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A close-up of a bridesmaid with soft pink eyeshadow, rosy blush, and a nude lip, complementing her elegant dress and glowing skin.

25 Gorgeous Bridesmaid Makeup Ideas

Brides often pick out everything for their bridesmaids, so why stop at the makeup? Here are some beautiful bridesmaid makeup ideas for your wedding. 

If you’re a bridesmaid, use these makeup ideas to inspire your wedding day look!

A bridesmaid applying a peach-toned lipstick in front of a mirror, showcasing a natural makeup look with subtle highlighter and defined brows.

All the members of the bridal party have to wear something special at the wedding, but what about the makeup? Usually brides get their makeup done, but what about bridesmaids?

A diverse group of bridesmaids with coordinated makeup looks, featuring shades tailored to complement their unique skin tones, posing together with glowing smiles.

Depending on the different skin tones of the bridesmaids, the amount of time you have, and the budget for your wedding, you may choose to have a makeup look for all of your bridesmaids. 

Do Bridesmaids Need Professional Makeup?

bridesmaids laughing

Usually the bride always gets her makeup done by a professional makeup artist. Makeup artists usually have the bride come in weeks before the wedding for makeup trials.

This is where the makeup artist does the bride’s makeup before the actual wedding to see if the bride likes how the makeup artist does her makeup. Once the bride has had a successful makeup trial, then she will book the makeup artist.

It depends on whether the bride has it in her budget to afford to be able to also pay for her bridesmaids makeup. If you want to have wedding photos where all your bridesmaids are in full glam, you may want to ask your hair & makeup team to also work on your bridesmaids.

Getting the entire bridal party’s makeup done will be quite a cost, so if you cannot afford it, don’t worry because it is not necessary. 

Can I Let My Bridesmaids Do Their Own Makeup?

It is completely fine to have your bridesmaids do their own makeup. If you cannot afford to get all of your bridesmaids makeup done on your wedding day, make sure you give your bridesmaids an idea of what you want their makeup to look like. 

Make sure the ideas for your bridesmaids makeup & hair go well with the style of dress that your bridesmaids. Depending on the bridesmaid dress colors, the shades of eyeshadow that you may use would look better than others. 

On your wedding day, make sure that you have your maid of honor or a close friend checks your bridesmaids makeup.

Make sure that all the bridesmaids look similar to each other, and that one bridesmaid doesn’t have super colorful makeup and the next has no makeup on. You want the look to be cohesive and for your bridesmaids to look good together! 

A bridesmaid sitting at a vanity table, applying her own makeup with a palette in hand, while a guide with suggested makeup styles is displayed nearby.

Here are some great makeup ideas for bridesmaids in your wedding party! 

1. Smoky Eye

Close-up of a sultry smokey eye makeup look featuring blended gray and black eyeshadow, perfect for an evening wedding. This dramatic style complements darker-colored bridesmaid dresses beautifully.

For a sultry evening look, opt for a smokey eye shadow. Smokey eyeshadow is generally gray or black eyeshadow that is blended to look smokey. If you are having an evening wedding with darker colored bridesmaid dresses, this is a great choice! 

2. Nude Look

Natural summer wedding makeup featuring a light, fresh look with nude tones, ideal for hot weather to prevent makeup from smudging or melting.

For summer weddings, opt for less makeup than normal. Hot weather can make you sweat, which will ruin your makeup. Choose a makeup look that is mostly natural and stick to nude palettes. 

3. Gold Eyeshadow

Close-up of glittery gold eye makeup, carefully chosen to complement bridesmaid dresses. The gold shade varies between light and dark tones for a customized look.

If you enjoy glittery eye makeup, look for a gold color that compliments your bridesmaid dresses. The shade of gold that you choose may be different depending on if you want a darker or lighter look. 

4. Full Glam

Bridesmaid with a full glam makeup look featuring bold eyes, flawless foundation, and dramatic lips, showcasing a professionally done style that requires ample preparation time.

A full glam look will take plenty of time to complete and typically needs to be done by a professional makeup artist. If you want your bridesmaids to have full glam, make sure you start early in the morning so that you get everyone’s makeup done on time! 

5. Rosy Cheeks

Bridesmaid with a fresh daytime makeup look featuring rosy cheeks and a natural complexion, perfect for creating a sweet and radiant appearance.

If you are having a daytime event, opt for rosy cheeks and a fresh face to create a sweet and natural makeup look. 

6. Classic Red Lip

Bridesmaid showcasing a bold makeup look with a vibrant red lip color for a pop of color, or a dramatic vampy option like dark red or black for a striking effect.

If you want a pop of color for your bridesmaids makeup look, choose a posy lip color like red. If you want a more bold makeup choice, you can opt for more vampy lip colors like dark red or black. 

7. Subtle Glam

Bridesmaid with a subtle glam makeup look featuring neutral eye makeup and a nude lip color, creating a polished yet natural appearance.

