Key Points
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Natural wedding makeup is easy to achieve when you understand color palettes.
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Your skin tone and eye color determine what shades of makeup give you a glowing look.
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A natural wedding makeup tutorial is essential to create the perfect look. It’s easy to do and it lets your natural beauty shine through.
Your highly anticipated day has finally arrived. The venue is booked, your dress is altered, and you can’t wait to start this new and exciting chapter in your relationship. Now, it’s time to think about getting ready for your day. What you need is a natural wedding makeup tutorial.
Master the art of a perfectly natural makeup look without the help of a makeup artist with the right knowledge of makeup products, color palettes, and the following natural wedding makeup tutorial.
With an average of 2.4 million weddings happening per year in the United States, there’s a lot of pressure for perfection. Not only is it difficult to know what makeup looks perfect for the ceremony, but it is stressful thinking about all of those wedding pictures. You want it to be just right!
Natural wedding makeup is a simple choice that goes with any style of wedding. If you don’t know where to begin with your makeup look or the products you should use, don’t panic! Just keep reading to learn how to get the perfect natural makeup look for your special day.
What’s a Natural Wedding Look?
Natural makeup looks vary between brides for a few reasons. First, the definition of “natural” means something different to individual brides and what they deem natural. For some, this means opting for chapstick instead of lipstick or using mascara instead of applying false lashes. It also depends on your facial features, skin tone, and eye color.
Despite different takes, there are a few staples of a natural makeup look. Natural makeup looks tend to be subtle — as if you’re not wearing any makeup at all. A natural makeup look is best described as enhancing some facial features with makeup, while still looking fresh-faced and polished. The makeup is usually light and doesn’t require a full range of makeup products.
Part of the natural makeup look is determined by what you feel comfortable wearing. Pick and choose what works best for you! Trial and error help you get to your desired finished look.
While you can use makeup colors and tones of your choice, some colors complement your skin tone and eye color more than others. Make sure you practice your look ahead of time to avoid washing yourself out with a poorly chosen color palette – or any number of other makeup faux pas.
Whether you’re doing your own makeup or you’ve hired a makeup artist, it’s important to know exactly what you want your makeup to look like to ensure you feel happy and beautiful throughout the day.
How can you achieve a natural makeup look, and what products should you use? You may be unsure of how to get started. Don’t worry! Consider the following tips and tricks, starting with color palettes determined by skin tone to help you build your look.
Color Palettes
When it comes to makeup, a color palette is a few colors that complement your skin tone, eye color, and hair color. Some colors better complement your appearance, while others may make you look washed out. It’s great to know what colors work for you so that you’re choosing a makeup look that enhances — not hides! — your natural beauty.
There are a couple of ways to determine your skin tone and find the colors that work best for you. Once you’ve found your skin tone, determine which shades of different products look good on you. This includes blushes, bronzers, and lip products.
Fair Skin
Fair skin is determined by the color your veins appear under your skin. Fair skin veins tend to look bluer. Fair skin also tends to burn easily in the sun. If your roots are Western European or East Asian, you probably fall in this category.
Finding the right blush color elevates your natural makeup look. For fair skin, soft pinks, peaches, and light berry colors compliment your undertones and make you look perfectly flushed and fresh-faced.
When it comes to bronzer and contour colors, opt for the most neutral possible. This gives you a bit of glow but avoids a stark, unnatural look. For bronzer, a golden shade goes best with your skin tone.
For lipstick or lip stains, blue and purple undertones look the best on you. This doesn’t mean blue or purple lipstick but rather finding a lip shade that has cooler undertones and doesn’t have much orange. The classic red lip look is particularly flattering on people with fair skin.
If you want an entirely nude natural lip look, ropy pink and taupe best achieve your natural makeup look.
Medium & Olive Skin Tones
Medium and olive skin tones typically show your veins as a green hue instead of blue. It can also be determined by how your skin reacts to the sun. If you tan easily, you probably have a medium or olive skin tone. If your heritage is Mediterranean, Latin, East or South Asian, you’re likely to have this complexion.
Olive skin has more of a green undertone and often looks tan all year round.
When it comes to medium and olive skin tones, you’ll have fairly similar color palettes to follow. There are a few differences to look out for, but the colors of your bronzer and lipstick should follow similar color palettes.
Starting with blush, medium skin tones look best with peach and rosy blush colors. Olive skin tones look flushed and glowy with orange and gold-toned color blushes.
Bronzer colors can be a bit darker than your skin tone in a warm neutral color. Choose a bronzer shade that’s about two shades darker than your natural skin tone.
Your contour shade should be similarly chosen to your bronzer shade. Opt for about two to four shades darker than your skin tone. This makes your contour look natural and subtle. It’s also important to choose a contour with a warm undertone if you have a medium or olive skin tone, because a cool undertone might appear grey instead of brown.
As for lips, warm oranges, reds, and terracotta browns are beautiful lip colors without too much effort. If you’d classify your skin tone as a lighter medium, a pale nude is the most flattering nude lip color. If your skin is a dark medium, rich nudes complement your skin best. Choose a warm beige or warm pink for that “no makeup” neutral lip look.
Dark Skin Tone
Dark skin usually requires deeper and richer colors to enhance its gorgeous tones. Avoid pale or light colors for any products as they may wash you out or look unnatural. Those of you with dark skin tones are likely to have South Asian or African heritage.
Blush for darker skin tones looks best in shades of coral, red, and deep berry. Lighter and softer colors tend to make the skin look washed out.
For bronzer, a color with a touch of red or with red undertones gives your skin the perfect rich glow.
Deep colors on the lips look best with dark skin. Berry-toned colors look the best, and you could opt for a darker berry for more pop or a light berry for a more natural makeup look.
