Eye candy!

The trends of this year’s wedding season are nudes, metallic, darks and neons, to compliment the colourful themes. Here are the top trends to include if you’re a 2012 summer bride:

Smoky eyes

It’s no longer taboo to arrive at the altar with dark vixen eyes, laced in kohl liner and dusted with dark shadows. Whether your darks are set in matte, metallic, cream or powder there’s a shade to suit every skin tone. You no longer have to go for only the dark browns, but instead can opt for a deep purple, a racy black or a devilish blue.

But remember:
• Purples and violets bring out the sparkle in brown eyes
• Dark browns and black enhances the natural tones on olive skin tones
• Blue and grey are great shades for both blue and green eyes

If you’re going for a darker hue on the eye, go easy on the cheeks and the lips. If you want to achieve the perfect 1920’s dark eyes and red lips, remember to keep the eyes minimalistic by sticking to chocolate tones.

Cat eyes

This is one look that will never go out of fashion. Whether you’re the bride or a bridesmaid, the soft slick of liquid liner across the upper lid is a look that will scream classy from the altar to your wedding night. It allows the wearer to be seductive without trying, and enhances the rest of your features with minimal effort that’s easy to perfect. Remember to use a nude eye shadow to set the skin so your eye liner doesn’t smudge throughout the day or night. It’s best to use a liner with a soft tip applicator if you’re new to the trend because mistakes are much easier to fix with this. Add a touch of colour to your lips and keep the cheeks light and glowing. Too much make-up everywhere else will ruin the effect of your eyes so keep it simple.

Metallic queen

Lots of brides ask for a bit of glow on the eyes to help pick up any sparkle in their dresses. But it need not be a disco disaster. The important thing to remember about metallic shades is that, if it’s for a wedding, gold and bronze are your best friends. Avoid the bright colours when using metallic shades because they end up looking very clown-like on anyone no matter how beautiful the bride. Keep the hues natural and soft and opt for adding a bronzer to your cheeks to bring out the rest of the shades. A lip gloss always works better with metallic shades that a lipstick would, so pick the shades carefully.

All natural

For those ladies hoping to look simple and chic instead of high fashion or high street, natural tones similar to your own skin colour will be a perfect match. The best way to bring out the effort on such a subtle colour choice, is to add a light eye liner to the lower and upper lids in a fine line. Browns are the best for this because it will complement the eye shadows but still add a bit of mystery to your eye itself. You don’t have to go too bold to make a statement; it just requires a bit of effort in the right manner. Dust your upper lids with a colour closest to your skin tone and fill in the crease with a shade two tones darker. Keep the liner directly on the eye lids instead of stretching it out, to make sure the eye is the soft. As long as you keep the colours natural and soft you’ll be able to get it right.

Colour me bad

If you’re feeling brave, add a splash of colour. Try and add softer versions of your wedding colours to your shadow for a bit of drama. If the theme is red, go for a rosy pink. If the shades are green, blue, purple orange or yellow, go pastel shades topped off with loads of mascara to give you the cotton candy look. This is a playful choice, a sweet look and a youthful way to add fun to your wedding. Remember to use powdered pastel eye shadows because creams will add too much detail and are harder to blend in. Many designers are embracing the colour trend on their models on the runway, but this isn’t a fashion show, so do not overdo it or directly copy a runway look. Speak to your make-up artist about keeping the theme, but soften the blow by adding whites and creams to your shadows to ease any brights into softer pastels. If you’re feeling very brave, add a colour eye liner to your top lid and pick it up with your nail polish rather than your cheeks or lips. Colour is fun, but all good things in moderation are safest.

Image: Subbotina Anna/Shutterstock.com