Your Ultimate DIY Makeup Guide for A Budget-Friendly Wedding

As you plan your wedding, you will experience the sudden inclusion of various things that can inflate your wedding budget. And as much as we want to celebrate our happiest day in the most memorable way by letting go of many restrictions of budget restraints, we still need to keep in mind that we don’t overshoot it. 

Keeping that in mind, there are many aspects of your wedding planning and execution that can be played with, wisely, in order to save you some bucks. You could channelize the saved money towards other things like the decor or your honeymoon! Or maybe, just relish the feeling of saving some money - we all know what sales, Black Fridays, and coupons mean to us! One such aspect is a part of your getting-ready bit. We’re talking about your makeup! If you want to save greens by not indulging in hiring a makeup artist and want to do your own makeup, hand heart to you! Let’s assure you that it’s not really rocket science and is totally doable. 

Now, you could also be the kind of bride who is forever looking for DIY options, and how we love your enthusiasm! It’s these things that make life creative and oh-so-interesting! And your DIY bridal makeup should be a cakewalk for you if you read on. And if you are a bride who does not wear a lot of makeup and likes to keep it more on the natural side, then this blog is your perfect guide to a DIY bridal makeup, which is also a money saver. It’s a win-win for you!

For the brides who are not familiar with the steps involved in makeup, we’re here to give you a gist of it. The whole journey begins with skincare and finishes with a setting spray. Let’s just get you familiar with these steps, incorporation of which, will give you the most stunning wedding look! 

Step 1 - Skincare - This refers to moisturizing your face well before you begin with applying makeup. Products that are used in this step are moisturizers, face mists, serums, lotions, creams, and certain oils. 

Step 2 - Primer - A primer as a base for your foundation or face makeup that will help it go on smoother and long-lasting. They comprise smooth gels or creams that fill up the lines and pores on your face and smooth out uneven textures, thereby, creating the ideal canvas for your makeup.

Step 3 - Liquid Foundation - The ground rule here is that the foundation should match your skin tone or the shade of your skin. If the foundation disappears without any sort of blending after you’ve applied, that our darlings, means you’ve found your true match. To apply a liquid foundation, you could use your fingers or beauty tools like brushes and sponges. 

Step 4 - Concealer - Concealers can be of two types, liquid and stick/compact. While a liquid concealer is best for light coverage like wrinkles around the eyes and mouth, stick and compact concealers are ideal for heavy-duty coverage in more specific areas of the face. 

Step 5 - Foundation Powder - Foundation powder can be dusted lightly in a coat all over the face, uniformly. But you have to be careful while applying a foundation powder as it is too light and it would give an undone look and too much would give a clown-like look. 

Step 6 - Bronzer - This is needed to give you a sun-kissed glow all year long. A bronzer is applied with a brush and gives a golden tan across your face. 

Step 7 - Blusher - We know you’ll be blushing anyways, but a little bit of blusher won’t hurt! A blush is found in three main colors, pink, plum, and peach. 

Step 8 - Highlighter - For a stunning bridal look with a bit of glam and glow, highlighter is your magic wand! They come in various forms like liquids, creams, and powders. All the above-mentioned elements are a way to subtly contour your face. 

Step 9 - Eyebrows - Eyebrows can make or break your entire makeup look, and that’s when eyebrow pencils, brushes, and powders come handy. 

Step 10 - Eyeshadow - Smokey or not, eyeshadow offers oodles of glam to your eyes and gives your makeup a complete look. Eyeshadow makeup comprises brushes of various sizes and eyeshadows in the form of creams or powders. 

Step - 11 - Mascara - Tearproof we mean! Need we elaborate more on this useful makeup tool? An important point to remember is that mascara is usually applied after you’ve curled your eyelashes with an eyelash curler.

Step 12 - Lips - Whether you pick the seductive red lipstick or a nude gloss, lips are a vital element of your facial features, impossible to ignore! Lip makeup comprises a lip liner and lipstick or gloss. 

Step - 13 - Setting Spray - This forms the final touch given to your entire facial makeup, for a long-lasting and fresh effect! 

So whether you are doing it to save money or out of sheer enthusiasm or just because! .. we’ve got you covered. Here’s a complete guide to achieving that drop-dead-gorgeous look on your big day. Read on to explore. 

Skin is the Source!

So we’ll start with the basics. Keep your skin healthy. And the key to that is keeping yourself hydrated, maintaining a healthy diet, and keeping it nourished from the outside by moisturizing it regularly. Treat yourself to a facial once in a while to nurture its youthfulness. Stick to a healthy skin routine that includes cleansing, toning, and moisturizing. Having a healthy sleeping pattern goes a long way in defining the health of your skin.
 

