Here comes the Bride

Wedding Season is upon us. Well, it's most definitely the wedding season for Makeup Artist's.
Makeup Artist's diary's will now be in undated with Bridal Makeup Trial's, all leading up and preparing for your Big day.


So when is your big day? June, July, August?
Or maybe it's a winter wedding? October, November, December? Wow, Christmas bride! Very Exciting.


Well, whether you will be doing your own makeup, or hiring your own personal artist for the day. I'm here to give you some insider tips, the products I'd recommend, and the ones I wouldn't.

So. Before you get comfy. Put that kettle on ( or get a glass of wine, champagne you say? ) Turn the phone off, and let's make sure to get you to that church on time. Beautiful bride to be!



Im getting married in the morning........


Ok.
So, you've already made the biggest decision. You are getting married! Congratulations!
Flowers sorted? Honeymoon? Dress? The list goes on.......
I dont claim to be a wedding planner, but I do know a darn site about wedding makeup! I've been doing it for so long now, and in all honesty, it's my favourite makeup to do.
Why?
Because it's such a pretty makeup. Pretty, elegant, fun. It's your big day and on your big day you should feel and look at your most beautiful.


Now, I have been spending the whole week ( while working full time, and to be frank, some truly vile work shifts ) trying to get this wedding feature written. I was getting extremely stressed out because I didn't feel like I was putting my everything into it, and you wouldn't be getting the best out of me.

Not good enough, I decided.


So, this morning I had a brain wave. I am going to do this HUGE blog post, in stages. This way, you will get alot more info, you won't get bored ( it would be alot of writing ) and you can look forward to next week's section.
Which I will let you choose by the way. 'Cus Im nice like that.


So Ive spent all last night, and today, cutting, editing, writing, swatching... just for you, bride to be.

So, welcome to Ruth Elizabeths Wedding Blog. Part 1!

Eyes

Yes. Eyes. The eyes have it, they are ( so they say ) the windows to your soul.
I love bridal eye makeup. It is rarely very varied, and more often than not it's a very natural look.


Now, you could spend, pretty much, the whole of your wedding makeup fund, buying different eyes colours.
Many counters have so many, it can be a little stressful to even pick just a base colour.
So, why not buy a pre-made palette? So much easier ladies. And there are some pretty darn good ones out there. Great thing about them? Being natural, they can be your wedding/honeymoon/after honeymoon/having babies/having grandchildren makeup! You get the idea. Its an all rounder sort of makeup palette, for use whenever you fancy it!


Which palette would I genuinely recommend?

Well, I was very, very lucky to receive in the post the other day, a lovely little palette. With the name, Stila? On it :) Thankyou Stila Cosmetics!
Very happy girl.
The Stila. In the Light, Eyeshadow Palette.

The colours in it are PERFECT for a bridal look. Truly.
I was amazed at how perfect to be honest.
To look at the palette, it has the very typical 'natural' colours, and it has a few darker colours too.

Ive taken my swatch book for you and noted down the colours.
Wanna have a look? Okay then. Here you go.

 My famous swatch book. This book will sell for thousands one day ;) I carry it round everwhere with me. Never know when you may need it......

It also has, which I thought was lovely.. A little booklet with suggested looks using the colours from the palette. It contains six looks. Some uber natural, others a little more daring.

Nifty 'lookbook'

In the pics ive uploaded ( further down the page ) I have done these two looks for you. The first look, was my personal favourite. Very 'Bridal'.


Now, the one colour Kitten, is absolutely, to die for, gorgeous. I mean, it's perfect. I actually was that impressed with this particular colour, I will be using it, in replacement of another colour, for my standard freelance kit. Just Beautiful. Why?


It's a perfect texture. It's a powder, but it almost feels creamy because it is so soft. You would be fooled into thinking, because it was so soft it would have little pigment, right? Wrong. The pigment in it is better than most other companies who sell a colour that is similiar.

