I was the Makeup Artist for a wedding last Sunday and the girls were all young and adorable even without makeup that they agreed to let me snap a few before and after pics.

I especially loved how this application on a bridesmaid turned out because I used plums on her eyes and pink on her lips and cheeks. It sounds like a combo that’s fit for a Barbie, but anyone can pull off some girly shades without going too far. Keep the look grown up by mixing neutral shades with a color that pops (like purple) on your eyes so you can use some fun color while keeping it grounded at the same time.

Let’s check out the before.

As with any look, getting the skin even is the most important part – everything else from there is just icing on the cake. I used a light shimmery pink, medium gray, and a deep plum on her lids before adding black liner and a strip of false lashes to her eyes. For her cheeks, I  patted on Ben Nye’s creme cheek color in Carnation Pink and then dusted a bright pinky blush on top to give her cheeks super staying power. Anytime you’re layering creme and powder together, you automatically buy yourself a few more hours of wear time. On her lips I used a Stila long-wearing lipstick with a L’Oreal Infallible gloss over top which ended up being about the same shade as her natural lip color.

It’s also worth mentioning that purple shadows are not your friend if you have dark circles around your eyes because those circles tend to be purplish in color. It just ends up looking like you have a meth problem that keeps you up for days, or like you got into a bar fight. Either way, it’s a hard color to pull of when dark circles are in the equation.

Don’t lean on neutrals and browns as your only go-to shadow shades, add in some color to your usual routine and blend, blend, blend until the color softens. Even the smallest hint of color can perk up the skin and give you a healthy glow.

Stumble It!

You know that phrase, ‘you could sell ice to an Eskimo?’ That might apply to my silky smooth personality because this cute bridesmaid from last week didn’t hesitate posing for a pic in all of her roller glory. I think it’s because she’s adorable, even with the rollers…

My trusty point and shoot camera captured a few girls whose makeup I did for a wedding last weekend. I think they illustrate perfectly what makeup can (and should) do, if I do say so myself. The word here is enhance.

Slathering on makeup until you’re barely recognizable isn’t my bag. I’ve been a Makeup Artist for a long time and yes there are some really fun tricks I can do with color, but what really lights my fire is makeup that’s feminine, romantic, and timeless.

Look Breakdown:

Face: Dinair airbrush makeup

Cheeks: Dinair airbrush makeup

Eyes: Dinair eye color in Lt Smoke with some Smashbox shadow and Jet Set liner all the way around her eyes. Using this much liner could make some eyes appear smaller, but since she has eyes that are huge and perfect, they supported the amount of color used.

Concealer: Graftobian around the eyes. I’m from the Bobbi Brown old school where I like under the eye area to be slightly lighter than the face itself to give a youthful pop.

Brows: Filled in with a BECCA Cosmetics powder.

Lips: L’Oreal Infallible Lip Color in a pinky shade just slightly darker than her natural lip color.

Lashes: Ardell #120, they’re the big guns that I bust out for some extra drama when I’m working with big eyes with a medium to full natural lash.

No airbrush makeup? No sweat. Check out Graftobian creme foundation that offers as close to an airbrush look as you can get that’s meant for photography and sells for $9.

Stumble It!