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Asking for natural wedding makeup on your big day is like sitting down at a restaurant and asking for food. The term encompasses way too much: Do you want matte or dewy? Sculpted or blushy? Steak or salmon?
Everyone wants to look like the best version of themself on their wedding day, but that doesn’t mean you can’t dabble in a few trending beauty looks (and—dare we say it— have a little fun with your look). Whether you’re a bride with two makeup products to your name or a vixen with a speakeasy booked for your big day, natural bridal makeup can be a fit for any kind of wedding.
We combed through seemingly countless TikToks and red-carpet looks and asked a team of experts to break down their favorite natural wedding makeup looks for 2024. Cheers to you on your big day!
Meet the experts:
- Sarah Walsh is a makeup artist and aesthetician based in Dallas.
- Joseph Carrillo is a makeup artist based in New York City. He has done makeup for celebrities such as Dascha Polanco, Priyanka Chopra, and Lily Rabe.
- Jenny Patinkin is a celebrity makeup artist and founder of an eponymous beauty-tool brand.
- Kate Mellinger is a makeup artist based in New York City and Los Angeles. She has done makeup for celebrities such as Emma Watson, Betty Gilpin, and Stephanie Beatriz.
- Karina Morales is a makeup artist based in Los Angeles. She has done makeup for celebrities such as Kyle Richards and Dorit Kemsley.
- Cassandra Garcia is a makeup artist and Bobbi Brown global artist.
- Dani Kimiko Vincent is a makeup artist and the founder of Kimiko.
Bronzed Latte
This bronzy neutral look is every bit as lovely and understated as a latte on a quiet morning. “The key is to keep [the eye shadow] to one or two similar shades of brown,” says Dallas-based makeup artist Sarah Walsh. Start with a creamy, nutty brown shadow all over the lids and smudge a darker brown liner along the top and bottom lid. “Keep the rest of the face natural using nudes or browns throughout,” she adds.
Victoria Beckham Beauty
Victoria Beckham Beauty EyeWear Longwear Eyeshadow Stick
“I love using cream products for this look,” says Walsh. She recommends the Victoria Beckham EyeWear Stick in Trench or Pecan for the lid because of how buildable the formula is. One layer will give you a sheer wash of color, while two or three passes of the stick will create a bolder look.
Victoria Beckham Beauty
Victoria Beckham Beauty Satin Kajal Liner Longwear Waterproof Eyeliner
The Victoria Beckham Satin Kajal Liner is super pigmented and comes with a sponge tip to help you smoke out the color. It’s also waterproof, so once it’s set, you don’t have to worry about a tear or two on your wedding day.
Tarte
Tarte Maracuja Juicy Lip Balm
Walsh suggests Tarte Maracuja Juicy Lip Balm because of its “swipe-and-go formula,” and the velvety texture that vibes well with the latte color palette.
Pearlescent Skin
Not all brides want to shine bright like a diamond; some want to shimmer like a pearl. For the latter, the pearl skin TikTok trend is a great base for a wedding day look. New York City-based makeup artist Joseph Carrillo says it’s all about the finishing touch. “Once all of the makeup is done, use a Beautyblender to bounce a liquid highlighter all over the skin,” he says. He also recommends going light with the liquid on your forehead, but bouncing an extra dab on the tip of your nose and Cupid’s bow. “We want to make sure we look like a pearl, not a disco ball.”
Iconic London
Iconic London Illuminator Drops
Carillo loves the Iconic London Illuminator Drops because of the array of shades (including a shimmering champagne, peach, and terra-cotta) that ensures brides of all skin tones can get the look.
Benefit Cosmetics
Benefit Cosmetics High Beam Liquid Highlighter
Walsh likes Benefit High Beam liquid highlighter for this look. She pre-blends it into a BB cream or foundation for an even subtler pearlescent finish.
