If you are going to be a Mother of the Bride or indeed, a Mother of the Groom anytime soon, please practise your on-the-day beauty routine early.
Besides the fact that you need to look your best because there’ll be no escaping the photographs, trying anything new means you should make sure that your skin doesn’t react in a way that makes you resemble the elephant man. Nobody wants the wedding album pictures to be used to frighten the grandchildren.
Remember you’re supposed to look like yourself rather than like a complete stranger. Looking unusually polished is one thing; having your husband walk straight past you because he didn’t recognise you is quite another. Unless, of course, that’s what you’re hoping for.
Start with a natural glow. Give your skin a brightening boost by exfoliating the night before. But don’t rub too hard or you’ll look red rather than radiant. If you’re not sleeping well, follow with Guerlain Midnight Secret, £69. It’s an oxygenating, radiance-enhancing boost that’s been dubbed ‘eight-hours-sleep-in-a-jar – and rightly so, in my opinion.
Perk up tired-looking eyes in the morning with Carol Joy London Collagen Eye Mask, £80, which is immediately plumping, smoothing and calming, like a 15-minute eye-lift. It’s also a nifty way to prevent post-blubbing puffiness.
Use primer as well as moisturiser. Start with Embryolisse Smooth Radiant Complexion Immediate Anti Fatigue, £24.99 to smooth, firm and illuminate. Make-up and primer will both glide on more smoothly and of course MUAs always recommend primer for the absolute best make-up finish. Its film-forming properties help fill tiny imperfections for a smoother surface that also helps make-up to stay put longer. Try Urban Decay Complexion Primer Potion, £19.50 which also brightens and tightens the skin.
Switch to a foundation with extra staying power so that it lasts all day. It’s especially useful if you’re prone to hot flushes. Try Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup, £30, which claims to rest heat, humidity and more for 15 hours.
Create a subtle facelift by blending light-reflecting concealer into dark or sunken areas such as undereye grooves, nose-to-mouth smile lines, the indentations by the outer corners of your eyes, and also around their inner corners, etc.
Choose neutral eyeshadows and think shimmer, not glitter, for eyelids. Apply a light pearly colour over the inner third of your eyelid and also to highlight the browbone. Brush a mid-brown across the middle of the lid, and a darker, smokier shade on the outer third, blending it upwards towards the socket line. The key word here, as with all make-up, is blending – over and over again until all colours merge invisibly. Brushes are your friends.
‘Lift’ your eyes using eyeliner. Adding a tiny upward flick, extending it upwards and outwards from the outer corners, helps counteract sagging. The trick to applying liner, by the way, is to look down – not horizontally – into your mirror, and also to lift your eyelid slightly with your finger, as this helps you position it closer to the lashes. An eyeliner pencil is softest, smudgiest and ideal for faces over the age of 40, but set it with matching eyeshadow powder so that it lasts. Alternatively, bareMinerals® Lasting Line™ Long-Wearing Eyeliner, £15, is super-long-lasting and also tearproof.
Waterproof your usual mascara with top coat – because no-one wants zebra stripes down their cheeks. Try Clarins Double Fix’ Mascara, £18.
Avoid dark lipcolours which tend to make lips look thinner (especially as everyone’s lips narrow with age.) Go lighter and brighter instead, and choose long-lasting formulations such as Max Factor Lipfinity Long Lasting Lipcolours, £10.99, which last 12 hours and come in a wide range of shades.
Finish with blush on the apples of your cheeks or, for an anti-sagging effect, fractionally higher. If you’re likely to turn red with flushes/alcohol/emotion, cream blushers are most transparent and most forgiving. Try Laura Mercier Creme Cheek Colour, £19.35, and stick to pink/peach, not brown, shades – unless your last name is Kardashian.
Carry in your bag: lipcolour for top-ups; concealer for emergency corrections and clean-ups; face powder to mattify, especially in the heat; and tissues (if not for you, then for your husband.)
Lastly, don’t forget your glasses!
Are you a soon-to-be MoB or MoG? Do tell…
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2 Comments
In less than a month I shall be a 64 year old MoG. Since retiring three years ago I’ve hardly worn any foundation makeup though I rarely leave the house without some eye shadow, mascara and perfume. I find so much confusing information about what to wear and how to wear it but I’ve never been very confident experimenting with make up. Now I suffer from ‘power surges’ and my skin has wrinkes I sometimes (well, daily actually) feel like rushing off for some botox. I think that MoBs and MoGs often need a confidence boost before the big day so I just keep reminding myself that no-one will care what I look like – it really is all about the beautiful bride.
Hello Sue, Sounds like a really exciting time for you! Here are a couple of video suggestions which you might find helpful. http://www.lisaeldridge.com/video/27043/simple-evening-makeup-look-for-mature-women/#.V5B7FldJ_zI. and http://www.charlottetilbury.com/uk/blog/2014/05/a-naturally-glamorous-makeup-for-the-60-plus-woman-feat-my-mother/. Yes of course, the bride takes centre stage but you will want to look and feel gorgeous on the day and look back on the photos knowing that you looked your absolute best!! I gave up wearing foundation years ago – every single brand I’ve ever tried brought me out in spots so I use a very light moisturising tint from Liz Earle that also contains UV SPF 15. You could ask for some colour samples so you can choose the right tint for you. Hope you all have a wonderful day! Cyndy