3 Australian makeup artists share how they make bridal makeup last

“It’s like priming a canvas. You need to correct the skin before thinking about makeup.”

As much as a wedding day is about both the bride and the groom, let’s face it – most people are paying more attention to the bride. With all eyes on her and an endless stream of photos taken throughout the day, the last thing she wants to be worrying about is her makeup.

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But the tips and tricks makeup artists use for maximum longevity can also come in useful on days other than a wedding day. Perhaps you’re attending a wedding (or a similarly formal event) and want your makeup to stay put as long as possible.

With this in mind, I reached out to Australian makeup artists that specialise in bridal makeup, Carla Dyson and Nat Ridler from The Creative Directory and Grace Hudson of Hudson Beauty, for their tips to ensure your makeup lasts all day.

Start with a trial

A makeup consult or trial is an important starting point for a bride. According to Nat, it’s a practice run for the wedding day so both “the bride and the artist know what products work well on the skin”.

The consult helps a makeup artist understand your skin type and what makeup look you’re wanting to achieve. Carla says learning about a bride’s skin and how you usually do your makeup is essential, so she can “work with [the bnride] to elevate their natural features”.

Skin prep is everything

It’s important to ensure the skin is properly prepped before applying any makeup. “It’s like priming a canvas. You need to correct the skin before thinking about makeup. It’s also vital to let the skin absorb product before going in with another layer. Wait a few minutes after applying your moisturiser before going in with primer,” explains Grace.

Grace’s go-to tool when prepping the skin is Dr Dennis Gross’ Alpha Beta Ultra Gentle Peel as it smooths and tones, preventing foundation from sticking to dry areas and looking patchy after a few hours of wear. She tends to opt for lightweight, oil-free skincare as layering too many serums and moisturisers can make the makeup slide off. To give skin that plump, hydrated look, she recommends Tatcha’s Water Cream Moisturiser.

Carla always starts by cleansing the skin to remove any natural oils or existing skincare, as “their products may not gel well with the products in my kit”. She says she applies “skincare like a jigsaw on the face”, using mattifying products on areas prone to shine, and hydrating products on drier areas. This helps balance the complexion and achieve a flawless base.

Carla’s favourite skin prep products vary depending on the bride’s skin type, but her most used products are the Bioderma Micellar Cleansing Water and the Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré on dry areas to prevent any creasing.

Nat always starts by talking with the bride about how her makeup lasted from the bridal trial. “This will confirm I used the right product,” she notes. She’ll always cleanse and massage the bride’s face thoroughly before applying any products, “so that it’s nice and hydrated,” she adds.

Her go-to product for skin prep is the Tom Ford Traceless Soft Matte Primer, which she describes as a “miracle in a bottle!”

A fresh and flawless base

Carla says most of her brides are requesting fresh but flawless makeup. To create this look, she’ll mix a luminous foundation (like Armani’s Luminous Silk or Charlotte Tilbury’s Beautiful Skin) with a drop of long-lasting foundation (like Estee Lauder’s Double Wear or Bobbi Brown’s Longwear Weightless Foundation.

“It’s all about what you put under and over the makeup for me,” says Grace. She stresses the importance of letting the skin absorb all the prep you’ve done, including your primer, before applying the foundation. Her favourite primer is the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer as it “stops whatever you put on top from transferring!”

When it comes to the rest of your makeup, Carla tells me that after foundation is applied, “it’s often about layering products and seeing how they are sitting on the skin,” before you add any more product. She always uses a liquid blush to achieve a healthy glow, and will often add a small amount of powder blush afterwards to help set the liquid.

Setting the base well is a must for ensuring a lasting look. Nat loves to use the Givenchy Prisme Libre Setting and Finishing Loose Powder for this. “Apply it over any concealer used and usually in the centre of the face, depending on skin type. It gives a flawless finish and ensures your products don’t wear off,” she notes.

For setting, Grace recommends Laura Mercier’s Translucent Loose Setting Powder as “it’s never cakey” and Urban Decay’s All Nighter Setting Spray which “works like hairspray for the face”.

Bring a touch-up kit

Weddings are filled with tears, eating, drinking, dancing and kissing – everything that can cause makeup to smudge or fade. Having a touch-up kit on hand means the bride’s makeup will look perfect no matter how emotional the speeches get. Nat recommends adding powder to your touch-up kit and bringing your favourite lipstick to reapply throughout the day.

Grace provides her brides with a touch-up kit including essentials like “blotting papers, translucent powder, brow spoolies and a little cream concealer on a sponge”. She suggests giving the kit to a trusted bridesmaid so you have one less thing to worry about on the day.

For more bridal makeup tips, head here.