BRIDAL BEAUTY. It’s no different than regular beauty. Except you are way more discriminatory in that you can only wear one eye, one lip, one cheek on your special day and picking what you love and what will look gorgeous in photos becomes tricky if you’re a beauty girl because YOU LOVE SO MUCH STUFF. How do you choose??

Divas, it — is — hard.

What is the perfect engagement party look, shower look, bachelorette look, rehearsal dinner look, wedding look, post-wedding brunch look, honeymoon look??

Where to start?

I think ideally a bride should look like herself, with a touch of added glamour. And I also think of-the-moment trends should be avoided since photos should reflect a sense of timeless beauty.

So as I now look at beauty through my engaged eyes, I have found some special products I wanted to share for other brides-to-be or anyone with a special event coming up in their life.

1. Illuminare Foundation

I have recently posted about this newly-discovered foundation and I love it’s natural-looking coverage, it’s 3 options for finish and it’s super light-weight and portable packaging. Perfect to toss in your clutch or your touch-up kit.

I personally love the Illuminare Moisturizing Mineral Foundation because I love fresh radiant skin, but if you are getting married outdoors in heat and need your makeup to last all day and night, I would go for their Mattifying Mineral Foundation. The middle formula, the Concealing Mineral Foundation, is good for touchups or in a shade lighter to brighten under the eyes and around the nose and mouth.

These prestige quality foundations are only $27 (thanks to the simple tubes they come in, no doubt) and they don’t disappoint.

2. Fake Bake The Face

For this one, let’s talk about what it’s not. This cruelty-free, paraben-free and preservative-free facial self tanner is not orange, it is not streaky, it is not hard to use and it is not obvious when you’ve used it. PLUS, Fake Bake The Face hydrates skin and reduces the appearance of wrinkles. All while giving you fabulous faux-glow.

It is perfect for when your face is lighter than your body. True for most of us women who wear high SPF on our faces throughout the year but are a little more lax with our bodies, especially on non-beach or pool days.

3. MAKE Skin Perfectors

MAKE Matte/Dew is a genius compact with a peach matte side and pink dew side. The peach side mattifies, reduces the look of enlarged pores or fine lines, and reduces shine. The pink side gives moisture and glow.

This product is incredible for special occasions because you can use it over makeup and it doesn’t disrupt the makeup or end up looking like cake face. Making it a dream for easy touchups.

If you want more glow but still no sparkle, MAKE Face Gloss is your solution. It can be worn under or over makeup and bounces back light beautifully IRL and in photography. I love this product on cheekbones and down the bridge of the nose. I am also all for a great highlighter, don’t get me wrong, but for occasions where the look is a bit more natural and shimmer may not work, this is your guy.

4. Eylure Brow Palette

I love a solid brow mascara or brow pencil for everyday use. And Eylure’s pencil is great. But for special occasions you need eyebrows on point. Enter the Eylure Brow Palette. 

It has a gel and a powder (a version for brunettes or blondes) plus a highlight powder to pop the brow once you’ve shaped and filled it in. Start with the gel to sketch your perfect shape. Then fill in with the powder to create the illusion of fullness. Finish with the matte highlight on the browbone to emphasize the shape of the brow as well as give subtle but pretty dimension to the eye.

As we all know, there’s a lot out there on brows these days – a LOT of tips and steps and product recos. To be honest, some (read: much) of it isn’t really necessary, especially if you’re looking for natural glamour and not, say, hitting the club glamour. This simplified easy palette is your new friend.

5. Eylure Lashes

If you want affordable false lashes, strip or individual, Eylure has an unbeatable selection. You want long but not full. They have them. You want thick but over-the-top. They have them. You want flirty and a more emphasized outer corner. They have them. You want so natural no one will know. They have them.

Their website is also amazing in helping you pick among all the options, which can be overwhelming, particularly if you are not a false lash girl on the regular.

You can choose by category, style or partnership/collaboration. Under style, for example, you’ll find Natural, Lengthening, Texture, Volume, Definition, Exaggerate, Dramatic and more to choose from. Takes the guesswork out.

And since they aren’t very expensive, you can test a few before settling on your favorite for your big day.

6. Sally Hansen Insta-Ombre Nails

So this collection was super limited edition this spring and hard to find now, but you can totes DIY with any glitter nail polish of your choice. Looks great alone and even better once you pair it with complementary jewelry and accessories. I think Sally Hansen Insta-Ombre is brilliant for ladies like me who insta-chip.

 

You simply apply a first coat over the full nail. Let it dry. Apply a second coat from midway to the tip of the nail. Let it dry. Apply a third coat to the tip only. Let it dry. Enjoy your work!

You can also layer this in reverse if you want the gradient to go from the base up. So the second coat would just be from the base to midway and the third coat on the base of the nail only.

The beauty here is that glitter consists of particles and they are imperfectly dispersed to start – so any chips or flaws can be quickly and easily corrected with a little touchup using the polish. LOVES it.

 

7. Charmsies

Ok, this last one is not for everyone or every occasion, but I had to include it because I loved it so much more than I thought I would. And hair jewelry/embellishments were spotted on many a bridal runway including the incomparable Reem Acra Bridal Spring Summer 2016 collection.

And it’s not an actual trend that will be in or out but just a style choice to add some special to special occasion hair.

Phenom for updos, like full buns and knots.

To apply, you just cut the sheets into the size you want. Peel the white back off and stick the Charmsies sticky clear sheet down onto your hair where desired. Then using a flatiron at 350 degrees, quickly apply heat over the sticky sheet for 4-6 seconds. Lift the clear sticker up and the actual charms remain in your hair.

Not gonna lie, it was so fun to put them on and wear them. And there are tons of Charmsies styles to choose from too. Why not?!

Cheers to looking – and feeling – beautiful on all your special occasions!

xoLC

NOTE: This post is not sponsored. All thoughts are unbiased and my own. Samples were provided for editorial consideration and/or my use as a professional makeup artist. All photos are property of DIVAlicious.

Lauren Cosenza is the creator and editor-in-chief of DIVAlicious, a trusted beauty/fashion expert, an on-camera personality and spokesperson, a leading NYC-based professional makeup artist, a published contributor and writer, a brand consultant, a product junkie and an insatiable style seeker — with a former life at Cosmopolitan and Shape magazines.

Serving up style with a side of attitude, her site DIVAlicious gives women (and men) the confidence and permission to be fabulous. The site is filled with must-have products, pro tips and tricks, how-to DIY tutorials, makeovers, style inspiration and insider access. Topics range from beauty, fashion, culture, career, fitness, wellbeing, men’s and unisex offerings.