Wedding makeup: As artists are still unable to work, here's how to nail it yourself

The outbreak of coronavirus and the lockdown rules that followed put a stop to practically all weddings from mid-March onwards. As venues closed and restrictions on the amount of people gathering were reduced to a single household, it meant couples had to make the tough decision to postpone to 2021.

As the restrictions ease, many people are going ahead with their big day, whether it's getting married over zoom with all your guests watching, or in a socially distanced at a civil ceremony. If it's the latter, read our guide to our favourite bridal outfits from tailored suits to slip dresses.

Initially, receptions of up to 30 people were permitted from 1 August, but this was prevented last minute as the day before, the prime minister announced that this will not be allowed, in a bid to keep the number of coronavirus cases under control.

The day you get married is also one of the few occasions where, as a bride, you can have your make-up professionally applied to help you look and feel your best. Or at least, it was pre-coronavirus.

But even though hairdressers have now reopened, as current lockdown measures stand, make-up artists are unable to work due to the close proximity required to your face. As a result, doing your own make-up is your only option.

It needn’t be a daunting task though. We’ve consulted the experts, Bobbi Brown senior pro artist Amy Conway and make-up artists Ruby Hammer MBE and Trish McEvoy, who have shared their tips, tricks and recommended products to perfect your bridal beauty look that will last all day and night.

You can trust our independent round-ups. We may earn a commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.

Prepare ahead of time

Before your big day, Conway recommends doing three to four run-throughs of the make-up you plan to wear to make sure you feel comfortable with the final look.

On the day itself, leave yourself enough time to enjoy the process. "Everything always takes longer than you think so blocking out enough time to get glam in the morning is so important," says Conway.

"You don’t want to start the day feeling stressed or overwhelmed and want to ensure you enjoy every minute you can. I would recommend allowing 90 minutes for your makeup – it won’t take you this long but this will provide you with a buffer."

For small touch-ups throughout the day, Hammer recommends having a touch-up brush, tissue, q-tips, a touch of loose powder to dab away excess oil and your lipstick of choice to hand. These can be looked after by your bridesmaids, or in your handbag, so you are ready to touch up when needed.

Her magnetic brush set (Ruby Hammer, £28) is an innovative on-the-go trio of lip, eyeshadow and angled brushes that are interchangeable and will ensure perfect application every time.

They're made from cruelty-free brush hair and work well with cream, powder and gel textures.

Skin

First up is your base. Conway advises using primer, whatever your skin type. "It acts as a protective barrier between skin and makeup; on oily skin it stops the oil from seeping through and making makeup slide. On dry skin, it stops the makeup going patchy," she tells The Independent.

We would recommend the Nude By Nature perfecting primer (Boots, £22) that's silky smooth and our reviewer found made a significant difference in the staying power of her make-up after using this as a base.

"It’s untinted, but using just a tiny amount leaves skin with a subtle glow that simultaneously does a decent job of controlling oil throughout the day."

Look for long-wearing foundations too, that will provide a flawless finish and stay in place. We loved the NARS Nars natural radiant longwear foundation (Space NK, £35), available in 33 shades, if you're looking for a natural, dewy glow.

According to our reviewer, it gives 16 hours of fade-resistant wear with a whisper-light texture and suits all skin tones. "The neutral undertone of the foundation gave the skin a soft glow without looking too orange or red," they said.

However, if you have an oilier skin type, try the Charlotte Tilbury airbrush flawless (Cult Beauty, £34), which offers a full-coverage, matte finish that's available in 44 shades.

When applying it, Conway suggests using a brush for the best results. "Brush down the face because that's the way the hair lies," she says, adding, "then layer a sheer finish pressed powder on top for that natural yet flawless coverage finish that will last."

She also highly recommends using powder in sheer formulas that will set your foundations without changing the colour or adding coverage.

"It's important to 'sandwhich' your foundation in place between primer and powder to give the ultimate all-day wear. Start by using a small brush a layering powder just in the T-zone area, for oilier skins take it through the cheeks also."

In our guide to the best face powders, the Huda Beauty easy bake loose powder (Cult Beauty, £29), was our best buy for a number of reasons.

