JUST like your hair, it’s never too early to start prepping your skin for your wedding day.
Before you ever start thinking about what make-up look you’ll go for, you can begin the groundwork.
This article was featured in our Weddings Spring 2025 supplement – you can read the full supplement here!
It’s not a terribly attractive analogy but think of it like painting your house – in the same way that you need to clean down surfaces and fill in holes and cracks etc, so too do you need to attend to your skin basics.
The benefit is not only that you glow on the day, but you’ll have the perfect canvas for your make-up artist to work on.
Gone are the days of brides piling on layers upon layers of foundation and bronzer and transforming into an almost unrecognisable version of themselves.
Enhancing yourself and your skin is what it’s all about now.
Fortunately we’re really lucky in West Cork to have excellent skin experts to help us on that journey.
Through a consultation they will assess your skin, figure out what treatments, if any, will benefit you and what skincare regime to follow.
With so much choice available, it’s easy to get carried away, and with some treatments coming with hefty price tags, it’s important to know what will deliver results for you, and what’s best ignored.
Schedules are crucial for some treatments that will require down-time, or top-ups, so make sure you discuss timing with your therapist.
We feel a bit like a broken record but a make-up trial is absolutely essential, and if you can at all it’s ideal to get your hair trial done on the same day so you get an idea of your complete look.
Take photos in different light, see how it lasts and what touch-ups, if any, are needed. It’s a no brainer.
When it comes to looks, the most popular bridal look is a classic one, which for 2025 has been given a new name of ‘old money make-up.’
It’s all about creating a very natural and polished face, one that elevates you rather than transforming you.
It’s essentially the ‘no make-up make-up’ look with a dewy almost glassy foundation, and if done correctly it looks fabulous.
It’s going to suit brides of all ages, and will work with almost every style of dress.
For the more trend-driven bride, there’s lots of fun to be had with blush, specifically TikTok’s favourite, sunset blush, where you mix different colours for impact, and pretty much sweep it all over the face.
Worth noting though is that this is probably best suited to younger skin tones, or for those who don’t mind making a statement.
Other make-up trends for 2025 include mocha-toned eye hues; attention-grabbing purples, or slightly less statement-making plums and burgundies.
In fact eye make-up is very much on-trend in general with a big focus on shimmery finishes.
Will it age your wedding photos quite quickly? It most certainly will, but you’ll have a lot of fun so who cares?!
A current TikTok favourite is 'sunset blush' which uses a mix of colours for impact
Fake lashes (some strategically placed individual ones) are always recommended.
They’re so natural looking now that you’ll be able to pass them off as your own.
Fake tan, even a light spritz, is also advised, but a new ‘fakie’ trend for 2025 are fake freckles.
You can go full-on blingy with jewelled adornments for your dancing if you wish, or just draw in a couple of subtle ones here and there if you so wish.
The final word goes to brows – this year they’re going skinny. But that doesn’t mean you should reacquaint yourself with your tweezers – this is another job best left to the experts!
