We’ve all heard the adage beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It’s a saying, because it’s true. And when you’re a bride planning your wedding, it is absolutely true. The look you are going for is very much unique to you, to your style — and more so to the way you want to be captured on film and seen by your S.O. So what if you’ve decided you want a more natural look, or maybe you’ve been told you might want to stick with neutrals to bring out your natural beauty. These words natural and neutral are thrown around so much when contemplating your wedding day makeup, but what do they mean? Well, we got with Virginia makeup artist, Joie Blake, of Joie Blake Beauty to dish on everything natural versus neutral.
Natural Wedding Makeup
“Natural wedding makeup consists of medium coverage foundation or skin tint and the light use of highlight, contour, blush to simply enhance the bride's natural features. Eyeshadows are softer in color and can be neutral or more colorful (peach, lavender, etc.). A bride can choose to use matte or shimmery eyeshadows as the light application will ensure a natural finish. Oftentimes a glossy lip is preferred to a strong matte to give a more natural finish.
“Natural makeup [can] include lash application, usually a soft and wispy style. I always recommend at least a small lash to my clients wanting natural makeup because professional photography can mute the appearance of lashes especially in far away pictures. Using a natural lash will look more like a really great mascara when the finished photos come back,” according to Blake.
Natural Makeup Differs from Everyday Makeup
There is no one way to define everyday makeup; it differs for everybody, and therefore every bride will have a different definition of what their everyday makeup is. Indeed she explains, “Some clients only wear mascara and chapstick day-to-day, while others have a full eyeshadow routine for their everyday vibe. It’s important to figure out what that looks like for you and then decide how you want to change or enhance that on the wedding day.
“One way [natural makeup] usually differs from an everyday routine is that wedding-level natural makeup will include a full complexion routine with foundation or skin tint, concealer, blush, contour, and sometimes highlight. The reason all of these steps are included is to give you a flawless finish in person and in photos. Smokier shadows are oftentimes used in natural makeup application to enhance eye color while softer browns are more common for day-to-day wear.”
Natural Makeup Brides
Blake recommends this option for anyone who isn’t used to wearing a lot of makeup, if any, on a regular basis. “This is also a great option for brides who don’t want to look too made up or who want to make sure that they still look like their everyday selves, just a little more. I often refer to it as simply turning up the volume on their faces, not changing any features or creating any strong lines.”
Neutral Wedding Makeup
Neutral makeup refers to the makeup’s color palette, according to Blake; it can also be full coverage or medium coverage (the amount of makeup applied) depending on your complexion and the level of flawlessness you’re going for. Blake suggests, “It can be full glam or soft glam. Neutral makeup can consist of stronger sculpting or satiny matte lipsticks. Eyeliner is something that is usually used for neutral looks to give the drama while not changing the color palette.
She notes, “I always hear clients tell me that they want natural makeup and then will show me a photo of Kim Kardashian at an event, wearing tons of makeup in a neutral color story. Neutral makeup can be a full glam, dramatic look. It is important to understand the difference when telling your makeup artist what you're looking for so you can make sure you get the exact result you're looking for.”
The Neutral-Natural Look
First and foremost, Blake (and nearly every other MUA !) suggests scheduling a trial before the wedding. That way “you can work with your artist on creating the perfect look and you'll have the opportunity to see your wedding makeup ahead of time.”
With that being said, if you are set on both neutral and natural makeup, Blake explains, “it’s usually because [you] want [your] skin to have a natural finish and wants the drama around [your] eyes. Go for a natural finish base and ask for neutral colored eyeshadow with maybe eyeliner and always a lash!”