Natural makeup for summer wedding style

It is finally wedding season and we can dress up, doll up and celebrate these happy occasions once again.

If you’re anything like us, you might have spent the recent sunny days enjoying the great outdoors, and hopefully your skin is reflecting time spent in the fresh air. One of the most important things on your wedding day is keeping your skin feeling healthy. If you have already been using natural skincare so carefully, you may want to use natural makeup products too.

Fortunately, there are some beautiful natural makeup items out there to complement your skincare routine. Personally, we’re big fans - Alice used some of them on her very own wedding day!

If make-up isn’t using parabens, metals and phthalates, what exactly used to get all those gorgeous colours and finishes?

Well, obviously it varies from one product to the next, but in the case of the Zao collection, which we love (and sell), their hero ingredient is organic silica, found in bamboo extract.

From a skincare perspective, it’s great for stimulating collagen and elastin fibres, promoting elasticity, firmness and retention of moisture. It’s widely used in Eastern medicine.

Meanwhile, from an environmental perspective, because bamboo grows super quickly, it’s a champion of carbon capture during its lifecycle (great for global warming). It can also be rapidly replaced so it’s highly sustainable.

The brand uses organic silica in every product except their multi-purpose pencils. Other ingredients include some of our reassuringly familiar favourites such as avocado oil, coconut oil, jojoba, shea butter, pomegranate extract, rice powder and cornstarch!

You can find out more by taking a peek at the full collection.

As with lots of myths about natural skincare, there is a misconception that natural makeup limits your options when it comes to colours and looks - definitely not so! Whether you want to go bold, neutral or somewhere in between, there’s a lip polish, lip ink, pencil, foundation, powder and eyeshadow to suit. A few hints to get you started…

Bold bride

If you want to go bold on your wedding day, we love Zao’s Soft Touch lipstick in Pomegranate Red teamed with intense eyeliner and a silky smooth liquid foundation.

Natural bride

For a more natural look, why not try Zao’s delicious Lip’Ink in Emma’s Pink, their new BB cream and a Pearly Eyeshadow in Golden Sand.

Wedding guest

For wedding guests looking to keep make-up fresh and dewy all day, use a Fluid Eye Primer before applying your make-up, their Mineral Silk powder foundation, and carry a compact with you for touch ups.

Much like natural skincare, for anyone with sensitive skin natural makeup tends to be less likely to cause a reaction. It will always vary from one individual to the next, but it’s a good starting point.

In our experience, natural makeup limits the chances of redness, irritation and breakouts because they don’t contain the synthetic fragrances and ingredients that typically antagonise the skin. They’re also less likely to cause dryness, resulting in flaking after a long day, so they give a generally glowing look - which is perfect for celebrations.