Hello brides! My anniversary is this week - which always makes me nostalgic - and I tend to wonder how I would have done my makeup differently knowing what I know now (since I wasn’t a professional makeup artist back then). While you might want to hire a pro for the actual wedding, there are several other events/parties/photos/the honeymoon when you’re on your own. So this week’s series of different wedding looks is for you!

it’s kind of a running joke among bridal makeup artists that many brides “want a smokey eye, but still want to look natural.” I get it! There’s pressure to look like the most beautiful version of yourself, but there’s also the reality that, unless you’re a celeb or run in fancy circles, this will be your one and only “red carpet moment” so you want to take advantage.

A good makeup artist will know how to walk that line. As a bride, you can also be proactive by:

1. determining whether or not you truly want an intense eye look OR you, in fact, want the feeling you get when you see models with a smokey eye (this is usually the case!)

2. playing around with different looks on your own or, if you can afford it, book a few trial sessions so you can see yourself in different looks with different artists

You can shop the key products by checking out my Like to Know It page and finding the photo above. If you’re here for the techniques and tips, you’ll find them in the six-minute video below. Thanks for watching!