RESEARCH PROJECT: Wedding Makeup

So sorry for the lack of updates. My sister has finally decided when to have her wedding, so all of a sudden I've been thrown into wedding planning chaos. I'm the maid of honor and wedding planner, so I've got a lot of work to do! Because she is on a major budget, I will be doing all the hair and makeup as well. So my latest research obsession is wedding makeup. I'm no professional makeup artist, but I am suddenly finding myself putting together a makeup kit. I'm trying not to spend a lot of money because who knows when I will be using all those products again and I'm also trying to find products that I will use again. My approach right now is trying to find good quality palettes so I can have a little bit of everything instead of buying individual things. I'm also seeing if I can use anything I already have. The biggest challenge I'm facing is the diversity of the bridesmaids. My sisters and I are Chinese, two girls are European Caucasian, and one of the girls is Indian. And of course the skin types vary from sensitive to acne-prone. I guess this will test my makeup arteest skillzzz... haha.

Here's what I've found so far... (I've eliminated all the way pricey options and anything that didn't look so promising)

Foundation/Concealer

1. Graftobian HD Glamour Creme Super Palette - $64.99 + $9.50 shipping (!@*&!)


This popped up often while I searched and appeared in a few youtube videos. It seems like makeup artists use this often on their clients, so it's probably quality. I think it will be plenty of product for my purposes and then some. It comes in cool, neutral, and warm. Not sure which one I would get. Maybe just the neutral. Perhaps the warm if the girls are tanner by the time of the wedding (it's in June 2011). I found them for the same price but cheaper shipping on ebay, which is a little more incentive for getting it.

2. Sacha Foundation Palette - $100 + $8.95 shipping

This palette came up on my searches as well. This company claims to cater towards women of colored skin. The product is more expensive but the palette is pretty big and you get tons of product. I don't need that much product, so I'm not sure if I'll go with this one. Plus, it's rather pricey for someone who isn't a pro makeup artist.

3. Kryolan Micro Foundation Mini Palette - $29.99 + $4.99 shipping



I searched on ebay for foundation palettes and this came up. It looks like it's a sample pack or something so you can find your foundation shade. I have no idea how big the pots are (should find that out), but it might have just enough product for my purposes. Just kidding. They're 11 mL or 0.35 oz. Whatever that means. They come in 4 different shade combinations that are by number, No.1, No.2, No. 3, and (you guessed it) No4. Only 1-3 are available through ebay.

4. Coastal Scents Concealer Palette - $18.95 + ~$8.00 shipping

I've heard some good reviews about this product. However, I watched a youtube review video and realized how large this palette was. I don't need all that product and the price is eh.

5. 15 Concealer Palette - ebay - $13.99


... soooo, I did some more research and came by a 15 concealer palette on ebay. It's the cheapest option so far and it seems to have gotten decent reviews. I like how it includes the color correctors, and it doesn't seem like an excessive amount of product to have. If I could make these work as foundation, that would be da bomb. I might order this first and see if I can before I spend on a foundation palette.

Eyes

For the eyes, I decided to go with one of those crazy 88 palettes. As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I should have gotten one from the very beginning since it's got just about any color you could ever want. I figured this will be great for playing around with colors and looks for the wedding. And I will have everything in one big ass palette instead of carrying around a bunch of individual shadows or depotting and pressing my own (a project I will have to reserve for later). So I found a Coastal Scents-esque 88 matte palette on ebay for $12.99 with free shipping! It looks the same as the Coastal Scents one, and my research shows that the quality is about the same.

Cheeks

I think I own enough blushes to be fine. I have a few individual blushes and a few that are within other palettes, so I should be good. But if you're in search for a set of cheap blushes, you can find cheap blush palettes on ebay similar to the Coastal Scents blush palettes. Sorry. I would have more info I needed to look into it more.

Lips

I got enough lips stuff to rouge an army. I'll be good here : )

Miscellaneous

Other miscellaneous products I've been looking for are good waterproof mascaras, fixing sprays, basically anything that will help keep the makeup stay, and anything else that might pretty up the bride and the girls. Again, I will have to rummage through some stuff I already have. My sister is going for a very natural approach, so I'm trying not to go over board. Simplicity is best.

Okay, so there you have it. The wedding research project so far. I will keep this updated as I find out more. Thanks for reading!