Ilia
Ilia Balmy Gloss Tinted Lip Oil
A pretty pink shine is the perfect topper for this coquettish look. The Ilia Balmy Gloss Tinted Lip Oil isn’t just a cheeky touch, it’s also super hydrating, thanks to hyaluronic acid and meadowfoam seed oil, so you remain kissable throughout the big day.
Berry Stained
Why apply makeup on your wedding day when you can just squeeze a cranberry and blend? Okay, maybe don’t do that (too sticky). But if you want the look without the mess, seek out shadows, blushes, and lip colors in berry tones. “In the fall or winter, try a raspberry or plum shade,” says Carrillo. For spring or summer, he recommends using a strawberry or cherry shade.
A multistick is a great product for this look, Carrillo adds: It’ll help you get that effortless, blushy, “I did this all with a single crushed berry” effect.
Huda Beauty
Huda Beauty Lip Blush Cream Lip & Cheek Stain
“Some stains barely show up—you really have to keep building them up,” says Carrillo, who recommends this Huda Beauty multiuse stain for more pigment that is still lightweight and super comfortable.
Westman Atelier
Westman Atelier Vital Skin Foundation Stick
A foundation with a natural finish will give your skin a nice polish without making it look like “makeup makeup” and overshadowing the berry flush. This Best of Beauty-winning foundation stick from Westman Atelier straddles that perfect line between matte and radiant, so it looks like your real skin, but better.
Dreamy Cloud Skin
A trip to cloud nine is a big lift (it’s a long haul, expensive, hotel rooms get sold out, etc.). But dreamy cloud skin is a pretty good compromise. This soft-focus, matte, marshmallowy look is an angelic wedding day look that isn’t very hard to achieve. “It’s basically just healthy, fresh-looking skin without a reflective highlighter shine,” says makeup artist Jenny Patinkin. Stick to matte or satin-finish foundations and bronzers, then top it off with a mattifying setting powder to keep shine at bay.
Nars
Nars Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation
Patinkin recommends bouncing a satin-finish foundation like Nars All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation onto the skin with a damp makeup sponge to help set it in place.
Westman Atelier
Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Blush Stick
Buffing this demi-matte Westman Atelier cream blush onto your cheeks gives your cloud skin a healthy glow. Patinkin also likes how long-lasting this formula is.
RMS Beauty
RMS Beauty UnPowder
As a finishing touch, Patinkin suggests setting your soft-focus look with this mattifying powder, paying particular attention to your T-zone (no shine allowed on cloud nine).
Gently Sculpted
There are two types of people: Those who paint brown and white stripes on their face and buff it all out for a perfectly sculpted look (see TikTok) and those who prefer something a little more subtle. Subtle is your friend when it comes to natural wedding makeup, so underpainting your contour—applying your contour and highlighter before your foundation, not on top of it—can help soften things up a bit. “It also allows more room for error,” says makeup artist Kate Mellinger. The result is less jungle cat and more Greek statue.
Tower 28
Tower 28 Sculptino Soft Matte Cream Contour
Mellinger recommends this blendable matte contour as a first step. Apply to the sides of the nose, under the cheekbones, under the jawline, and around the temples, then blend it out so there are no hard edges. (Remember, we’re going for gentle here.)
Saie
Saie Glowy Super Gel Lightweight Dewy Highlighter
Apply a cream or liquid highlighter on the bridge of the nose, tops of the cheekbones, Cupid’s bow, and brow bone. Says Mellinger, this gel formula should dry down nicely and enable you to apply foundation on top without losing the shape altogether.
Sweet and Blushy
Whether you call it “dolly makeup” or “sunburn blush,” a little extra color on your cheeks isn’t just trendy, it’s also good practice for a bride. Says Patinkin, “I always advise my bridal clients to wear about 20% more blush on their wedding day than they would otherwise to help ensure that they don’t look washed out.”
