Makeup by Victoria Stiles; photo courtesy of Genevieve Leiper

Victoria Stiles is a professional makeup artist and hairstylist based in the DC area. Rex & Regina has had the privilege of working with Victoria on a number of weddings where, each time, the bride and bridal party looked absolutely flawless. I had the chance to interview Victoria recently and asked her what every bride needs to know with respect to beauty on her wedding day.

Q: What do you see as the biggest trends for 2010 in terms of beauty for brides?

A: Typically for Spring it is all about the soft, very pretty type of look using neutral colors. But what we are seeing this year is pops of color on the cheeks – pops of pink or coral — or a even just a nude face with black-rimmed eyes. Not necessarily smoky, but a definite line on the top and bottom with lots of mascara.

Q: What do you think is the biggest mistake a bride can make with respect to beauty?

A: It’s all about skin care. That’s the basis to any makeup application. If the skin is not right, it can throw off the makeup entirely.

Tanning can be another big mistake. Au natural is the best way to go, but if you do decide to tan, self-tanning is best. Just make sure you exfoliate really well before doing so.

Eyebrow waxing can be another area for mistakes. Don’t wax the week before the wedding as you may have an allergic reaction to the wax; it can break you out; or sometimes in extreme cases your skin can be pulled off. If you do want to shape your brows, threading a week before the wedding is recommended over waxing.

Makeup by Victoria Stiles; photo courtesy of Marge Ely

Q: There is a lot of buzz around false lashes and lash extensions right now. What’s your take on that?

A: I LOVE false lashes. Particularly for brides, I use individual temporary lashes that last throughout the day. I choose the individual because they look more natural than a strip of lashes which tend to make brides look too dramatic. The individual lashes add just enough volume and length for a perfect look.

If you are really into lashes, I have seen Latisse in action and let me tell you, it does work. I’ve seen great results with it. If a bride is really, really into lashes, that might be something to look into.

Q. What are the top three products a bride should never be without?

It’s hard to limit it to three, but here goes:

1.) A good eye cream.

Embryolisse has a great eye cream, Soin Contour Des Yeux (Eye Contour Treatment).

Mac Fast Response Eye Cream is another good one. It has caffeine in it which acts as a temporary de-puffer.

2) Pressed powder.

Laura Mercier has a great one.

Laura Mercier Pressed Setting Powder

3) Mascara.

My mascara of the moment is Benefits Bad Gal Lash.

4) (Bonus Item! It’s hard to limit it to just three!)

Lisa Hoffman Spa Facial Lip Moisturizer #8 – that is a MUST HAVE item.

Q: Having a professional do your makeup on the wedding day is always recommended. But what should a bride do with respect to makeup for the rehearsal dinner or other wedding events if her budget cannot accommodate a makeup artist all weekend?

The first thing is to make sure the skin is properly prepped. If that means visiting a dermatologist three to six months out to make sure your skin is clear for the wedding day, then definitely do so.

Make sure you have the right foundation for your skin type (normal, oily, dry). For normal to oily skin matte liquid or a powder foundation is best; for normal dry skin, a liquid foundation. And always make sure the color matches. Before buying a foundation at a store, put it on your skin and go outside in the natural light to make sure it matches. If your jaw line and neck color match and are seamless, then it is the right color. If you can see a difference between the two colors, then it is wrong.

Makeup by Victoria Stiles; photo courtesy of Marge Ely

One of the things I love about Victoria is that she is always educating herself on what’s new and is constantly evolving. She is a self-proffessed “sponge” when it comes to beauty and makeup application tips and trends. That’s exactly what you want in a makeup artist. Someone that is evolving in his or her craft and never says, “This is it. This is the only way to do it.”

Our interview was packed with so much great information that it won’t fit into one post. Stay tuned for a future post featuring Victoria’s skin care advice for grooms on their wedding day along with other helpful tips for brides.

More information about Victoria Stiles can be found on her website.

Thanks, Victoria!