Winter Wedding Makeup Ideas and Tips

Winter weddings are exquisite affairs - there is something magical about having a wedding amidst the natural beauty of an all-white winter. Imagine having a wonderful wedding reception indoors while there is pristine white snow on the ground outside. Something for the romantics indeed.

But winter wedding make-up should be different from the make-up you would ordinarily use at a wedding at other times. The natural look for bridal make-up is one that works best for winter weddings.

If you are very pale, then do use a bronzer to be brushed over the face after foundation is applied. If your skin tone is warm consider gold, bronze, toffee and cocoa shades for your eyes.

Other bridal make-up ideas would be to go for cool colors: for eyes choose silvers, gray, pewter and mushroom shades; for the lips use raspberry reds, rose-pink shades or burgundies.

Winter Weddings and Bridal Make-up
By Beth Price

Winter weddings have different needs and requirements to summer ones and it does not make sense to expect them to look the same.

Firstly, the scenery will look different in winter. Instead of the soft shades of summer the scenery will be much stronger with bold contrasts. Often in the winter the sky looks almost white and the bare trees almost black in contrast. Evergreens are present and the grass and hedges will appear darker in winter.

Obviously the weather will be much colder and consideration must be given to some sort of cover-up for the bride whether it be a velvet cloak, fur shrug or shawl or thick lace bolero. Her gown will need to be made of heavy, luxurious fabric for warmth. If you are getting married in winter you may wish to think outside traditional bridal colours and consider some colour in your wedding dress, whether it's just in the embroidery, the bodice or from top to toe. Deep reds, burgundies, purples and evergreens can look striking against a winter background. If you want to be more traditional and marry in white, consider these colours for the bridesmaids, men's ties or cravats, flowers and other decorations.

Much consideration needs to be made to your bridal make-up. In winter your skin and that of your bridesmaids is likely to be lighter. The natural lighting will usually be dimmer than summertime and you will need a slightly more striking make-up look rather than a light summery one if you are to look your most beautiful on the day and in the photographs.

Make sure your foundation is as near to your own colouring as possible. It should even out your skin tone and keep your face looking fresh and youthful but should not turn you orange! If you are very pale a natural shade of bronzer can be brushed over the entire face after the foundation has been set with loose powder.

If your skin tone is warm consider gold, bronze, toffee and cocoa shades for your eyes.

Your cheeks will need a blusher with a warm tone. Although a light peachy shade might work in the summer, go for something with a little more depth for winter, such as a deeper coral or nutmeg. For your lips try a striking terracotta, cinnamon or warm red but if you feel these are too heavy for your colouring and bridal look go for a more subtle, sheer coral or copper.

If your skin tone is cool you will need less of a golden look and more of the cool tones. For eyes choose silvers, grey, pewter and mushroom shades. Your blusher will need to be a medium to deep pink or mauve unless you are very fair and then a delicate pink will work. For the lips again the look needs to be cool so try raspberry reds, rose-pink shades or burgundies.

To ensure your bridal make-up is perfect for you, for the time of year and to compliment the overall look of your outfit, why not visit a style consultant for a try out. They will be able to advise you expertly and make sure you are thrilled with your look for your big day.

Beth Price is a senior image consultant with ColourMeBeautiful. Based in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, Beth offers advice on all aspects of bridal image including colour analysis, bridal style consultations and bridal make-up. ColourMeBeautiful services make excellent Christmas presents for women particularly brides-to-be!

Bridal Skin Care and Facial Tips

In order to look great on their wedding day, brides often visit the spa just before their wedding day. But beautiful and radiant facial skin is not obtained with just one visit. A bride should start on a pre-wedding skin care regime well before the wedding date.

Brides are often busy juggling their work and home responsibilities while planning their wedding. Often all the stress involved in planning a wedding, can take a negative toll on the skin.

Here are some skin care tips a bride can use to promote and maintain beautiful looking skin in advance of her actual wedding day.

This article focuses on a few homemade skin care facial masks with natural wholesome ingredients that should be part of a bride's pre-wedding beauty regime (or any woman's for that matter)!

Bridal Shower Idea:What better way to have fun taking care of your skin, then to throw a spa party at home so that you can pamper yourself and your bridesmaids and female wedding attendants.

Rose Cream Cleanser
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 teaspoon rose hydrosol
2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients in the order shown, stirring well after each one. Apply cleanser to face and neck skin, using gentle, upward sweeping motions. Rinse well. This recipe should be used within 2 days and makes enough for two cleanings.

