When all eyes are on you, you’ll want your makeup to look luminous, lovely and you’ll want it to last. If you’ve already followed the advice in our post featuring your bridal skincare timeline you’re already well on your way, and the tips here will help you look like the most radiant version of you.

Obviously your makeup artist will be on hand to ensure you and your bridal party look flawless, but these 10 bridal makeup rules will help you give a steer as to what you want at your trial, and also create the perfect conditions for success on the day. You can also use these tips and tricks to create a gorgeous rehearsal dinner or day two look, so keep reading…

1. Trial Your Look

You might feel like having a totally different look for your wedding day to make it feel special, but our top bridal makeup rule is to do your research first. Create a mood board on Pinterest or save inspirational shots on Instagram to show your makeup artist.

If you find something you like, but don’t usually wear, such as a red lip or flicked eyeliner, have a mini trial before your actual trial to see if it’s what you want. If you’re shopping for new makeup, ask the counter assistant to apply the look, and wear it for a few hours to see if you like it. Most brands offer this service for free!

2. Layer Your Skincare

To make sure your wedding day bridal makeup stays put for longer, consider what skincare you’re using underneath to avoid pilling or slippage. A perfect base is better constructed from layers of super-fine skincare rather than one layer of rich cream.

Only the very dry-skinned need an intense moisturiser, everyone else can do with a layer of serum, a lightweight moisturiser, SPF, and if desired, a primer. The very best SPFs are transparent and in formulas suited for makeup-wearing. After applying each layer of skincare, let it settle for at least a minute before starting your base makeup.

We love: [left to right] Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops, €36.16/40ml, Clinique Moisture Surge 100H Auto-Replenishing Hydrator, €99/125ml, Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer, €81.30/60ml and Shiseido Urban Environment Oil-Free Suncare Emulsion SPF 30 €41.95/30ml

3. Use Colour-Correcting Concealer

Looking radiant and flawless is much easier if you have a hardworking concealer that evens out skin tones. Discolouration can be from dark circles, redness, sun damage and hyperpigmentation, so the right colour-correcting concealer will be your best weapon on your big day.

These can range in tone from peach to pink for lighter skin tones and dark circles, yellow, orange and darker pink for deeper tones and hyperpigmentation, and green for redness. Use it with your regular concealer (colour-correcter first!) to match the concealed areas with your foundation for a picture-perfect finish.

4. Long-wear Doesn’t Mean Heavy Foundation

Long-lasting bridal makeup doesn’t have to be heavy or matte. A thicker layer does not equate to flawless. Instead, go for something long-wear and more durable against heat, sweat and oil. Most foundations like this are oil-free with a lightweight formula heavy in pigment, so even a light layer provides ample coverage and durability.

We love: [left to right] NARS Radiant Longwear Foundation, €39.50/32 shades, Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation, €49.50/44 shades, Laura Mercier Real Flawless Weightless Perfecting Foundation, €49/30 shades and YSL All Hours Luminous Matte Foundation SPF 39, €50/20 shades

What to Consider For Your Bridal Makeup Base

• Get colour-matched for your foundation if you plan to wear self-tan
• Consider the time of year of your wedding, a full-coverage foundation is better in winter
• Prepare for unwanted shine and pack blotting papers in your handbag
• Buy a compact face powder for touch-ups during the day
• In case of tears, pop a mini beauty sponge in your bag to buff away any stains

5. Set Your Base

For a durable bridal makeup look and zero shine in your wedding photos, you need to set your base with a layer of loose powder. It’s crucial for the T-zone where oil tends to strike first, so use a brush to sweep over those areas first. Lightly dust over the rest of the face, and try to get a finely-milled face powder that won’t dull down your foundation. The best of these is Laura Mercier’s cult classic Translucent Powder, €31.95/2 shades, and Huda Beauty Easy Bake Loose Powder, €38.40/9 shades.

6. Add Blush For Freshness

Because a classic eye and lip look for a bride traditionally uses more muted tones, it leaves space for a pop of colour on the cheeks which looks really fresh. Sure, contouring and highlighting have a part to play, but keep these as natural as possible, especially for daytime.

For medium to deeper skin tones, go for warmer pinks, red or orange, for lighter tones stick to light peach or pink. To keep the blush looking fresh and skin-like, apply a cream blush to the higher points of the cheeks and lightly dust a powder blush on top.

Top Tip: Add the tiniest amount of highlighter on top of your blush for the wow factor.

We love: [left to right] Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Blush Stick, €52, Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush, €25, NARS Cosmetic Blush, €37 and Kylie Cosmetics Pressed Blush Powder, €22.45

7. The Soft Glam Smoky Eye Doesn’t Date

The classic eye look for a bride is a smoky eye but in softer tones like charcoal or taupe, because it looks good on everyone with every style, and doesn’t date. Matte shadows are easier to handle than anything with shimmer, and they photograph better too.

Eyeliner defines the eye, but if doing it yourself for day two, to make it look more ‘lived-in’ lightly run a powder shadow over the line to make it look softer and more glamorous.

Top Tip: Eye drops help to brighten and refresh tired eyes, pack these too.

8. Give Your Lashes a Helping Hand

Few people are lucky enough to have naturally curly eyelashes, but you can cheat. A lot of brides wear false lashes, but if you want to stick with mascara alone, you need two things – an eyelash curler and waterproof mascara. The first is essential for getting lift and curl in straight lashes, but it’s the extra-strength formula of waterproof mascara that will hold the curl for hours.

If you do go for false lashes instead, use a more natural-looking set or individuals that look elegant and modern, and read our guide to false lashes here!

We love: [left to right] Kevyn Aucoin The Eyelash Curler, €24, Chanel Le Volume Waterproof Mascara, €42, Kiss Falscara Eyelash Wisp Multi – 02-Natural Wispy, €11.95 and Eylure Naturals 003 Lashes, €7.45

9. Finding the Perfect Bridal Lipstick Takes Time

Finding the perfect nude is like finding the perfect jeans – difficult and not without some disappointment along the way. Most brides opt for a rose, nude, or pink nude shade, and there are many options out there. Of all your wedding day makeup products, this is the one to go shopping for first because it might take the longest to find.

When you find the ‘one’ lipstick for your big day make sure to also pick up the liner that matches it for perfect lip shaping. On the day itself, keep both to hand and carry a clear lip balm to add moisture, so your lips don’t dry out especially if wearing a matt finish.

Top Tip: If you love your wedding day lipstick, buy a spare in case it gets discontinued.

10. Setting Spray is Your Insurance

To keep your look in place all day long, finish your bridal makeup with a decent spritz of setting spray. There are many kinds, and you can see our favourite setting spray buys here, and they give makeup great durability. They are generally resistant to heat, sweat, oil and tears and can be used again during the day to refresh your makeup if you need it, and a setting spray helps stop makeup from smudging.

We love: [clockwise from top right] Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray, €32.95, Huda Beauty Resting Boss Face, €32.70, MILK Makeup Hydro Grip, €39.50 and MAC Prep & Prime Fix+ Coconut, €32

For more great hair, skin, fragrance and makeup tips check out the rest of our brilliant beauty features here!