Why I chose to do my own makeup on my wedding day

Written by Donnarence Masilungan-Jalmasco

Doing my makeup on a day to day basis is a breeze. I can do smokey eyes in less than ten minutes, and I have even mastered the art of glamming up inside a moving vehicle. I love the art of putting on makeup, like buffing foundation to make my skin look seamless, concealing my eyebags to hide yesterday’s drama, drawing my brows to make it go wow, flicking that wing liner oh-so-perfectly, or blending eyeshadows layer after layer like there is no tomorrow.

Yes, this whole process of makeup application is just too relaxing for a junkie like me! So, when my boyfriend of 13 years popped the question, I could not imagine anyone else doing my wedding day makeup but myself. I have to admit that the stress during the wedding preps, coupled with wedding day horror stories I had been hearing about, made me rethink this decision more than once. Thankfully, I stuck to it. So, let me give you three practical reasons why I opted to do my wedding day makeup:

Doing my makeup made my wedding very “personal” or very “me”. People say that the wedding should be about the bride and the groom, not just a grand display of celebration. Thus, I made sure our wedding was about us. I made sure my DIYs incorporated our personalities, and we customized our ceremony and reception program.

Being a makeup artist and a beauty blogger, the best way to make my wedding more about me was doing my own makeup. Now, I have a story to tell not just to my readers but even to my future daughter or grandchild. With much thrill and excitement, I could imagine my line to be, “Iha, see!! (while showing my wedding portrait) I did my own makeup for my wedding, just like Kate Middleton and Bianca Gonzales-Intal.” And my apo or daughter will probably reply, “Wow Ma! But who are Kate Middleton and Bianca Gonzales-Intal?” Hehe!

I saved (a lot of) money. When I made a decision to do my own makeup, I knew I would be saving a lot of money. Bridal makeup can range from P10,000 to even higher than P75,000. There was a time when, out of desperation and stress due to wedding preps, I thought of hiring a makeup artist (MUA). I was eyeing the makeup artists of local celebrities, like Mickey See, Albert Kurniawan or Gery Penaso (he did the makeup of another beauty blogger and another friend who both looked stunning on their big day) . Looking back, I am so glad that I trusted my gut instinct to do my own makeup. The money I saved went to travel funds and  shopping (for makeup, of course)!

I created the makeup look that I wanted. At the end of the day, I have none to blame for mistakes committed but myself. I have had my makeup done by other makeup artists at different occasions. I have to admit that telling them to put more liner or to add extra contour on my face is hard. I really find it unethical if I will correct or request another MUA to change the makeup he/she did on me, because I am a MUA myself. Also, I could not imagine telling another person, “O, bahala ka na, basta make sure maganda ako.” I know I'd have countless of requests like I want this shade of blush, this eye look or this lipstick color and so on. The MUA doing my makeup might simply blurt out, “Ikaw na lang kaya mag-makeup sa sarili mo!”

When I did my wedding makeup, I was my own captain. I used all the makeup I wanted, and no one said “That is too much”. I have also spared myself from cursing another person for the rest of my life if ever he/she applied the wrong shade of foundation on me.

On a more serious note, doing my makeup on the biggest day of my life was not as easy as doing my day-to-day makeup. With the added stress of the wedding , it was a feat and a challenge for me. Doing one’s wedding makeup is not for everyone. It takes practice, courage, and a lot of prayers (I believe) to be able to pull off what may be the most important look in my life.

If, after reading this, you feel inspired you to do the same, practice now. I had countless trial sessions on myself to ensure that my makeup would look good and not budge the whole day. If I have discouraged you, then I highly recommend investing in a reputable makeup artist. Keep in mind that your wedding makeup can make or break your big day (especially in photos). 

For a list of the products I used and more photos of my wedding makeup look, do visit my blog. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Donnarence Masilungan-Jalmasco is a lawyer aside from being a makeup artist and beauty blogger. She blogs at My Lucid Intervals.

Photos by Ruffa and Mike Photography

This article was originally published on January 6, 2016