Saie
Saie Dew Blush Liquid Cheek Blush
Patinkin recommends this liquid formula because of how long it lasts. Use a brush to apply it on the apples of your cheeks, then liberally buff it out across cheekbones up to your temples.
Statement Lips
Your lips literally do all the talking anyway, so why not let them be your bridal beauty statement too? We don’t necessarily believe that a bold lip should always be paired with otherwise minimal makeup, but if you want to let your natural beauty shine, stick to hydrated skin and a touch of mascara. A red (or purple or pink) lip will be enough to elevate your no-makeup-makeup to special-occasion makeup.
Charlotte Tilbury
Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick
Makeup artist Rachel Hill-Cherry used this cushiony matte red on Gugu Mbatha-Raw, but the satin formula will look just as rich if you want a little more shine.
Dior
Dior Dior Addict Lip Tint
Worried about color transfer while smooching your beloved? A pigmented lip tint should stay in place. We like a hydrating formula like Dior Addict Lip Tint (because nothing ruins a statement pout like chapped lips).
Otherworldly Glow
They say that wedding day makeup should be “you, but enhanced.” Glowy, holographic cheeks are you, but dropped from the night sky by a UFO. This dimensional look adds a blink-and-you-miss-it dash of whimsy to your wedding day look. Start with a highlighter in your hue of choice (sky’s the limit, pun intended). “Add a wash of shimmer over where you will apply blush,” says Carrillo, then follow with your contour and blush. “This helps to give layers and dimension to the holographic cheeks.”
Dior
Dior Backstage Glow Face Palette
Any colorway of this powder highlighter quad will do, but Carrillo loves Glitz, which gives you shimmery peach, bronze, gold, and pearl to choose from.
Fresh and Angelic
Do you hear that? Is that the distant strum of a harp? Oh no, it’s just you emerging for your walk down the aisle looking like a Bouguereau painting. Fresh-faced and angelic means supersoft, plump, and radiant skin, so you’ll want to lay off any deeply saturated colors or ultra-defined features. Instead, stick to non-touring, just hitting the high points of your face with highlighter and avoiding any contour products. Says Mellinger, “Then apply a light-to-medium coverage foundation using a light hand with either a dual-fiber brush, kabuki brush, or a damp sponge.”
Merit
Merit Day Glow Dewy Highlighting Balm
For an ethereal glow, Mellinger likes this lightweight cream highlighter used on the Cupid’s bow, brow bone, cheekbone, and the bridge of the nose.
Femme Fatale
Some brides are a glass of rosé, some are a dirty gin martini. For the latter, soft and subtle will not do. The perfect cherry (er, olive) on top of a natural, sculpted look? Spiky lashes that cut like a knife every time you bat your eyes. Says makeup artist Karina Morales, “You can either buy a full strip of spiky lashes or you can use individual spikes on top of your natural lashes.”
Danessa Myricks Beauty
Danessa Myricks Beauty Freedom Lashes
Morales recommends these individual ball-tip lashes so you have a little more control over just how spiky your spiky lashes get.
Rokael Beauty
Rokael Beauty Auroras Eyelashes
For an easier, one-and-done application, Morales likes these flared faux-mink lashes.
ILIA
Ilia Limitless Lash Mascara
If faux lashes make your eyes twitch, a lengthening mascara and a lash separator can achieve the same effect in a more subtle way.
Fun and Freckled
Freckles are the equivalent of a splash of seltzer in your lemonade. They add a bit of bubbly fun to an already refreshing look. Of course, not all of us are naturally blessed with freckles, but it’s easy to fake them with a few strategically placed spots of brown eyeliner. “The reason this works for brides is because the faux freckles give the illusion that you’re not wearing too much makeup,” says Morales. So if you want a full-coverage base but also want to look natural, this is a great trick.
Freck Beauty
Freck Beauty The Original Freckle
A nice sharp eyeliner will do, Morales notes, but this fine-tipped applicator creates even more realistic freckles because of the lightweight formula and flexible brush.
