Best Bridal Makeup near me in Noe Valley, San Francisco

There are lots of factors to consider, including your own personal style, whether you want to be guided by current trends, the theme of your wedding, what you’re planning on wearing, your hair colour, and the season you’re getting married in. You may want to keep your makeup natural, turn up the glam, go retro, or choose another look entirely. If you’re in a quandary, try looking online at wedding pinboards, social posts, websites, and magazines for inspiration. You could also talk to your wedding planner or makeup artist – if you have one – to ask for their suggestions.

You should book your bridal makeup artist 6 months to a year before your wedding if you can.

Your makeup will have more staying power if you prep it properly (a hydrating moisturiser is particularly important here), use a primer, and set your makeup with powder.

Yes, absolutely. It’s important to check that you like the makeup look you’ve chosen ahead of your big day so you have time to experiment with other styles if you don’t.

Makeup brands tend to categorise skin tone as fair, light, medium, tan or dark; to work out what yours is you’ll need to establish your skin’s overtone and its undertone; you’ll then be able to choose your makeup based on the shades that will complement your skin. You can work out the overtone of your skin by looking at it in the natural light: if it’s cream or ivory, you’ve got light skin; if it’s caramel, it’s medium or tan; and if it’s chocolate or mocha, it’s dark. To understand your skin’s undertone, stand near a window and look at the veins in your wrists: blue or purple veins mean you’ve probably got cool undertones; green veins signify warm ones, and blue/green veins suggest you have neutral undertones. Take this knowledge to the makeup aisle, and pick out makeup that matches: brands normally label their makeup by shade and undertone on the base of the product packaging. Of course, if all that’s a bit too much effort, go to a makeup counter – they’re normally more than happy to talk you through what makeup matches your skin tone, and give you a makeover, too. Yes, it’ll be based on the idea that you might buy something at the end, but it’s not obligatory, especially if you explain it’s in preparation for your wedding day.

Start by eating well in the months leading up to your wedding: the better your diet, the clearer your skin. You may want to consider having intensive treatments like chemical peels and microdermabrasion, but plan carefully: you don’t want to trigger breakouts before your big day, nor do you want your skin to still be in recovery from whichever treatments you’ve chosen.

The night before your wedding, it’s recommended that you cleanse, exfoliate, and moisturise; and get a good night’s sleep. In the morning, cleanse again, apply a brightening serum (vitamin C serums are great) to even your skin tone, then apply some moisturiser with SPF to keep it hydrated and protected.