Your engagement photos are a beautiful introduction to your journey as a newly engaged couple. They’re a visual expression of your love story and often find their way onto your wedding website, save-the-dates, and announcements shared with friends and family. Also, they allow you to ease into being in front of the camera and familiarize yourself with the big day’s hair and makeup styles while celebrating your love and commitment.
For your engagement session, the goal is to embrace a natural and fresh look that enhances your features without overshadowing your innate beauty. According to our expert, Nicole Samara from Samara Beauty, creating a youthful and relaxed vibe for your engagement makeup involves key elements. She is here today to share them and showcase some inspiring engagement natural makeup and hair looks.
MEET THE EXPERT
Nicole Samara is a true trailblazer within the bridal industry, boasting nearly 15 years of expert experience as a premier hair and makeup artist.
Her touch has graced over 1,000 weddings, propelling her global influence. She helps shape the trends that define upcoming bridal aesthetics through collaborations on editorial projects. With an innate knack for crafting fresh, elevated looks that seamlessly blend an editorial flair, Nicole Samara’s signature style is unmistakable.
With the support of the talented team at Samara Beauty, Nicole can tackle weddings of any size. Their diverse array of makeup and hair tools caters to various ages and skin tones. For Nicole, the true essence of her work lies in the meaningful connections she establishes with each bride, fostering collaborations that bring forth the perfect, uniquely resonant look.
All beautiful work below are courtesy of Samara Beauty.
Makeup Tips
Skin: Prioritize letting your skin look like skin. Using a creamy skin tint or tinted moisturizer and just spot-treating with concealer is a great option. Let your natural skin shine through, and only cover up where necessary. A touch of bronzing drops like Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi or Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow mixed into your foundation provides a healthy glow without feeling heavy. Opt for cream bronzers, blush, and highlighters for a natural finish for engagement shoot days.
Contouring: Achieve a natural shadow effect using highlighters and bronzers from Hourglass, even for eye makeup.
Eyes: Stick to neutral tones and brown liners, enhancing your look with individual lashes or a good lash curler and a quality mascara. Tubing mascaras, like the Tartelette tubing mascara, are excellent choices for easy removal and a smudge-free finish.
Lips: For lip tones, choose a shade that offers a subtle flush of color, such as Dior lip glow. It provides a lip balm-like feel but slightly stains the lips for longer-lasting kissable wear.
Inspiration for Your Engagement Session
The golden rule is to maintain a look that genuinely feels like you. Nicole tailored makeup and hair for different engagement looks to complement each person’s style and vibe.
For instance, Hollie’s first look featured a cream-shimmering eye and a pop of pink on the lips, matching the tones of her dress, styled with loose waves for a soft allure. Later, as the setting transitioned to the beach, the makeup was toned down for a more natural look.
Nathalie’s makeup was focused on soft, neutral tones. Nicole used one of her favorite brown-toned pencils by MACc in Costa Riche and individual lashes to accentuate the bride-to-be’s beautiful blue eyes without overpowering them. Her natural curls were enhanced and defined to highlight her hair’s natural texture.
Photo: James & Jess
With Alaina, Nicole and her team went for a minimal makeup approach, focusing on achieving radiant skin using Charlotte Tilbury’s Wonder Glow as a base. They opted for spot concealing only where necessary, creating a fresh, natural look. Alaina’s eye makeup was kept subtle with a nude tone, complemented by a natural lip color. As for her hair, they styled soft, natural, beachy waves, adding to the effortless vibe.
Photo: Katie Edwards
For Hannah, they did a Hailey Bieber-inspired low bun and natural makeup with a light champagne eye and neutral pink lip Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk and defined brows.
Photo: James & Jess
Photo: James & Jess
Your engagement session reflects your unique love story and the vibe of your relationship. By embracing a natural makeup style for your engagement session, you’ll radiate authenticity and stay true to yourself—effortlessly and beautifully.