Bare Skin
Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise: If you don’t wear makeup now, you don’t have to start on your wedding day. “Bare skin is totally and authentically you,” says Mellinger. “It works with everything, and you know your significant other won’t think you look like someone else as you walk down the aisle.” All you need is a good skin-care routine, a glowy moisturizer, and maybe a few dabs of concealer.
Pai Skincare
Pai Skincare Resurrection Girl Hydrating Mask
A soothing and hydrating treatment the night before your wedding, like this Best of Beauty-winning gel mask, will start you off right for wearing naked bridal skin.
Bioderma
Bioderma Sébium Mat Control Moisturizer
Mellinger recommends this mattifying moisturizer to “tame down the shiny high points of the face—or anywhere you don’t want to look too dewy.”
Glossier
Glossier Stretch Concealer
“If you have any redness or imperfections to cover, use a cream concealer and a small, fluffy eye shadow brush to lightly buff over those areas,” says Mellinger. She likes this buildable formula from Glossier.
Hydrated Goddess
We know you don’t drink enough water, but that doesn’t mean you can’t look like a picture of dewy, hydrated perfection on your wedding day. (You should also actually drink water on the big day.) “[Dewy skin] is great for brides, so long as you keep the dewiness in the right places,” says makeup artist Cassandra Garcia. “Keep the T-zone lightly powdered, and use the appropriate skin care and highlighting powder on the high points of the cheeks.”
Iconic London
Iconic London Underglow Blurring Primer
To start, Carrillo recommends this glowy primer to give your dewy finish a little extra “I’ll have what she’s having” oomph.
Maybelline New York
Maybelline Fit Me Dewy + Smooth Foundation
Carrillo also likes the hydrating finish of this medium-coverage foundation, which will make your skin look refreshed, not buried under caked-on base.
REFY
Refy Gloss Highlighter
To give the high points of your face that extra-moisturized sheen, a creamy highlighter like this high-gloss formula can be tapped on with your fingers.
Pretty and Pouty
Most of the time, a wedding ceremony is sealed with a kiss—except, of course, the really dramatic ones when there’s a runaway bride or an audience objection. Assuming you stick around for the symbolic moment, a pouty, cherub lip will be even more kissable. “The trick is all in the lip liner,” says Carrillo. Instead of defining the points of your Cupid’s bow, connect the two points with your liner, then fill in the gap. “Then line the rest of the lip as usual, and clean up the edges.”
Make Up For Ever
Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencil Brow, Eye & Lip Liner
Carrillo likes this blendable lip pencil to define a cherub lip, especially in Wherever Walnut, which he says is a great universal color for a neutral pink lip.
Full and Fluffy Brows
“Brows are instrumental to your wedding makeup look,” says makeup artist Dani Kimiko Vincent. “They frame and define eyes and add structure to the entire face.” Those of us who lived through the ’90s may no longer have much to work with here, but filling brows in with a pencil and brushing them up with a strong-hold gel will give them that soft, touchable, fluffy look that everyone is coveting in 2024.
Kimiko
Kimiko The Brow Sensei
Vincent recommends her namesake brand’s clear brow gel for “the perfect amount of lift and hold without being flaky or feeling stiff.”
Nyx Professional Makeup
Nyx Professional Makeup Thick it Stick it! Thickening Brow Gel Mascara
If you need a little extra coverage for sparse hair, a tinted gel can help you fake big, luscious brows. Says Vincent, “Begin at the front of your brows and brush upwards, working your way along the brow, and tapering the lift slightly at the ends.”
Modern Monochrome
Monochromatic makeup says “I’m not a regular bride, I’m a cool bride.” You don’t have time for 5, 10, or 15 products—just a few multitaskers will do the trick. So cool! So low-maintenance! Everyone will marvel at your astounding bridal chill-ness. All you need to do is match the big three: eyes, lips, cheeks. “The key is finding the perfect tone that brings out your eyes, lips, and cheeks in a way that still feels natural,” says Vincent. These deep mauve tones look great on Rachel Zegler’s olive skin, but peach and rose are equally suitable for a bride.
