Wedding Makeup: To Be Glam, Or Not To Be Glam–That Is the Question

My wedding’s just a few days away (which is why I read, re-read and loved Meredith’s helpful post on what you should and shouldn’t be freaking out about one week before your wedding) and I’m getting down to the wire on making a few last-minute wedding-y decisions. Last week I opted to take the DIY route on my bridal makeup and am now trying to figure out what the heck I’m going to do with my face (other than smile for 48-hours straight). But here’s my problem:

I can’t quite figure out that perfect half-way point in between natural and glam makeup. I mean there’s something nice about looking like yourself but it’s also tempting to get a little spiffier than normal on the big day. It’s a fine line, and I’ve got about four days to figure it out. That’s where you ladies come in:

First off, I’ve thankfully already sorted out the bridal hairstyle schtuff: I’m going to steal the half-up, half-down hairstyle that Sienna Miller wore to the Costume Institute gala earlier this year, except I’m going to plop a tiny gold-leaf headband (below, with a matching bracelet on that little sculpture guy) on top of it and clip the back with a gold-y, leaf-ish barrette:

I was super inspired by Petra’s delicate bridal headband, but I couldn’t find any online that I liked or that were in my wee little budget, so I DIY-ed both the clip (below) and the headband (above) by spending some QT in my local bead shop (then again at home with a glue gun, wire cutters and Band-aids for my less than nimble fingers–but it was worth it).

I love how the bridal hairstyle is turning out (sorry for the lack of pictures ladies…my hair was pretty greasy and gross when I did my hair experiments) and go full-hog on the Sienna Miller copy-cat move and steal her ’60s makeup look as well. I brushed up on the Miller makeup how-to post the Petra wrote after the Costume Institute bash, used the very same Chanel makeup products that were used on Sienna and followed the application steps Kate Lee outlined. And I have to say, I’m kinda digging the results:

First, here’s me on a normal sweaty summer day, sans makeup.

Now, here’s me with the Sienna Miller-Chanel-’60s-smoky-eye look. I think the perfect nude lipstick (Rouge Allure in Mystic, fyi) really makes it.

I should point out that my smoky eye application ability is about as pitiful as my cooking skills, but the perfect consistency of the Chanel Intense Eye Pencil (in Marine) and the spectrum of hues in the Chanel Quadra Eye Palette (in Bleu Celeste) really dialed-down the potential screw-up factor for me. It’s not perfect, but my version of the almond-y shape that you need to get that ’60s look was better than I thought it’d be:

Here’s what I’m liking about the makeup look:

1. It “goes with” the hairstyle.

2. It photographs well.

3. It makes me feel pretty glamorous.

4. It makes me feel pretty kick-ass in the makeup department (a new feeling for me), since I DIY-ed it.

Now, here are my concerns with this admittedly glam look:

1. My own grandmother (who is used to seeing me sans makeup and with ponytail) may not recognize me.

2. It’s kind of an evening look–so might look a little too much during the ceremony that starts at 5pm.

3. It looks great in photos with a flash, but a little in-your-face in natural lighting.

4. A few years down the road, I might regret wear what is essentially blue eye shadow to my own wedding.

__So, as you can see I’m kind of stumped ladies. Is this makeup look* too* glam to be a bridal makeup look? Think I should go with it but just tone down the eye makeup a bit or switch gears entirely and go with something else? Any tips on how to find that perfect natural-yet-glam bridal makeup look? Any tales of success (or horror) on bridal makeup that you care to share? I should also add that with Beth’s tutelage on how to apply fake eyelashes, I’m practicing adding a few faux lashes too. Maybe that’s glam enough and I should save the ’60s eyemakeup look for another big party? __

PS. If you’re curious to try Sienna’s look, like I was, here’s what she and I used to create our looks. The Hydramax moisturizer helped as a base and the bonus about the rose blush is that it smelled like roses, which only amplified the “I feel glam” vibes during the whole thing.

More Chanel…

More bridal makeup stuff to consider, while we’re on the subject:

3 Celebrity Makeup Looks and How to Copy Them for Your Wedding

DIY Wedding Makeup: The Best 3 Products for Flawless Skin

3 Blush Shades That’ll Look Gorgeous on Any Bride

Photo: Sienna Miller, Getty Images