BRIDAL BEAUTY

I get asked a lot by our brides which look to go for on their wedding day and my answer is always the same; “Don’t take any risks, always keep it simple” and biased though we may be, our brides have always looked out of this world. As we specialise in destination weddings, we have the sun on our side 90% of the time, which can mean steamy days and nights, sometimes accompanied by intense humidity and sometimes battling wild and windy ocean front settings. This can wreak havoc on a beauty look if it’s so windy your curly blow is sticking to your lip gloss in all your photographs and your eyes are streaming like a river- so having an open mind to the your hair style on the day is key to enjoying the moment and working the weather to your advantage.

We adore bohemian halo braids for a hot and humid destination wedding which keeps you fuss free and fabulous to really let your hair down, so to speak and the half up, half down beach wave is a glamorous yet relaxed look for most bridal gowns. Anything that makes you look like an 80’s bridesmaid is a no-no. Tight curls lacquered until you can hear them crunching is not a flattering look on anyone – soft, soft and soft again is the order of the day. Relaxed tousled waves, teased pony’s tied with silk and classic yet modern up do’s-anything that looks slightly like you’ve had a roll in the hay with your beloved, but in a polished way, will look like a dream! This summer, destination wedding hair has seen a trend for the luxe boheme goddess-luxurious textures and naturally (or unnaturally) sun kissed locks have adorned many of our brides, whereas 2018 is seeing a trend for alternative, versatile looks which Faye Browne Hair has dubbed “The year of the brave”. Based in Ibiza but also worldwide, Faye Browne tells me how so many brides for 2018 are asking for slick pony’s and more glamorous yet edgy styles, an influence from Australian shores I believe, with Hollywood waves giving that young starlet feel. Our Aussie sisters are light years ahead of Britain in the wedding world – something I discovered when I moved there a few years ago and learnt the tricks of the wedding planning business. Hence the creation of my company Isla & Smith, specialising in bespoke worldwide weddings which carry the influence of that beautiful Australian aesthetic-inspired by fashion, interior design and luxury travel to create carefree, fun and fabulous events to remember forever.

Skin is also big big news, but don’t fret if your skin isn’t perfect. Dewy skin that is matt and flawless is a hard look to master but with the right make up artist, this look is so easily achieved, even if your skin is anything less than perfect. “Less is definitely more-clean, glowing skin is a look that will never date whereas frightening countering and drag style brows are definitely a look I hope fade out fast…” says Lauren Buckley, an Ibiza based hair and make up artist. Sun dappled celebrations call for highlighted cheekbones, brow bones and cupid’s bows, with any colour on the nude to bronze spectrum sweeping across eyes to add the wow factor without looking like you’re heading to a nightclub.

The heavily contoured look Lauren mentions above is quite a severe look for a wedding day and can be quite distracting from the all important and incredible gown, but we do love a red lip on an almost-not- there nude face which looks super beautiful too. If lipstick is the last thing you think about on a day to day basis then don’t even go there for your wedding day, even if you’re tempted to ‘mix it up’. Incredible brows are also high up on our list of beauty must haves. Now, not being personally blessed with great eyebrows, I really feel this pain. But not touching them for at least 5 months before your wedding then having them perfected by a HD Brows specialist the week before your wedding will ensure brow heaven, even if you’re not naturally ‘hairy’… the only time this is a bad thing!

I’m a big believer that a bride should look like themselves at their most beautiful and ironically enough, despite how daunting this sounds, stripping back to the key elements of beautiful skin, dazzling eyes with defined yet subtle brows and a sweep of colour on the apples of your cheeks is just that-you at your most beautiful! Here are some of our favourite bridal beauty looks for this coming summer but also with sneak peaks to 2018’s summer of love…

Looking for even more bridal beauty inspiration? We’ve got you covered. Click here to visit our dedicated Pinterest Board.