We all know that the wedding day is all about the bride but when it comes to looking fabulous, the mother of the bride is a close second.This is a day that most mothers look forward to from the time their beautiful daughter was just a little girl and every mother wants to look and feel her most fabulous as she greets her guests and takes photos that will last a lifetime. As we age, our skin changes and what once worked in your 20's and 30's doesn't always work into your 40's and beyond! With the help of some of our fabulous affiliate stylists, we have outlined our 10 expert tips for creating perfect mother of the bride (and mother of the groom) makeup to have you looking stunning at any age! A big thank you to all of our fabulous affiliates who helped contribute to this post.
#1 Get Inspired
There are more resources available than ever before to help you get inspired! Ashley from Up Do's For I Do's suggests, "Do online research prior to the big day. Use these inspiration photos and know that they are simply inspiration. You'll want to be the best YOU!"
#2 Stay True to Yourself
As Ashley from Up Do's For I Do's pointed out above, you want to be the absolute best version of yourself, not try to be someone else! Stay true to your personal style and as Jana from Jana & Co points out, "Don't stray too far from your comfort zone." #3 Hire a Professional
This isn't the day to take any chances! As Jana from Jana & Co points shares, "For the Mother, the wedding day can be just as stressful, if not MORE, than it is for the bride. Even though all eyes will be on the blushing bride – the mom is the “hostess” of the event, so to speak" The last thing you want to worry about is doing your own hair and/or makeup on the wedding day, you deserve to be pampered too!
#4 Do a Trial Run
Once you have found a professional that you feel comfortable with, plan on scheduling a trial run anywhere from 4-8 weeks before the big day. Make sure you bring in all of the inspiration you have found! A picture really can be worth a thousand words and what you make think is natural may mean something else to your stylist so a photo (or several) can come in very handy when discussing your desired look! Andi from Something Blue Stylists agrees, adding "When you have a plan, and someone that you trust to make your vision come true, you’ll be able to relax on the wedding day, knowing you’re in good hands." #5 Prep Your Skin For the Big Day
Andi from Something Blue Stylists suggests, "When it comes to mothers of the bride or groom hire a makeup professional, who can give you recommendations on proper skin care before the wedding! Don't wait until a few weeks before." We recommend that you start any new skin care products and/or services at least 6 weeks before the big day to make sure they are compatible with your skin! When it comes to skin care, look for three key ingredients that have been proven time and time again to have visible improvements on your skin, vitamins A, C and E!
#6 Preparing Your Skin Day Of
As we age, our skin does not turn over and exfoliate as naturally as it did when we were younger and we tend to lose more moisture, both of which can leave skin looking dull and drab. Therefore, the two most important things to remember when it comes to a beautifully smooth makeup application is exfoliate and moisturize! Use a good exfoliating mask or peel the night before or even the morning of as long as it is something that you have used before and you know how your skin will react! Follow the mask or scrub with a face oil or serum and then apply a generous amount of moisturizer and let it soak in and, don't forget under the eyes, you may even choose to apply a separate eye cream or even an under eye mask pad! #7 Face
Once your face has been properly exfoliated and hydrated, it's time to prime! We love a good illuminating primer that will not only help smooth out fine lines and wrinkles but will add just a little bit of luminous back to your skin. As far as foundation, we agree with Savanna from A Toast to Beauty who recommends, " Use a light-medium coverage foundation, this will give you nice coverage to even out your skin tone. Your skin will look fresh and dewy and will not set into wrinkles. Avoid matte foundations, as these will result in an older/dull look" We also suggest that you stick with more golden/yellow based foundations which will also give you a more fresh look and set with a light velvety loose powder! As for blush, we love a cream and agree with Alina from Makeup and Hair by Alina Karaman who advises, "Keep to classic skin tone colors but don't be afraid to use a little bit brighter blush, the little touch of extra will look great!"
#8 Eyes
When it comes to your eyeshadow, keep it neutral! Savanna from A Toast to Beauty loves to add a POP to eyeshadow by going in with a neutral shade on the lid and a darker neutral brown in the outer corner and/or crease area! We also suggest that you don't go too sparkly, keep things matte with maybe just the slightest hint of shimmer but not too much! Stick with brown liner and apply close to and even into the lashes and smudge in on both top and bottom even applying a matching eyeshadow on top of the liner to soften even more. Stay away from black and/or liquid liner which can create a look that is too harsh! Finally, all of our affiliates suggest and we agree that the pièce de résistance is lashes! Apply individual lashes at varying lengths from longer on the outside to shorter on the inside to really make your eyes stand out and give you a natural (non-surgical) eye lift! #9 Lips
Lip color is going to be one of the things that you will want to stay most within your comfort zone! If you think you want to try a bolder lip color still keep it in the neutral tones and start testing out and wearing different colors a few weeks before the big day! As for touch ups, you are going to be busy so you don't want to keep reaching for your bag to reapply lipstick so, we suggest a longwear color.
#10 Set Your Look
You want to look fabulous for hours so besides making sure that all of your makeup is water-resistant, one of our favorite makeup tips for mature skin is, once your makeup is completely done, spray skin first with an E
vian spray which will soften any powder that may have settled in fine lines and wrinkles and instantly soften your makeup without changing your look or taking any makeup away! Just mist very lightly and either let dry naturally or you can even use a few passes of a blowdryer on a low, medium setting to dry. Once the Evian is dry, we suggest that you use a makeup setting spray in the same way you used the Evian spray to give you the final peace of mind that you need to make sure that your makeup lasts and looks amazing all day and night!