Work on Your Makeup Bag

Let’s just say that you don’t need everything fancy, but you do need everything essential. Work on your makeup bag for your big day and stock it up with all the things which are necessary for any kind of makeup. Some of the most important things that you need to focus on are a primer, foundation that has been matched to your skin tone, powder, a setting spray, and waterproof mascara. While doing that, check for products labeled "long-wear," "long-lasting," and "waterproof." Moreover, sticking with the products you're positive will work for you or will suit your skin. Spend some time exploring and then finalize on that product that suits your skin the most. The last thing you want is a little rash on your wedding day! If you are comfortable with a certain product that you’ve been using for years, then be it, don't switch anything up for your wedding. 
 

Practice Like Never Before!

To get that perfect professional bridal look, you need to put in some effort into practicing. Practice putting on your wedding look a number of times and take pictures. In fact, take a lot of pictures both inside and outside and with flash and no flash. For more professional advice, you could even head to a counter so that the makeup artist can advise you on any techniques you’re unsure of! And those brides who are not used to wearing makeup, the trial runs are really important. Moreover, there’s no dearth of bridal makeup inspiration and makeup how-tos on Youtube and Instagram.
 

Consider Facts of the Wedding

When you think about your wedding venue, how do you see yourself? Have you ever thought about the weather, temperature, and time? Well, it’s important to keep these things in mind as they might act as spoilers to your bridal makeup! If it’s an outdoor wedding in the dead of summer, you might want to invest in a good setting spray. Setting sprays prevent makeup from wearing away and they are sweat-proof and waterproof, rather tearproof! Whereas in colder climates, make sure your face is well moisturized before you apply makeup as if your skin is dry, it will absorb the products and the makeup will settle into your fine lines and wrinkles, making them appear worse. Therefore, it is imperative that you consider your makeup elements consistent with the settings of your wedding. You should also consider the theme or the color of your wedding while deciding on your bridal makeup. While a smokey-eye would look seductive for a themed indoor wedding it might totally be off for a nature-inspired outdoor wedding. 
 

Be Yourself

It’s your wedding. It’s your once-in-a-lifetime big day and you don’t want anything to be messed up. And when it comes to your makeup, do what you feel most comfortable with. Forget about the current trends and follow your heart. Pick up all your makeup products keeping well in mind your complexion, skin tone, and your personality. Wear your wedding look just like how you want it and not how everyone should see it. After all, you are getting dressed for yourself and not for others. Consider what would look good on you in your wedding photographs. Your wedding photos are going to be the most memorable keepsake from your happiest day, and are going to be with you forever, while trends may come and go. Therefore, it is important you ascertain the kind of bridal look you want considering what would suit you and your wedding settings, looking like the best version of yourself. 
 

‘Allot-a’ Time!

On your wedding day, it’s important to have a quiet serene space to yourself while you do your wedding makeup. Along with that, make sure you give yourself a lot of time so that you can focus on it without a feeling of rush. It is necessary to add a little extra time to your makeup session so that just in case your eyeliner takes you longer than planned (it always does, doesn’t it?), you won't feel rushed to get everything else ready before photos. And in case you are done with it early, you can chill out and drink mimosas with your bridesmaids. Psst, the time saved is also a great time for your bridal portraits! You could also indulge in some wedding portraits with your mother, father, and your besties! 
 

Always Makeup First

If you thought that even under normal circumstances, this was understood, let’s tell you that your wedding day is far from normal. With all the thoughts running through your mind, there are certain ‘normal’ things that just might skip your mind. Can you imagine to what extent would an eyeshadow fallout or a powder fall impact your entire bridal look? Needless to mention your wedding photos! Just one millisecond of touch from things like eyeliners, lipsticks, and eyeshadows can ruin your wedding dress. Therefore, always remember to wear your makeup before you get into that sexy number!
 

Blend to Perfection

It is extremely vital to blend in your makeup properly, even on a normal day, otherwise, it results in a mask-y and clown-y look. While doing your wedding makeup, make sure you blend in your foundation past your jawline and down onto your neck and chest as if your face is even a stark shade lighter than your body, it will look weird in all your wedding photos, in artificial and natural light. Apart from that you also need to make sure to blend your foundation or contouring, and there are no harsh lines. And unless you are one of the Kardashians and are used to heavy contouring, we would recommend going in for soft contouring so that it gives soft sculpting to your face. 
 

Go Neutral

Yes, and we mean that. Flashy makeup products like glittery eyeshadows, glossy face powders, highlighters with sparkles do not really look good when it comes to flash photography. Therefore, we recommend opting for neutral, subtle tones, and more matte eye shadows for your makeup palette. Also, To avoid a shiny face in your wedding photos, we recommend picking a matte formula for most of your makeup like the foundation, primer, concealer, bronzer, and powder. And when it comes to lips, you could use a lip stain or liner to tint your lips, topping it up with a lipstick in a satin or matte finish. That way, your lipstick won’t kiss off on your partner’s lips and will stay on yours till the end!
 

Don't Forget Your Body!

With all the focus being on your face, be careful not to ignore your body. Dry patches on your hands, arms, dark elbows, computer patches, dry or scaly knees (if you’re wearing a short wedding dress), cracked heels, and many such things can literally sink your bridal look down. Make sure you shower the rest of your body with equal TLC and make it flawless with your makeup tricks!