How To DIY Your Wedding Makeup

Happy hump day, guys! The front half of the workweek is always so insane for me, but it usually tapers off toward the end—so once we make it to Wednesday, I feel like half the battle is over. I can’t handle that it’s Labor Day Weekend already 😭, but am looking forward to a productive and quiet weekend at home (the landscaping continues!) and maybe a day at the lake. One of my college friends is getting married in Chicago this weekend, but with work schedules and LIFE schedules, we weren’t able to swing the trip. Sending them all the good vibes!

So, it’s only been about 3 months since Chris and I got married, and after sharing our wedding photos, I planned to share other parts of the experience, too—from bachelorette outfits to newlywed challenges. TODAY, I’m sharing all the products I used to to get my bridal beauty look. 😘😘

I hadn’t planned to DIY my wedding day makeup from the start. I wanted to look RED CARPET AMAZING and—like most people—figured I would pay a professional to help me get those results for the biggest day of my life! So I booked someone based on a referral from my regular hair stylist, whom I love and trust (hi, Nicole!). After the trial, I felt good about my hair, but not great about the makeup. When I looked in the mirror, I didn’t get that red carpet feeling, and I just didn’t look like myself. I do my makeup the same way every day, and I guess I’m particular about how I like it—from the layering of my eyeliner to the shape of my brows. So even though the stylist and I talked through tweaks for the wedding day (more foundation coverage, no eyeliner on the bottom lash line), I decided I didn’t want to risk not looking like myself on the big day (the worst possible scenario). Hair, makeup, photography and weddings in general have all turned into such huge productions, but let’s not forget that women have been doing their own wedding makeup for generations—if you’re decently skilled at doing yours, you can TOTALLY pull it off! I ended up adding just a few things (like primer, lashes and a special lip color) to my everyday makeup routine to take it up a notch and make sure I wouldn’t look washed out in pictures—and I think it worked out! 💁And bonus: now I have all this fun stuff to use in regular life! Scroll to shop my entire everyday makeup routine and everything you need for a gorge wedding day glow!

SHOP MY WEDDING MAKEUP ADD-ONS (shown above): ONE / OLEHENRIKSEN Banana Bright Face Primer | TWO / MAC Prep + Prime Fix+ (used at the end to set makeup and add a glow) | THREE / LANCOME ARTLINER Eyeliner | FOUR / Velour Lashes in No Drama (reusable—I plan to wear them again when I’m a bridesmaid in October) + Adhesive | FIVE / Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Highlighter in Bronze | SIX / Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Radiant Light (the Nordstrom sales associate told me every bride HAS to have this—for that photo-blurred filtered effect. I’ve been using it every day since the wedding, and it gives my skin such a good glow.) | SEVEN / Hourglass Veil Powder Brush (designed to use with the Hourglass lighting powder, to give your complexion a perfectly airbrushed look—a splurge, but it feels amazing) | EIGHT / Dior Addict Lip Maximizer in Pink Glow | NINE / Hourglass High Intensity Lipstick in No One Knows (the perfect peachy pink, inspired by Cameron from Southern Charm, and my new favorite lip product—so many good colors!)

SHOP MY EVERYDAY MAKEUP (not pictured): BareMinerals BarePRO Liquid Foundation in Aspen + Light Natural | Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder | Maybelline Brow Pencil in Deep Brown | Benefit Volumizing Eye Gel in shade 04 | NARS Eyeshadow Base | Clinique Eye Shadow in Sunset Glow + Black Honey | NARS Eyeliner in Mambo + Via Veneto (black layered over brown) | Dior Volume Plumping Lash Primer + OverCurl Mascara in Black | BareMinerals Serum Concealer in Light | Bobbi Brown Bronzer in Golden Light | Bobbi Brown Blush in Clementine

I wouldn’t have felt comfortable doing my own wedding makeup if I didn’t feel like I had the right foundation shade, so make sure to focus on this first! It’s all about the skin! I feel like I tried so many different brands and kinds in my twenties, and it’s amazing to finally feel like I have the right shade (actually a combination of two!). I love BareMinerals BarePRO—it’s lightweight, but great coverage. Two more tips for the big day: even if it only takes you an hour, apply your makeup earlier in the morning so you’re not rushing or stressed at the last minute. And once you’ve got everything looking 💯, make sure your MOH has your lip color and powder on hand for pre and post-ceremony touch-ups. It was really hot during our cocktail hour and I didn’t have any powder to soak up the situation—not ideal when you’re greeting guests and standing close enough for them to see the sweat on your upper lip. 🙄

As far as other beauty prep goes, I didn’t get any facials or other treatments. While I would’ve liked to indulge, it just felt like one more thing I didn’t need to spend money on since my skin is in pretty good shape. A few months out, I started consistently mixing collagen peptides into my coffee for a hair + skin boost. I added a brightening serum to my morning routine and this anti-aging serum (love—it has made my skin so smooth and the difference was pretty immediate) to my nightly routine. I also got a GoGlow spray tan, did a round of Crest Whitestrips and cleaned up the peach fuzz along my cheeks with these razors. And rather than get eyelash extensions, I tried to use this lash serum nightly. I couldn’t get consistent about it, but it’s a good option if you’re not ready to invest in extensions.

See all my wedding photos here and have an amazing LDW!