My Wedding Make Up

Our wedding day seems like a lifetime ago now. It was actually only two months ago and I know everyone seems to say this but it really was the greatest day of my life. I wish I could relive it all over again.

I decided early on in the planning process that I was going to do my own make up. My plan was to visit several different make up counters to pick up tips and tricks and buy new products. I only ever ended up visiting the YSL counter when I purchased the lipstick and had a mini make over there.

I was so busy with work and planning the wedding that I didn't even do a trial on myself until two days before! I actually did my make up slightly different than how I wear it day to day, which I'll explain in more detail below, but I was so happy with it on the day and it lasted all night.

A common theme in the name of products is long lasting and the products definitely lived up to their name. I actually finished my make up around 12pm on the day and the evening reception lasted until 1am. The only thing I needed to reapply was my lipstick.

Below I will go into more detail on each product used as well as why I chose that particular product. Some products are items I've used and loved for a while where as other items were brand new for the wedding. Anyone that went shopping with me in the run up to the wedding will know that I used the wedding excuse a lot! I need a new wedding lipstick, I need a new wedding perfume, were common things said!

Benefit The POREfessional* - Obviously, I needed to use a primer as I needed my make up to last and still look good 12 hours later. I have used this primer for a while now and although I love my Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch, I decided to go with POREfessional as it was just more convenient to use as it was in a tube rather than a pot. Plus I read Fleur de Force's Get Ready With Me Wedding Day blog post beforehand and she used it. If it's good enough for Fleur, it's good enough for me!

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation - This is a new product for me. My gran actually gave me this and there is still half left. Result! Obviously, I tried it before the wedding to check the shade and coverage etc but it's the perfect shade for me. It just seems to melt into my skin leaving flawless looking skin behind. This is double the price of the foundation I use on a day to day basis so I save it for special occasions when I really need flawless looking skin. I adore this foundation and it's definitely the best foundation I've ever used. When it has ran out, I will definitely be repurchasing!

Collection Illuminating Touch Brightening Concealer - I've been using this for a while now and I'm happy with it. I didn't really have time to search for a new one and test it out so I stuck with an old favourite. I use this concealer under my eyes and on the top of my cheek bone as it also acts as a highlighter. I managed to sleep the night before as I was relatively calm so a heavy duty concealer wasn't necessary! 

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - Again, this is an old favourite. Lots of people love this concealer and you'll know from my empties blog posts, I've repurchased lots of times! The coverage is medium but teamed with the foundation all my imperfections were gone! I actually went to the doctors about a month before my wedding as I wasn't happy with my spots. He prescribed me some cream to a apply in the evening and it did an excellent job. On the day, I was only covering up scars and uneven skin tone. 

Bourjois Cream Blush in 03 Rose Tender - I purchased this when they first came out and I actually have a few cream blushers but I hardly ever wear them. I'm not sure why as they're really easy to apply. I think I just prefer a powder blush. I wore it on my wedding day under a powder blush so it stayed put for longer and I was really happy with the result. 

Nars Blusher in Orgasm - This is another purchase which was justified by the wedding. 'I need a new blusher for my wedding!' Really it was just an excuse to purchase Orgasm. It's raved about so much so when I saw it on Cohorted, I couldn't resist. I can't remember how much I got it for but I saved a little on the RRP which is always good! 

The Body Shop Honey Bronzing Powder - It's thanks to Estée that I now love this bronzer. She's an 'English Rose' like me and she said it's perfect for pale skin so I decided to buy it and give it a try. I'm now on my second compact and I couldn't be without it. I wasn't actually going to wear bronzer on my wedding day as I applied Clarins Liquid Bronze Self Tanner the night before. However, as my foundation contains SPF10, I needed to use bronzer so I didn't look completely washed out on photos. 

HD Brows Eyebrow Palette in Foxy - I usually get HD Brows done at the salon and that includes having them tinted. When I first started having it done, I needed to still fill in bits until the shape was how we wanted it to be. Now I don't need to do that but as I didn't have my eyebrows tinted just before the wedding (I wanted it to be more natural), I just used the lightest shade in the palette to make them stand out a little bit as the ends in particular can be very blonde. 

Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Pink Gold - I used this as a base eyeshadow to help my eyeshadow be more vibrant and last longer - kind of like a primer. I used this rather than a primer as the pink shimmer showed through the eyeshadow that I used on top to create a beautiful effect. My eyeshadow lasted all day and night without creasing. I'm not sure if that's down to this product, the Bare Minerals Eyeshadow or a mixture of the two but they definitely make a great duo. 

Bare Minerals Ready Eyeshadows 4.0 Palette* - I received this palette in a goodie bag and I'm extremely grateful as it's so beautiful and one of the nicest palettes I have ever used. The shadows work together so well and are such a lovely texture. The shimmery shades don't produce fall out and are just as easy to apply as the matte shades. Bare Minerals have a variety of palettes with different collections of colours but as I'm a neutral girl, I definitely would have chosen this one myself. 

Eyelash Curlers - I'm sorry that there is no link for these curlers but I cannot remember when I got them from. I don't think they were very expensive but they do a fabulous job at curling my lashes and my lashes hold the curl all day long. I'm not sure if that's down to my lashes or the curlers though. The lashes on my right eye are perfect and even without curling, mascara can make them look long, curled and thick. My left eye however, just does whatever it pleases. Without curling previously, my left eyelashes just have a mind of their own and when I apply mascara they are sticking all over the place. Using these curlers, help to match my left eye and right eye. 

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliner in Nude - Although I managed to sleep the night before, I still wanted to look bright eyed and bushy tailed on the day of my wedding. I love this nude eyeliner from Rimmel as it's creamy and so easy to apply on the waterline. My waterline is often really red and when it is, I use this to brighten my eyes and make me look more awake. 

Daniel Sandler Long Lasting Waterproof Eyeliner in Grey Velvet* - There are those words again - long lasting! I'm rubbish at applying eyeliner so I just apply this to the lash line. I think I just applied it to my lower lash line on the day but it depends on my mood. I've tried winged eyeliner several times and I just cannot master it! 

No7 Stay Perfect Long Lasting Volume Mascara in Black - I actually purchased this in the week running up to the wedding. I knew I wanted a waterproof mascara - just in case! Ideally, I would have tried a few waterproof mascaras and chosen my favourite but I just ran out of time. In the end I went to the No7 counter in  Boots. I picked up two or three different ones and asked for advice on which one I'd prefer for length and volume. That's when she recommended Stay Perfect long Lasting Volume Mascara which I actually really loved and I'm so glad I purchased it. I just haven't got anything to remove it effectively. So if you know of something, please let me know! 

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine Lipstick in 8 - This was an essential wedding purchase! I have wanted a YSL lipstick for so long and I have to admit this is me being a total magpie! I purely wanted one because of the beautiful, luxurious packaging. I picked this up on the same day that I had the make over at the YSL counter. I actually had enough Boots points to cover it so this little beauty was completely free! I usually save up my points for a perfume but I spend them on YSL lipsticks instead! 

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - I've used this powder for so long now and I usually use it after my foundation and concealer. However, for my wedding day, I applied it after everything else just to make sure that it all stayed in place for as long as I needed. I only applied a thin coat as I still wanted to look 'fresh' and I was really happy with the results. 

The Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist - I used this purely as an additional security blanket as it can also help to set make up. I popped this in a bag which I would be able to access easily in my hotel room in case I needed to freshen up but I was good to go all night! 

Rachel x