The minute you put this colour on the eye, it brightens it. Its like a magic wand! I love it. I've actually worn it to work a few times this week ( I had to test the longevity :))
Everytime I wore it, I received many a compliment.


How can I desrcibe it?
Well, it has a frosted, illuminating magic element to it. I dunno how, but it does. The colour is like a peachy gold with a little champagne thrown in. It even sounds like a bridal colour!


This colour would look fabulous on its own, if you like your makeup, uber natural. Even better with a little of the darker colors in the palette just pressed into the crease of the eye.


Here I have Kitten allover, with the Bliss colour in the crease. This look is from the step by step look one, in the look booklet.



Purrfect Cat Eye ( yes, thats how they have spelt it :) )

Gorgeoues. My camera, really does not do the Kitten colour justice. But if you look at my eye on your left. In the inner corner you can see the colour of Kitten. Not glittery or sparkly. Frosted and illuminating.
Bliss, which is the matte pink/beige toned eyeshadow has been used in the outer crease. Now. The eyeliner..... is actually the Ebony colour from the palette. Used wet. with my favourite MAC #266 angle brush. Look at that 1950s flick! The Ebony is great used as a liner. and it didn't budge all day.

So, with my already makeup crush on Stila evident, I am now in love with this Palette. Oh, and the colour Kitten.

Stila - Kitten Eyeshadow. Ruth E loves you and you have received the first RuthE Stamp of Recommendation!
Great news ladies, you can get this colour in the palette and you can buy it in single form. Oh yes!
 'Cus what is more annoying than a company bringing a colour out in a palette you love, but not in a single form too?
£12.00. Thats pretty much the price of high quality makeup brand eyeshadows. It's so worth it.
Get it here
http://www.stila.co.uk/collections/eyes/products/eye-shadow-in-compact-kitten

Now can you see why I had to do this wedding feature in sections? It would have taken me the whole year to write it, and you would have already been married with one baby boy and a little girl on the way before it had even been published.......



Little MUA tip for you.
Ladies;
Do you find your eyeshadow creases after a couple of hours, or the colour you see in the palette isn't the colour you get when you apply it?
Do you use an eye base / eye primer before applying eyeshadows?
No? Well this is what you need.

Eye base is crucial in keeping your eyemakeup on.
Now, I have tried so, so, many of these. It was getting tedious.
They were either way too greasy, the colours were too dark etc.


I finally found a product last year that works in these ways.
It is close to skin colour. So it brightens the skin colour on eyes and blends into nothingness.
It dries to a matte finish
It stops you eye lids from getting greasy and ultimately creasing your eyeshadow.
What is it?

MAC Paint pot in Painterly.
Fan dabbie dossie.
Love it. It works.

It is a beige/pink undertoned cream. It dries on the lid, to a matte finish. When you put your shadow on, it goes on bright and stays in place.
My eyelides are greasy. My whole face is, but never mind that. If it works on my lids. It should work on yours.

Tip. DO NOT moisturise your eyelids before hand. People do. Dont. It needs to be applied to a dry eyelid, and preferably with a brush.
Oils, as you know break down makeup. Thats why makeup removers, the majority are oil based.
So can you see why you need to prime skin before makeup and use brushes, not fingers to apply? Your skin contains natural oils. Using your fingers to apply the eye base, will break down the formula before you even get your eyeshadow on.

So apply with a clean brush. Allow to dry and apply your favourite eyshadow.
Your eyeshadow should stay in place until you decide you want to take it off.
Perfect.

Wanna see a swatch?

Left hand side - Eyeshadow without Paint pot.
Right hand side - The same colour, WITH Paint pot underneath. The same amount of shadow has been applied. See the intensity difference?

All eyeshadows need a primer underneath. You see the difference in the intensity of the colour, the longevity of the shadow and it will look so much better in your wedding pictures. Bonus.


Painterly - this colour is great for fairer skins, and even slightly warmer as it will brighten the eye, as well as prime it.
MAC also do a colour called Groundwork -  Great for asian skintones.
Or Consructivist. Great for deeper/darker skin tones. Have a look and buy them here.
http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/shaded/154/1573/Eyes/Shadow/Paint-Pot/index.tmpl



Right.

Now, in this divine pallete. Is a gorgeous, full size ladies, smudgestick, waterproof eyeliner.

It's smudgy.

One word.
Lush

I have so many eyeliners in my kit. Alot are very good, and alot are from the same brand, because I know what I like and what works. I like this, and it works.
It's a retractable one, so it needs no sharpening. The colour is gorgeous. It looks like dark chocolate, in a pencil form. Its called 'Damsel'.


I like it, because it is 'smudgy' But also waterproof!

Smudgy heaven. Ive added it to the bottom lashes and softened it, and also to the top lash line. Can you see the difference from the more natural look before? It adds alot of intensity, so less is more. Unless you're going for the rock chic bridal look.

I did my lil test, stuck it on my hand, run it under the tap. It stayed in place.

Now, what I will say is this.

I love this, and its great for a smokey look.
Now, if you think on your wedding day, there will be, alot of tears, on your part....
Maybe stear away from anything that is smudgy. ( I love this word )

Smudgy,will smudge, It's meant to.
If you want to wear this though, what I would recommend is buffing it into you top lashline to give a soft eyeline, that will also give the illusion of thicker eyelashes.
I wouldn't recommend it in the waterline or under the eye for your wedding.



Smudge stick + Crying + rubbing eyes = panda eyes = alot of photoshop on pictures.



I used the smudgestick for an evening out in the week, and for a stronger makeup the other day. And it was perfect.
Its perfect also for the 'rock' smokey eye. The pencil is really rich in colour. It is not dry, which is great, so it doesn't drag your eye. It glides on with perfect ease.

Just lovely.


Now any eye would not be complete without a touch of mascara, ( I will be doing a whole blog on Bridal mascara, so stay tuned ) and without doubt, brow finisher.

You need to fill your brows, even if you have very light or very dark. Its finishes off the look, and frames the face. It can make or break your look.


My favourite product for eyebrows?

 I love MAC retractable brow pencils. They are wax based and soft. So they help control hairs whilst giving great colour to your brows. I have used two on myself  in these pictures. I have used Lingering. A light brown on the inner part, and above my brow. Then Spiked to create the arch. Strut is great for you peeps with red hair. As it has a slight red hue running through it. They also do one called Stud. Very dark brown, almost black. And Fling. Great for very fair hair. Not blonde, but more grey, white, or platinum.

Don't take all morning perfecting your makeup, then neglect your eyebrows. It will just upset the rest of your face. It all wants to look beautiful. Your eyebrows don't want to be left out.....  
RuthE.




Do you want to see my bridal pose?
Ive concluded part one with this picture. My skin, is airbrushed, most undeniably. The eye makeup, is not, as this was the focal point.
Here I have used the Stila, In the Light Palette.
I have used the Stila booklet and created the no 2 look.

Ombre Sultry Eye.

 Bare allover the eye. Sandstone on the lid, and blended. Gilded Gold on the crease. Softened. Luster on lashline, and blended. I added a little of the smudgestick too. Because I like it.

All in all I think we can be in agreement. I love this palette.

Who wouldn't? You're getting ten, gorgeous shadows, a little look book, and a full size smudge stick. The colours are so versatile, and theres a colour scheme available to all skin tones and eye colours.
 

I hope you have enjoyed the first instalment of Ruth Es Wedding Feature.
Do you have any questions about this section? Is there anything you want me to add ? Are there any bits from here you want me to re - cover in nexts mondays feature? And more importantly, which section do you want to see next week? Lips/cheek colour, or skin? Let me now! Leave your comments below or email me.

Get your lovely little self onto the Stila website, or down to your local Boots/Harvey Nichols and have a play. I dont think this palette will be around for long......

Buy this lovely palette here. http://www.stila.co.uk/collections/palettes
Oh, and ladies. It's free shipping. Bonus time again.

Did I mention I love the Kitten eyeshadow?

RuthE x