
One thing I decided very early on in my engagement was that I wasn’t going to get caught up in everything I supposedly ‘needed’ for the wedding. For me, a makeup artist was one of them because I am quite comfortable doing my own makeup. I am lucky enough to have worked with makeup artists for years, a lot of whom are highly regarded. If you want to do your own makeup but don’t feel completely comfortable with your skills, you can book in for a one-to-one with a makeup artist who fits your style and can recommend products. If you are based in Scotland check out FINA BEAUTY.
If you are still interested, here is a breakdown of what I used to do my own bridal makeup. You can see from my photos, the products lasted all day through the Portuguese heat! The SpaceNK travel size section was my best friend for buying products.
THE PREP
MOISTURISER – La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+]
Whenever I want my makeup to last a long time, I am careful with what I apply to my skin in the morning. I stay away from anything too rich and anything with SPF (that will cause flashback in photography). I always use my favourite lightweight moisturiser that hydrates my skin without feeling like I have anything on.
PRIMER – BY TERRY Hyaluronic Hydra Primer
I followed this with a primer that was recommended to me by a few makeup artists – – a mousse primer you can apply all over your face, including the eyelids and eye and lip contours. It hydrates and plumps up the skin while filling in pores and fine lines. A soft matte finish primer for all skin types and is particularly beneficial for combination skin.
LIP SCRUB – KIKO PURE CLEAN SCRUB & PEEL
Thanks to beauty Guru Lisa Eldgride, I aways scrub my lips with these wipes before I start my makeup then apply a lip balm and leave it to treat my lips while I do my makeup.
THE BASE
FOUNDATION – NARS Velvet Matte Foundation Stick
I love the creamy texture of this all-in-one matte foundation stick. It has a soft-matte finish that blends out easily and I could carry with me on the day with the attached pro tool for touch-ups on-the-go. It’s blendable texture layers easily for medium-buildable coverage and lasts all day.
CONCEALER – NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer (Travel Size also available)
I use this cult must-have concealer in shade Custard under my eye area to conceal and brighten, I love it because it hydrates and stays put all day.
BLUSHER – DANIEL SANDLER WATERCOLOUR – SPICEY
I love this blusher, it is an award-winning, water resistant, liquid blush that is perfect for brides as it stays put all day. Shade spicey gives a warm, holiday-glow that was perfect for me in Portugal.

THE EYES
BROWS – EYEKO Brow Gel (Travel size also available)
I love this tinted brow gel with glossy finish, it has growth boosting properties to help thicken your eyebrows!
SHADDOW – MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot Indianwood
I knew with my eye makeup I wanted to keep it simple, natural and long-lasting. With my bright lip and the sunshine I decided to go for a soft bronze colour. Pro Longwear pots are so easy to apply and blend over the lid, you don’t need any special skills to use these! I added a bit of shading with my die-hard favourite Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palette.
MASCARA – EYEKO Sport Waterproof Mascara (Travel size also available)
I tried a few waterproof mascaras before the wedding, I decided this was my favourite because of the brush which added a lot of length and curl to my lashes.
LASHES – ARDELL WISPIES CLUSTER FALSE EYELASHES – 603 BLACK
I wanted a lash, but a SUPER natural lash. I succeeded! Neither my mum or Zack knew I had a applied lashes, I love these!
THE LIPS
I didn’t want to have to touch up or worry about my lips throughout the day so I spent A LOT of time finding the perfect lipstick…
LIP LINER – LIPSTICK QUEEN Invisible Lip Liner
The girls in SpaceNK introduced me to this, it creates an invisible barrier to prevent bleeding and feathering without that harsh, visible line. A universal lip liner that works with all colours to create a sharp, lasting lip line. I love it because I can use this with all my lipsticks!
LIPSTICK – BY TERRY Rouge-Expert Click Stick
Shade 16 Rouge Initiation. I applied, blotted and re-applied – and guess what? It lasted for hours. I couldn’t recommend the By Terry Click Stick enough, it is a beautiful matte texture but feels light and silky on the lips and lasted all day and through our first kiss! I will definitely be expanding my colour collection of this product. If you’d like a coloured lip liner to match, I’d recommend MAC Pro Longwear High Energy.
FINISHERS
SETTING POWDER – BY TERRY Hyaluronic Hydra Powder (Travel size available)
SO many makeup artists recommended this best-selling powder for my wedding because my main concern was my pores. This powder (just like the primer earlier) plumps up to blur pores and fine lines with a matte finish.
SETTING SPRAY – Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray Travel Size
A beauty bloggers favourite setting spray that has been part of my makeup kit for a long time. I finished off my look with a spritz of this to help seal my makeup for the day!
I received quite a few messages on my Instagram for this product breakdown so I hope this has helped and please let me know in the comments if you have any other questions!
Are you doing now your own makeup for your wedding? What look are you going for?
Stunning and amazing tips x
Author
Thanks JoJo ❤️
Ahh you look SO beautiful!! I need to invest in some of these products especially the Nars foundation it sounds lovely!
Chantelle x
Author
Thank you my love ❤️ The Velvet Matte Stick is so nice, it’s very creamy so it blends so easily and I love how easy it is to carry around for touch ups – I’ve had a constant cold because of the season change and keep having to re-apply to my nose
Flawless! I’m really keen to do my own makeup but was slightly put off when people kept saying I was ‘brave”! You’ve persuaded me to have faith! Xxx
Author
If you’re comfortable doing your own and understand the products you want to use you will be fine…I did a few practice days to see how my makeup sat through the day!