Beauty School. The tips & tools to help you flaunt it, fix it, or simply fake it. Edited by Aimee Manis.
The Overachievers. The gurus & goods that exceed our bridal beauty expectation.
The Trailblazer
Leave it to the ever-inventive M.A.C. Cosmetics to create an educational bridal section on its website, www.maccosmetics.com/bridal. Click away to see the latest bridal beauty trends, how-to charts and hints from pros like M.A.C. Senior Artist Tifanny Johnston, who recommends matte-making Blot Powder $17.50 and full and flirty #3 Lashes $9 for modern brides.
The Scientist
Sue Devitt, the celebrity makeup artist behind the science and sensuality-inspired Sue Devitt cosmetics/skincare line, created the vitamins, mineral and nutrient-rich seaweed-infuse Triple C-Weed Whipped Foundation $40 for flawless, yet amazingly lightweight coverage. Sweep Silky Blush $20 in Belize across the apples of your cheeks for the ubiquitous bridal glow. Visit suedevittstudio.com for details; products available at Barneys New York and sephora.com.
The Minimalist
Save Space in that adorable little bridal clutch with dual-purpose products by celebrity makeup artist Vincent Longo. Cream Duo Concealer $20 covers both under eye circles and facial flaws. Lip Gloss $21 in Nectar is a candlelit, chameleon-like shade that works with peach, nude or rose lip shades. Longo uses his multi-purpose Gel Stain $25 on brides for long-lasting "just-bitten lips" and "just-flushed cheeks" that last until after the party is over. Available at beauty.com.
The Multi-Tasker
Count on in Fiore Bikini Balm $38 not only to tame post-waxing irritation but also to calm sunburns, soften cuticles and heels and even seal split ends. This seriously decadent soother is packed with tuberose, jasmine and rose absolutes and essential oils of neroli and ylang ylang. Available at beauty.com.
The Crowd-Please
To complement this season's smokey eye trend, makeup artist Tasha Reiko Brown for CARGO Cosmetics customizes a nude lip look with the new "do-it-all" Casablanca Lip Quad Palette $24. Each of the gorgeous apricot to beige to bronze glosses can be worn alone, mixed together, or layered over other lipsticks to create light, shimmering lips. At Sephora and sephora.com.
Chemistry Lab. It's all in the mix: Secret beauty concoctions
Sweet Lips = Fresh Sugar Shea Butter + Estee lauder Pure Color Glass
Ah, remember the days when your beauty routine was as simple as the post-cherry-Popsicle tint left on your lips? Amp up that look in a more ladylike, luxe way by blending equal amounts of lemon-sugar-scented Fresh Sugar Shea Butter Mini $9; sephora.com and Estée Lauder Pure Color Gloss in Cherry $20, gloss.com on the back of your hand. Dab the mixture onto your otherwise bare lips for a juicy yet innocent dash of color.
Luminous Skin = L'Occitane Gentle Face Buff + Declear Hydra Floral Fresh Emulsion + Origins Halo Effect
When full-on makeup looks out of place – say, on your honeymoon - even supermodels need more than a dollop of lotion to get by. The trick to an ethereal glow without makeup is to polish skin with granule-free L'Occitane Gentle Face Buff $28; L'Occitane Boutiques, follow with a drop of lightweight Decleor Hydra Floral Fresh Emulsion $46; sephora.com, and then accentuate the positive with a few dots of Origins Halo Effect $16; gloss.com blended on cheekbones and brow bones and for dewy, nearly-bare radiance.
Luscious Lashes = Stephane Marais Comb Mascara + Vincent Longo Volume Riche Mascara
There's no such thing as too much of a good thing when it comes to lashes. Length and intense pigment come with a simple swipe of Stephane Marais Comb Mascara $23; Barneys New York, a streamlined comb-on that falls under the so-simple-it's-genius category. Follow with a coat of Vincent Longo Volume Riche Mascara $23; beauty.com for an impossibly lush, false lash effect.
