Bridal beauty: Make-up and hair trends for 2019

Bridal beauty is undergoing a subtle shift, with a move towards more defined styles. Award-winning wedding hair and make-up artist Amanda White gives her take on key trends in bridal hair and make-up for the season ahead

Bridal beauty is seeing some subtle shifts in 2019, and a key difference is bridal hair. There’s a definite divide when it comes to wedding-day hair in the season ahead. And the key question is: up or down? Whereas in previous seasons we’ve seen brides requesting a ‘half up, half down’ style, we’re finding many more people requesting a more refined boho up-do or opting for the relaxed and natural hair down look.

Bridal beauty: Wedding make-up and hair trends for 2019 — Up-dos are moving higher, and away from the nape of the neck, and this is a look that can be flattering for many brides. Photo: James Grist

Hair up

One key difference with up-dos is that they are being worn higher than in previous seasons. Some brides feel out of their comfort zone with a hair up option, but by bringing the hair up and away from the nape of the neck an up-do is flattering for many more people. The look is still soft, never severe, adding texture and movement so that the style suits face shape and bone structure. Another bonus of this new style of up-do is that hair worn off the nape of the neck suits the current crop of structured gowns, which feature much more detail around the neck and shoulder of the dress.

Hair down

An alternative that is being requested by more brides we work with is a softer hair-down look. The look is relaxed and natural, but needs to hold its shape through a long wedding day. Even the simplest hair-down style can look wonderful when you build in texture and movement. Plaits were a strong part of the hair-down look, and although still requested, this is slowly starting to fade. With plaits you do lose some volume from the hair, so many more brides prefer to wear their hair completely down –opting for hair accessories to make the hair feel dressed. We’re seeing grander and bolder hair accessories with more embellishment and in tones such as rich gold. Hairpins are particularly popular, and we love using them because they give you so much freedom. We place them individually or cluster them into one area to provide a point of focus.

How to choose

Many brides are not used to wearing their hair up in day-to-day life and can be resistant to the idea of a look that ‘exposes’ more of their face. There are no rules so we encourage brides to let us experiment with styles (and this is why a trial is so important). You would be surprised how many brides who are determined to wear their hair down end up opting for an up-do when they see how glamorous and soft it can look. Whether you decide on hair up or down, the aim is to make you feel like you. Small things really do make a big difference, such as letting tendrils of hair fall around the face, revealing or covering the ears, moving a parting or losing it altogether and adding height, sweeps and twists so hair looks textured, but not severe or stiff.

“There are no rules when it comes to bridal beauty, but we do encourage brides to experiment with different styles before their wedding day”

New natural make-up

The natural trend continues for bridal beauty, but make-up is taking on a more defined style as brides are opting for a slightly bolder stance. For eyes, the look is still natural but ‘smouldery’ – edging towards a smoky eye, but much more appropriate for daytime ceremonies. Brows are still a key focus, but it’s no to over fill that takes away from the eyes. Gold and rose-golds are still key shades for 2019, adding definition and soft highlight without appearing heavy. We are getting more requests from brides and wedding party guests for winged eyeliner, adding that glamorous and smouldering look. There has been a distinct shift for lip colour, moving away from the pale ‘nude’ pinks to richer brown-beige shades – a more sophisticated edge, especially with lined lips back in vogue. To balance this, blusher is stronger to give more definition, especially around the cheekbones.