From getting ready to walking down the aisle, the wedding toasts and the raucous reception that inevitably follows, all eyes are on the bride on their wedding day.
It shouldn’t be a cause for stress; those eyes will belong to people you hold dear and want only the best as you head down the road marked ‘marriage’.
And yet even the most confident brides will want to ensure they look their very best on their big day.
What to look for in bridal makeup
Wedding prep can start many months ahead of your date - think facials, hair trims, eyebrow shaping and a host of other treatments - with bridal makeup being the final stage. Won’t your usual war paint do?
“Unlike your everyday makeup, bridal foundation should offer long-lasting coverage without feeling heavy or cakey,” explains Aimee Connolly, founder of Sculpted by Aimee. “Opt for a formula that provides longer-wearing power that seamlessly blends with your skin tone and texture, evening out imperfections while allowing skin to breathe. Remember, you want your foundation to withstand tears of joy and countless kisses without budging.”
Jen Oliver, Bobbi Brown Editorial PRO Artist, adds “Lighting hugely affects how your makeup looks. Flash photography can wash away dimension and colour to look more ‘flat’. While your makeup may look great in real life, you may need more bronzer, blush and lip colour to make it pop in photos.”
For makeup that stays the course, Laura Mercier’s UK Lead Artist Jessica Kohn, recommends a light layers approach, gradually building makeup so that it remains natural-looking yet elegant and beautiful (with fewer mishaps to correct too). "If you use too much of any product it will look heavy, unnatural and may settle into fine lines, leading to creasing and caking," she warns. "Use thin layers of foundation to even out your skin tone, build coverage where needed and add only the amount of concealer you really need to prevent creasing and caking."
Advice for DIY bridal makeup
The makeup experts have tips for brides planning to DIY their makeup. They all insist on practice runs with Oliver suggesting taking photos in daylight and at night to check how it looks at different times of the day. Time it too, so you know how long it lasts. Her key tip is doing the eyes before anything else: "Don’t risk fall down from eyeshadow or mascara ruining your foundation and concealer."
Connolly agrees that practice makes perfect, and warns brides to steer clear of new products on the big day, which may stress skin. Her best bridal beauty hack? "Keep a Q tip hidden in your bouquet. That way if you feel a tear coming on as you’re ready to walk up the aisle, you can easily catch it and stop your makeup being affected."
2024’s biggest bridal trends
If you're not sure where to start, trends can prove inspirational. They move slowly in the bridal beauty world, with different degrees of elegance, glowiness and sophistication.
"Over the past year there has been a huge focus on fresh, clean, and glowing looks," says Kohn. "Think Sofia Richie and Hailey Bieber vibes." Refined skin is front and centre, with a "minimal and matte eye look, with a big focus on luscious lashes and a soft, peach or pink lip."
Brides hoping for more statement at the ‘I Dos’ will love the news that red lips are back too. Kohn points out that such a look is high-maintenance, but “it is the epitome of glamour and sophistication" too.
For Oliver and Connolly, bridal makeup is all about "radiant, glowing skin". The latter says there's a rise in "dewy finishes, soft neutrals and subtle sparkle," while Oliver cites ultra-feminine and pretty balletcore as a theme eking into makeup with "soft washes of pink and rose".
Whatever bridal look you have in mind, it all starts with the right foundation. You’ll need something that’s a total match to your skin tone of course, but should also have enough staying power to last and shimmer to dial up your natural luminosity. Wedding day makeup retouches are inevitable but the right foundation can cut these sessions down considerably so you have more time to enjoy and live in the moment.
We’ve rounded up the best bridal foundation options around, picking collections with inclusive skin tone ranges because everyone deserves to look their best on their big day.
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Laura Mercier Real Flawless Weightless Perfecting Foundation
As recommended by Laura Mercier’s UK Lead Artist, Jessica Kohn, this foundation is the best pick from the brand's range for brides. Available in cool, neutral and warm undertones, there are 32 shades to choose from, offering beautifully lightweight coverage for up to 12 hours. The skin-finish formula mimics the look of skin and is 80 per cent skincare-based, nourishing your complexion as well as finessing it. Oh, and it photographs beautifully too, according to Kohn. We're sold.
Buy now £40.00, Laura Mercier
Sculpted by Aimee Satin Silk Longwear Foundation
With 30 skin tones in Sculpted by Aimee's Satin Silk foundation range, most brides should be able to find one that fits. The longwear formula is light and buildable, promising, in Aimee's words, to "give you full coverage throughout the day." Customers have found it lasts for up to 11 hours, even without a setting spray - though to use one would see it stay put for even longer.
Also see Aimee's Satin Skin foundation which comes in dewy and matte finishes, both housed in a 32ml tube that makes carrying it around in your bridal clutch all the easier.
