Bridal beauty: 8 essential makeup tips

Your wedding is around the corner, and you've bravely decided to do your own makeup. Chanel makeup artist Claire Blavet shares a few guidelines to follow and pitfalls to avoid.

1) Stick with your complexion

Whether your skin tone is olive, dark, mocha, porcelain or peaches and cream, your makeup should match your natural complexion as closely as possible. Paler brides may hit the tanning bed in moderation before the big day, but "the face, neckline, arms and hands should all match," Claire Blavet points out.

2) Don't cake it on

Too much powder is a guaranteed faux pas, especially in the unforgiving outdoor lighting conditions likely to provide the backdrop for your wedding photos.

"The light is beginning to get colder in September. And the further along we go into winter, the colder the outdoor light becomes. You are going to be spending a lot of time outside. If there is already too much [makeup], the effect will be doubled."

3) Foundation is not concealer

A common mistake is attempting to conceal flaws and even out skin tone with the same product.

"Foundation is foundation and concealer is concealer," the expert reminds us. "Conceal what there is to conceal on a case by case basis and set with a sheer powder."

When choosing a foundation, look for a fluid texture you can spread as thinly as possible between your hands. In terms of the quantity, a pea-sized amount should suffice. For the blush, choose pinks or rosewoods, which complement pale, tanned and dark complexions alike. One pitfall to avoid is wearing orange-tinted blush over a tanned complexion, as the result is too tone-on-tone.

4) Matte above all else

When it comes to powder, choose a transparent product that mattifies without adding extra pigments.

Apply powder with a wide brush for normal to dry skin, or with a puff for oily skin. The advantage of working with powder sparingly, Blavet says, is that it allows you to mattify where necessary while maintaining just enough shine to capture the light on the cheekbones, a small edge of the nose and the jawline. The makeup artist also suggests that brides use powdered blotting papers, which are easy to carry and come in handy for absorbing excess oil.

5) Clean your canvas

After putting on concealer, foundation and powder, take a moment to clean your lips and eyelids with a cotton swab and makeup remover. Lipstick and eyeshadow typically go on smoother and stay put longer when they are not on top of powder or foundation.

6) Keep the eyes subtle

Smoky eyes may be trendy in other circumstances, but you'll most likely want to walk down the aisle with something more subtle. "Avoid creamy eyeshadows that may smudge, and choose colors in the same family as those found in the skin," the expert says.

"Everything that's close to nude, rosewoods, brownish rosewoods, bronze, candied chestnut, slightly faded colors, eggshell shades to bring light to the eyes, very pale pinks to bring light and freshness."

To add depth to your gaze without weighing down the look, line the base of the lashes with a well-sharpened eyeliner pencil. Brides with shorter eyelashes may want to use a curler to give the appearance of more open eyes. In terms of mascara, a product that adds volume and length at once is ideal. Falsies are out of the question: too risky on the big day.

7) Well-defined lips

The perfect lip makeup starts with a liner.

"If your lips are not well-defined, draw the outline with a rosewood shade, which suits everyone," says Blavet. To fill in the shape, there are several options. If your pout is already rosy, keep it simple and just put on balm. On lips that are naturally pale, a little color goes a long way.

"Tap with a wine-colored shade and spread with the finger to set the texture," the makeup artist advises. Those with small lips can create the impression of greater volume with a gloss. Avoid bright red shades, which have a tendency to run and could ruin your entire look.

8) Careful how you set the look

Every bride wants her makeup to last all day, but Blavet warns against the dubious solution of setting a look with hairspray. "None of that on the face. Imagine if it gets in your eye and you have a reaction to it. Especially not on one's wedding day!" What to do instead? Prepare your face ahead of time by moisturizing so that you only need a base layer, as this helps prevent the skin from producing too much oil throughout the day.