The best beauty tips for wedding guests, according to a seven-time bridesmaid
After being in seven weddings, Jessica Chia is one part beauty editor, one part wedding-makeup expert. (In the last year alone, Chia attended three weddings, three bachelorette trips, and one engagement party.) She’s stood next to the altar in Baton Rouge, Brooklyn, Austin, and on the Kansas plains, and now Chia has wedding-day beauty — whether breezy and light or all in — down to a science. Read on for her tips on how to make sure your wedding beauty game is on point, whether you're a bride, bridesmaid, guest, or wedding crasher.
1. Bring blush with you.
Even if you skip it in everyday life, it’s one of your best tools to avoid looking washed out in pictures (especially the flash photos at an indoor reception). Blush adds dimension to your face, and powders have a better shot at staying put than creams. I like Burt’s Bees Blush and Dior Rouge Blush — their shade ranges are nicely pigmented, so they look good on all skin tones.
2. Highlight everywhere.
Tap a cream highlighter, like RMS Beauty Living Luminizer, on the inner corners of your eyes, your cheekbones, and your Cupid’s bow to guarantee the most flattering pictures. I also use it to highlight the shoulders and collarbones of my fellow bridal party members so everyone’s skin looks good from the neck down too.
3. Outsmart chipped polish.
Bring your own bottle to your manicure session so you can have the color on hand in the bridal suite (especially if you’re the one getting married — there will be photos of your hands). It’s also smart to have the room stocked with a good hand cream, like the nongreasy KL Polish Almond Hand Cream, to soften dry spots and add a little radiance.
4. Take a cleanser for your jewels.
For your jewelry, that is. One of my girlfriends brought Connoisseurs Precious Jewelry Cleaner with her when we were in a wedding on San Antonio’s River Walk to make sure the bride’s ring sparkled (along with everyone else’s in the bridal party). I’ve followed suit ever since.
5. Pack a few unsexy things, too.
Toupee tape isn’t glamorous — but if anyone’s having trouble keeping their dress up or their chest in, you’ll be glad you have it on hand. (Its usefulness, I have come to find out, is common knowledge among Louisiana debutantes; I was in one’s New Year’s Eve wedding at a family mansion outside of New Orleans.) And don’t forget toothpaste, an extra toothbrush (I get asked for these staples more often than anything), and Dove Dry Spray Antiperspirant (fashion-industry people have told me they use this exclusively when they wear couture because it won’t leave marks).
6. Get rid of bags, stat.
Rehearsal-dinner hors d’oeuvres and cocktails can make your face look its puffiest the next morning. Reduce the effect by moving a jade board (also called a gua sha stone) or roller with slow and gentle sweeping motions from the center of your face outward along your jawline, cheekbones, and brow bones. Prep your skin with a facial oil and mist so the tool can slide easily, and make sure to do at least five strokes in each area to see a difference. Then tap on a depuffing eye gel with film formers that help constrict bags on the spot, like Dr. Brandt No More Baggage Eye De-Puffing Gel.
7. Pre-Photoshop yourself.
When photographers retouch close-ups, they often use the “dodging” tool to make eyes look brighter and whiter. Happily, it’s easy to get this effect in every shot (even the really large group photos) if you use whitening eye drops. Dermatologist friends swear by Bausch + Lomb Lumify drops, which make redness disappear for several hours at a time. (I also like Visine Maximum Strength Redness Relief Formula and Rohto Cooling Eye Drops: rel="nofollow"} .) If you want to go the extra mile, colored contacts that are just a shade warmer than your natural eye color can make your irises look extra bright. Just test drive them beforehand — if people can’t put their finger on what’s changed about your look, you have a winner.
8. Get unreal volume.
When you want your hair’s body to last all night, work R+Co Rodeo Star Thickening Style Foam or Bumble and Bumble Thickening Spray through damp hair before blowing it dry. For even more fullness, bring your own clip-in hair extensions. (Don’t feel like you have to choose your exact hair color. A shade just lighter or darker than your own can add flattering dimension.) A full set will run you about $250 and up, but you can reuse them, and your regular hairstylist can cut them to a length that looks natural for you. We like the clip-ins from RPZL and, for something that lasts beyond the big night, tape-in extensions from Great Lengths (you can buy them from a stylist).
9. Use self-tanner from the neck down.
Despite the natural tint in my skin (I’d consider myself a brown girl), I like the way a fake tan balances out the harsh lights of the camera flash and how it looks in daytime photos. It’s especially useful since the style du jour of most wedding photographers is to wash out the color palette for a more old-timey feel. (Jergens Natural Glow Wet Skin Moisturizer gives a subtle tint.) If you go for a professional spray tan, shave beforehand; doing so afterward makes newly-tinted skin look patchy. Or if a tan isn’t your thing, exfoliate and moisturize with a lotion that’s rich in hyaluronic acid to give your skin a glossy sheen.
10. And most importantly...
Breathe, have a glass of champagne, smile, and have fun. No bride looks more radiant than when she’s in the moment, surrounded by the people who love her most, letting her hair fall where it may.
Read original article on Allure