Sublime Scent = Propoline Honey Soap + Mor Honey Hand & Body Balm + Amoureuse Eau de Parfum
Create a most decadent, and unexpected, creamy honey-scented cocoon by first lathering up with Propoline Natural Soap with Honey & Cereals $9; apothia.com to revitalize tired skin, then slather on a layer of Mor Honey Hand & Body Balm $22; morcosmetics.com, followed by a mist of Parfums DelRae's Amoureuse Eau de Parfum $125; aedes.com, an ultra-French, ultra-femme potion containing honey, tuberose, tangerine and jasmine.
Accelerated Program. The Fast Track to Perfect Skin.
Clean Slate: Leaf & Rusher
Undo a decade (or two) of damage with cutting-edge formulas by Dr. Norman Leaf and Rand Rusher of the Leaf & Rusher Skincare Medical Clinic in Beverly Hills. Erase lines and skin stress fast with Active Serum $110 and TX Night $150. At Bergdorf Goodman and leafandrusher.com
Skin & Tonic: By Terry Skincare
Devotees of the cultish BY TERRY cosmetics are stockpiling the new über-swank skin cocktails packed with dark flower and berry extracts, such as black orchid and gooseberry. Pick your potion from each of the three steps —Purifying, Focusing and Reinforcing – for immediate ego-boosting effects like lifting and firming. $68 to $175; at Barneys New York and byterry.com.
Positive Enery:
The skincare equivalent of a yoga retreat, the själ line is built on science, Eastern medicine and even a spiritual intuitive. Components are cela intuitif, $240, kura intuitif, $240, orbe eye cream ($160), and the revolutionary serum $225 to rebuild and revive skin. At Barneys New York and apothia.com; visit sjalskincare.com for more information.
Crash Course: Instant Hair Repair
The cruel irony of hair care is that much of what we do to make our hair more alluring – coloring, highlighting, heat styling – eventually causes its demise. So, it's no surprise that damage control is the top beauty priority for many brides-to-be. Of course, the best way to repair hair is to cut off the damage, but if you're not willing to sacrifice length, here are the newest remedies for frayed, split ends and dull, lackluster locks:
The new Bumble & Bumble Bb.Treatment Damage Therapy line $28 - $45 heals chemically-dependent hair, including Complex, shown an incredibly smoothing leave-in. Uncolored but heat-fried locks benefit from the Bb. Treatment Dehydration Therapy $28 - $45 collection, including the Masque (shown) and the weightless Treatment Finishing Balm $35. At Studio @ Fred Segal, 310.458.3766 or bumbleandbumble.com.
Stephen Knoll New York boasts a Deep Treatment Hair Mask (shown) to seal in moisture and mirror-like shine in minutes. $42.50; stephenkholl.com.
Other Straw-to-Silk Secret Weapons
Alterna Anti-Aging Caviar Shampoo $19 and Conditioner $23, shown here, restore luster thanks to protein-stimulating caviar. Visit 4alterna.com for stores.
Biolage Cera-Repair is a weekly at-home version of its intensive salon treatment with soothing botanicals such as green tea, lemon, apple and sugar cane. $14.95 for five tubes; visit matrix.com for salons.
The Bio Ionic Super Hydrator Pro Dryer increases moisture and shine and minimizes damage by reducing drying time. $173; beautycollection.com
Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum de-frizzes and de-puffs unruly hair. $18; paulmitchell.com for salons.
Kiehl's Silk Groom Serum is a spin-off of the wildly popular Kiehl's Silk Groom in a light glisten-y formula. $15; neimanmarcus.com.
Hamadi Shea Leave-In styles with clean, pliable softness and loads of shine. $22; sephora.com.
Kerastase Vinyle Nutri-Sculpt Shine Definition Cream glosses and smoothes. $39; belairbeauty.com.
