Bridal beauty for 2020 is all about exuding a natural radiance.
If there is one thing that every bride is certain about, it’s that she wants to look flawless on her wedding day. Every detail — the dress, the hair, the makeup — is carefully considered to present the absolute best version of herself to be frozen in time in the couple’s photo album.
While brides strive to achieve that perfect look, the beauty experts who spoke with DARPAN agree that it’s all about embracing a natural beauty for today’s brides. Gone are the days of heavy, obvious makeup — for both Western and South Asian brides. “The dominant trend for 2020 for makeup is … skin being very fresh, glowy and radiant. The complexion to be elegantly highlighted for more of a natural sun-kissed look,” says Anita Lee, owner of Vancouver’s Helmet Salon. Aj Woodworth, owner of The Glamoury in Yaletown, agrees, “For makeup, we are getting away from the heavily contoured look and instead focusing on glowy, dewy fresh skin.”
Lee says that her approach to applying foundation is always about enhancing the bride’s natural beauty, making the skin look flawless and radiant. She prefers using deeper skin-tone powders to gently contour for more of a natural lift.
Rada Sarn, owner of Rada Beaute in Abbotsford, concurs that bridal “makeup applications that are done with a heavier hand” are definitely passé. “Too thick makeup can create a caked on, negative effect,” she explains. Lee adds that for makeup to last all day, the skin needs to be flexible, and says that means a dewy, radiant complexion. She acknowledges that mattifying products are still necessary to eliminate shine on the forehead and nose.
Lee further states the look for eye makeup is softer too — shimmery nude shades like soft gold, bronze and sable, apricot and pale rose tones. Sarn says “… a more natural eye complete with the right amount of glitter and shine is becoming more modern for cutting-edge brides.”
But false lashes and cat-eye liner are here for the long term, says Woodworth. Sarn and Lee also support that view. “False lashes and lash extensions always add an extra level of romance to the eyes…” Sarn observes. Lee likes to apply more of a mid-length lash that looks ultra-natural but fluttery. “They really help to make the eyes pop because we’re going for more of a natural beauty,” she explains.
Woodworth predicts that “a neutral eye with a winged liner and lashes” will continue to dominate bridal beauty styles. Lee echoes that view saying that her favourite eye technique is to finish up with a skinny cat eye look, using a brown liner on top of a black liner. “I call it soft drama,” she says with a giggle.
All three experts agree that the bright, bold lip is no longer front and centre. Sarn says that even though women will still be drawn to a bold matte lip colour, she foresees a softer, sheer lip, finished with a swipe of gloss, becoming more popular. “For lips, [the trend] is more of the natural shades like the dusty rose colour, a peachy nude, creamy butterscotch tones and more of that subtle berry but beigey tone,” says Lee.
Hairsytling too is looser and softer. “This upcoming bridal season we are breaking away from the structured updo’s and are seeing effortless beachy boho waves,” observes Woodworth.
Sarn says her “favourite bridal hairstyles right now are the softer up-dos and curls that have movement in the hair and an overall romantic feel.” Lee adds that the softer looks for hair mirror the more flowy-style dresses brides are choosing. “For hair, there is definitely lot more hair [being worn] down — soft but voluminous wavy hair. Hair that is off the face and is fuss-free. Hair that is half up will continue to be fuller, to have volumized smoother waves. I see unique braids becoming more popular,” she says.
Braids and low buns have more of an undone, almost messy look. Tendrils frame the face and the super, sleek, pulled-back updos are over. “Faded outlooks for brides are the stiff bubble curls and loops that used to be very popular,” explains Sarn. “Adding too much detail to an up-do is no longer necessary and can give the hair an out of date look and feel.” And though the big flower crown may not be au courant, smaller hair accents like individual blooms such as roses or baby’s breath (yes, it’s back in a big way for everything bridal) are on trend, says Sarn.
Carefully arranged sparkly hair accessories still complement bridal hair. Integrating Western and Indian customs can be a challenge for some brides, especially if they are only having a traditional Indian ceremony. “We find that South Asian brides are sticking with traditions [but] are incorporating more neutral tones to modernize their look,” says Woodworth. Sarn agrees saying, “South Asian brides always want to honour their traditions and still have a Western flare to their wedding day look. Mixing both Indian and Western bridal looks together creates an elegant, dazzling bride who gleams radiance throughout her wedding day.”
At the end of the day, it all comes down to what makes the bride feel her most confident self on her wedding day. “We still want to portray them,” Lee says.
Photos: Contributed by Rada Sarn, Anita Lee, Aj Woodworth, Michel van Eyck, Michael Callaghanof Photographic Manoeuvres, iStock