What's that? You want more wedding content? Uh, if you insist! I mean, what could I possibly have left to talk about... I just... I don't know... how about... my wedding beauty look?
Yes? Please say yes.
No, but really. I have so much to tell you. After all, some (me) would argue that the hair and makeup are one of the most important parts of the day (aside from, y'know, committing to your life partner, etc.).
Plus, I've been having a chinwag with Leigh Campbell about it all on the You Beauty podcast, so figured I better pull my (wedded) finger out and spin a story.
So, please. Take a seat and let's chat about my wedding day breakdowns. Beauty! I meant beauty. Let's talk about my wedding day beauty.
My wedding day hair.
There comes a time for every bride-to-be when she decides to grow her hair out for her big day. I've been growing mine out for, like, the past year and a half. Was going to have in out in beautiful big ol' waves. Look like a dainty princess.
But then I got my dress. And decided the hair would be worn... up.
I felt that it fit in more with the vibe of my dress – the neckline, the off-the-shoulder-ness of it, the veil, etc. etc. Also, it was absolutely pissing down with rain the morning of the wedding, and as someone who has very disobedient hair, I knew I'd made the right choice.
My hairstylist was the sparkly Caitie Kenzie – and she's an absolute gun on the tools.
She's Melbourne-based, but her work is so freaking phenomenal that I just had to fly her over to Sydney and tame my mop of hair.
And she did! Very well in fact.
The brief? 'A slicked-back bun situation parted in the middle,' I said. But 'not a ballerina bun'. And 'maybe something that looks sleek as opposed to messy'.
Caitie somehow... understood... this.
Her creation was glorious. A centre-parted, sleek updo with an intricate knot, and a couple of chic hair accessories. Exactly what I'd imagined.
This is what it looked like midway through:
Is that a bird? No! It's a stressed bride.
Caitie sectioned my hair into three pieces and after using the trusty Dyson Airwrap at the crown, she secured a low ponytail, before sweeping the two pieces at the front back tightly for a lovely sleek look.
She used a few different products for this look, including Schwarzkopf Got2b Styling Gel Ultra Glued to deadbolt all the frizzies down, and L'Oreal Paris Magic ReTouch Temporary Root Concealer Spray to even the colour out.
I felt elegant, clean and well, like me. Plus, the bun was perfect for shoving in something like... oh I don't know... a veil!
The 'do honestly didn't budge the entire night. Stayed put. Even through my first break dance. Dance! My first dance.
As for my cute crew in emerald green, they wore loose waves and looked all sexy and pretty and just, well, hot.
My wedding day makeup.
Now for the makeup! The all-important face paint.
My makeup artist was the lovely, talented Katie Moore. She's a friend of a friend, and after taking one glance at her radiant, glowy, skin-that-looks-like-skin Instagram page, I immediately booked her in (along with her assistant, Cara – because we had about 47 people that needed makeup in total).
She popped over for a trial, and I gave her a very loose and non-directive brief which included the words 'luminous', 'bronzy', 'fresh' and 'classic' (what am I, a beauty editor or something?). She somehow just... got me.
She did the most beautiful glowing makeup look with a subtle bronze-y eye and pinky lips, and I was so pleased with it. Felt myself. But better.
Here's the trial photo (pls excuse my rabid flyaways):
Guess whose ready for a two-hour car drive and a Maccas? Me. I'm ready.
Now, while most (smart) people will tee up their makeup trial with a fancy dinner, date night, or even their hen's party, this loser went straight from her trial into a two-hour car drive to run wedding errands (I won't bore you with the details) and eat McDonald's. Pls don't judge.
But hey – it all withheld 10 nuggets, a chocolate thick shake and a cheeseburger meal (#research).
On the actual day, we kind of pivoted a little from the trial photo. Rogue I know, but we ended up going for a bit of a different eye look. More of a statement kind of deal, in fact.
