If you are a bride-to-be, bridesmaid or mother-of-the-bride, make sure to book your place now for The Gloss Wedding Salon at The Merrion on Sunday April 10 from 1pm-4:30pm. Book now via www.thegloss.ie/weddingsalonevent.

Firstly, and most importantly, your wedding day is not the time for trying new looks out. If you usually keep your make-up natural-looking, don’t try a smokey eye out on a day where you will have more photos taken than any other day in your life. You should always look like yourself, be it super-natural or very glam. You want to feel comfortable: painting on a face that you would ordinarily never wear will do the opposite. But bridal make-up doesn’t have to be boring. You can have a modern fresh look that wouldn’t be out of place in a magazine photoshoot.

Choosing the right make-up artist is key: do the research, check out their Instagram and website. Look at their style of make-up – does it match yours? I have a very light hand when it comes to make-up and for me, less is definitely more, and I use the natural bone structure to define where I add product; others prefer to cover skin completely and start anew, creating texture and shaping the face using highlighter and contour.

As with every aspect of your wedding, budget for your hair and make-up team from the start; most artists have a rate card that explains all the costs for the day, so ask for this upfront before you go for a trial. If I am too expensive for someone I will always give the client the option of passing them on to my assistant, who will have a similar aesthetic. A make-up artist’s cost will reflect their experience.

When choosing your look for the day, here are a few things to consider. Prepping your skin with a deeply hydrating mask will be imperative for making everything last and look better. Choosing the right formula foundation is key for longevity and appearance – you will have to be camera-ready for at least eight hours. Do you have oily or dry skin? Do you prefer full coverage or a sheer formula? We are so lucky that now there are foundations available that will work with any skin type: a long-lasting dewy formula such as NARS Radiant Longwear Foundation is incredible and genuinely lasts for eight hours; or for oily skins, Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear is perfection. Both of these are buildable so can be sheer or more full coverage.

Always have your trial about eight weeks before the wedding, and no earlier. Ask your make-up artist what product they are using – then you have a chance to wear it, see how you get on with it on nights out, how it settles into skin, if it lasts well and if it is dance-proof.

I always tell brides to get a powder compact to do touch-ups throughout the day – my favourite is MAC’s blotting powder. You’ll also need your lip colour. Get one of your bridesmaids to keep these in their bag.

If you fancy changing your make-up look for the  evening party, using a black liner on the inner waterline and lash line will make you look like you have spent lots of time doing your make-up again but with minimal effort. Adding a red lip for the evening will look great, too.

Don’t be afraid to ask for what you like – make-up artists genuinely just want you to be happy with what we do. So speak up if you’re not happy with something, it can easily be changed.

Main featured image: Givenchy Haute Couture.