Wedding Day Beauty in conjunction with WedAlert.com
Featuring our Let's Face It ® Column by Celebrity Makeup Artist, Cheryl Williams-Barnes.

WedAlert.com asked some of the brides registered on their site who are women of color about their biggest wedding day beauty concerns, and we have our Let's Face It ® columnist, Cheryl Williams-Barnes to help!

NEW! Click here for a new interview with best selling author Judy Bolton!

Click here for Cheryl's celebrity interview with top hair stylist and model, Shellie Bivens.

Click here for Cheryl's celebrity interview with All My Children star, Chrishell Stause.

Question: I will be tying the knot on May 18, 2008 and my biggest beauty concern for my wedding day is making sure I don't get any break outs, choose the right foundation for my skin tone that makes me look radiant, conceal any dark spots that I may have, and experimenting with hairstyles and stlying products. I have a West Indian background and it is not easy to find makeup for my skin tone. I have tried many brands and have a couple that have worked for me. Also I realized that I need two sets of foundation because in the summer I tend to get a darker complexion. I also have had slight acne problems and have some faded dark spots. I would love to get rid of them totally and have gone to a dermatologist to help with the dark marks and blackheads. On my wedding day I would love to have flawless skin that is what makes me nervous. I didn't want to be stressed and then have any break outs. -Alicia Mullings

Answer: Congrats! This is an exciting time for you. Stress plagues most brides during this time, so stay cool by getting a facial by a respectable and reputable clinician who is sensitive to your skin type needs. Make sure that you do this at least four to six weeks before the wedding so that your skin can normalize and accept a makeup application without additional breakout. I would like to suggest using a mineral brand makeup for this very special occasion. The Jane Iredale Mineral makeup is optimum for skin that is prone to breakout because it de-stresses skin by naturally calming it with healthy ingredients and botanicals. The makeup is inert by nature, which means it can't hold or harvest bacteria. For your skin care needs, this factor is supreme. Recently, the brand expanded it's color palette to include more global shades in foundations, concealers and other amazing products which will give you a flawless finish and stay fresh looking for hours. This is your day to look spectacular and Jane Iredale cosmetics can help you achieve this goal all day long. Wishing you the best on your big day!

Question: I'm getting married on September 1, 2007. I am wearing two dresses, one for the ceremony and one for the reception. My wedding gown is traditional ivory with a big hoop and train. My reception dress is gold, fitted with a small train in the back. My main concern is finding a color palette and hairstyle that will be flattering with both looks. - Ryanne Banks

Answer: September is a great month to get married. Congrats! The best way to address your bridal day fashion needs without having to remove your makeup, completely reapply it and without dramatically changing your hair style can be accomplished by the following: Initially, apply your makeup in a soft, natural yet elegant way. A soft smokey eye application in neutrals such as taupes and browns with corals and coppers are great for photos. Use colors that are strong enough for the pictures to capture your features and style your hair in a soft upsweep hairstyle for the ceremony. When you change into your gold dress for the reception, release your hair from the upsweep or simply maintain the look. For your makeup: Apply a new seasonal trend shade of red or flattering deeper lip color to accentuate your look. Just this minor change will give you a completely different look, if desired. Make sure to keep the lips color with you for touch ups so that you can be camera ready when needed. Have a ball because you will look amazing. All the best to you on your big day!

Question: I still have quite awhile to go for my wedding but my biggest concern is finding the right foundation for my skin tone. I have never been able to find it and hope that I will be able to get it right before my big day. I also have a few discoloration marks on my face but I am trying different products for that. My dress is backless and I have freckles on my back. Hmm, not sure how I will be able to cover that up without ruining the dress! -From Serritta

Answer: Dear Serritta,
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. It is never too early for a bride to think about the "right foundation" especially for such an extraordinary day.

A great tip to finding the right foundation at any cosmetic counter is to use the:"3 Strip Method". You can master this tip using the steps of this method with a Q-Tip:

1) Pick out three foundation shades. Initially select one color nearest to your skin color, one color lighter and one color deeper.