Y'see, Katie did my gorgeous sister's makeup (hey, Sinead!), who was my maid of honour, and goodness gracious – her whole entire face looked amazing. But 'specially her eyes.
Like...
We agreed that with my slicked-back hairstyle, a similar subtle winged eye (the smudged kind) would tie in better. Also, I realised I never usually go without eyeliner – so it kind of made a lot of sense to go with something more 'me', anyway.
So, we went with a heavier eye as opposed to a bronzier eye.
And you guys, I don't want to brag (I do), but Katie nailed it.
For the base, she used Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter and NARS Radiant Longwear Foundation – both iconic formulas for good reason. My base didn't budge the entire day. No touch-ups. No tantrums.
She then used Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder for a seamless finish.
Honestly, I would usually steer clear of powders but my skin had a juicy grape level of hydration on the day. Probably because I had 700 facials in the lead-up, but also because Katie massaged a beautiful La Mer Oil into my skin pre-makeup. So, there wasn't a lick of dry skin in sight.
She also used Hourglass Vanish Seamless Airbursh Concealer, and Chantecaille Liquid Lumiere Brilliance Highlighter. Drool.
The look! MTV blaring in the background for some reason!
On the eyes, she used MAC Groundwork Pro Longwear Paint Pot and then a brand I hadn't heard of before, but a product which I'll swiftly purchase – Surratt Autographic Liquid Liner.
She also used a nude liner on my waterline, as we did with the trial, and it opened my eyes right up – making them look big and juicy.
We (Katie) also added a few individual eyelashes (but kept things quite subtle) with a few on each side, mainly just on the outside to accentuate that beautiful winged-out look.
The actual eyeshadow palette was a Kevyn Acoin number – called the Contour Eyeshadow Palette in Medium. For my lips, we went for a pinky hue, with Mecca Max Pot Pop Lipstick in Plush and NARS Cruising Lipstick.
For my John Howard-esque caterpillars, Katie used the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz Pencil and Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze.
My makeup look was the last look of the morning, while the bridesmaids got their touch-ups from Cara, and we had plenty of time to play around with it – because the team were absolute guns.
This meant I also had plenty of time to sit there and have three small heart attacks (I'll spare you the boring details), but Katie somehow managed to convince me Everything Was Fine with her calm and chilled-out presence. An actual legend.
The final look was elegant, radiant and timeless. It was honestly perfection.
Ft: Light switches.
I felt comfortable and 'like me' the whole day, and it still looked pretty after dancing my *actual* shoes off until midnight.
My wedding day fragrance.
I'm unsure why the selection of my wedding fragrances was so hard for me/such a big deal? But it became one of those pressing things that I ended up having to decide on the night before my wedding.
I had three options and brought in the nostrils of my mum, sister and cousin to help me decide. I knew which one I liked the best, but kind of just wanted reassurance, because, decision fatigue.
Turns out everyone liked my number one pick – so I went with it, and loved it. Got all of the compliments. Will forever sniff it and remember the perfect day that it was.
Oh, yes! How rude of me. It's Gucci Flora Gorgeous Jasmine, and it smells BEAUTIFUL. Fresh. Crisp. Lovely.
And my husband. My dear husband. He wore Tom Ford Ombre Leather and smelt freakin' gorgeous.
Other things.
In terms of other beauty-related things I'm going to arrogantly assume you want me to share with you, my bridesmaids and I sauntered into The Parlour Room on the Thursday afternoon (the wedding was a Saturday) and got our nails and spray tans done. We all went with OPI Nail Lacquer in Bubble Bath for the colour (diiiiiferent!) (not different).
Okay! Did I forget anything? I can't think.
Uh-oh. Is this the last wedding article I'll write? Omg IS IT?
Looks like SOMEBODY needs to find themselves a new hobby. (Me.)
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Alright, enough about me. Tell me about your wedding day beauty look! Oh, go on. Share with us in the comment section below.
Feature image: Supplied./Mamamia
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