By Absolutely Gorgeous

So you've got the guy, the dress, the flowers and you've chosen a hairstyle, but what about your Make Up?? Here are a few tips that will ensure you look picture perfect when walking down the isle to say I - do!!

1. Beauty Regime before the big day. To get that glowing, fresh-faced look, there are a few things to consider a few weeks prior to your wedding day. A skin and nail care plan should be started about 6 weeks before the wedding. Talk to your beautician about having regular facials and manicures.

Don't get too much sun before your wedding. Sunburns and peeling skin shouldn't sabotage your wedding day. Consider Airbrush Tanning, 100% natural way to achieve a tan. Ask Cristina from Absolutely Gorgeous about Golden Tropics Airbrush Tan.

2. Body - Mind - Spirit. What's going inside is just as important to looking good. As you know, preparing for a wedding is very stressful and if you are not looking after yourself, getting enough sleep or eating properly it will without a doubt show on your face!

If you are really stressed our consider having a relaxation massage once a week over the month before the wedding. Burn some relaxing essential oils around the house to help calm your nerves. If you are having trouble sleeping try Valerian tea before going to bed, available from most health food shops.

3. Trail. Organise a trail with your make up artist about 1 - 2 months before the wedding. It is a good idea to have your bridesmaids with you to give their input and also to advise what kind of look they want themselves.

Have pictures from magazines to show the make up artist various looks that appeal to you. Mention if there are any particular ways you wear your make up, or if you have any skin problems or allergies.

If you are having a day time wedding it is ideal to organise the trial during the day as this will give you a better idea as to how the make up will look.

4. Have pictures and swatches of wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses. Having pictures of the dresses will give the make up artist a starting point for designing the perfect look for you and your bridesmaids. Fabric swatches of the wedding dress and bridesmaid dress and a description of the flowers will also help when selecting colours. Colours should compliment both the dress and the flowers.

5. What look to go With. The style you choose for your wedding make up will ultimately depend on your personal preference, but there are some other factors to consider:

The Time of the Ceremony - is it Day or a Evening Wedding? A lighter, more natural look is more suited to a day wedding and a more dramatic look is suited to an evening one.

What Time of the Year is your Wedding? If you are having a Spring/Summer wedding, go for a bright, pastel colours. Warm, deeper shades will lend themselves well to a winter wedding.

Your Skin Tones and Hair Colour? If you are Blond or Fair skinned, cool tones of grey, blue, soft pink and lilac are ideal. If you are Brunette or Olive skinned, warm neutral tones of brown, taupe, burgundy and red are more suited. Remember your make up should be a little more dramatic than your everyday make up as you can tend to look pale and washed out in photos if your make up doesn't stand out.

6. Your Face. Foundations with yellow undertones work best with flash photography. Keep away from shimmer highlighters as this look will not show up well in photos and give a reflective shine. Use a light dusting of translucent powder to prevent any unwanted shine. Request a bronzing powder to warm you skin tone and give a natural glow. Place on areas where the sun would naturally hit, for example forehead, cheeks and bridge of nose. Blush - err on the side of excess.

7. Your Eyes. The eye area should be soft and natural with no heavy, dark lines. Keep away from up to the minute eyeshadows and make up trends as they will date quickly, and you may regret it when you look at your photos in years to come!! Use a brow pencil slightly darker than you hair colour and avoid heavy, dark shadows.

8. Your Lips. Use a lip liner the same colour as your lipstick to avoid a noticeable or dark lip line. The colour on your lips will depend on whether you are a warm or cool colour palette. It is more flattering to define one area i.e if you want dark, defined eyes, go for a lighter lip shade and if you want dark/bright lips go for natural, light eyes.

9. Timing. Ask your make up artist to arrive as early as possible and allow plenty of time to get the job done. The last thing you want is to be rushed on your wedding day.

10. Touch Up Tips. Ask your mum or one of your bridesmaids to carry a powder compact, tissues and lipstick for touch ups during the day.

This information has been supplied by Absolutely Gorgeous they can be contacted on 0402 243 393 or you can email them at absolutelygorgeous@bigpond.com