My favourite foundations for brides

I am in the thick of bridal season so I thought I’d share the two foundations that I turn to again and again for brides. They look beautiful on the skin, they don’t flash back and they have serious staying power.

Armani Luminous Silk
Yes, it’s pricey (although it is currently on sale here for £33.30!) but in my opinion it is worth every penny and is a key part of my bridal kit. I’d say it gives a medium coverage (although it's flexible enough to sheer out or build it up) but it really does looks like real skin. By the way, when I say it looks like real skin, what I really mean is that it looks like you have naturally perfect skin. Which makes it the holy grail of foundations for me.

I love to apply with fingers and then buff it into the skin to create a flawless finish. Although is has the word 'luminous' in the name, it's not overly glowy - it creates a natural radiance, making it great for even us oily skinned ladies. It also lasts and lasts – and looks beeeeautiful in photographs (thanks to the absence of SPF - so if you're wearing it on a daily basis then do remember to whack on that sunscreen).

I've recently ran a few one-to-one makeup lessons for people who have never worn makeup. This foundation is the one that ever single person has tried and then gone out and bought. And when I wear it, my skin gets so many compliments and sadly I do not have perfect skin without it (hello redness and acne scarred chin ;) so it really does work wonders.

Makeup Forever HD/Ultra HD Foundation
Ah another classic! I started using the original HD foundation a few years back and have never looked back. Both the original HD and the latest Ultra HD foundations give more of a medium to full coverage, perfect if you want a flawless finish on your big day, but you can sheer it out beautifully with a damp beauty blender.

As with the Armani, they have excellent staying power and photograph like a dream (it’s used by many a TV personality as it looks great under the camera). The finish with the original HD foundation is more matte which I personally quite like on a wedding day as you can always add glow with your highlighter and control the shine. However, the Ultra HD foundation gives a lovely natural radiance to the skin. I have both in my kit and absolutely love them.

I used to have to head to Guru Makeup Emporium to get this but the Makeup Forever range is now available at Debenhams.


If you decide to do your makeup yourself for your wedding, then my advice would be to try and get your hands on a couple of foundation samples before investing in the full size. It means that you can check that the colour is the perfect match, that the finish is what you want and test the all important lasting factor. Most sales assistants will be more than happy to give you a sample, especially if you explain that it's for your wedding day, but if you do struggle to get one, then ebay is a great place to try.

Another tip: if you're finding it hard to decide between a few foundations, then try putting one foundation on the right side of your face and the other on the left side. Check in regularly throughout the day to see how they are wearing. This makes it so much easier to work out which is the best one for you and means you are testing both under the same conditions. It's a little test I do when deciding whether to add a new product to my kit and always works a treat :)