Are you trying to decide on what bridal makeup look to go for on your wedding day?  To make you look beautiful and fresh while being true to who you are?  I'm so excited to have the incredibly talented Klava from Klava Zykova - Makeup Artist and Educator provide her makeup expertise for our #weddingwednesday series on ensuring your bridal makeup is true to you!  Her everyday effortless beauty series highlights ways in which you can enhance your natural beauty but remain truly unique to your personalities and preferences.  

Hello beautiful!

The wedding day is approaching and you have your big things figured out – the venue and photographer is booked and the perfect dress is found.  Now it’s time to think about the rest of the bridal beauty look – makeup, hair and accessories.  Just as you took time to figure out the theme and colours of your wedding and what the general feel of the whole day you would like to be, you should take time to think about what kind of a bride would you like to be?  Will you be a glamorous, sexy, natural, classic, simple, romantic, preppy, boho, elegant, dramatic or a combination of a few styles kind of bride?  You didn’t think there were so many options, did you?

Your bridal beauty look is a reflection of your personal style and you won’t need to think about it too hard, it will come naturally.  Just make sure that the elements of your look also reflect that.  When it comes to makeup, for example, you wouldn’t want dark smokey eyes if you are going for a natural boho bride vibe.  Once you figured out the general idea of your look, you are ready to find your makeup artist.  

There are many great makeup artists in Ottawa and yet I get many brides who had a disappointing bridal trial with an artist.  Most of the time the problem is not the makeup artist was not skilled, but that the makeup artist had a different makeup style then the bride’s comfort zone and preference.  So it’s important to take a look at the artist’s portfolio and notice what kind of looks she/he is really good at and does most often?  For example, while I can do all kind of looks, I naturally gravitate towards softer beauty looks with radiant skin and features defined but not in a very dramatic way.  

After you found your kind of makeup artist, even if you trust them completely, please do a makeup trial.  It always makes me nervous when a bride says that she doesn’t want a trial.  Simply because even if you know the kind of look you want, first of all, there are many opportunities for miscommunication and also once you see the desired look on yourself, you might change your mind.  And there is not always enough time to redo the makeup during the wedding day!  

Come to a trial prepared to talk about yourself and what kind of makeup looks you like.  Pictures of the makeup looks are always helpful, but I don’t rely solely on them. There are so many beautiful bridal makeup images on the internet (hello Pinterest!), but they should be treated as an inspiration and not a look to simply be copied.  I have a very thorough questionnaire that I send to my brides before the trial that focuses on me getting to know them, their personal makeup style, their comfort level and experience with makeup and their bridal style.  

Because what you want in the end is a beauty look that is uniquely yours, that is an extension of your everyday natural self slightly enhanced to help your features to stand out in pictures in the most flattering way.  This is not a time to experiment: “I always wanted to try a red lip.” ;)  Even if the look is gorgeous on you, you wont feel yourself and your husband-to-be might not recognize you on your big day.  Leave the experiments to a bachelorette party!  

You don’t want makeup copied from a trendy look of the moment either.  That will date your whole beauty look instantly.  People might be able to look at your pictures 20 years later and know exactly when you got married just because of your makeup: “oh gosh, those big brows were so 2016!”   

If you want to be happy with your choices for your bridal beauty look for many years to come stay true to yourself and find a good makeup artist that will help you find YOUR look.

Congratulations and happy wedding planning!

Klava Z

Klava Z. is the Lead Makeup Artist & Educator for Burberry Beauty in Ottawa   and known for creating fresh, current looks for bridal, special occasions, runway and editorial. She is an expert in wedding makeup that stays flawless all day and looks stunning in your wedding photos. She has given more than 200 brides their glow and created looks for countless special occasions, runway shows and editorials. Check out her work at www.klavazykova.ca.