Buy now £28.00, Sculpted by Aimee
Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Weightless Foundation SPF15
Say hello to a foundation that Jen Oliver, Bobbi Brown Editorial PRO Artist, cites as her go-to for "a real skin finish that’s comfortable, breathable and weightless, yet looks flawless in photographs".
The formula inside each 30ml bottle offers a natural matte coverage with results lasting up to 16 hours. It manages this thanks to the inclusion of mineral powders that control excess oil and stop it from settling into fine lines or creases.
The foundation offers shine control too, eliminating sweat from the equation. Use with Bobbi Brown's Vitamin Enriched Face Base as a primer to keep hydration levels high.
Choose from 38 shades.
Buy now £42.00, Bobbi Brown
IL MAKIAGE Woke Up Like This Flawless Base Foundation
It was once a challenge to find the perfect shade of foundation, especially when shopping online.
Yet Il Makiage changed the virtual beauty shopping game when it launched on UK shores. Its Powermatch Quiz uses what we can only assume is sorcery to determine the exact match for your skin tone after asking a few simple, rather vague, questions.
You’ll go through skin type, the level of coverage that’s comfortable for you, your desired finish - matte, natural or luminous - and your tone, before it pops a bottle out to you in the post. They’re so confident in the quiz that there’s a money-back guarantee if they don’t totally nail your skin tone. Amazingly, the shade that arrived was a perfect match, with only concealer needed to address darker areas under the eyes and around the mouth.
The Woke Up Like This foundation acts as second skin without feeling greasy or dry but masking redness, irritation and blemishes with a flick of the brush. The formula blends beautifully, makes pores disappear, and is so lightweight it feels like you’ve got nothing on.
Wear it over the brand’s pore-vanishing No Filter primer for skin that looks positively photoshopped.
Buy now £39.00, IL Makiage
KVD Beauty Good Apple Full-Coverage Serum Foundation
Full coverage yet a lightweight feel, KVD Beauty nails the art of the perfect foundation with its Good Apple Full-Coverage Serum Foundation. For daily wear, it’s packed with enough pigment to forgo concealer entirely, and one pump glides easily across skin with enough product to cover the entire face.
All this, plus remarkable longevity and sweat and transfer-proof. A stunning foundation to spend all summer in. Available in 40 shades.
Buy now £34.00, Boots
Fenty Beauty Pro Filtr Soft Matte Longwear Foundation
Shade range: 50
This foundation has cemented a status as the hero product of Rihanna’s beloved Fenty Beauty range. Available in 50 shades with plenty of options for dark skin tones, the popular product lives up to the hype with a formula that results in a soft, matte finish and medium to full coverage. Even those who have often found their skin tone hard to match have found their ultimate shade with Fenty, hence all the praise.
Buy now £34.00, Boots
Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Luminous Matte Liquid Foundation
Shade range: 39
If you’re comfortable with a full face and want a blank canvas on which to create your masterpiece, look no further than Instagram MUA queen, Huda Beauty. The brand began with false lashes but has since spawned not only a makeup range, but skincare and fragrance too.
For foundation, the revamped #FauxFilter Luminous Matte Liquid Foundation offers full, blanketing coverage with barely any of the weight usually associated with such foundations. The liquid glides on and is easy to blend, lasting all day and well into the evening.
Use primer and finishing spray to keep your complexion looking 100 per cent flawless for even longer.
Buy now £27.30, Cult Beauty
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation
Shade range: 40
This award-winning foundation provides buildable lightweight medium coverage and has an excellent colour wheel that will suit darker skin tones. If you have dry skin, this is a great option as it provides a lovely dewy look that hydrates the complexion, instantly making skin look and feel effortlessly silky (and expensive).
Buy now £45.00, John Lewis
MAC Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 Foundation
Shade range: 56
With a motto like ‘all ages, all races, all sexes’, it’s no surprise that MAC is one of the most inclusive brands out there. The brand’s Studio Fix Fluid SPF15 foundation is great for brown and dark skin tones due to its extensive shade options.
Plus, it not only provides long-lasting full coverage but a stunning dewy finish without excess shine.
Buy now £34.00, MAC
Diorskin Forever Undercover
Shade range: 25 shades
If you are looking for a high-performance, full coverage foundation, the Diorskin Forever Undercover may just be what you have been searching for.
The water-based formula is highly pigmented and leaves a workable texture with real staying power. Despite feeling lightweight on your skin, the almost camouflage-like foundation covers marks and hyperpigmentation with a natural-looking matte finish.
Buy now £44.00, Dior
Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin Foundation
They don’t call her the Queen of Glow for nothing, and this foundation brings the radiance in spades. It is fueled by hyaluronic acid, which will lock in moisture on even the driest of skin types.
It also contains rose-derived ingredients which are superb at tackling dry skin concerns alongside their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. All hail Queen Charlotte for this one.
Buy now £27.30, Cult Beauty
