We caught up with Sophie Chamings, a leading Bridal Make-up Artist to get her top tips on how to create flawless bridal make up. Here is what she told us:

Integral to everything I do is beautiful skin and flawless make-up. I work with each bride as an individual so that she looks and feels naturally beautiful on her wedding day.

Luxury Wedding Make up
Wedding Make up

Wedding make-up
Every bride wants to look (and feel) beautiful, both for her wedding day and her photographs which she will reminisce over for years to come.

A professional make-up artist can make all the difference, creating a flawless look that lasts all day. It’s also a real treat for a bride to be pampered on her wedding morning.

Wedding Make Up
Flawless Wedding Make Up
  • 5 Star Weddings: So, how do you go about choosing a make-up artist for your wedding day?

Sophie Chamings: Most important is a make-up artist’s portfolio of work. If you like it, the chances are you will like what they create for you. Read client testimonials and speak to a make-up artist in person to assess if they will be a positive and calming influence on your wedding morning.

Ask lots of questions about their experience, the products they use and ideas they have about your individual make-up look, to ensure you are happy with what they will do before you spend money on your trial.

Oh, and make sure they will come to you on your special day as the last thing you want is to be travelling between various venues while getting ready.

Luxury Wedding Make up Artists
Creating Perfect Wedding Make Up

For those of you who plan to do your make-up yourself, here are my answers to the most commonly asked ‘bridal make-up’ questions.

  • 5 Star Weddngs: How do brides ensure their foundation looks really flawless and lasts all day?

Sophie Chamings : Just as you wouldn’t paint a wall or canvas before applying a ‘base coat’, nor should you paint your face. Before applying your make-up, use a primer. Not only will this ‘fix’ your make-up to last all day but the invisible product will even out skin tone and texture, ensuring your foundation looks especially flawless.

My favourite is Laura Mercier Foundation Primer, priced at £28. Containing a small amount of silicone, it works its magic while absorbing into the skin so you don’t even know it’s there. And, it comes in different consistencies for different skin types so you can choose the one that’s right for you.

Luxury Wedding Make up Artists
Natural Wedding Make Up
  • 5 Star Weddings: Should a bride wear eyeliner and how do they get it right?

Sophie Chamings: Wearing eyeliner on your big day will make all the difference to your look. I recommend using gel liner as it creates long lasting definition and is surprisingly easy to apply. My favourite is Estee Lauder Double Wear Gel Eyeliner in dark brown (Stay Coffee). It’s £17.50 and comes with its own easy-to-use application brush.

Using the brush, begin by applying the best line you can, two thirds along the upper lash line, starting from the outer eye corners near your temples and working inwards. Get as close to the base of your lashes as possible so there is no gap between your line and where your lashes begin. And, finish near the inner eye corners by tapering the line until it disappears.

Don’t worry if the line isn’t perfect, it’s easy to fix. Carefully remove unwanted liner with a cotton bud dipped in make-up remover (I recommend Rimmel Gentle Eye Make-up Remover at £2.99) and re-apply where needed little by little. With a bit of practice, you will soon have it down to a fine art!

If you’re ‘fixing’ with a cotton bud, apply your eye shadow after your eyeliner, working around the line so as not to ruin it. Otherwise, apply your eye shadow first. Finish with mascara on both the top and bottom lashes.

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Luxury Bridal Make Up
  • 5 Star Weddings: If a brides skin isn’t that great, how do they improve it quickly before their big day?

Sophie Chamings : If your skin is in tip-top condition for your wedding day, you will need to use less foundation and any foundation you do use will look smoother and more natural. Pre-wedding facials are a great way to get it right. And, try using a facial oil at night; you will reap incredible benefits very quickly. I hand blend and retail my own facial oils. They absorb quickly into the skin, are not greasy and offer long term and powerful results that you simply cannot get from a simple moisturiser. You can buy them from sophiechamings for £21 each.

Luxury Wedding Make up Artists
Glowing Wedding Make Up
  • 5 Star Weddings: How does a bride ensure their lip colour lasts and doesn’t come off on others when they kiss them?

Sophie Chamings Use a lip liner, in your chosen shade (be it natural or more vibrant) all over your lips, pencilling around the edges and then colouring in. Finish with a light sheer lip gloss and be confident that your base colour will last for hours even when the gloss fades away. For a natural look, I recommend Rimmel Exaggerate lip liner in Addiction at £2.99, it suits everyone regardless of colouring.

Get the look…

Luxury Wedding Make up Artists
Natural Wedding Eye Make Up

Sophie Chamings created this look last year for a wedding at Hampton Court Castle & Gardens in Herefordshire. Here is what she used so you can recreate the look yourself:

Complexion
Laura Mercier Primer £28
Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Stay in Place Foundation £27.50
Benefit High Beam £18.50 (used on cheekbones)
Bourjois Little Round Pop Blusher – Rose Ambre £7.49

Eyes
Laura Mercier Metallic Cream Eye Colour –Alloy £18.50 (all over eyelid)
MAC Eye Shadow-Shale £12 (outer third of eyelid)
Estee Lauder Double Wear Gel eyeliner –Stay Coffee £17.50
Maybelline Colossal Mascara – Black £7.19

Lips
17 lip liner – Rose Blush £2.59
YSL Golden Gloss -19 £22

  • Sophie Chamings -Bridal Make-up Artist, Tel 07734 994783