2) Apply the colors in a stripped format across the chin line with: First, the lightest shade. Second, apply the next-deepest shade, and then apply the third and deepest shade. Each shade should be next to each other.

3) Look to see what color blends into the chin line with no line of demarcation. The shade that blends in best will reveal your correct undertone. If the color's off, continue to search for the correct color within the revealed under tone color shade. Example: the lightest color blended in better than the others. This color had a golden under tone. Proceed to look for a shade that is golden, yet deeper until the right color blends in to best suit your needs.

4) You will have the correct color when there is NO ashiness, line of demarcation, red, blue, yellow or pink bleed through on the skin.

5) Purchasing the right foundation can be a painstaking effort, if purchased in a retail environment with a limited or no refund/return policy. Make sure that any makeup purchased can be easily returned and refunded within a reasonable amount of time for you to wear it and test it in normal daylight. Always return all unused portions of foundation and makeup (not 1/2 used bottles) within the return guidelines given for a hassle-free experience. Remember, it is worth the process to find the most complimentary shade of foundation makeup to fit your needs. You are worth it.

Question:I'm African-American and very light (like Lisa Bonet) and get a pale, slightly greenish cast to my skin in the winter months. What products would you recommend I use to achieve a healthy glow, in addition to good foundation coverage, for pictures for my wedding which is in early March, which is just after the winter months? - A. Collins

Answer: A tried and true quick pick me up is as a bronzer for the face. It will bring an instant glow to any bride. Bronzers chase away the green cast that the winter season brings. Most bronzers can be used on the entire face and or body. It is best to use a powdered/ compact formula on the face for better manual control of application. A liquid or powder formula is good for the body. They come in many price ranges depending on the cosmetic brand. Most facial bronzers can be used on top your foundation to add a sunshine look to your skin. Some of the best bronzing products to use during your big day can be found in drug stores, cosmetic counters in major department stores or on line to counter act the winter blahs. I suggest reading labels carefully when purchasing products for your appropriate skin type.

Question:  I'm going to be getting married this August in the Carribean and it will be VERY humid
outdoors where my ceremony and reception will be taking place.  I have my hair style
picked out (pulled back in a chignon with floral designs within it), but I have no clue
what the best types of makeup will be that will stay looking fresh, will not sweat off
during the day, look great in photos and match my skin tone!  I'm hispanic (about Rosario
Dawson's complexion) with normal/oily skin." L.Marquez
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Answer: A Carribean wedding in the month of August can be challenge for anyone to endure. Yet a wedding anytime is exciting. I suggest doing everything possible to stay cool in this hot climate.Try to plan to have a free day before you say,"I do", inorder to hydrate the skin and body with water. The intake of water and rest is critical to combate fatigue, heat, humidity and excessive oiliness to the skin. Also consider applying a hydrating / moisture( non oil producing) mask to your face for your appropriate skin type. Use only an oil -free moisturizer underneath your foundation. Follow up with an oil free foundation and powder that is color appropriate for you. Also consider purchasing a mineral powder that can be used as a foundation, concealer and powder all in one. An excellent choice is the Jane Iredale Mineral Cosmetic brand. It includes an amazing Global line of colors especially for women of color. A light dusting of the powder applied to the skin ,followed up with plain blotting paper to tackle oil break out through out the big day giving you optimum performance to last all day and help create great pictures to last a lifetime.

Palacinka Picks

Jane Iredale So Bronze mineral-based bronzer
Dr. Hauschka Skin Care Translucent Bronze Concentrate
Tarte The Heiress Mineral Powder Bronzer
CARGO Bronzer
Nars Bronzing Powder

HAPPY MAKEUP SHOPPING!

Cheryl Williams-Barnes

To contact Cheryl Williams-Barnes for your wedding or for more information on her makeup services, please contact her at: cherylwilliamsbarnes@hotmail.com. Also visit her website www.cherylwilliamsbarnes.com

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