Eye Color
Now, it’s time to talk about eyes. The perfect eyeshadow and eyeliner color combinations make your eyes pop with little effort.
For a natural makeup look, neutral colors are best for eyeliner and eyeshadow because they naturally warm up the face. However, this is something you can play around with, depending on the type of natural makeup look you want to achieve for your wedding.
Blue Eyes
Blue eyes look great with darker blue colors like navy or steel blue. However, warmer colors like gold or orange highlight your blue eyes and make them stand out. Whether you decide on a thin blue eyeliner or just some orange eyeshadow, a natural look can be achieved with these complementary colors.
Green Eyes
When it comes to green eyes, warm and cool browns are going to complement your eye color best. A mixture of browns makes your eyes pop without looking too flashy or going full glam.
But, if you want to add a bit of color to your eye look that’s not just brown, try a plum purple. A touch of purple on the eyelids or a light plum liner makes your eyes pop.
Brown Eyes
Brown eyes look good with just about any eyeshadow and eyeliner color there is. If you have brown eyes, you have absolute freedom to choose any colors for your eyes and you’ll find it hard to create a look that clashes!
If you don’t know where to start, think about a simple brown eyeliner for your natural look, or choose a color that goes nicely with your skin tone.
Hazel Eyes
Soft colors are your best friend if you have hazel eyes. Soft browns, golds, and rust oranges look gorgeous with the green and brown in your eyes. For a pop of color, soft burgundy is a fun color for either eyeliner or eyeshadow.
Your color palette also helps you determine which colors look best clothing-wise. This is determined by your hair color, eye color, and skin tone. It’s also known as your “season.” Knowing your season helps you understand which colors flatter you the most, whether it’s with makeup or clothing. Check out a color analysis guide to find out your season.
Hair Color
Although your hair color aids in determining your “season,” it doesn’t have as much sway when it comes to makeup. Natural wedding makeup that follows the color palette of your skin tone and eye color complements your look, whether you’re brunette, blonde, or redhead.
The more you know about color theory and which colors look best on you, the more you’ll understand which makeup products and shades look best on you.
Natural Makeup Tips
Now that you have a better understanding of how to put together a wedding-day palette, you’re ready to create and do your own wedding makeup. Do you love getting insider info from celebrity stylists? Vogue writer Hasina Khatib offers 10 tips on natural makeup looks straight from the lips of two makeup artists to the stars.
Here are some tips to achieve the perfect natural look for your wedding:
Invest in Good Skincare
Investing in good skincare helps you feel more confident in your natural skin. Using sunscreen and other important skincare products, like moisturizer and a cleanser that benefits your skin type, keeps your skin clear of impurities and prepares it for your foundation and other skincare products.
Nobody’s skin is absolutely perfect; texture and impurities are normal and natural, so don’t worry too much about achieving perfect skin. If you’re keeping your skin clean, hydrated, and protected from the sun, that’s what really matters.
Consider a professional facial to give your skin a gorgeous natural glow before your wedding day if it’s within your budget. When it comes to makeup application, caring for your skin ensures your makeup looks smooth and natural.
Light Foundation
When it comes to foundation, heavy products tend to pill on the skin or appear heavy and cakey. Using a light foundation, BB cream, or CC cream gives you a natural glow, while still covering any redness, dark spots, or any other skin imperfections. Tinted moisturizers are also great because they keep your skin hydrated while blurring any harsh lines or pores and giving you an even skin tone. It’ll look just like your skin, but airbrushed!
Bronzer and Contour
Don’t rule out bronzer and contour as useful products in your natural makeup look. Bronzer gives you a glowy and dewy look, while contour subtly accentuates your cheekbones and jawline. These aren’t necessary for a natural makeup look, but they can add dimension, warmth, and depth to your skin.
If you’re choosing to add contouring to your makeup look, choose a cream product instead of a powder contour. This gives you a more natural contour look.
A Bit of Blush
If you’re aiming to really embody the “blushing bride” look, then keep your blush within reach on your wedding day. Adding blush and lipstick to your natural makeup look keeps you from looking washed out and adds a bit of color to your face.
For a more natural blush look, put on your blush before your foundation, then follow with your lightweight BB or CC cream foundation. This warms up your face while giving your cheeks an angelic glow.
Achieving Natural Lashes
Giving your lashes a boost without looking over the top and full glam is tricky. False lashes may look over the top against the rest of your light makeup. But, natural-looking false lashes give your lashes length and volume without contrasting too harshly.
Another tip is to use false lashes just in the outer corners of your eyes for a naturally lifted look. Achieve this by cutting your false lashes into sections and gluing one or two sections into the outer corners of your lash line.
Light Liner
Thick black eyeliner sometimes looks clunky against a natural makeup look. Opt for a softer color, like brown, for a more natural look instead. Using a pencil liner, rather than liquid, also gives your eyes a gorgeous shape without looking too heavy on your light and natural makeup.
When drawing your eyeliner, be sure to keep your lines soft and thin. Adding harsh eyeliner lines may change the way your natural look turns out. This could make your makeup look imbalanced. Try adding a small wing at the corner of your eye to give it a subtle pop.
Naturally Beautiful, Naturally You
A natural makeup look is perfect for a wedding because it gives you a clean and polished look while still letting your natural beauty shine through. Knowing your color palettes and using our natural wedding makeup tutorial creates the perfect look for your big day.
No matter what you decide for your wedding makeup, whether it’s natural or full glam, stick to what you know works for you, and wear what you feel the most beautiful in.
If you’re feeling nervous about makeup products or if you need a little practice, be sure to set aside some time to practice your look. This ensures you feel confident in your own abilities when your big day comes. Regardless, you’ll be glowing on your wedding day!
For more tips, tricks, and secrets on beauty, check out other similar beauty reviews on Cosmetics Center.
