Alexandra Anne Make Up Artist: First wedding of 2012

Yesterday was my first wedding of 2012, and although the weather was a bit hit and miss all week, in the end I think it stayed dry long enough for the bride to get married outside. The bride, Mary and her daughter and chief bridesmaid Nadine both wanted very different looks for the big day, and they were a real pleasure to get to know both on the trial day and again on Mary's wedding day..

You can see below the before and after pictures of Mary. All the hair for the bride and bridesmaid was done by Kyla with assistance from Amy, both from Kyla's Haircare. When I spoke to Mary about what she wanted from her look, she wanted to look like 'her- but on a really good day'. This made my job really easy and I think in the end we achieved that look.

For Mary's base I first prepped her skin using Korres Wild Rose 24h Moisturiser and Kiehls Midnight Eye Recovery Cream. I then used a wonderful primer by Pixi- Flawless and Poreless. This really does minimise the pores and create a wonderful base for the foundation to then sit on.

I used Laura Mercier's moisturising foundation in 'Blush Ivory'. This suited Mary's skin perfectly and evened out her skin beautifully. I used Laura Mercier's secret concealer in Shade 1 ( a real wonder product in my opinion!) followed by a touch of Calvin Klein endless light brightening concealer in 'Cream'. I finished her skin off with MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in 'Light'. I am not usually a fan of MAC products but this finishing powder is so light and buffs on flawlessly.

For Mary's finished look, I filled in her brows with Laura Mercier's brow cream in Soft Taupe. On her eyes I first used Laura Mercier's eye primer in 'Linen' followed by Pixi's Eye Solo in "Nude Nouveaux" along with some of Pixi's Smokey Eye Primer cream blended along the lash line. I highlighted her brow bone to create some extra lift.

Mary wore false eyelashes by Eylure. We trimmed them down so they fitted her eyes perfectly and they looked natural but still glamourous. I coated her lashes in a layer of waterproof mascara from Urban Decay. Along her top lashline, I used a small amount of a bronze/black eyeliner from GOSH- it s a long lasting eyeliner which lasts all day (and night!) when I wear it so I knew it would be perfect for the day. I used the Smokey Eye Primer from Pixi underneath Mary's eyes, using a smudge brush to blend it right in.

On her cheeks I used a combination of Givenchy's Prisme Blush in Bucolic Poppy and Benefit's One Hot Minute Bronzing Powder. Finally- on her lips I used Laura Mercier's lip pencil in 'Baby Lips' and Laura Mercier's Lip Stain in 'Shy Pink' with a dab of Lancome Juicy Tube in 'Spring Fling'.

Here is Mary in her finished look. I absolutely love this photo and her dress is stunning!

Nadine's base was by Rochas- Teint Hydra-Confort in Shade 21. I used Pixi Eye Bright Kit in Shade 3, along with Calvin Klein'endless light brightening concealer in a mixture of 'Cream' and Bisque'. I again finished her skin with MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in 'Light'.

Nadine wanted a much heavier eye-make up than her mum, so we went ultra-glamourous, starting with Urban Decay's original eyeshadow primer potion. I used shades from the Urban Decay 'Book of Shadows' kit. Bust, Missionary, Gunmetal and Cobra to create her smokey eyes. Along with Zephyr and Skimp as highlight on her brown bone and into the inner corners of her eyes.

Nadine wore a full set of Eylure lashes, and I used Maybelline Eye Studio- Lasting Gel liner in Black to line her top lashes. Underneath her eyes I blended Pixi's Endless Silky Eye Pen in black noir to finish her eyes.

Benefit's Sugar Bomb blusher was the perfect shade for Nadine's cheeks and gave them a healthy glow. I finished the look by using a mixture of Pixi's clear balm and Pixi's Lip Booster in 'Theena' on her lips.

Below you can see Nadine's finished look