No matter which style of makeup you choose to have on your wedding day, you want to feel confident and beautiful. But given that this is one of the most important days of your life, you probably want to do something a little more special than your normal everyday look.

You might already have an image in your head of exactly how you want to look on your wedding day, whether that’s natural wedding makeup or an all-out glam face to rival Kim Kardashian!

If you’re not sure, a wedding makeup trial is a great way to get tips from a professional makeup artist and play around with different options until you find the one you’re happy with. For many brides, a sweet spot between natural and glam is ideal—it still allows you to look like yourself but elevated enough to come across beautifully in photos.

What is natural glam makeup?

For a bride who appreciates her natural beauty, but wants to add something extra on her wedding day, natural or soft glam bridal makeup can be an ideal choice. This is typically a light to medium natural foundation base to give you enough coverage to last hours, while still highlighting your natural beauty.

There are a few different ways you can put this look together, but usually, it means focusing your glam in one area of your face, with natural bases to complement these features. That could mean a lighter base with a corner smokey eye to make your eyes pop. Or you could choose to keep your eyes softer and go for a bolder medium foundation with a contour to emphasize your cheekbones.

Natural glam is a perfect middle ground if “no makeup” makeup is too subtle for your big day, but full glam with a strong contour, bold lips, and glitter everywhere isn’t your style. It’s all about looking effortless while being a slightly more glamorous and put-together version of your natural self.

How is this different from simple bridal makeup?

So how do you decide between natural glam bridal makeup or a “less is more” approach? It all depends on what you feel comfortable with and what you will be happy to see in pictures for decades to come.

Most brides who ask for natural makeup are probably thinking of something similar to what they wear every day. But even this look can be enhanced and elevated to give you a “fresh-faced” appearance at your wedding.

Just because your simple bridal makeup comes across as more natural, that doesn’t mean it takes less time to do! The preparation before your wedding day should be the same as if you were going for a more glamorous look, like drinking plenty of water and having a solid skincare regimen. With these foundations in place, any natural wedding makeup looks will be glowy and flawless.

It’s important to keep in mind too that natural makeup aims to replicate flesh tones, with simple additions to highlight your features without looking as though you’re wearing any makeup at all. Natural glam, on the other hand, typically focuses attention on specific aspects of your face.

Either natural glam or glam are particularly good options for weddings, as cameras often tone down colors on a screen or in print. Natural makeup can look washed out if it’s not put together by a professional bridal makeup artist, whereas a hint of glam can really make you stand out in all the best ways!

How to do natural glam makeup

When you’ve decided that natural glam bridal makeup is the right choice for you, start looking for examples of real brides or even celebrities at special events that you can take along to your wedding makeup trial for your artist to look at. Make notes on what you love about their makeup, what you’d like to replicate, or anything you want to avoid on your own face.

You can even try practicing a natural glam look on yourself at home before you go to your trial to get a better idea of what you feel comfortable with. Taking makeup lessons can also give you some new tips and techniques to experiment with as you make decisions ahead of your wedding day.

Your makeup artist can recommend certain products that will work well for your natural glam look. It’s likely you won’t need a heavy foundation for this and can use a tinted moisturizer, CC cream, or skin tint instead to give you lighter coverage. A light contour can be added to bring a subtle warm glow to your face and highlight your natural bone structure.

Defined brows are common for a natural glam look, staying true to your normal brow shape but adding some fluffiness and fullness. Many brides choose to finish this style with a sultry eye, skipping the mega lashes of full glam makeup and focusing on neutral eyeshadows and lengthening mascara.

Natural glam makeup will look different on every bride. As a Washington DC, Maryland, or Virginia bride-to-be, you can work with our bridal makeup team in the DMV or FLORIDA, schedule your makeup trial ahead of your wedding day to perfect your final look, and check another big item of your wedding planning to-do list!