A small amount goes a long way to blur the appearance of pores, and it's also non-comedogenic, meaning it won’t block your pores which can cause breakouts later on.

Bronzer, blush and highlight

To add warmth to your complexion using bronzer, McEvoy advises applying it in a "3" shape on each side of your face. "Then, layer on the highlighter on cheekbones, under the brow and décolletage," she says.

Our favourite bronzer is Fenty Beauty sun stalk'r instant warmth bronzer (Boots, £25). It offers a comprehensive shade range that considers undertones as well as skin tones, and our reviewers found it foolproof in how easy it is to buff into the skin.

As you'll be continuously photographed throughout the day, to ensure you don't get a flashback and end up looking like Casper the ghost, wear a little more blusher than normal, blended delicately into cheeks.

Hammer's favourite is the Daniel Sandler watercolour gel cheek colour (lookfantastic, £16.50) because its easy to blend.

It's a long-wearing, water-resistant formula in a gel texture that can be dabbed onto cheeks for a radiant finish.

If your big day is looking to be a hot one, avoid powder highlighters, as these can cake more easily and lose their luminosity the sweatier you are.

"Using too much highlighter can give you a flashback too," says Hammer who suggests creating a lit-from-within glow using a subtle shimmer. "Products need to be long-lasting – you need to make sure it looks great for professional photos, video, and mobile phone shots, as well as to the naked eye."

Try the Lumene invisible illumination instant illuminizer (Feel Unique, £22.50) in "rosy dawn", which you can dab onto the high points of your cheekbones, eyebrows and cupids bow.

The pearlescent pigments will leave your skin looking radiant but not overly shiny.

Eyes

When it comes to eyeshadow, according to McEvoy, there are no colours to avoid, more so application techniques to avoid, such as very thick eye liner or unblended blush.

"Matte or semi-matte textures are more flattering under stage lights and in photography, so ensure that if you are wearing shimmer, that it is a very fine, sophisticated sparkle—not too shiny or glittery," the make-up artist says.

This Ilamasqua movement artistry palette (Ilamasqua, £38) has 12 vegan shades, ranging from matte, satin and shimmer finishes which you'll also get lots of wear out of for months after the ceremony.

There's also pops of lavender and mint green if you prefer a bolder, more experimental look.

McEvoy recommends this intense gel liner⁠ (Harvey Nichols, £22). "Start at the innermost lash and glide the tip of the pencil along the lash line. It will last through all of the happy tears," she says.⠀

Waterproof mascara is, of course, essential if you want voluminous lashes that will hold up through teary moments, hot weather and hours spent on the dance floor.

In our guide to the best waterproof mascaras, we loved the Bobbi Brown no smudge waterproof mascara (lookfantastic, £25) which didn’t budge at all.

This one has a fat bristled brush that with a single coat will make sparse lashes look instantly longer, more defined and voluminous.

It lasted from morning to evening without clumping, smudging or smearing, with no crumbled product on the lower lash line either.

Lips

Look for a lipstick that will last through endless kisses, eating and drinking, but isn't too glossy as this may catch in your hair.

Hammer recommends using a lip pencil first to give you more definition and longevity. "Line the whole of your lips with a pencil and then put the lipstick on top – that will give you a little bit more intensity," she says, and to extend its wear, "blot layers with a tissue and go over it again."

"There are loads of great long-lasting lipsticks out there that come in an array of shades – including those from Lime Crime, Too Faced, MAC and Fenty, they’re the best for long-lasting lips," Hammer tells The Independent.

In our guide to the best long-lasting lipsticks that aren't drying, we rated the MAC retro matte liquid lip colour in burnt spice (MAC £19) which has a suede-like finish and impressive staying power.

According to our reviewer, the colour burnt spice is a lovely daytime-appropriate dirty rose, but there are 15 shades to choose from, ranging from a subtle nude to statement purple.

As a finishing touch, use a fixative spray to keep it all in place. Hammer's favourite is the Becca Skin love prime & set mist (Asos, £22).

It's a fine mist that will keep your skin hydrated and leave not an eyebrow hair out of place.

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