Winter 2017 Bridal Beauty Trends

Today we are thrilled to welcome a new expert to the BCME panel. Dahlia Haleem-Demjanenko of DHD Beauty is now on hand to advise brides-to-be on all things beauty, whether it be your overall look for your wedding day, general skin care, or a killer hairstyle for your engagement party. In her first expert post below, Dhalia reveals some of the top beauty trends for this winter. Enjoy!

It’s that wonderful time of year again when the wedding industry straps on its running shoes after the quiet summer break to gear up for the beautiful Dubai winter wedding season. Bridal trials are starting to book up, and October through April wedding dates are getting locked in. I’ve been watching (and buying!) the new make-up palettes that launched through the summer as well as keeping my eye on social media trends and Europe’s summer wedding season photographs. Other than the cringe-worthy wavy brows and lips that are currently filling my make-up news feed, there are some beautiful beauty trends for this season’s bridal looks that I absolutely love.

Reds, oranges and burgundy eye tones

I’ve always loved warm tones around the eyes, but it’s hard to convince women who have been using browns and greens to incorporate some serious heat into their eyeshadow kits. I like to use burnt orange through the crease of a brown, peach or pink inspired eye make-up, as well as below a darker brown or black on the lower lash line. For years orange or red has been used as a transition colour to blend your eyeshadow seamlessly into the natural shadow of your eye crease – now this is being cranked up a notch with orange, red and burgundy dominating the eyeshadow palette and being used as stand-alone colours.

The calming of the contour

I’ve been quite vocal about my dislike of too much contouring in bridal make-up, and I’m happy to see that the trend is heading towards a cleaner, more natural base with the emphasis on highlighting. I do love a good highlighter, as long as it’s not overdone or misplaced. Remember, the key is to look dewy, radiant and youthful, not sweaty and oily. Placing highlighter where we naturally sweat (top lip, under bottom lip, forehead) can make you look sweaty instead of dewy. Placement really is everything.

Braids are here to stay

The comeback of the braid as a wedding hair accessory/hairstyle hit hard last year and I for one am super happy to see that it’s sticking around. There’s nothing prettier than a messy braid with some small flowers or crystals woven through to go with a boho/beachy/understated wedding theme. Honestly, I even love them with super formal/structured dresses and themes when the braid is then also really neat. I think they’re a great way to add dimension and contrast to a hairstyle. Just be careful when choosing your braided hairstyle; a braid requires a decent amount of hair to create and as such will take away from the volume of the remaining hair. If you have very fine hair perhaps opt for a braided hairpiece to add into your style that looks like your own hair (but isn’t!)

The no make-up make-up

Surprisingly complicated to achieve, and always needing way more products than you’d ever guess, this classic editorial ‘barefaced’ look hit the runways hard for last season’s bridal shows. Big brushed brows, and ‘bare’ dewy skin, alongside pulled at braids and flower crowns, were the stuff of every bride’s Pinterest board. It’s a great option for those brides who don’t normally wear much make-up and just want to look like the best version of themselves – imperfections get subtly covered up, skin looks airbrushed and radiant, and the natural contrast of the lashes and brows become the focus of the look. Just remember to match your theme to this look if it’s what you want to go for. Formal ballrooms with hard lighting will make this look appear underdone and may not translate well into photographs with artificial lighting. If you’re going natural, go natural (daytime, outdoor, etc) with your theme too.

Xx Dahlia xX

Looking for more expert tips and advice? Click here. If you would like to book your bridal beauty trial with Dahlia, check out DHD Beauty’s BCME vendor listing here.