

The Modern Plaid Caplet from Holly Stalder would go oh so well with your tea-length dress. Just a pop of color and pattern for a one of a kind look. I can just see the pictures now! Holly also custom designs vintage lace shrugs to match your wedding dress…or your heart’s desires.

A custom piece for your wedding dress isn’t the only way to stand-out from the crowd. If you happen to be crafty, take a look at Ruffles & Stuff’s gorgeous DIY shawl.

Let us know what you think JD! Hope there is a potential candidate above and of course we’d love to see pictures of the final wedding day look.

Are you a bride with bridal fashion questions? Email us. We want to help!