Okay, first off, I have to say I have learned a -lot- in the first few days after stumbling upon this awesome community. Thank you! Truth be told I am a total amateur when it comes to make up. My day to day look is very neutral - I wear concealer, foundation, mascara, blush, and usually one shade of neutral eyeshadow. Nothing fancy.

So, I am to be a beautiful and blushing bride come October and I have no idea what I should do as far as makeup is concerned. I want something a little more special than I do everyday, but I am not sure what direction to go in. On top of that, I am on a limited budget. I have maybe $50 to put towards makeup. I've gone looking for new stuff and I stand there staring at all of the hundreds of products. I just don't know where to start! That being said, I'm hoping someone here can help point me in the right direction, maybe even give me some specific instruction... Let me tell you what I'm working with.

This is my dress. These are my shoes. This is my veil. It is an outdoor, late afternoon, fall wedding, at a vineyard/bed and breakfast. I have olive skin, blue eyes, full brows, and dark brown hair. Here is a photo of me - second from the left in the circle dress. (braces will be off before the wedding!)

I am leaning towards something peachy/gold/bronze (think Jessica Alba), but I don't know how to achieve that or if that would be appropriate. Keep in my mind I have never applied eyeliner in my life!

Opinions, suggestions, anything, please just help me!

Thanks a million,

MissMyrtle

What color is your dress? If it's white, personally I might go with a rosy look (black liner, champagne e/s, pink blush, and rosy-pink lips). If your dress is ivory/cream, I think that the peachy/gold/bronze would complement it very nicely and go well with your eye color. Try brown liner, a peachy-pink shadow (like Jest) with a bronze (like Tempting) in the crease and a light gold (like Dazzlelight) to highlight. For cheeks, a peachy pink (Springsheen) with the bronzer of your choice to contour. And for lips, try a golden nude (Viva Glam V l/s) topped with a coordinating gloss (Viva Glam V l/g).

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What about going to Mac, or a makeup counter to get your makeup done for your special day? At Mac they will do your full makeup, and ask you to buy (I believe) $50.00 worth of product. At least that way, you don't have to worry about the stress of doing your makeup, get some tips, and products all at the same time

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Kahlil Gibran

I agree with MACATTAK/ In Canada though it's $65 to do a make over of you. I believe it's very much worth it (add the $15 to the budget) and you get a free mascara.

Anywhoo, you could also go to youtube see some tutorials and make tutorial requests. It's possible to do so here too. Or you could also go for an online chat with a MAC MUA and ask those questions away.. Good luck and Congrats!

Are any of your friends good at applying makeup? Since I presume you cannot afford a makeup artist, I'd have them help. If you're a novice, you'll probably not be able to do it well on a day like your wedding day. I bet pros would even struggle a bit with all the excitement.

I like the idea of the look. It sounds like you have the basics of your face taken care of. I don't know what your skin is like, but I'd also suggest powder. Your skin might go nuts and be kind of oily. It's also good to have powder to set your makeup. I'd also suggest a good primer. I don't know about the face, but I use UD's Primer Potion for my eyelids and love it.

I'd get a nice brown eyeliner (probably Fluidline, that stuff doesn't budge for me), a nice nude lipstick (I can't tell what your natural lipcolor is from the pic/if you're wearing lipstick), a lipliner, and your bronze shadow (I like UD's Smog and Toasted). That *may* run you over your budget, so I'd look at Milani Eyeshadows for cheaper alternatives. I'm a fan of Wet N Wild lipliners.

Congrats!

heres how i envision u as a bride
bobbi brown pot rouge in pink raspberry
clinique black honey lipstick
m sure u hav a gud black eyeliner and mascara
silver/grey eeyes-but very subtle
i think the radiant glow should come from ur cheeks
i hope this helps somewhat!

ohh and congratulations!!

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NC25
U know u r a makeup addict when orgasm to u means Nars Orgasm
sales thread:http://specktra.net/f184/huge-swap-s...elcome-103723/

i just came across this bridal pallette and got so excited for u
Make-Up Artist Palettes by NARS Cosmetics
i would also suggest tht u try out the full face of makeup atleast two times before the d-day so tht u can perfect ur look
hope it helps

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NC25
U know u r a makeup addict when orgasm to u means Nars Orgasm
sales thread:http://specktra.net/f184/huge-swap-s...elcome-103723/

you could also go to modelmayhem.com or supermodels.com to find a make up artist
you need to register first though

or go here BEAUTY - In Style Weddings
maybe you'll find something.. good luck!!

