In this exclusive interview, makeup artist Kelly Dawn opens up about her personal bridal beauty journey and the thought process behind her stunning wedding day look. Known for her philosophy that bridal makeup should enhance a bride’s natural beauty, Kelly shares how she applied this principle to her own wedding, opting for a timeless, elevated version of her everyday style. She also reveals the key products she relied on, her approach to overcoming unexpected challenges, and the joy she found in designing unique looks for her bridesmaids.
Join us as Kelly offers a glimpse into her special day and the beauty secrets that made it unforgettable!
Meet the Expert
Dawn Artists is an award-winning hair and makeup agency offering beauty services for luxury weddings and events worldwide. Founded by celebrity makeup artist Kelly Dawn, KDB is known for its highly skilled hair and makeup team, who bring their Red-Carpet touch to their bridal clients.
With experience working at multicultural weddings and with people of all ages and races, the team ensures guests feel like the most beautiful and confident version of themselves.
KDB’s exceptional work has been featured in VOGUE, Hello!, Grazia, and Wed Lux, and their team has been named the Best UK Hair & Makeup Artists by Harpers Bazaar.
What inspired your bridal makeup look?
I always say to my brides your wedding makeup should make you look and feel like the most beautiful and confident version of yourself. I don’t believe your wedding day should be a day to get overly creative or trend-focused with your hair and makeup looks. You want to feel like yourself and have a look that is timeless, really highlights your features, and accentuates your beauty! So, for my own hair and makeup, I honestly did something similar to my ‘everyday makeup look ‘ but, of course, a lot more elevated and carefully applied.
Skin is super important for creating beautiful bridal looks, so that’s always a big focus for me on myself and my clients. I wanted to look natural and fresh but still flawless, so I used my signature custom coverage application technique to create a flawless glowing complexion that looks good up close, in person, and on camera.
I like my eyes to be fairly natural but with lots of lashes, a soft winged liner, and a rosy lip. I wanted my look to feel timeless, youthful, and fresh.
Which products did you use and why?
I’ve created a step-by-step tutorial of every product I used to create my look, but the key products that were non-negotiable were:
Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, which I’ve used in my Pro Makeup Kit for years, and the new Luminous Silk Cream Blushers! I’m obsessed with these blushers, and they launched just in time for my wedding, and I’ve worn them every day since. I mix two shades together to create my own perfect shade, and it’s chef’s kiss.
Lashify Lashes – I love Lashify lashes! They are applied underneath the lash line, so you can’t see any band or glue, which makes them look so natural. I always use individual or cluster lashes like this and never strip lashes. Strip lashes are more ‘one size fits all,’ whereas, with individual lashes, you can design a custom eye look based on the individual eye shape and desired effect. Just like having a custom dress made, you can design them perfectly for yourself.
My favorite Bronze Eyeliner from Victoria Beckham – I used this to create my signature winged liner, which I pretty much wear every day!
And the YSL Love Shine Lipstick in shade 402! I fell in love with this a few months before the wedding, and it’s my new favorite shade!
Did you face any challenges doing your own makeup?
Honestly, I was pretty stress-free about makeup and hair as I had the Dawn Artist Glam team there to support me. Our team provided Hair, Nails, Makeup, and Tan, so I knew I was in the very best hands. I did my own makeup, but I also had my Lead Makeup assistant, Leandra Kiss, there with me, working on bridesmaids and keeping me touched up throughout the day.
Honestly, the only big stress on my wedding morning was that I was quite sick with a cold. It was really a shame. I was coughing and had nearly lost my voice. My bridesmaids kept me motivated and medicated with cold and flu tablets, and I drank lots of Artha Cellular Water to keep me hydrated and energized. I managed to push through and enjoy the day as best as I could. I now caution my brides to try to take some downtime ahead of the wedding if possible so they don’t go into it burnt out or sick!
How did you ensure your makeup lasted throughout the day and night?
Even if you have a professional makeup artist using the best quality products on the market, your makeup will always require some touch-ups to keep it fresh throughout the day.
