DIY wedding make-up

Snapped by Katie Louise. Sneaky. 

You can totally do your own wedding make-up. Seriously, if I can do it, anyone can.

We got hitched in September and one of the keys to our budget nuptials was figuring out what to splash out on and what we could do ourselves. I knew make-up really wasn't my strength, but I also knew no-one could make me look more like me than me. I thought I'd give it a serious go, and if it was no good then I would pay someone to do it on the day. In the end, I totally did it myself and felt fab!

 Tips for the bride-on-a-budget who has zero make-up skills

(i.e. here's how I just about did it):

1. Have a bridal make-up consultation. Get to your local department store and make an appointment for a free wedding make-up session. I learnt some eyeliner tips, and a lot about what I did and didn't want. Plus, now I knew how to use more products, I could spend wisely on what was missing from my make-up bag. (WARNING: they will try to persuade you to buy everything they use on your face. Be strong). 

2. Pick the brains of your make-up savvy friends. We've all got them, those friends who seem to magically know how to do flawless make-up. Pretend you're thirteen again and let them loose on your face so they can teach you all they know. Ask everyone. I was honest about my shortcomings and lots of people recommended techniques, products and lent me helpful stuff. 

3. Assemble your tools. Mostly I used my favourite products, but I supplemented them with a couple of new things to achieve the look I was after - brushes, eyeliner, eye shadow, primer and a lipstick. If you feel like splashing out, I can definitely recommend Chanel's Rouge Allure lipstick and MAC's gel eyeliner and Eco Tools brushes. Bourjour Little Round Pot blush and eyeshadow served me well too. 

4. Practise, practise, practise. This was the most important bit. Now I had all the tools, I had to see if I could actually do it myself. I practised loads until I was happy, carried on asking for advice and getting familiar with the new products. Yes, I looked unnervingly glamorous for a night in doing the cleaning, but at least I knew what I was doing now. For reassurance, I allowed myself loads of time for make-up on the day, and had a make-up savvy friend to supervise in case of disaster. 

In the end, I really relished being able to do my own make-up on the day. Even if I hadn't been happy to do my own face in the end, it was fun to learn something new. Turns out make-up - not as difficult as I thought.