Big news!! I just recorded my first ever video putting on makeup, tutorial-style. What a strange experience!!!! Lol. Don’t worry, this is probably the only one you’ll ever get, but it snowed last Friday and I was finishing this issue and realized it would probably be better with a video! So here it is!
If you’re not a makeup-tutorial person (I don’t blame you), just scroll right on to see every product I used for my wedding makeup look, which I did myself after a ton of research and several months of trying out different products and techniques. Please note that instead of putting this issue behind a paywall, I decided to use affiliate links instead so more people can see/use it, so if you see something you like and buy it online, I will get a little kickback. TYSM! :) If you have a friend who is getting married that might need this info, please forward it on! Or, honestly there are a lot of good products here for everyday use, not necessarily just for weddings. And I feel like I really cracked the code on how to actually cover up acne (can you see the spot on my chin in any of my wedding photos or the video? NO YOU CANNOT! THAT IS THE POINT! TYSM!)
***Please note that I do know that the date of my wedding was December 9th, not December 29th. Nerves? Probably. Also my skin looks a bit shitty on purpose so I could actually show you how I covered up the zit at my wedding, sponsored by a large piece of cheesecake I ate two weeks ago :)
Here are all the products I used and the order in which I applied them. It may feel rather “tame” for a wedding look, but that’s what I was going for, and I have no regrets. I’m not necessarily in love with my wedding day hair–which I also did myself–but I truly wouldn’t change anything about my makeup look, and that’s really saying something coming from me, queen of asking: “How could I do this better next time?” The entire look took about 20-25 minutes IRL (the video is slightly longer since I’m also chatting). Here we go!
PRIMER
Paula’s Choice SHINE STOPPER Instant Matte Primer - $28
I have notoriously sensitive skin, so I only considered this primer because I simply have put all of my trust in Paula’s Choice. And I love it! It doesn’t make me break out, and it works extremely well. I am a person who absolutely gets shiny, often very quickly, and after 6+ hours (before our dance party) I went upstairs to change and touch up my makeup, and I didn’t need to. Make sure you pat this on rather than rub it in if you do get it (which I learned from reading all the reviews), but this primer is definitely worth your money, in my opinion.
MASCARA
Lancome Monsieur Big Waterproof Mascara - $30
This was the third waterproof mascara I tested. It’s only slightly better than the two I bought from the drugstore, but the difference was noticeable enough that I spent $30 on it. I hate waterproof mascara, so I’ll probably only wear this the next time I go to a wedding.
FOUNDATION
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Perfect Glow Foundation in “4” - $69
This is the only foundation I considered for my wedding. I’ve been wearing it since I was probably 26 and I didn’t see any reason to find something new; it still slaps. It’s light-medium coverage which may not be enough for some, but for me it was (is) perfect. The only change I made for my wedding was applying it with a beauty blender instead of my fingers, and putting on twice as much as I usually wear, and honestly it does make a difference. It also helped a ton that I did almost two months of no dairy and didn’t wear any face makeup at all for 30 days before the wedding (yes really!!) so my face was VERY clear and happy other than the one zit on my chin I covered up (more of that story in the video above!)
CORRECTOR
Tarte Shape Tape Corrector in “Green” - $30
This is the biggest risk I took by far!! I got a huge, angry zit on my chin about four days before the wedding. It was bad enough that I went to a dermatologist in Palm Springs for a cortisone shot on Thursday afternoon, which saved my freaking life. Not actually, I’m being dramatic, but acne stresses me out like nothing else.
On Friday morning I was still absolutely freaking out, so I drove to Ulta and bought this Tarte corrector after watching a few YouTube tutorials on Thursday night. To test it out, I used it to cover my zit at our welcome party Friday night, and decided it was safe enough to use for the wedding. My zit looked so much better by Saturday morning, but was still obviously there (and very red)–this worked WONDERS on it. Seriously, you can’t see it even in the video. Go look again. It’s fucking magic. A little goes a long way.
CONCEALER
Tarte Travel Size Shape Tape Concealer in “Light Sand” and “Light-Medium Sand” - $15 each
This is the other super necessary ingredient in expert-level zit covering, as well as a small lip brush. I’ve been wearing this concealer for about five years and I’ve never found another I like better, even though I’ve tried many because I don’t love the packaging on the full-sized version of the concealer because it’s messy as hell; I strongly prefer the travel size. I don’t wear concealer under my eyes (I am genetically blessed not to have under-eye bags) but Shape Tape is simply the most effective thing at covering up zits (when paired with the green corrector above) that I have ever found, and that’s really saying something.