If you are not too confident with your m/up skills, I would suggest going to one of the sites mentioned above and finding the "look" that you want to achieve. If you have a MAC nearby, you can show them a picture of what you would like and they will re-create it. I have had my m/up done by MAC several times and you can either pay $50 for the application or purchase $50 worth of product (which is a much better option so that you can get some of the products they used on you for touch-ups).
If you don't have access to a MAC or just want to do your m/up yourself, I would browse YouTube as there are tons of "wedding day m/up" tutorials, many of which use more affordable products. If you do your m/up yourself, I agree you should practice several times in advance.
Hope this helps some! Congrats on your big day!

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~*GOING GLAM *~(accessories & celebrity inspirations)

You can go to it. Pull up some looks you want and bring it to a makeup counter and/or a hair dresser. I agree with MACATTAK about going to M.A.C. I think they would do a great job. Take all that stress off your shoulders, so you can enjoy your day.

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i agree with the girls on here try going to the make up counters and explain to them that you'll be getting married soon and woukd like to get your m/u done. i know my g/f went to a couple of counter prior to finding the right look. and they didnt make her buy the whole 50 of products.

Congrats! Gorgeous dress and stunning veil,btw.

One note about going to MAC. Sometimes the makeup artist doing your makeup may have to step away and ring someone up or help someone. They try to avoid that, but sometimes staffing issues arise.

I would ask ahead of time if your artist will be exclusively helping you? Additionally, schedule EARLY on in the day to give allowances for any unforeseeable issues at the counter. Note: Some freestanding MAC stores have separate rooms for applications. That might be your best bet for avoiding interuptions

I would also recommend that you at least plan on purchasing the lip products and a powder (to control shine) for touch-ups later in the day.

Go with waterproof mascara and liner.

If they put false lashes on you, you will have to purchase those as well.

Good luck and best wishes.

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Wow! Thanks everyone for your input.

I would love to be able to just go to a MAC counter the day of, however the vineyard/B&B we are getting married at is in a rural area, and the nearest one is probably 45 minutes away. With everything else that will be going on that is just too much time I can't afford to dedicate towards driving back and forth! I do have a stylist who is coming on location to do my hair, and she can do makeup, however when I looked at pictures of what she has done I couldn't help but think I could buy the makeup and do it myself. Let's just say I wasn't blown away by her skills.

I love the NARS pallette - those are just the colors I am looking for! I am fine when it comes to applying foundation, concealer, blush, and mascara. The things I am uncomfortable with are eyeliner and multiple shades of eyeshadow. I do think I can learn how to do it before the big day, I'd like to consider myself an artistic person. I guess I've just never felt I had a reason to experiment very much with my eyes as I prefer an unfussy look for everyday, and they tend to stand out on their own.

So, my main concerns are: learning to apply liner (I'm sure there MUST be a thread here somewhere for that), learning to apply multiple shades of shadow so that it doesn't look like an accident or like I tried too hard, and finding a good yet affordable waterproof mascara/liner because I *KNOW* I will be crying, there is just no avoiding it. Also, if I wear brown liner should I wear brown mascara? I usually wear black... I just want to look like a prettier version of myself, not a drunken drag queen. (No offense to drag queens! Or drunk people!)

I'll start checking out youtube for tutorials...

MissMyrtle

If you've got 2 months until the big day, I think that's plenty of time for you to work out a look and be comfortable with your application skills. YouTube is an awesome resource! I'm pretty comfortable doing just about anything makeup-wise, but I still love watching videos to see how other people do things. I've picked up new techniques and skills just from watching videos, and I'd have never known about them without watching these videos. It's so much better than having someone try to explain things in words.

You might also want to check out the FOTD and Tutorial sections here. I'm sure you could find some eyeliner tutorials.

For waterproof mascara/liner, I've got a couple recs for you. For liner, I like MAC Fluidline and L'oreal HIP Cream Liner. Both are extremely long wearing... they last like nobody's business! I think as long as you aren't rubbing your eyes, they shouldn't budge. I know I've cried with these on, and my eye makeup still looked gorgeous afterwards. For WP mascara, I've always loved Maybelline Volum' Express WP. It really thickens my lashes, and it wears like iron. Really. I've never had it run, flake, smear, etc. despite sweating or crying.

I don't think I've seen it mentioned yet, but you might want to think about a good eyeshadow base. UD PP is my personal favorite, and most everyone else loves it too. With that, you can rest assured your eyeshadow will look as good when you take it off as it did when you put it on.

Good luck with everything and congrats on getting married!

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Erica
*fair skin/hazel eyes/dark brown hair*