Tone Up Tea
1 cup distilled water
1 heaping tablespoon dried green tea leaves
1 heaping tablespoon dried chamomile flowers
1 tablespoon rose hydrosol
1 tablespoon aloe vera gel
3 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3 teaspoon lemon juice (optional addition for oily skin)

Heat distilled water until boiling. Remove from heat and add green tea and chamomile. Steep for 15 minutes and strain out plant material. Add rose hydrosol, aloe vera and vinegar (and lemon juice, if using) and stir well. Pour into a clean bottle and label. Shake well to ensure the mix. Store in refrigerator for best results and use within 3 weeks.

Aromatic Facial Oil
3 tablespoons jojoba oil
3 tablespoons rose hips seed oil (or 3 tbsp. hazelnut oil for oily skin)
2 drops rose essential oil
3 drops lavender essential oil
2 drops geranium essential oil
2 drops palmarosa essential oil

In a glass bowl or dish, combine oils with essential oils. Stir with a clean pop sickle stick or plastic utensil to combine. Pour into a clean bottle, preferably one with a medicine dropper so you can apply the oil using the dropper. After cleansing and toning, and while skin remains a bit damp, apply a bit of the moisturizer using gentle patting motions. Do not rub the oil into the skin. Rather, just gently pat it onto the skin and it will absorb readily within a few minutes.

Oats & Aloe Exfoliant
1 tablespoon finely ground oats
1 tablespoon finely ground almonds
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon aloe vera gel

Combine ingredients in a bowl and stir until well mixed. Apply to face and neck skin after cleansing and before toner is applied, using gentle circular motions. Rinse well with warm water and gently pat excess moisture from face. Follow with facial mask.

Creamy Facial Mask
2 tablespoons white clay (recommended: kaolin)
3 tablespoons whipping cream
1 tablespoon rose hydrosol

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and stir until a paste-like consistency is achieved. If mixture is too runny, add a bit more clay and stir. If mixture is not smooth enough, add a bit more hydrosol. Spread over clean face as the step immediately preceding application of facial toner, avoiding eye area and lips. Rest for 10-15 minutes. Rinse with warm, water and pat excess water from face.

Weddings, Weddings, Weddings

I am an endless romantic, who had great fun planning my own wedding last year. Since then, I've discovered a passion for wedding planning, having helped a few of my friends and friends of friends plan their own wedding events. Of course, I've only done this on an informal basis, and not for money! However, I hope my readers will gain some beneficial wedding planning, tips and ideas for this site.

Please feel free to send me your comments to me at weddingproposalsite[at]gmail.com. I will also be sending out informational books on wedding planning, and if you are interested in getting them, please feel free to send me a note; an empty email is fine.

The following poem below for me epitomizes what marriage is all about:

When You Are Old

When you are old and gray and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;
How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true;
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face.
And bending down beside the glowing bars
Murmur, a little sadly, how love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And his his face amid a crowd of stars.

W. B. Yeats (1865-1939)

Acknowledgements:

I am not a professional, especially in the photography area. So the fantastic photos you see are sourced from the Net. I will attribute all outside photo sources accordingly, and most of the photos used here are linked to their original source.

The photos used for the Wedding Proposal website banner were obtained from the following great photographers. Please take the time to visit their sites.

Wedding Gowns With a Touch of Color

Why Wear White Wedding Gowns?

Most brides choose white wedding gowns over any other color. White weding gowns are considered traditional, but it's history is relatively recent. Wearing white on the wedding day actually started as a fashion fad! Wearing white wedding gowns gained popularity when Queen Victoria of England married Albert in 1840. She wore a white gown to incorporate some lace that she owned. After that many women copied her, and wore white on their wedding day - a fashion trend that continues to this very day.

However, there are a few brides out there who choose to incorporate some color into their wedding gown. I have compiled a few fashionable wedding gown looks that show this new trend. I call them wedding gowns with a touch of color - because the gowns are essentially white, in keeping with tradition, yet allows for subtle incorporation of bright colors. Have a look!




Touch of striking green in the train of this lovely dress. The green is also visible from the front of the dress in the form of a sash around the waist.










This is an unusual and bold piece - that's probably why it would suit a bride looking to make a grand statement on her wedding day! The vibrant red flower motif on the white gown is certainly eye-catching. The inner skirt layer is made of tulle, which make the skirt appear full.








Something new, something old, something borrowed and something blue...One great way of incorporating something blue into your wedding gown, is to simply tie a complementary blue sash around the waist.








This wedding gown has a bold red border along the hemline of the skirt. And the touch of red is also all over the train of the wedding gown.