These 20 Natural Wedding Makeup Looks That Prove Less Is More

1. Minimal Eye Makeup

You may think that if you want your eyes to wow on your wedding day, you’ll need a lot of makeup in the area—but that couldn’t be further from the truth. All it takes is the right set of lashes and a dash of color across your lids to get your eyes to pop. Pro makeup artist Isabella Lo Coco is a fan of this minimal eye makeup look, because it still draws attention to the eyes without the makeup looking too overdone. “If you are looking for a way to make your eyes stand out without wearing too much or you’re trying to avoid feeling too top-heavy, try to keep minimal product on the eyes, and play up other features like your brows, cheeks, lashes, and lips,” Lo Coco tells IPSY. “By doing this, you are enhancing all features that surround your eyes to create what I like to describe as a ‘diamond effect.’ Because the surrounding features are enhanced, your eyes naturally become a focal point while still looking bright and not being weighed by too much eye makeup! I find this technique complements clients with fair skin and light eyes.”

Pair the BELLÁPIERRE COSMETICS It's Only Natural Eyeshadow Palette with the LITHE BEAUTY 06 - Natural & Classic Eyelashes (if you’re comfortable with falsies) to recreate this look yourself.

2. Soft Glam Makeup

With this classic bridal look, Lo Coco was able to use a full face of makeup on this bride while still enhancing her natural features. “She still looks like herself and isn’t being taken over by the makeup,” she shares of how she created this look. In order to create a natural finish, Lo Coco tells us the secret is layering. “If you plan to have your makeup on from day to night and plan on being photographed, you need to wear a fair amount of it, but that doesn’t mean the look cannot be natural and seamless. It’s all about working in light layers.” Of course, you need to be mindful of skin prep as well to ensure you have a flawless base when applying all these layers. Lo Coco recommends monthly facials, weekly exfoliation, and icing your face to calm redness and irritation.

3. Subtle Smoky Eye

Who says a smoky eye can’t be a natural makeup look? Not us, and certainly not Lo Coco. “Her look is a bit more smoky but is complementary to her complexion, giving her the enhancements she was looking for while still having her look like herself,” she says. You can create a subtle smoky eye (or dare to go bold) with ease, thanks to the TYNT BEAUTY Haze Smokey Eye Pencil.

4. Golden Glow

Lo Coco used a total of five makeup products to enhance this beautiful bride’s natural glow. The E.L.F. COSMETICS Halo Glow Blush Beauty Wand will help you achieve a lit-from-within radiance with a pop of color on your cheeks. We also love the combination of the TARTE™ and PURLISSE BEAUTY Halo Glow Duo, which features the PURLISSE BEAUTY Halo Glow BB Cream Highlighter and TARTE™ Shape Tape™ Radiant Medium Coverage Concealer to illuminate your complexion and cover any blemishes on your big day.

5. Fresh Freckles

Natural wedding makeup is all about embracing your natural beauty, and that includes your freckles and beauty marks. Lo Coco is a big fan of accentuating these features, noting, “Whenever clients have freckles or beauty marks, I always ask if they’re comfortable letting them shine through the makeup (it

keeps the skin looking like skin).” Even if you don’t have freckles, you can always create fake freckles to give a more natural look to your makeup. We love using the FRECK BEAUTY Freck OG to create natural-looking faux freckles and even emphasize beauty marks that may have been lost under our foundation. 

6. Natural Flush

Blush is the “it” product as of late, and there’s still a way to incorporate it into your natural wedding makeup without it overpowering your look. Lo Coco notes that we’re “moving away from the trend of having blush look like blush to a more muted, lit-from-within type of look.” To achieve a natural flush, she says you should start by using “specific shades of blush that would appear to be naturally occurring in the skin.” This would be hues like “berry, mauve, reds, peachy, plum—anything that’ll give the effect of a very ‘juicy’ cheek and healthy skin.” TARTE™ Blush Tape™ Liquid Blush is available in a range of natural shades that will give you that lit-from-within look Lo Coco mentions.

7. Pink Pout

Similarly to blush, lips should stick to natural shades as well. Anything too dark or too light will veer out of natural wedding makeup territory and into a more dramatic style. Lo Coco recommends finding a liner, lipstick, and even a gloss that complements your natural lip color to help your pout stand out. And don’t forget to find a shade that also works with your skin tone.

8. Half Lash

Fake eyelashes can still look natural, according to Lo Coco, who is a fan of individual lashes and half lashes. “I’ve been seeing a lot of artists opt for using individual lash clusters to create a custom lash for their clients rather than using a strip lash,” she shares. “This is a great option for anyone struggling to find a lash style that suits your eye shape. Your artist can create a complete custom lash just for you.” To make the lash look even more unique to you, DIY your own eyelash extensions following these steps.