Charlotte Tilbury
Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick
Charlotte Tilbury
Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Blush
Charlotte Tilbury
Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Eyeshadow Palette
Vincent suggests a trio of Charlotte Tilbury blush, lipstick, and eye shadow in the Pillow Talk collection for a flattering (and very cohesive) berry-hued look.
Coquettish and Flirty
Coquette eyes are the spiritual soulmate of cherub lips. They’re sweet and flirty with a playful dash of “Who, me?” (Cue the innocent eyelash flutter.) Vincent recommends drawing a slim line of gel liner from the center of the eyelid outward and ending in a slight flick to create a doe-eyed look. Then focus mascara on the outer corners, she says, to “draw the eye shape up and outwards.”
Inglot
Inglot AMC Eyeliner Gel
Morphe
Morphe M250-0 Detail Gel and Cream Liner Brush
Vincent recommends this long-wearing gel eyeliner and a super-duper fine-tipped brush to create your coquette look.
Velour Lashes
Velour Lashes Would I Lie? Effortless Full False Lashes
“To amp it up further, consider adding winged false lashes,” says Vincent. These falsies are more dramatic on the outer corners, which adds to the fluttery-ingenue vibe.
Pop of Color
If you want to punch up your natural wedding makeup with a pop of fun, a color wash eye shadow is very “Oh, I just picked up this effortless little trick at New York Fashion Week” (“where I was a model…with my girl Kendall Jenner”). But there is, actually, a teensy bit of effort involved to make sure it doesn’t read totally flat. Says Vincent, “If you don’t have naturally deep-set eyes, first contour your eyes in the tone you would use for your face, similar to underpainting. This way,” she adds, “the sheer color placed on top will allow that contour to show through and still have the color wash effect.”
Rare Beauty
Rare Beauty Stay Vulnerable Liquid Eyeshadow
We can see this blendable satin-finish eye shadow in Nearly Apricot at a chic art-gallery wedding in Miami (where, we assume, all of Kendall Jenner’s friends get married).
Subtle Shimmer
If this—the blessed year of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour—has taught us anything, it’s that glitter never goes out of style (see what we did there?). You don’t need to show up to your wedding totally bejeweled (last one). A subtle touch of shimmer can give a natural bridal look a little extra magic. And we do mean subtle: “Pay attention to placement, as sparkle in the wrong places can read as shine in photos,” says Vincent. “Reserve application to the center of the eyelids to give a twinkle to your look without overpowering it.”
Urban Decay
Urban Decay 24/7 Moondust Eyeshadow
This sparkly shadow comes in a few bridal-friendly colors, such as a pearly white and a bronze gold, but Vincent likes the elegant champagne-hued Space Cowboy to add just a little interest to the eyelids.
Kitten Eye
A cat eye isn’t exactly natural, for a human, anyway. But that look’s younger, subtler sibling, a kitten eye, is a much better fit for a natural bridal beauty look. Just a casual flick at the outer corners of the eyes can be sexy without feeling painted on. Use a precise liquid liner along the upper lash line, then when you get to the end, give it the teensiest flick. Clean it up with a cotton swab for a low-maintenance but sexy look that practically purrs.
Stila
Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner
If you guessed we’d recommend this crowd-pleasing, Best of Beauty-winning felt-tip liner, you guessed right. Its staying power makes it perfect for a long day of vows, toasts, a few tears, and dancing.
More wedding beauty trends:
- Bridesmaid Nail Ideas the Whole Bridal Party Will Love
- The Best Wedding Day Makeup Tips From Makeup Artists
- Stunning Wedding Nail Ideas for Any Type of Bride
Rachel Bilson’s 10-Minute Beauty Routine: