Are you planning on wearing makeup, or are you planning on going naked, on your big day? It’s a talking point these days!

Has lockdown changed our perspective?

Since lockdown lots of people have embraced no makeup days and are finding that they are still confident and “them” without it.

For females, being at home gave us the time and reflection to examine an age-old feminist question: when women put makeup on, are they doing it for themselves?

I know I barely wore any for 18 months, and upped my skincare regime (as well as accepting I really need F50 in my daily moisturiser) and I’ve felt kind of “free”.

Is that sense of freedom linked to not worrying if our eyeliner is smudged or our lipstick has worn off?

If we told ourselves 18 months ago that we’d be going out with friends / to work / attending big occasions without slap on, would we have believed ourselves?

Social Media & Celebs

Alicia Keys has been really vocal about wearing makeup and wrote an open letter about going on a #nomakeup journey. It came from when she wrote a list of what she had had enough of. She was tired of the constant judgment of women. The constant stereotyping. The constant message that being sexy means being naked.

This has been mirrored by Gwyneth Paltrow, Adele and Beyoncé who have all shared #nomakeupselfies on social media. Instagram and social media are encouraging people to make their skin more perfect, and women who don’t wear makeup are doing it for themselves. The message they send is that they don’t need to cover their face in makeup to feel a sense of beauty, and having healthy skin helps.

Is age a factor?

As we get older do we become more comfortable in our own skin?

The average age of women getting married is getting older. The average age at which heterosexual couples marry has reached 35.7 years for women and 38 years for men, according to ONS figures for 2020.

So is the #nomakeupwedding a case of confidence?

Your wedding day has been on your mind for a while now and is billed as the best day of your life, because you are surrounded by those that you love (and can actually HUG them now!), so does it matter what your face looks like?

Whilst the no makeup movement is growing, wedding makeup artists are not losing bookings but seeing more bookings with a “au naturale” request. It is important to look like yourselves, and wearing new colours, wrong shades and simply way more than you normally would, may leave you regretting hiring a photographer.

Society expects women to plan this main event in their lives and it has the ability to be overwhelming, (for stress reduction techniques click here) so it is important that you are happy.

Weddings are a bit of a performance, where all eyes are on you as you publicly proclaim your love, and there will be plenty of photographs taken. So whatever your view, it is important that you feel comfortable.

Don’t forget – your other half has seen you at your worst and still thinks you’re beautiful.

PS Of course, I totally adore a good themed wedding with makeup to suit!