Clari Firmat is a multifaceted professional. At her studio @tepeinopuntocom she is mainly a professional stylist and makeup artist, but through the years she has become a perfect bridal stylist and a photographer as well. She knows how to set up a place for incredible photoshoots and how to get a spectacular bridal total look. Her talent carried her to La Provence in France, to work with @thesophiepton in a magnificent photoshoot some weeks ago.
I’ve known her for many years so I’ve decided to ask her for some tips and advice for brides. Being really versatile, her advice includes different aspects most professionals don’t take into account. So this is what she told me:
Hairstyle and makeup are usually one of the most important component for brides to consider. Many of them come to me looking for a fresh look mainly because they are not used to wearing too much makeup and want to keep their look as natural as possible.
Achieving a bridal natural look
My first advice to brides is always the same: Achieving a natural look doesn’t imply not wearing makeup at all.
To obtain a nice and natural look in photos, it is important to start by improving skin features reducing imperfections. Highlighting the look by giving a frame to the face with the hairstyle. I always encourage my clients to wear a little extra makeup on that day, or at least a striking hairdo. Otherwise, in their efforts to look super natural, they will end up looking super vapid.
Cameras also happen to minimize a great part of the makeup effect. You should take into account that in a photo your makeup looks a 30% less intense than in the mirror. Therefore, when a bride comes for the first time to try hair and makeup options I usually take her some pictures with a good camera so we can see them together. It helps the bride understand what I mean and provides information to evaluate the makeup style applying criteria and knowledge.
Hairstyle
When a bride is wondering what different hairstyles to wear with her wedding dress I usually suggest trying to imitate the chosen hairdo at her fitting day. It is not so difficult to simulate different hairstyling structures. With a simple band, you can imitate most of them. It is a great exercise to put all the hair on to one side. I strongly recommend taking several pictures of the hairstyle with the dress on, from different angles. The hairstyle itself is defined by how it looks on the side and back of her head.
Not a supermodel?
Another advice I usually give to brides is to learn to strike a pose spontaneously. It is important to practice different poses because on the wedding day it is very difficult to just “let go” when trying to look pretty in front of a camera.
At my studio, when I make them pose, many girls confess having difficulties when staring at a camera. With just a few indications I usually try to make them feel comfortable and photogenic, so when they see themselves in the photos they can evaluate the results, and work on their best version. This helps to learn to pose in a more confident and natural way.
It is because of this that I think that a pre-wedding session helps a lot. It turns into a rehearsal instance that helps many brides to learn how to feel comfortable and at the same time look great.
Harmonizing the total look
I usually tell brides that there has to be some harmony in the complete outfit. There are brides who are more traditional and prefer a smooth style. But there are others who choose for example dresses with a colorful accessory. Sometimes it is a striking headdress or a powerful lipstick. In those cases I suggest flowing behind that specific element, the rest should have to accompany and compensate. Otherwise, the look becomes a mess and it is not aesthetic. It is better to be remembered by how pretty you looked than for having too much information of the look itself. It sounds quite conservative but marriage memories last forever. After 10 years, no one wants to say “why did I over do it?”
Makeup
Encourage yourself to use extra single individual eyelashes. These will add structure to the look. You can choose the short ones to only add volume, or maybe the longer version if you want to achieve a stronger effect.
The skin should look luminous only in some specific spots, but in general, you have to work to make it look matted since this completes the makeup and looks better in the photos than excessive brightness.
Focus on enhancing the eyes more than the lips. I like the mouth to look more natural, fresh and easy to touch up. Especially if it has a nice texture!. We do not want the groom to run away when he sees their FIRST KISS coming!
Take care of your skin for at least six months before the wedding. Work on hydration, cleaning, and if possible, undergo treatments to improve its texture and appearance.
Pin it!
While looking for ideas of what you would like to wear on your special day, try to save those pictures where girls have (at least) a similar hair color or length to yours! Try also to look for real brides images and not mega photo productions full of digital touch-ups and hair extensions. Most of them will provide a false length and extra volume impossible to get.
