Barely There Bridal Makeup: What "Natural Glam" Wedding Makeup Really Looks Like

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Searching for Natural Glam Wedding Makeup

If you've been searching Pinterest or Instagram for "natural glam wedding makeup," you've probably seen a hundred different interpretations of what that actually means. Here in my studio, I call this look barely there — because that's exactly the goal: makeup that looks like your skin, just better. Soft, lit-from-within, zero "caked on" moments in your photos.

One of my recent brides, Mallori, is the perfect example of what this look can do for someone who wants to feel like herself on her wedding day — just the most polished version of herself.

What Is "Barely There" Bridal Makeup?

I really love to enhance a bride's natural features. The skin should look like skin, with her natural freckles that shines through, her eyes should be clear, bright and open and the lip color should be as close to her own lip color, just the A+ version of what they naturally are.

This is the look most people are picturing when they search for "natural glam wedding makeup" online — soft glam without the heaviness.

Real Bride, Real Look — Mallori's Barely There Wedding Day

Mallori inquired with me for her wedding glam as a busy out of state graduate student looking to feel and look like herself on her wedding day. Mallori and her fiance are both in the Army and their career in the military had Mallori's fiance deployed for almost an entire year before their wedding. Mallori explained that their wedding was to be a joyous occasion after his return and before another deployment shortly after their wedding. She also explained that she didn't want to look like she did for military events, but look enough like herself to feel comfortable for her special day, but dressed enough enough to feel like a bride. Mallori also told me that she doesn't wear a lot of makeup in her daily life (just mascara) and leads an active lifestyle that doesn't really lend itself to full glam makeup. Their hobbies include hiking, horseback riding and being outside in nature.

I instantly clicked with Mallori, she is a bride that knows what she wants and knows what she likes and had a very specific vision for her wedding day. Her easy going nature and her calm demeanor made her even more enjoyable to be around and I knew we would be a good fit.

Who This Look Is Perfect For?

• Brides-to-be who don't wear much makeup

• Outdoor & garden weddings

• Brides who are prioritizing natural skin texture in photos

• Brides who want to capture more of their day to day authenticity in their wedding day look

Barely-There Makeup Breakdown

1. For Mallori's look I prepped her skin with Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Oil- Infused Serum to plump the skin with moisture and start the prep for any foundation products I used on the skin.

2. Then, I applied Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre as a moisturizer and foundation base.

3. I concealed her eyelids first with Anastasia Magic Touch Concealer in shade 4 and set with a small amount of MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural Powder to make the concealer crease proof and budge proof for all day wear.

4. I used my Anastasia Soft Glam Palette and mixed Burnt Orange, Sienna and Rustic together on a MAC 224 brush and softly applied this shade from lash line to her crease.

5. Using an angle brush, I applied Noir eyeshadow from the Soft Glam Palette on the lash line to give her lashes more definition since we were not adding false lashes.

6. I then applied two generous coats of her Thrive mascara which she requested I used at the start of the appointment. (Side note: When I asked her what she loved about this mascara she let me know that it was tubing, so it was very easy to remove in the shower. I also really loved how luxurious the tube felt as it had a lot of weight to it compared to drug store mascaras. Additionally, the tube had a great wiper system and went on without clumping or fallout)

7. Using a different angle brush, I added Anastasia Brow Duo to her eyebrows to fill sparse areas in and used Anastasia Brow Freeze to keep the hairs in place since it is Texas in August. The day's temps were 106, so we didn't want those brows going anywhere!

8. I then mixed together more Magic Touch Concealer in shades 3,4, and 5 and used them in various regions around her face; under her eyes, on her upper lip where there was a tiny blemish and the center of her forehead.

9. I applied Made by Mitchell cream blush in the shade Strawberry Cream to the apples of her cheeks and high cheekbones for the slightest hint of color.

10. I then set the concealer with more Mineralized Skinfinish Natural on a fluffy brushed and used a darker shade as a contour color and applied a very light amount of Colourpop Prairie Air to set the blush.

11. For her lips, I used a little bit more of the Strawberry Cream and tapped it ever so slightly onto her lips. Then applied a very thin coat of Duraline to the lip to seal the produt in place for a longer wear time.

12. I sprayed the entire look with Ben Nye Final Seal for all day wear.

Whether you call it barely there or natural glam wedding makeup, the goal is the same — you, at your most radiant.

See more natural glam wedding makeup in my barely there makeup looks gallery.

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