DIY Wedding Makeup Buys

For my wedding, I knew that I wanted to do my own makeup, but I also knew that I had to step up my game a little for the big day - my makeup had to last for over twelve hours, be professional-photo ready, and also wedding-day-weeping ready. Here are a few things that I found and liked!

Vera Wang LoveStruck
I had actually bought this in October with an Ulta gift card I got for my birthday, but the smell will always make me thing of the last few months of planning and errand running. For my actual day I wore Vera Wang Princess - I think that scent is more romantic - but for every day wear, LoveStruck is perfect. I love this little roller a lot more than I thought I would, but the cap is broken and leaks inside of my purse. See how crooked it is?!

elf Mineral Face Primer
Before this, I had only ever used primer for my eyes, like Urban Decay's magic potion primer. However, when I was researching wedding makeup tips, a lot of people said that a face primer was a must. I have noticed that my foundation does wear off and get a little splotchy as the day goes on, so I didn't want that to happen mid-ceremony. This primer was less than $10 at Target and I honestly really love it. I'll definitely use it proooobably most days. It takes about a second to apply - it's just a clear little goo that feels like silicon on your face. It didn't really look like anything when I put it on - some reviews say that they could tell it was evening out blemishes and pores - but I did notice that my foundation went on a lot smoother, less streaky, and lasted a lot longer.

Crabtree & Evelyn Hand Therapy
This was the first wedding present we got on Saturday! My best friend and bridesmaid Claire picked this up for me and gave it to me while we were getting ready. The smell - Tarocco Orange - is delicious and was a nice little relaxing detail to all the preparation.

Revlon Colorstay Liquid Foundation
I usually don't wear liquid foundation, but in the same researching that recommended using a face primer, I also found that a lot of brides swore by the quality of this brand. Again, I really loved it, and will probably even switch over to using this on a more frequent basis. It was a lot easier to apply than I remember other liquid foundation to be (and a little goes a long way). The shade was perfect, it didn't fade or get blotchy and streaky, and it didn't look cake-y like I was ready to go on stage.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Eyeliner
This is my favorite! I love wearing white eyeliner on my water line - I think it adds a cute, uh, "eye-popping" effect, but I felt that the stark white might be a little weird for my otherwise neutral look for the day. Someone posted this product on Pinterest and I knew I had to have it. I found it at Target for around $5 and I'm in love. It makes your eyes look larger, but without the bright white.

Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes Mascara
This brand of mascara is the queen of drug store finds. This stuff was great, what can I say? Basic, sturdy mascara - it didn't go on too clumpy, but it was wet enough to coat all of my lashes. Plus, the heart-shaped wand really is the cutest.

Urban Decay Naked3 Palette
As you maybe guessed from my Christmas photos, Markie gifted me with the amazing Naked3 palette - my very first of the Urban Decay eye shadows. I love this thing. And thanks to my elf face primer, my foundation, and my Too Faced eyeshadow primer, and - ohh yeah - a layer of white eye crayon on my lids - this eyeshadow lasted all day and looked perfect until I fell asleep. I used Strange on my brow bone, Dust all over my lid with Buzz on the outside halves - then I used Limit and finally Nooner in the eyelid crease. I didn't use anything darker than Nooner - my eyeliner itself was Sonia Kashuk's gel eyeliner in black, and I didn't want to have to smoky of eyes for my wedding day.

Here, have a grainy iPhone photo from that day to show you what my face looked like!
The only other makeup I used besides the items I listed here was blush from elf (which I think rivals Nars Orgasm and is only $3 and comes with a bronzer), Burt's Bees chapstick, Sonia Kashuk gel liner in black, an off-brand eye crayon in white that I bought for a dollar at heartbreaker (I think it is similar to Nyx jumbo eye pencil), and Revlon's Color Burst Lip Butter in Sugar Plum (the name totally fit with my Nutcracker winter wedding). I bought an elf concealer/highlighter but didn't end up needing it. Also, you can see my manicure! I got my very first gel polish manicure at Aveda the Thursday before and I love it - they used OPI Bubble Bath, I believe.

Let me know if you have any questions! I was so happy to do my own makeup - I wanted to look like me walking down the aisle. I don't regret it at all. It was also pretty special to get to doll myself up for Mark.

xoxo, MaDonna