Imperishable Beauty

A lady I ran into while mother-of-the-bride dress shopping was sharing her dress hunt for a makeup conference she was going to. When she heard about our upcoming weddings, she said, "Do you want me to do makeovers for you? I'm a makeup consultant." When people say that to you, you instantly wonder, "Okay, so what are they seeing in me that they think I need a makeover?" But her offer was sweet in that on a wedding day, brides do want to have perfect makeup. And so do their moms.

So I did a little research to see what are good wedding day palates with regards to makeup. Everything in me says, "Be natural!" Don't experiment with crazy colors or a new foundations or blush the day of the wedding. If you are planning to try something new, do that in advance to see what it's like and if it's comfortable and has longevity. Your wedding day is not the day for experimentation.

Not being a makeup expert, I did research instead to see what is recommended, although I threw my two cents in as well ... of course, that's about what it's worth.

1. Healthy skin - eat right leading up to your wedding so your skin looks healthy and glows. And drink lots of water.
2. Fake tan - If you want to have more of a glow try bronzer, lotion or wipes. Be careful not to go Oompa Loompa orange.
3. Primer - on your face and eyes, it will help smooth out your makeup and help it last longer.
4. Waterproof - eye shadow and eye liner, especially if you think you are going to cry or sweat. You can even find products you can apply to your eyes that will seal your makeup for hours.
5. Brighter - remember that lots of photos will be taken this day, so you want to wear enough makeup for your features to stand out, but not clowny. You know how you over do the makeup for a theater production? Yeah, not like that. But you want to make sure your eyes pop and lips stand out for those smiles. So perhaps fake eyelashes and lipstick a shade or two brighter. It's all what you are comfortable with.
6. Oil free products - outside wedding, outdoor photos and lots of dancing all equals oil production, so be sure to use oil-free products, except for around your eyes.
7.  Browse different wedding day makeup color combinations. See what you're drawn to. Do a little practice on yourself or find a makeup artist to try different combinations on you.
8. The day of the wedding be sure to have blotter papers on hand, your lipstick, eyeliner and concealer for touch ups ... just in case.

There are lots more tips to be found by the professionals. This is just a start. Personally, I think our girls are breathtakingly gorgeous regardless of whether they wear makeup or how they wear it that day. 1 Peter 3:4 says, "Let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious." And you girls are certainly beautiful on the inside, too.

By the way ... three months to go for Ayla and Rob!

Discussion: Have you looked into makeup styles for the wedding day? How does your fiance like you to look? What makes you feel beautiful on the outside? Inside?

Prayer: Thank you, Father, that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Lord, we want to be our best self on our wedding day, so we pray we look and feel beautiful and healthy. And through it, pray you see our imperishable beauty. In Christ, Amen.