The NARS concealer in the little pot is good too and I did buy it, but I realized last summer it was making me break out which is literally the opposite of what I need my concealer to do, lol. But if you don’t have reactive skin, you might love the NARS concealer even more, and I actually prefer the thick formula in the pot! But alas, it’s not the best for sensitive skin.
PRESSED POWDER
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder in “Medium” - $48
This was a new purchase for me and I love it! My everyday setting powder that I’ve been wearing honestly since high school is from Clinique, but I wanted something a little fancier with better staying power for my wedding look. This was very worth the money and I bring it out now strictly for events. It’s mattifying without being at all cakey. Shockingly, the medium was the best color for me even though I’m pretty pale.
EYELINER
Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliner in “88 - Noir Intense” - $35
Black eyeliner, who is she?! I credit Emily at the Chanel store in Bloomington for helping me with this. She is also very fair/blonde and I explained to her that I thought black would be too harsh, but she showed me how to wear black eyeliner in a way that wouldn’t scream “I LIKE TO SHOP AT PACSUN AND LISTEN TO AVRIL LAVIGNE ON MY BOOM BOX! I’M EMO!!!” from when I was 14. Really the trick is to have a light hand and not put any on the lower lashes. I absolutely love how it turned out and I’m shocked, since I’ve strictly worn bronze eyeliner since I was a freshman in college. This eyeliner is also extremely good at staying where you put it, which is not the case with so many other eyeliners I’ve tried, so I would say it’s worth the splurge. Also I suck at applying liquid liner so I didn’t even consider it.
EYESHADOW
Chanel Stylo Ombre Et Contour in “12 - Contour Clair” - $36
Yes, this is exactly what Sofia Richie wore at her wedding, and I am not at all sorry. I wore it as eyeshadow all over my lids (apparently it’s a 3-in-1 product), drawing a thick line above my eyeliner and then blending up over my entire lid with a brush. I love that it’s neutral and subtle. It’s the first and only eyeshadow I tried; one swipe and I was sold.
BROW PENCIL
Benefit Cosmetics Precisely, My Brow Waterproof Pencil in “2.5 Neutral Blonde” - $26
My brows are pretty full in the center, but they feather out towards the ends. For my wedding, I just needed a waterproof pencil that looked really natural that I could use to fill in the tails. This one is perfect.
BROW GEL
MERIT Brow 1980 in “Blonde” - $24
I discovered this brow gel a year ago after trying it thinking that nothing could top Boy Brow and have worn it pretty much every day since. It’s perfect, no notes. I didn’t consider wearing anything else; don’t mess with perfection. One time, I got my makeup done professionally as a bridesmaid, and when I looked in the mirror, the makeup artist had made my eyebrows DARK BROWN and twice as thick as they usually are. When she left, I washed it off.
BRONZER
Makeup by Mario SoftSculpt Bronzer in “Light Medium” - $32
Another product stolen from Sofia Richie’s makeup bag. I thought for sure I would just wear the Merit bronzer I use for everyday which is light and stunning and never makes me feel like I went too heavy-handed. But then I was at Sephora looking at lipsticks and I was like “maybe I’ll just look” and this accidentally came home with me. And honestly, I love it? It’s different from the Merit bronzer and hard to describe why; it’s a slightly different tone (cooler?) and looks so so so natural. I applied it with my trusty Merit brush and made sure to blend like crazy. I would definitely buy it again, but Merit is also really good too.
HIGHLIGHTER
Merit Day Glow Highlighting Balm in “Cava” - $32
Speaking of Merit, I never really considered another highlighter. Merit’s is special. Highlighter is tricky because of course you want to look dewy and radiant, but highlighter can really easily go full on sparkle disco or make you look like you tried too hard, you know what I mean? I already had this in my makeup bag and it was perfect.
