Belle du jour - bridal beauty tips

Clinique Most Wanted Berries Colour palette (left) and Vera Wang eau de parfum. Photos / Supplied

Gently does it for a picture perfect finish on the big day. Makeup should be subtle, but not invisible, which is one reason most brides opt for a professional application.

If you're determined to do your own makeup or are getting a friend's help then a thorough trial run is most definitely recommended. Take photographs and scrutinise your look because you're sure to find your on-camera self can carry more makeup than you realised. Everyone benefits from a little facial contouring and depth of colour.

With your neck and decolletage on show you'll need to even out your complexion, perhaps a little bronzer on the paler throat area.

You may want a natural look, but opting for just a slick of lipgloss will definitely look under-done, besides there's the smear factor to worry about. Amp up your appearance a little - after all, you're the star of the show - but it's an overall picture of prettiness you're after, not any one feature standing out overly much, so go easy on heavy eyeliner and too much shimmer.

Ensure your skin is well hydrated, use primer and apply face base with a brush to ensure staying-power. Line and blot lips and keep eye makeup soft so it doesn't distract from the overall vision. For lips and cheeks explore rose or peach tones rather than nude or pale pink because both are apt to look washed-out in photographs and if you're wearing white. Sunblock and some light reflective makeup can also cause problems in images.

Make sure you pack an emergency cosmetics kit to be left within easy reach throughout the day. A creamy compact foundation or touch-up stick is handy to have on hand as is something to blot smudges. Add in the obvious lip colour and a perfume spritz.

1. Clinique Most Wanted Berries Colour palette $95
Limited edition silver zip-up compact to shade, highlight, line and contour eyes and cheeks. Great for on the go and from a collection that includes failsafe lip matches for each of the three palette colour combinations: Nudes, Berries or Deep.

2. Shiseido Perfect Rouge Glowing Matte in Sugar Babe $50

This lipstick goes on lighter than it looks and provides a semi-translucent veil of colour, ideal for blondes. It's unlike some mattes which can feel chalky and heavy. There's also a deeper rosy pink that works for brunettes. Perfect Rouge Tender Sheer provides an even softer wash of colour for those not used to lipstick.

3. Estee Lauder foundation brush $81

Brushing on your foundation makes all the difference. It will last longer and look smoother. Brides, past the first flush of youth might want to consider using this brush to stroke on Estee Lauder's new Resilient Lift Extreme radiant lifting foundation.

4. Jane Iredale Dot the i makeup remover swabs $49

A canister contains 50 clever little cotton buds, with makeup remover in the stems. Snap an end off to release the fluid and fix your face. For stockists ph, (09) 636 1966 or www.janeiredale.co.nz

5. Lancome Teint Idole Silky Mat Foundation $78

This new long-lasting matte foundation has a fresh light look on the skin yet still helps disguise surface imperfections for those nervous about fuller-coverage foundation yet still wanting surface smoothness.

6. Vera Wang eau de parfum $170

A warm floral fragrance that is pretty much the perfect finishing touch for the sort of feminine frocks fashioned by this American designer. For a crisper, greener scent, but still with a floral heart, seek out Vera Wang Bouquet.

7. Elizabeth Arden Advanced Lip Fix Cream $52

This works to prime your lips to ensure a good surface for colour and deters bleeding.

8. Lancome L'Absolu Creme de Brilliance in Rose Mythique $58

For the determined gloss wearer this creamy example is a real step-up. It adds the strength of pigments and a nourishing formula to the light lip feel and good sheen of gloss, so delivers staying power in a romantic red-rose colour.