make-up dilemma (kinda long I think)

Ok so I'm thinking about my make-up for the wedding day and I obviously need something long lasting, flawless appearance and to look good in photos. I'm going for the classic, natural beauty look. Something like this: makeup inspiration, inspiration, inspiration 

I did my own makeup for our e-pics:  and for my bpics:  (pay attention to your left side of my face (I was trying two different looks).

Ok so now here's my dilemma. I've been advised to use more blush and use actual lipstick  - likely a pink. But every time I wear color on my lips (I'm a C.O. Bigelow lip gloss girl) or have "a lot" of make-up on FI hates it and doesn't shut up about it. I don't want him to hate the way I look but I want to have the glowing bride look in our pics. 

Suggestions??

I think with the look you're going for, you can apply the make-up more heavily than normal and still look like yourself.  The colors you've chosen are natural, and some of the lip colors in your inspiration pics are a light pink.  

I did my own make-up, and I was scared about not looking like myself.  This was my first trial:

While pretty enough for everyday wear, it doesn't pop, and it would have made me look completely washed out in pictures.  So after some practice (and a change to my lip color), I discovered that I should apply my make-up twice as heavy with the exception of my lip color, which was a colorstay formula.  This is what it looked like for my final trial:

And on my wedding day:

It felt like I had put on a ton of makeup, but in pictures (and in person) it still looked like me, just more polished.

So my suggestions--go with colors that you normally wear, but apply them about two to three times heavier than normal.  For your lips, go with a color that's a little deeper than the color you normally wear, and make sure it has staying power.  If you can do false eyelashes, do those--they really accentuate the eyes.  If you can't, use a bunch of waterproof mascara!

Wow moore HUGE difference! I see what you're saying and it makes me feel a little better. Any suggestions of products? I know you've posted this before but I have no idea how to go about searching for it, sorry. Thanks for the pics to show the difference, it really helps!

There are several different routes you can take:

1)  Take some of your inspiration pics to a cosmetic store counter (think Sephora or MAC if there's one near you) and see if they can tell you what it takes to replicate the look.  You may want to write down the brands and names of the shades that they use, and then go to a website like Temptalia or search for dupes for the shades--see if you can find a shade that is almost, if not exactly, like the shade they suggested.

OR

2)  Look up tutorials on Youtube; the look you're wanting to go for is a pretty standard bridal look.  Check out Candee Johnson, Michelle Phan (one of her looks was my inspiration), and MakeupByTiffanyD.  The great thing about these tutorials is that you not only see the inspiration, but you're told what products they used and how they applied them.  I remember sitting at my computer with my mirror and makeup next to me, going step by step, pausing every time to finish one thing before moving on to the next.

As far as product recommendations,

1)  Use a primer so that your makeup will have staying power.  L'Oreal's Perfecting Base is good, and so is Rimmell London's Fix & Perfect Foundation Primer.

2)  You want to go with a liquid, cream, or mousse foundation.  Revlon's ColorStay foundation has received good reviews, and Rimmell London's Lasting Finish 25H Foundation works well, too.  If you want to spend a bit more money, you can check out Estee Lauder's DoubleStay Light--it's a lightweight formula with staying power.

3)  If you can perfect the application of false lashes, go for it!  If you want a more natural look with oomph, try demi lashes.  I was never able to get the hang of them, no matter how hard I tried, and I did not have a MAC or Sephora that I could go to for them to teach me, so I had to do my own mascara concoction.  I used Rimmell London's Scandaleyes in black, and then I put Covergirl's Lash Blast Fusion Waterproof over that.  

4)  Invest in some good brushes--the ones that come with the make-up just don't work all that well.  Sonia Kashuk and ELF have some good ones and you can usually find those at Target.

5)  When you do your trials, post pics in the forum to get feed back.  I did that quite a few times, and while I felt a little bad for doing so, I received really good advice (and affirmation) from the PW ladies.  But keep practicing until you can get it down.  We were running slightly behind the day of the wedding, and I was able to get most of my makeup done in the car on our way from the salon to the church (with a stop at my SIL's hotel room to pick up dresses).  That trip took maybe 15-20 minutes.

Hope this helps.  If you have any other questions, please let me know!  :)