Bridal Beauty 101: 1940's Glam

I had the pleasure of doing makeup for the beautiful bride Christine over the summer and I was soo excited when she decided to do the 1940's glam look which is so big for Fall right now. I've done a few how-to's on this Fall beauty trend but this time I wanted to share the products and techniques I used to achieve this look. She was such an inspiration because she truly reflected the glam woman of the 1940's from hair, to makeup, to dress (which was absolutely stunning on her), to shoes, to accessories. Alright, let's get started and get you glammed up!

1. Base: I started with a primer to create a smooth base for her foundation. I let it set for 5 minutes before applying her foundation. I used a silicone-based foundation and evened out her skin tone where needed with a foundation brush. I didn't want the foundation to look too heavy because I wanted her to appear fresh and radiant. I applied a creamy concealer around the nose and under the eyes with a concealer brush. I set the foundation with a dusting of blotting powder, making sure that her lids were well-powdered.

Products: M.A.C. Prep+Prime Face Protect SPF 50, Face Atelier Ultra Foundation, M.A.C. Foundation brush #190, Lise Watier Professional Correctors, YSL Touche Eclat Radiant Touch (courtesy of the bride which I'm dying to get!), M.A.C. Concealer brush #194, M.A.C. Blot Powder/Pressed

2. Eyes: I like to fill the brows in first because it frames the eye and helps me determine the look I want to achieve that will compliment the eye shape. I used a matte eyeshadow with a brow brush to fill in her brows and chose a reddish-brown colour to match her beautiful auburn hair. I blended the colour with a mascara brush to make it more natural and used a clear brow gel to set it.

Before applying any shadow I used a base to prime the lids so that the shadows would blend nicely and last longer. I highlighted the brow bone, lower lash line and inner corner of the eyes with a shimmery champagne shadow with a dense blending shadow brush. I shaded the lid with a matte vanilla shadow with a flat brush and defined the crease with a matte stone and dark brown shadow mixed together blending back and forth until there were no harsh lines. To make the eyes pop a bit, I applied the shimmery champagne shadow to the center of the lids. I used a water-resistant liquid liner in black lining the inner to outer lash line with a flat synthetic liner brush and skipped winging it out because her lid drooped downwards. I curled the lashes and applied a coat of water-proof mascara. To make those lashes flutter I added a pair of false lashes.

Products: M.A.C. Eye Shadow Folie (brows), M.A.C. Small Angled Brow Brush #208, M.A.C. Lash Brush #204, M.A.C. Clear Brow Set, M.A.C. Eye Paint Untitled (primer), M.A.C. Eye Shadow Shroom (highlighter), M.A.C. Blending Brush #217, M.A.C. Eye Shadow Vanilla (lid), M.A.C. Eye Shading Brush #239, M.A.C. Eye Shadow Charcoal Brown (crease), M.A.C. Eye Shadow Brun (crease), M.A.C. LiquidLast Liner Point Black, M.A.C. Flat Definer Brush #212, Shu Uemura Eye Lash Curler, L'oreal Voluminous Water-proof Mascara in Black, Quo Cosmetics Lashes #801

Cheeks: I contoured her cheeks with a matte bronzer and a neutral blush using a contour blush brush. I gave her cheeks a beautiful glow using a soft pink blush and added a highlighter to the cheekbones.

Products: Benefit Hoola Bronzer, M.A.C. Powder Blush Harmony, M.A.C. Small Contour Brush #109, Benefit Dandelion , M.A.C. Limited Edition Mineralize Skinfinish Shimpagne (highlighter)

Lips: Red lips perfectly applied can be a bit tricky. I applied a lip balm first because the last thing you want is chapped lips. To prevent the colour from bleeding or feathering I applied a primer to the lips and let it set in for a few minutes. I lined and filled in the lips with a creamy lip pencil. I applied a semi-matte lipstick in a true blue red and added a opalescent gloss to the center of the lips. To fix mistakes, I dipped my concealer brush in concealer and cleaned up the edges. Also, when applying gloss to red lips only apply to the center of the bottom lip staying away from the outer part to prevent bleeding.

Products: Murad Soothing Lip Therapy, Benefit Lip Plump (primer), M.A.C. Cremestick Liner Red Enriched, M.A.C. Lipstick M.A.C. Red, M.A.C. Lustreglass Luminary

This look can work on everyone and can be done many ways using different products. This is just my take on the '40's glam look. There is a fabulous red lipstick for every woman so keep searching until you find the right one. Happy shopping!