Weddingbee Blog

When searching for wedding day makeup inspiration, I found myself drawn to dark exotic beauties with smoky eyes and blonde bombshells with bright red lips. Unfortunately, I am neither dark and exotic nor blonde and fabulous, so it’s probably no surprise that neither of these looks worked for me (but I’m so jealous if they work for you!).

After a failed makeup trial with said smoky eyes and red lips, I went back to the drawing board and reached for the last thing I ever thought I would—my own makeup bag! Here is the end result:

While the make up was professionally applied, almost all of it came from makeup I already owned or borrowed (stole from my sister). Here is the breakdown and my reviews:

1. Foundation - Clinique Pore Minimizer Instant Perfector + Clinique Gentle Light Powder #5 Glow - while the Pore Minimizer was purchased specifically for the wedding, I use the loose powder every day without fail. While I thought the Instant Perfector provided a nice base for the powder, I can’t say that it seemed much different than just using my regular moisturizer before the bronzer. It definitely wasn’t heavy, so if you don’t need a lot of coverage, but want a little something more than basic bronzer for your big day, I say go for it.

2. Blush - Clinique Sunset Glow - from the Winter 2009 free gift! This blush has been perfect for my skin for spring and summer, and I’m sad to retire it now that fall and winter are creeping in. I absolutely love the shimmer and subtlety. I will definitely be buying when this freebie runs out!

3. Eyes - Clinique Eye Shadow Trio in Confetti, Lucky Penny, and Rose Chocolate. This is sadly discontinued, but I think you can get the Lucky Penny in an individual case… DO IT. This is the most gorgeous eye color ever, and if you’ve got light brown or greenish eyes it really, really makes them pop. It’s even better with a tan. Big thanks to Sister Cheeseburger who somehow let me steal this from her! My eyeliner is something I use daily, and it’s basically my best friend after a 30 hour shift. Recommended by a friend, it’s Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink (applied with the BB brush), and I wear it every day on my lower lid. For the big day, however, my MUA also used it on my top lid for extra emphasis and also to help blend in my killer falsies. Speaking of which, I had originally planned on going more natural with my lashes, but at the last minute I went for a set of very full, very long eyelashes, and I am so glad that I did. They might have looked a little *too* fake in person, but in pictures they look just right!

4. Lips - now THIS was a challenge. I wanted something permanent that wouldn’t kiss off all over Burger on the altar, but I also wanted a very specific color. I have this $2 lip liner from the drugstore that I’ve been carrying around for years, using it for special occasions under shiny lip gloss. It’s a gorgeous mauve color, and it was perfect with my overall makeup look and the soft, Victorian colors in our wedding flowers and decor. I spent hours in Sephora trying to find a long-lasting lip stain in a similar color. I even caved and spent $30 on some lipstick that was a) the wrong shade and b) not kiss-proof. Fail. Enter Walmart. While desperately looking for something that would fit my strict criteria, I stumbled into the L’Oreal aisle. Enter Infallible Lipcolor (I feel like Beyonce right now). It’s a liquid-based stain that goes on wet and dries kind of stiff, but MAN that stuff is ON THERE. And the stiffness is solved with just a swipe of gloss (which comes in the pack—or you can just use regular Chapstick!) on top. I’m serious when I tell you that this stuff is the bomb. I applied ONCE on the morning of my wedding, and I had to REMOVE IT WITH MAKEUP REMOVER the following day. Amazing. I couldn’t find *exactly* the right shade, so I went with Auburn (a little too red) AND Thistle (a little too purple), and mixed them together before I applied them on my wedding day. I highly, highly, highly recommend this product—it was the best $8 (well, $16 since I’m crazy and needed two) I have ever spent!

I hope this helps anyone who is kind of neutral skin-toned and looking to feel pretty on their wedding day without straying too far away from their normal look!

Did anyone else find magic in their makeup bag? More importantly, how many of you are going to buy Beyonce’s lipstick right. now.?

*P.S. - no one from L’Oreal is paying me to say this stuff, I just really think it’s an awesome product, and I want you all to kiss and drink freely on your big day!