I recently asked the fabulous Bruce Rehbein from MakeupMaster, to come in and makeover three of our lovely brides-to-be with three different, on-trend looks.  Last week’s was the smokey eye and it totally transformed Bronwyn into a glamourous, siren with old world style and sophistication.  I am a major fan of the smokey eye – it really does make a feature of your eyes (even dark brown eyes like mine) and who doesn’t want their eyes to look ravishing on their wedding day?  However not everyone thinks their eyes are their best feature so today’s makeup is the on-trend bright lip.  I know most brides go for pale, natural coloured lipstick on their wedding day – it makes sense , I get it.  But sometimes it looks so bold and fresh to buck the trend and step out in something a little more unexpected.  It could be something you put on as you enter the reception – you know, as you move into the festive part of the day.  I don’t want to sound like a broken record but I think if you have the right shade for you and your skin tone, bright lipstick can really add a great wow-factor.  So when our lovely bride-to-be Karen arrived for her makeover, I was busting to give it a try!  And she looked totally AMAZING!  You are going to love this look!!  So, without further ado, here are the tips and tricks for a bright lip!

Bruce prepped the skin with a great primer – he is a massive fan of primers as they really do offer great staying power to your foundation (and on a day like your wedding day, you don’t want your makeup sliding off your face!).  Once again we talked about how to get the perfect shade and really you just need to test it out on your face in the sunshine to really see if the shade is right for you.  The aim of foundation is to enhance your skin rather than cover it up.  Bruce thinks makeup is all about enhancement – and I do too.  So many girls cover their faces with heavy makeup and it really isn’t necessary.  Good products that are suited to your skin and well applied should be all you need!  With a bright lip, Bruce felt it best to keep all other aspects of Karen’s makeup subtle and low key.  There is this rule that says you should only play up one feature at a time – eyes or lips or cheeks (except in the 80s when we went to TOWN on everything all at once and big big BIG!!! More, more, MORE!!!  BIG IS BEST!  Did you see our shoulder pads? Or our hair?)

One of the biggest tips I got from each of these sessions is to do your brows!  As Bruce was saying they are responsible for framing your face and with an eyebrow pencil you can really define your arch.  I have been doing it since this session and it has made a massive difference to how I look.  Get thee an eyebrow pencil – STAT!  Bruce then put on a simple neutral shadow across Karen’s lids, a little eyeliner top and bottom and applied false eyelashes.  While I have worn false eyelashes before I would probably splurge on my wedding day and go for a full set of mink lashes from Lash Me.  I have done a full post here about them – they are great – light as a feather and guaranteed not to move on your wedding day (and beyond into your honeymoon for extra bonus points!)  Bruce then curled Karen’s lashes and applied mascara by wrapping the wand around them from the roots to the tips.  Both top and bottom – to get fuller thicker lashes!!!

He also swept some bronzer over Karen’s temples nose and jawline for some colour and definition.  You want to go gently, gently with the bronzer – too much and you look dirty.  No one wants cake face!  With everything else covered Bruce started on the lips.  Bleeding and colour loss are the biggest issues with a bright lip.  You want the colour to be precise and perfect all day – through kissing and laughing and talking!  Bruce first outlined the lips with a natural colour lipliner and then  filled in the lips with the liner for more staying power.   He then dusted the lips with a tiny amount of translucent powder so the colour won’t budge.  He also reapplied a little bit of foundation round the outside of the lips with a brush to ensure no feathering or bleeding.  Then he chose this lovely classic red lipstick and applied it with a brush.

I find when I apply my lipstick with a brush my lipstick lasts longer and looks better.  The bristles of the brush seem to massage the colour more into the lip.  At least that is what I think, but who knows?  All I can say is try it – it really does work.  Bruce then did a quick clean up under Karen’s eyes with some concealer and, voila, she was done.

I love how it actually looks really natural but with a great punch of colour – and Karen has such lovely lips it really brings them to the fore.  Karen doesn’t normally wear makeup so this look did kind of freak her out at first but once she got used to it she really liked it.  Now we just have to wait and see if she will wear a bright lip on her wedding day – stay tuned…