Many people opt to add some black and white photography to add a little drama to their pre-nuptial photoshoots. Here are some guidelines to really get your features to pop even without color.

• Matte contour: I prefer this over bronzer which has a tendency to magnify lines. Matte contour keeps the face shine-free, sculpted and more defined. Go darker than you normally would; the color won’t appear in a black and white photo.
• Dark or light lips: Play with contrast. Here’s a quick pro tip: dark lips go with bare eyes and pale lips go with a smokey eye. Either way, it has to be bold or light for black and white.
• Foundation with no SPF: Any foundations with SPF have the tendency to look grey where there’s flash photography. It also makes the skin shiny in photographs.
• Go easy on the eyeliner: Unless you have a steady hand or hiring a professional makeup artist, forgo the heavy eyeliner. Imperfections can easily be seen in black and white so you need a light hand in order to create a precise line if you’re taking a beauty shot.
• Groom the brows: Otherwise you see all the tiny hairs that need to be cleaned up. Use a lash comb to separate lashes and clean up mascara gunk that builds up in the corner of the eyes while you’re at it.

By: Agoo Bengzon

Do you remember the time when a full-matte face was THE look every girl was going for? Girls hoarded mattifying powders and piled it on like there was no tomorrow, and although matte powders managed to conceal pores, it only emphasized fine lines even more and left one’s face with zero dimension. 

Make up nowadays embraces flaws and celebrates highlights. The look of today is all about letting your skin shine through so if you’ve got some freckles across your nose, leave them there to be seen. 

The products to be used in achieving this natural, perfect-for-the-bride-to-be glow ought to be sheer and contain some pearly pigments, as well as a conservative amount of shimmer (you don’t want to go overboard or else you’ll end up looking more like a showgirl). It’s also advisable to choose cream or gel-based make up products over powder ones as the finish appears more subdued and “imperfect” and looks wonderful when the light touches your face.

Aside from textures and finishes, it’s also important to consider hues—and when it comes to that bridal glow, monochromatic is now the way to go. Opt for neutrals that highlight your natural features and choose a palette of earthy hues to add dimension to eyes, cheeks and lips, making sure there’s a harmonious feel to your overall look.

The end-result should always be a better version of yourself: not too made up nor hardly made up—just you in a recognizable manner but with a fresh, youthful, and enigmatic aura.

By: Agoo Bengzon

If you’re chinita like me, you can probably relate to those one-too-many times your friends commented on how “sleepy” you looked in last night’s photos or how you looked “bagong gising” during this morning’s 10:00AM meeting at work. This is the natural look of our peppers and, although I’m an advocate of loving your natural features, I must admit it is nice to play dress-up once in a while with your eyes—what more during your wedding!

Here are some tips on how to ensure a brighter-eyed look for when you walk down the aisle:

Use a light shade of eye shadow all over your lids

Light colors allow eyes to appear larger whereas dark colors tend to make eyes recede. This is why chinitas need to refrain from doing a heavy smoky eye. A soft smoky eye might work but darker colors generally don’t help eyes look bigger, so stick to pastels, champagnes, and silvers. A little shimmer helps too—this allows light to bounce off the area, making it look bigger than usual. If you feel like you’ve got pro skills or you can really trust your makeup artist, go ahead and grab a darker eye shadow and sweep the color over the natural fold of your lids, making sure to move your brush from the outer corner going in. The darker color should end right at the center, never all the way to the inner corner—this will create a more deep-set look for your eyes.

Make black eyeliner your friend

The easiest way to create the illusion of a bigger eye is to draw a thin black line as close as possible to your upper lash line. I prefer using black because it’s the most intense color, and it blends easily into your lash line. You might also want to do a quick flick or tail at the end—this’ll give droopy-looking lids a much-needed lift.

Mascara works like magic

Long, lush, curly, intensely black lashes help give depth to eyes and also open up eyes further. Opt for a deep black mascara with built-in fibers which build on your natural lashes. I like to use two different mascaras at a time. I usually start off with a lighter mascara just to define lashes, then use a heavier mascara to build on the first mascara. I find that different-textured layers work better than simply using the same mascara and swiping it on several times.

By: Cat Juan-Ledesma

With all the running around we do in our daily lives, who has the time to wash their face midday and reapply their make up all over again? Anyone? Yeah, didn’t think so. Here are some tips to help keep makeup fresh from sun up to sun down.

Start with a good base
If you want your makeup to last through the day, you need to invest in three basic products: primer, face powder and setting spray. The primer will help keep your foundation from sliding off, while your setting spray will lock it in. It’s also crucial to use an eyeshadow primer to make sure that the color stays in place over your lids as well. A setting spray to be misted lightly on your face after applying your makeup is also a good way to help keep your makeup fresh looking longer. We like Banila Co Prime Primer Classic, Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion, and Urban Decay’s All Nighter Long Lasting Make up Setting Spray.

Blotting paper is your best friend
It’s best to turn to blotting paper to help combat shine throughout the day because adding more powder onto your face before absorbing the excess oil will make your skin look cakey. The best way to use blotting paper is to lightly pat a sheet onto the skin for a few seconds, never swipe as you risk the chance of dragging your makeup with it. I personally feel that my foundation looks more natural after I’ve allowed it to set on my skin and then blot it with blotting paper. I also prefer the rubber blotting sheets to the thin rice paper variety.

Retouch your color
One of the first signs that your makeup is sliding off is when you lose the color on your lips and cheeks. After your blotting paper, lightly dust with some loose or pressed powder and then reapply your blush.

Invest in long lasting lipsticks
The new long-wearing matte lipsticks like Ofra Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick are great to have in your bag because you don’t need to constantly reapply them throughout the day. One swipe can often leave your lips with color from 4-6 hours. The full intensity of the color might not be there around the final stretch, but your lips will still have just the right amount of flush on them to work.

Look at long wearing eyebrow and eyeliners
Be sure to invest in eyeliners and eyebrow pencils or gels that are waterproof, sweat proof and are formulated to last at least eight hours. We like Maybelline’s Eye Studio Gel Liner in Black and Eye of Horus Ultimate Brow Define.