BLUSH
Chanel N˚01 DE CHANEL Lip and Cheek Balm in “5 - Lively Rosewood” - $48
Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush in “440 - Quintessence” - $52
I was very close to wearing my everyday blush–Merit Flush Balm–to my wedding, because it’s really actually quite perfect. I considered just getting a different color, but then accidentally mentioned to Emily (at the Chanel store) that I was considering wearing two blushes because of a YouTube video I had just watched–a rosy cream blush as a base, and then a pop of something brighter on top in a powder formula–and she was like “yes I understand the assignment” and put these two on me, and I was just like… wow. That’s it, that’s how I want to look on my wedding day. Did I want to spend $100 just on blush? Absolutely not, but damn this combo just hits and I still wear it all the time because I’m obsessed.
Blush is really not something you need to splurge on, though. To do this look for slightly less I’d personally recommend Merit Flush Balm in “Cheeky” ($30) and NARS Blush in “Impassioned” ($32).
SETTING POWDER
Laura Mercier Mini Translucent Loose Setting Powder - $27
Laura Mercier Velour Puff - $18
You have to buy the puff! I don’t make the rules! I have watched so many videos about this particular setting powder, which almost everyone on the internet seems to agree is the best, and you have to roll it on with a puff. It just works, k? I put this setting powder on last before doing my lips, then put a little more of the powder blush on over it. As you can see in the photo above (lol @ our faces), my forehead is somehow not shiny by the time we got to dinner, roughly four hours after application with no touch-ups.
LIP LINER
Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in “Pillow Talk” - $25
I resisted this lip liner for a very long time. I really did. Lip liner was a completely new category for me, and I bought EIGHT different liners from four different brands before settling on this one. NARS just didn’t have the right shade for me (shocking), I just didn’t like the Dior for reasons that escape me now, and NYX looked great but had zero lasting power. But this. “Pillow Talk” is the correct nude pink shade for my lips and actually stays on after you eat and drink! Believe the hype! Again, see above!
I should mention that I hate the Charlotte Tilbury matte lipstick in the same color, which is why I assumed this wouldn’t work for me. If I had just tried this first, I would have saved myself a lot of money, lol.
LIPSTICK
Chanel Rouge Coco Flash in “116 - Easy” - $45
I have to be honest; I tried so many fucking lipsticks too. Not tried as in bought, but tried them on at Sephora, Ulta, Nordstrom, Chanel, Target, etc. etc. I did end up buying maybe eight to take home and try with the whole look in natural light (sometimes wildly different from the in-store lighting, hot tip), and only one reigned supreme, though Dior Addict in “418” was very close and now lives in my purse. I really thought I was going to do a liquid lipstick with a colored lip balm or a gloss on top, but every combo I tried just didn’t look quite right, or rubbed off immediately. The “Pillow Talk” lip liner with this super shiny Chanel lipstick (almost like a lip balm) ended up being the right combo. And I love the name of this color! Cute!
I decided a gloss was too shiny for me, but if I was going to wear one, it would easily have been Tower 28 ShineOn Lip Jelly in “Pistachio,” which I plan to wear all summer. I was closer to wearing a tinted lip balm, but none of the shades that Chanel had available last year in Rouge Coco Baume were compelling enough to buy; “Pink Delight” was sold out everywhere. I might buy it now though…
FINISHING SPRAY
Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional 1oz Setting Spray - $16
My favorite beauty YouTube queen Allana Davison wears this setting spray, so this is the one I bought. I’ve never used one before but this one was perfect, no notes, and it comes in a mini size that’s perfect for uses like this!
Speaking of Allana, this is the wedding makeup video you should watch from somehow who actually knows what they are doing. And this one, if you are similarly obsessed with Sofia Richie.
That’s it! PLEASE drop your wedding-appropriate makeup recommendations and tips into the comments section, and LMK if you have any questions about anything I did. Of course I am very much not a professional, just a person with many thoughts and opinions who is always down for a challenge. Here to chat!
K bye,
Kelly
P.S. I kind of can’t believe I’m saying this, but my era of wedding-related issues is almost over! This was the last must-publish piece of wedding content I had on my calendar (I have a few others, but I’m not necessarily that excited about them). If there’s anything else I missed you’re dying to hear about, leave a comment, or you can reply to this email! :)
I always find it fascinating to see a regular person do their makeup. It's so relatable to see someone do things in the order that works for them instead of the *correct* way per influencers. Love it.
Thank you for this! I’m getting married in a month (eeek!) and even though I decided to go with a HMU pro, I really went back and forth with the decision.
Your hair and makeup looked fantastic and I was curious what products you ended up using.
And I completely agree with Liss - I think it’s so interesting watching regular people do their makeup!