My first and biggest concern was staying power. How could I ensure that the make-up I applied first thing would look just as good a few hours down the line? I drew upon the advice of make-up artist Zoë Taylor, who once taught me that a great way to ensure a feline flick stays put on naturally oily eyelids is to layer a liquid liner over a longwear kohl.
When it came to my skin, I knew the key to base longevity was to layer different products in fine veils – setting powder is key, for which I deployed a small, fluffy (clean) eyeshadow brush to apply to the areas I am prone to shine. Another hack I have picked up over the years.
My bridal brief (to self) was sun-kissed English rose – and luckily, thanks to a spray tan from James Harknett (known as the “Tom Ford of tanning”) a few days ahead of time, I was already on my way to success. I relied on formulas – from Lisa Eldridge, Charlotte Tilbury, Westman Atelier and Max Factor – that I’ve already tried and tested extensively, plus I had also looked after my skin really well in the months before, more on which shortly.
On the day, I started with a deep hydration hit from Sarah Chapman’s Skinesis 3D Moisture Infusion Sheet Mask, then applied SPF (yes, even on my wedding day), and got to work. My base came courtesy of Lisa Eldridge’s Seamless Skin Enhancing Tint, the world’s best tinted moisturiser-meets-light foundation hybrid that offers the most beautiful dewy finish – I wear it daily, so using it for my wedding was a no-brainer.
On my T-zone and chin, I dusted Westman Atelier’s translucent Vital Pressed Powder into the areas at risk of shine using Nars’s Blending Brush, then worked Charlotte Tilbury’s Beauty Skin Sun-Kissed Glow Bronzer into my skin. Make-up artists would definitely tell me to apply the latter just where the sun hits, but I bent the rules a bit and used it all over, taking care to blend the product down the neck and around my ears. I then swooshed some extra over my forehead, the bridge of my nose and my cheekbones for added dimension and a sun-kissed look, before working some more setting powder onto my T-zone. On cheeks? Westman Atelier’s Baby Cheeks Blush Stick in Dou Dou, which I applied from the stick then melted in with a brush for a pretty, rosy glow.
