How not to do bridal makeup - Kate Middleton Style

I know, this look is almost a year old. I saw a ad on BBC Entertainment while watching "Come Dine With Me" and was reminded that I wanted to do this post pretty soon after her wedding. But then she had just got married and everyone went nuts on how she did her own makeup & how brave & fab that was, I thought I would unleash my opinions a little later.

As usual, other things got my mind space.

But none the less, even if it is year old, there are valuable lessons to learn from this global event.

Lesson #1: It is not "brave" to be doing your own makeup on your wedding
It is a choice yes, but there is nothing brave to me about it. In fact I would call it down right silly. A wedding can be a very jittery time even for the calmest person. Do you really want to add the stress of creating your own look for that big day? Secondly wedding makeup involves techniques that ensure that it looks fab in pictures & the video as well. Something that might elude us lay people. Those pictures last forever & go everywhere. If your MIL is typical Indian MIL, she might even create a photo-frame outta it for all the guests that come over. Your kids will want to see it. It won't go away. Ever. Having said that I feel that she did do a good job. I'd give her a 6 on 10. Only cut her points because she didn't do her eye makeup well. It was too dark on the lids, and the eyeliner application was a disaster. A lot of people thought her lashes were a bit too dark, but I actually liked it. Maybe because I like mines thick & dark as well. If I were in her place I would have just hired Lisa Eldridge based on her spectacular videos.

Lesson #2: Eyeliner on the lower lash line needs to be smudged
If you are using eyeliner on the lower lash & are not a pro at even lines, smudge it a bit to blend in the uneven edges. Or it looks like you underlined your eyes. Like you used to underline difficult words in the Poetry class. It is not a good look in real life & looks worse in pictures that magnify the unnaturalness & unevenness. Makeup should always blend in. A darker eyeshadow could have been layered on top to blend it a bit.

Lesson #3: Her blush & her lips - now those were well done. 
I gotta give credit where due. Her blush & lips were done well. The colors were pretty and more importantly they were applied well and in the right quantity. We didn't see clown cheeks or gloopy, glossy lips. For a beginner & someone new to makeup I think nailing the blush right is quite an achievement. I remember struggling with the amount, it differs for a red blush compared to a plummy brown one. And then the placement too can take some time as you master the contours of your face. She did that very well!

Lesson #4: The foundation was very well blended in
There was no cakiness, the color match was perfect, there was no obvious powder. Pretty much everything that goes wrong with base, she avoided it. I also didn't see any obvious concealor issues. Maybe she has perfect skin and didn't need too much of it. But I would have liked her skin if it were dewy, even in these pictures her skin doesn't look well hydrated for some reason. It just doesn't appear like young skin, you know. There is something missing. Maybe she was just nervous. I get that. I'd be very nervous too if so many people were watching me.

So, there it is. I have really no personal axes to grind with Kate. I think she is doing a fab job as a princess & wish her a happy life. But when I see a makeup 101 error I gotta call a spade, a spade.

What do you think? Did you like her makeup? Would you do your wedding day makeup yourself?