My wedding day was, without a shadow of a doubt, the best day of my life. Marrying the love of my life surrounded by my favourite people is a feeling I can’t quite put into words. And, of course, an element of magic on the day is wearing something that makes you feel a million dollars with a beauty get-up to match. For me, that was a scoop neck floral embroidered Alexandra Grecco gown and makeup by my gorgeous friend and class act makeup artist Branka Vorkapic.
"Do you know it’s an absolute crime that I haven’t shared with the world the makeup you used and exactly how you used it on my wedding day yet,” I ramble down the phone to her while explaining the piece I’m dutifully writing. Yes, I really loved it that much. Thankfully Vorkapic agrees to give me the full lowdown, digging out a picture I hadn’t realised she’d taken of every product she used on my face—result.
But first, I asked for her number one beauty tip for all brides-to-be. "You should look like you but on your absolute best day,” Vorkapic explains. "You shouldn’t do anything too drastic or something you wouldn’t normally feel comfortable doing. If you don’t wear a bold lip, don’t do a bold lip on your wedding day. If you did want to, you should experiment with it, building up to the big day so it’s not a shock or something you look back on and feel didn’t look like you at all. Remember, you’ll have your wedding pictures forever!”
A close up of my wedding makeup.
Vorkapic then goes on to tell me that if you’re using a make-up artist on your big day, don’t be afraid to bring along your own products as you know what works for you. Plus, make sure you’re 100% happy with the result on the day of your trial—that’s when you should say if there’s anything you don’t like or want to tweak so you can work together to change it.
So, without further ado, here Vorkapic breaks down everything she used on my face for my wedding—including skin prep and top tips. As myself and Vorkapic both work in the beauty industry, we used a mix of our all-time favourite products. Notepad at the ready!
1. SKINCARE
"It’s important to start with a clean canvas. I firstly went in with this micellar water which is a go-to on all my jobs."
"I went over any dry patches round the nose or chin with this tonic. It also works really well on the lips––just sweep a little on with a cotton pad and allow a couple of minutes for it to dry."
"Allow this to sink in while you do the makeup. Remove prior to doing any lip liner or lipstick by blotting with tissue."
"This is a firm favourite of mine as it tends to work on all skin types without causing irritation. I would say to avoid wearing SPF on the day unless you're getting married in a really hot country or day as it doesn't take too kindly to flash photography."
2. MAKEUP
"This gives such a gorgeous yet understated glow and helps to give an even base under the foundation, especially as you had fake tan on."
"I mixed shades 4 and 7 together to achieve the perfect colour. Great for weddings because its transfer-resistant and sweat-proof plus it looks really good in photographs."
"I went in under the eyes with the Nars concealer just to make sure the skin was absolutely flawless."
"I then buffed this into the skin to give you a subtle tan and contour."
"I applied this with a stipple brush for a subtle pop of colour on the cheeks."
"A must for keeping everything in place all day."
"I used matte brown on the outer edges of the eye, the pale taupe in the centre and the gold shimmer in the corners."
"A beautiful deep brown with no shimmer. I used it to wing out the corners of the eyes."
"I then went in with VB's iconic eyeliner to add further depth and definition."
"Waterproof mascara is a must for obvious reasons––especially for you!"
"I added a few cluster lashes to the corner of your eyes to really elongate them."
"Cheap, cheerful and amazing at grooming brows even though it's actually a mascara. It sets beautifully."
"I mixed it with Brow Freeze and that was it. I know you got your eyebrows threaded and dyed just before so I didn't need to fill them in."
"You knew you wanted your go-to lip combo at the time which was the lip liner from the 808 lip kit and Chanel Rouge Allure Lacque Lipstick in shade continuous."
"Sadly the Chanel lipstick has been discontinued but this is the next best thing."
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