A few essentials I always recommend to brides:
Setting Powder – It’s important to de-shine the T-Zone so you don’t have ‘hot spots’ in your photos. I love the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Powder, which is a super finely milled powder that allows you to touch up and de-shine without creating a heavy build-up on the skin. It is enriched with rose wax and almond oil, so it has a very soft finish and doesn’t leave you looking cakey. Plus, it is super cute and compact, perfect for brides.
Lipstick – There is always lots of kissing, talking, and eating at weddings, so having your lipstick and liner at the ready is essential.
Day-to-night refresh: When your wedding progresses from daylight to candlelight, it’s nice to enhance your makeup to match the mood and lighting. A lot of brides are changing dresses these days and having multiple bridal looks. The same goes for hair and makeup! I did a very quick 5-minute refresh by enhancing my skin, adding a little more color to my cheeks, switching up my lip color, and adding a little shimmer to my eyes to match my sparkling party dress. I pulled my hair into a party pony as I was ready to dance freely!
Hygiene refresh products – It’s always a good idea to have a few products you can refresh with nearby. Deodorant, toothbrush, baby wipes, perfume, breath mints… anything you think you might need at some point to refresh with. I love the Luna Daily ‘Anywhere Spray’ which is a spray-to-wipe product that you can use to refresh anywhere on your body!
What was your favorite part of your makeup look?
I’ve tried really hard to think of one element that stood out the most, but the honest answer is that your bridal makeup has to come together to create a perfect look, so each element is really important. Skin, brows, eyes, lips—everything needs to be carefully selected and planned out so you look and feel your best. I was so sick on my wedding day, so thank goodness for amazing makeup magic that can make you look healthy and glowing even when you don’t feel great!
One thing I really loved was picking out a new fragrance for myself for the wedding day. I got the Charlotte Tilbury LOVE Frequency, and I liked the idea of having something I’ve never worn before, as now, when I smell it, it really evokes the emotion and memory of our wedding party.
Did you have a hair and makeup brief for your bridesmaids?
All my bridesmaids are so individual and unique, and I really wanted them to all wear looks that made them feel their best. I personally designed all of my bridesmaids’ hair and makeup looks, and our amazing Dawn Artist Hair and Makeup team got all the girls ready. I had fun designing the looks for them and giving them some inspiration, but ultimately, I was happy for them to wear whatever they felt good in. They also chose their own dresses, following my moodboard for inspiration. We had a lot of fun with it!
To give the girls a full beauty pamper, I created special bridesmaids’ beauty boxes as a gift to all of them, which included all of my favorite bridal beauty products, including Haircare by Hair by Sam McKnight, lipsticks by YSL, Cellular Hydration by Artha, Vida Glow Collagen, Armani Foundations & Concealers, ALLEVEN Colour Shield, and lots of other beauty products custom-matched to each of the girls.
How did your makeup complement your overall bridal style?
As our recent wedding party didn’t have a ceremony (we had our intimate ceremony 2 years ago in Canada), I wanted my dress to be less formal and more fun! I wanted more of a party dress and worked with a local designer to create something fun and unique. For my hair, I toyed with ideas of having fun updos, especially as I had worn my hair down for our first wedding too… but in the end, I decided to wear it down, as that’s always how I feel most beautiful.
Looking back, is there anything you would do differently?
As the wedding has only just passed, I have no regrets (yet!) when it comes to my hair and makeup looks. I feel like my look was very timeless, so hopefully, when I look back in 10, 20, or even 50 years, I won’t regret the hair and makeup! Working in the wedding industry, I’ve done several weddings since my own, and I’m already falling in love with different dresses and styles, thinking, “Ohhh, I would have loved to wear that!” But most importantly, I felt good in my look on the day, so even if one day I look back on the styling and laugh with my grandchildren… I’ll always remember that I felt beautiful regardless.
Do you have any advice for brides who are thinking about doing their own makeup?
Of course, I really do think it’s nice to have your makeup professionally done on your wedding day, as it’s important to look and feel your very best. If you do prefer to do your own makeup, I would recommend treating yourself to a makeup lesson so you can get some help designing your look and discovering which products will work best for you.
