NARSissist Loaded Eyeshadow Palette; narscosmetics.co.uk
By the time this is published, I’ll have been married three weeks. During preparations, I was asked frequently which products I planned to use, the implication being that I’d try something new and exotic for the occasion. I understand why: one’s wedding is (ideally) once in a lifetime, the frock isn’t generally something you’d wear to the pub (though, in my case, it was), so I guess it follows that the makeup should be extraordinary. But I’m of the view that something familiar, tried, tested and stress-free is ideal on the big day.
I wanted to look like myself, not some mythical “bride”, which is why, on my eyes, I wore a combination of smoky, cool brown shadows from my trusty Nars Narsisst palette (£39), and my Charlotte Tilbury The Classic Powder Pencil in Audrey (£16), a sludgy dark brown – and the very same one I wear to work every day.
Likewise, my lipstick was the favourite I’ve worn on thousands of less exciting occasions: Tilbury’s Stoned Rose (£24) lined with her Pillow Talk Pencil (£16), because I know they work and won’t budge easily in a kiss. I was loth to use bronzer, because my new husband has barely ever seen me with a tan, and so makeup artist Mary Greenwell added a very pale brown contour with Kevyn Aucoin’s Sculpting Powder in Light (£36), then perked things up with Laura Mercier Second Skin Blush in Rose Petal (£21.50) and Hourglass’s Ambient Light Palette (£59).
Superstition calls for “something new” and this was fulfilled by Ren’s new Perfect Canvas (£50). I was sceptical about this primer (it’s too expensive and has a matte finish, which I’d generally avoid), but the absence of silicone appealed. Silicone is used to smooth, fill lines and grip base makeup – in this instance Chanel’s Sublimage Foundation (£98) and Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage (£27) – but occasionally likes to peel off as fast as you’re applying it, and I felt risk-averse. This somehow mimics silicone’s good points without acquiring its faults, and gives a predictable, easy application and finish.
The whole thing was finished off with lashings of Sensai 30 Degree Mascara (£23.43), which was excellent for reaching right down into the roots, lifting and building lashes, and didn’t smudge, run or shed the tiniest speck – even when, after eight hours of almost nonstop dancing, I wore it to bed. For shame.
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