Hello lovelies! I wanted to give you a preview of the kind of products I will be using on my wedding day and a few of them are included in this Mac haul. I have thought long and hard about which products would be best for my big day, the right formulations and effects for professional photography and products that will last the distance. I am a perfectionist so I was things to be just so (but not to the extent of being a bridezilla!). I certainly don't intend on being anything like this...
As you know, we went down to visit the photographer the other week and as he also does fashion shoots, I was asking him how best to apply makeup for the photographs. He told me to do it exactly how I had my skin that day, which was my usual foundation routine so I was chuffed that I can do that stage myself on the day and it would look good on camera. He warned me against the powdery look to skin that you can sometimes get but since I use a setting spray, this eliminates that and just makes my skin look luminous and natural.
I will basically be doing half of my wedding makeup...the primer, foundation, powder, bronzer, blush and highlighter. Whilst I will be getting the makeup artist to do my eyebrows, eye makeup and lips. I decided to do my own 'skin' makeup because I am VERY particular about how my skin looks and I know what works on me and what doesn't. I had a couple of makeup trials and I just wasn't happy about how my skin looked. I just remember sitting there thinking that I know my skin and the contours of my face better than anyone because I see my face everyday. The photographer's comment gave me confidence that I can achieve the look required for the photographs. I wanted to get the makeup artist to do my eyebrows and eye makeup to make sure they look symmetrical and also because I am having individual false lashes applied. It's alot easier for someone else to do that and judge when eyeliner looks right etc.
So on with the haul....
First off, I had been using the Clarins Fix Makeup spray to set my makeup for a while now (I apply this after foundation and all powder products have been applied but BEFORE any eye makeup). This gives my skin a gorgeous radiance and takes away that overly matte, powdery look to the skin. It lets your skin's texture show through the makeup which is essential if you want your makeup to look natural. I do prefer the Fix + spray from Mac because it contains Green Tea, you get more product for your money and it just seems to refresh me and condition my skin just that bit more. I will be using this on my wedding day to make sure my makeup looks flawless and fresh. This has been the biggest improvement in my makeup routine recently and it really does make such a big difference to the overall look of your skin, especially in the summer months. I highly recommend you try this out! The photographer asked me how I got my skin to 'glow' and I think alot of it is down to the spraying technique.
Alot of makeup artists use Mac Face and Body Foundation for weddings when the bride is wearing a strapless dress to even out skintone on the chest and upper arm area. They often mix it with some strobe cream to get that glowing look to the skin. Nic of Pixiwoo also recommended this on one of their bridal YouTube vids which you can watch here. That's exactly what I'm going to do on my wedding day because often the skin on your face is a different tone to the skin on your neck and chest. By applying the two Mac products, it will just make your skintone seem more uniform all over. The best thing about Mac Face and Body is that it's water based so there's no greasy/tacky finish to it and once it sets, it's transfer and water resistant so the likelyhood of it rubbing off on your white/ivory dress is slim. I would say the best thing to do is be very careful when you're putting your dress on just to be doubly sure it doesn't rub off on your dress. However, it's definitely the best body foundation around for special occasions. I also like to use it mixed with strobe cream for my legs if I'm wearing a shorter skirt on a night out. I guess some people wouldn't go so far to make their skin look good but it's very slimming and I personally think it make your legs look great.
I missed out on this By Candlelight MSF when it first came out with a previous collection (think it was Warm and Cosy?) but anyways, I always wanted to get my hands on it for my wedding day. Luckily it has been included in the current collection so I snapped it up. It has totally lived up to all the hype I have heard over the months...it's a beautiful marbled pale pink infused with gold...perfection. It's really smooth and creates a gorgeous sheen on the tops of my cheekbones with no glittery particles in sight! I'm torn between this and Dior Shimmer Powder in Amber Diamond! I love them both equally...although I have to say that the only thing I noticed about the Mac By Candlelight MSF is that you have to be careful when you are applying it. The pan does shed quite alot of powder on contact with a brush so you need a light hand when applying it to your face. It's so easy to overdo highlighter and I always like to blend it in with a clean kabuki brush afterwards in small strokes to ensure it's completely blended. I will be keeping it to a minimum for my wedding makeup and just applying it to the very tops of my cheekbones to lift my face and give me a nice glow.
There always comes a time when we have to get those eyeshadows from Mac that aren't the most exciting shades but they really are essential for creating the perfect neutral eye. So I ordered Vanilla (to act as a browbone highlight), Brule (to act as an all over lid colour) and Wedge (to act as a blending/natural crease colour). The Satin Taupe was already in my collection but I popped it in there as I wil be using it with the other three. I may swap Wedge for Woodwinked on the wedding day as I really want that golden brown sheen on my lids and Woodwinked has that amazing effect where it changes colour depending on what angle you look at it. I think it's important to keep your browbone highlight relatively matte if you are highlighting your cheekbones, just to ensure it doesn't look over the top.
After a long, LONG search...I have definitely found the perfect wedding lipstick colour for me and that is Patisserie by Mac (it's described as sheer creamy neutral pink on the website). It has a lustre finish so it's a bit more sheer but this works perfectly as it enhances the natural look I'm going for. It's the perfect shade that's just dark enough to define my lips in photographs but not too dark to the naked eye. I really like the consistency of the lustre finish lipsticks, they are creamy and smooth to apply.
I picked up another 217 blending brush because I find this really handy for blending eyeshadow in the crease, it just ensures that there aren't any harsh lines. I have washed my other one loads of times and it never sheds.
I really LOVE the lip glosses I got which were the Love Nectar Lustreglass and the Nice Buzz Plushglass. Love Nectar is described as an 'Ultra soft apricot with pearl' and it's so, so pretty over pink and nude lipsticks! It's the perfect playmate for golden skin and Benefit Coralista. Nice Buzz is a 'Shimmery light gold with gold pearl' and looks amazing over just about anything. It makes darker lipstick shades easier to wear and adds a gorgeous golden gloss to your lips. Both of the formulas are really nice and not overly sticky. I am a sucker for pretty subtely sparkly glosses that add a finishing touch to a look and the Love Nectar one will be so nice over the Patisserie lipstick on my wedding day.
I will be doing posts over the next week or so letting you in on what other skincare/makeup products I will be using on my wedding day. It's so important to choose the right products since I'll be looking at the photographs for the rest of my life and I want to look my best.
I just received the wedding Guest Book in the mail today and it's absolutely gorgeous. I was so excited when I saw what it was. I got it from a great website called The Beautiful Box Co, they have some really pretty designs and also do keepsake boxes, photo albums and personalised cards.
The one I got costs £34.99. It comes in a beautiful heavy ivory box with a lovely motif on the front, complete with diamante gems and our names. Then inside the guestbook is ivory with the same motif and our names tied together with a champagne coloured satin ribbon.
I like the simplicity of it and the pages inside are made of really high quality card so there's no chance of the pen leaking through and printed onto the next page. If anyone is looking for a Guestbook for their wedding, then this is a great company to check out because I am so impressed with the quality of the product...
