Make Up Tips for the More Mature Bride

Our guest beauty blogger, expert Hair and Make up artist Camilla J Collins is here this week to talk to us about all things beauty for the most mature bride.

"I have the pleasure of looking after brides of all ages, from 20 something to 50 something and they all look stunning on their wedding day!  Just because you’re a little older doesn’t mean you can’t look as fabulous as you did when your were in your 20’s!

Makeup is all about bringing out your natural beauty and it’s not one size fits all when it comes to the use of makeup products.  With a few adjustments with products and techniques we can have you looking equally flawless at 50!

As I’m sure you know, as we age our skin gets a little drier and we inherit a few more of those pesky lines so here are a couple of tips to help bring out the very best in your more mature skin.

Skin and Base

You’ll want to make sure skin is hydrated as much as possible, as we get older we tend to opt for heavier moisturisers to combat our slightly drier complexion but you want to make sure that your moisturiser isn’t too greasy under your makeup.  A hydrating primer applied underneath makeup can help if your skin is particularly dry and also can help with “filling out” those laughter lines and minimise the appearance of pores.  It’s always good to opt for a more moisturising foundation.  I particularly like Bobbi Brown’s Moisture Rich foundation which is light, fluid and very hydrating.  If this isn’t enough coverage for you then I would suggest just going in with a heavier foundation or light concealer only on the areas that need a bit of extra coverage.  Be careful not to put a heavy base around the eyes and any dry areas or those prone to wrinkles.  Your concealer under the eyes needs to be light and be careful with products with light reflectors such as touch e’clat which can highlight wrinkles.  Which brings me onto..

Eyes

Less is more and go easy on the shimmer!  A light eye primer will not only ensure the pigments of your shadow stays put all day but it will also minimise the risk of it creasing and the shadow collecting in lines on your eyelids.  Using a powder eye shadow as opposed to a cream eye shadow will also stop this happening too, in fact I rarely use cream shadows on anyone for this exact reason.

A subtle shimmer is fine, it will help brighten your eyes but too much glitter and super shiny shimmer can emphasise wrinkles and look a little too much so best to stay away from those.

You may opt for a liquid liner for a more striking or vintage look but I would try and stay away from any heavy kohl pencil in the bottom lash line.  This can drop down and smudge into creases during the day which can make you look tired.  A soft brown powder gently smudged into the lash line should define them nicely without being too heavy and causing problems later.

As for lashes, a few individual lashes applied to the eyes can help volumise thinning lashes.  Be careful with strip lashes as unless they are really fine and natural, they can look very fake and the same goes with cluster lashes too - individuals are definitely the way forward with more mature brides!

Blush and Contour

A light contour can look lovely and really bring out a more youthful appearance, but easy does it, we want it to look subtle and natural and not too harsh.  A gently dusting of bronzer under the cheekbones and round the sides of the forehead can give you a lovely glow.  Opting for a cream blush instead of a powder on the apples of your cheek will also help combat any dryness and compliment your lighter foundation for a lovely, fresh look.

Brows

When defining brows on brides of any age, I always opt for powder applied with an angled brush instead of a pencil.  With powder you have far more control over the shade and can build it up gently.  We want to keep everything soft with no harsh lines so eyebrows should be gently defined with a light powder and not too harsh.

Lips

A moisturising lipstick would be the best choice for a mature bride to help create an overall more youthful makeup look.  These can have a tendency to wear off quicker than matte lipsticks but make sure you have a good lip liner in place that should keep your lips defined in between lipstick top ups.

So there you have it - just a couple of pointers which can really help knock the years off, bringing the very best out of you and your skin and make you feel beautiful for your special day!"

If you would like to book Camilla and her team for your special day, you can find out more information and enquire with her here.