9. Fresh and Angelic

Orange County–based hair stylist and makeup artist Meghan Gonzales shares that “fresh and angelic” is the go-to when it comes to the face. She notes that to achieve this look, your natural wedding makeup should be “super simple overall with fluorescent-like skin.” To achieve a luminous look, start with the HOURGLASS COSMETICS Ambient Soft Glow Foundation for a weightless, long-lasting base that creates a lit-from-within glow. Then go in with a cream-based highlighter (we’re obsessed with the ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS Stick Highlighter) on the high points of your face to draw attention to your best features. Finish with a dewy setting spray, like the TATCHA Luminous Dewy Skin Mist, to set the look and ensure it lasts well past your reception.

10. Clean Brows

Don’t overlook your brows on your big day. As Gonzales notes, “Clean brows always accentuate the eyes to pop, so brow maintenance is key for natural wedding makeup to look its best.” Ensure your brows are in tip-top shape by following these steps to care for them at home like a pro. And on your wedding day, the ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS Clear Brow Gel is a classic to ensure your brows stay put.

11. Subdued Eyeliner

Gonzales shares that a big natural wedding makeup trend is “subdued eyeliner with just shadow or no eyeliner.” If you still want a subtle liner, we suggest using a brown eyeliner pencil to feel more natural. Our personal fave is the LOVE+CRAFT+BEAUTY Gel Line Eye Pencil in Fuzzy because it glides on easily and provides a softer definition around the eyes. 

12. Creamy Lips

Heavy lip liner and matte lip stains are a no-go for natural wedding makeup, at least according to Gonzales. She swears by “lip oils and cream, sheer stains” to accentuate your natural pout. No one does a creamy stain better than the HUDA BEAUTY Lip Blush Creamy Lip & Cheek Stain. You can even use it as a blush—and who doesn’t love a two-in-one product?

13. Complementary Colors

“All the tones of your bridal makeup should also blend in well with your overall look,” emphasizes Gonzales. “A dramatic dress or veil with a natural look sometimes won't complement well.” Draw inspiration from the makeup she did on this bride. The soft, rosy pinks worn on the eyes, lips, and cheeks pair well with the bouquet the bride has and don’t feel out of place with the hair or dress.

14. Blushed and Bronzed

Luxury bridal makeup artist Alessandra Maiolo believes you should look like you on your wedding day, which is why she is a huge fan of natural wedding makeup. With this look, she defines it as “understated but enhancing [her] bride's features perfectly.” We couldn’t agree more. We love the added glow from the bronzer and the rosy cheeks created with the blush. Get this look yourself with help from the PACIFICA BEAUTY Bronzer and Blush Duo.

15. Wash of Color

“This is what I'm talking about when I say a ‘wash of colour through the eyes and defined lash line,’” says Maiolo of this natural wedding makeup she did. “It looks so natural and her lashes aren't too long either (a big pet peeve of mine).” To get this eye look, start with some shades in the TRENDBEAUTY Naturally Nude Palette. These earth tones work for every eye color and skin tone, and you can use them to define your lash line without having to use an eyeliner.

16. Glossy Lips

Everything about this look is gorgeous and proves that even when achieving a natural wedding makeup look, you’ll still have plenty of product on your face. What really pulls it all together is the glossy lip. Maiolo starts with two shades of a nude lip liner that perfectly match her skin tone, then blends them in and goes over them with a creamy blush to create a natural color. We’d recommend a product like the MILK MAKEUP Lip + Cheek so you can not only do your blush but also your lips. Finish with a clear gloss, like the COMPLEX CULTURE POWER POSE Lip Gloss, to give your pout that extra dose of shine.

17. Bride Next Door

Maiolo calls this natural makeup the “girl next door” look, which is exactly what a bride hoping to achieve natural wedding makeup wants to hear when someone describes their look. Apart from the minimal foundation and highlight of the model’s natural features (peep the freckles), what elevates this makeup style is the glow of the eye makeup. Add a pop of shimmer to the corners of your eyes to draw attention to them in all the right ways.

18. Blushing Bride

You don’t need to fear blush, even if you are hoping to achieve a natural makeup look on your wedding day. Maiolo notes that this look does a good job of accentuating the bride’s features while upping the luminosity. She also loves that the blush and lip colors are the same, saying, “This is a really great way to bring the look together and create cohesion.” Using a lip and cheek stain will make it easier to pull off a look like this if you choose to recreate it yourself.

19. Flawless Foundation

A solid base can make or break natural wedding makeup. To get the look just right, Maiolo shares that she never uses just one foundation on a bride. She says, “I typically mix three to create the perfect match. This is essential for achieving a natural look, ensuring the foundation seamlessly blends into the ears, neck, and décolletage.” Be sure to find a few foundations that best suit your skin tone and blend them like Maiolo for your most flawless coverage set.

20. Shine On

Apart from dewy foundations and illuminating highlighters, you shouldn’t fret about letting some of your natural shine show through. After all, Maiolo herself isn’t a fan of over-powdering her natural makeup looks. “I usually set just a little under the eyes, around the nose, and the centre of the forehead, leaving the rest of the skin radiant,” she says. “This way, you get a natural glow in all the right places without looking overly shiny." The KOSAS Cloud Set Setting Powder does a great job at minimizing shine without dulling your glow.