Ask Claire: Bridal make-up and skincare guide

IT'S that time of year when a lot of weddings are taking place, so I thought this week I would give you my guide to bridal make-up and skincare.

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My London

15:10, 28 JUN 2011
Updated11:16, 30 SEP 2013

It’s that time of year when a lot of weddings are taking place, so I thought this week I would give you my guide to bridal make-up and skincare.

Here are some important tips which I think will help prepare yourself for the big day:

1) A few months before your wedding make sure you have a good skin care regime in place. This means cleansing your face (including your neck and décolletage) twice a day, once in the morning and once at night time. In the morning after cleansing, apply your daily moisturiser along with an eye cream. In the evening after cleansing, apply a night cream along with the eye cream. I also suggest using a serum before your night cream as an added beauty boost - serums brighten the skin as well as tackling fine lines and dark spots. My two favourites for the job are Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair and Boots Protect & Perfect Beauty Serum.

2) In the days leading up to your wedding do not try any new beauty treatments as your skin may react and you definitely do not want a rash on your big day.

3) To keep your skin in tip top condition try and eat a healthy diet, as well as cutting down on alcohol and smoking (so bad for the skin!). Drinking plenty of water will help keep your skin clear as well as flushing out toxins.

4) Have your eyebrows shaped by a professional, it really does frame the face and can make a huge difference. Threading is a great way to obtain beautifully shaped brows.

5) If you suffer from a nervous rash on the big day, keep some anti-histamine tablets with you which will calm down the skin.

6) If you have any areas of skin that are discoloured, a brilliant cover up is Mac Cosmetics Face & Body Foundation which dries onto the skin and is waterproof. When it’s applied it’s barely detectable and looks just like your skin but flawless.

7) On the morning of your wedding, before you put your dress on make sure the clothes you are wearing beforehand, such as socks, bra etc, do not leave indentations on the skin, otherwise these will show up when you put your dress on. Many times I’ve had to get out the body foundation to cover up these marks on a bride!

8) If you are thinking of doing your own make-up as Kate Middleton did, have lots of practice in the weeks running up to your wedding. Your wedding make-up should not be too dissimilar to your regular make-up – on your wedding day you should look like yourself, only better – this is not the time to experiment! If you are confident with make-up and like a heavier look, then a smokey eye with nude lips can look fabulous.

9) If you’re going for a simple make-up look try a neutral eyeshadow (nothing too sparkly which can look overpowering in photographs) with maybe a slightly darker colour in the creaseline, waterproof eyeliner near the lashes in a 60’s flick or softly blended across, waterproof mascara, blusher on the apples of the cheeks (pink for paler skin, peach for olive skin and plum for darker skin all work well). Lips can be either gloss or lipstick in a neutral shade but go for red if you are bold. (Also follow my tips from my previous article on keeping your make-up on all day).

10) Lastly, to maintain your look throughout the day, ask your chief bridesmaid to look after a small make-up bag containing your powder or oil blotting sheets, lipstick and a small mirror.