If you want your bridesmaids to look polished but not too made up, go for a subtle glam look. Using a neutral eye makeup shade and a nude lip color is the perfect way to accomplish this look. 

8. Rose Gold Shadow

Bridesmaid with rose gold pink eye makeup, showcasing a soft and elegant shimmer perfect for a romantic look.

A rose gold pink shade is a beautiful eye makeup look. 

9. False Lashes Only

Bridesmaid wearing false lashes with minimal eyeshadow, creating a bold and voluminous lash look that stands out beautifully in photographs.

If you enjoy the look of false lashes, make your bridesmaids wear them with little eye shadow. False lashes show up in photographs more than natural lashes, making your upper lashes look more voluptuous. 

10. Shimmery Cheek Highlight

Bridesmaid with a shimmery glow highlight applied over foundation, achieving a radiant, lit-from-within look perfect for a luminous appearance.

On top of the foundation, have your make up artist apply a shimmery glow highlight for that healthy lit-from-within glow look. 

11. Cat Eye Liner

Bridesmaid with a bold feline flick eyeliner, applied using an ultra-fine felt-tip pen or eyeliner brush, creating a dramatic and elegant makeup look.

Add an extra feline flick to your bridesmaids makeup look. Apply eyeliner with eyeliner brush or an ultra-fine felt-tip eyeliner pen for a dramatic look. 

12. Foxy Eyes

Bridesmaid showcasing the trendy 2021 foxy eye makeup look, featuring elongated and lifted eyeliner for a sleek and modern appearance.

A huge trend in makeup for 2021 has been the foxy eye makeup look. 

13. Nude Lip

Bridesmaid wearing nude pink lipstick for a subtle and natural makeup look, a popular and timeless choice for modern bridal parties.

Using nude lip makeup shades such as pink lipstick can be a subtle makeup look. Use nude shades of lipstick to make a natural look. This is one of the most popular and modern bridesmaid makeup ideas that will look timeless in photos. 

14. Golden Shimmer

Bridesmaid with gold highlighter enhancing the natural color of her eyes, adding a subtle shimmer for a radiant look.

Gold highlight can compliment the natural color of your bridesmaids eyes. 

15. Burgundy Eyeshadow

Bridesmaid wearing burgundy eyeshadow, perfect for a fall makeup look that complements darker dress colors beautifully.

Using eyeshadow colors like burgundy can be great for a fall makeup look. Darker colors can look great with certain dress colors. 

16. Contour

Bridesmaid with light contouring for a natural makeup look, with the option of enhanced contouring on the nose and forehead for a more dramatic effect.

Use a light contour for a natural makeup look. If you like a more dramatic makeup look, you can also contour the nose or around the forehead. 

17. Silver Eyeshadow

Bridesmaid wearing silver metallic eyeshadow, adding a stunning and unique touch to her makeup look.

If you want a different color eyeshadow, use silver as a gorgeous metallic shade. 

18. Matte Lipstick

Close-up of a matte lipstick application, showcasing a richly pigmented and non-shiny finish for a bold and modern look.

Some lipsticks come in a matte version that is less shiny and more pigmented than normal lip colors.

19. Monochromatic Look

Bridesmaid wearing eyeshadow that matches her dress color, creating a chic and cohesive monochromatic makeup look.

Match your dress color with the eye shadow for a monochromatic look. 

20. Thick Brows

Bridesmaid with defined eyebrows enhanced by brow gel and an accentuated brow bone for a polished and striking look.

Make your bridesmaid’s eyebrows stand out by extenuating the brow bone and using brow gel or another eyebrow makeup product. 

21. Matte Foundation

Bridesmaid with matte foundation for full coverage, offering a flawless finish ideal for specific skin types, with a wide range of shades available based on the brand.

If you want the most coverage for your bridesmaid’s foundation, opt for a matte option. This type of foundation may not work on all skin types, as it is drying. You will be able to find a range of skin tones depending on what brand of foundation you choose. 

22. Purple Hues

Bridesmaid with brown eyes wearing purple eyeshadow and high-shine mauve lip color, creating a stunning and cohesive makeup look with purple hues.

Purple eyeshadow is absolutely gorgeous for women with brown eyes, so why not choose this as a makeup look for your brown eyed bridesmaids? You can also use products like a high-shine mauve lip color to incorporate purple hues into their makeup look.

23. Natural Look

Bridesmaid with natural makeup featuring neutral eyeshadow and lip color, enhancing her natural features with a subtle and elegant look.

If you are a fan of natural makeup, choose a neutral color for the eye shadow and a neutral lip color to make the bridesmaid’s natural features stand out. 

24. Old Hollywood Glam

Bridesmaid with Old Hollywood glam makeup, featuring a bold red lip, winged eyeliner, and side-swept hair or a classic bun, perfect for a vintage-inspired wedding theme.

Old Hollywood glam typically consists of traditional makeup looks with a dramatic red lip or winged eyeliner. Usually old Hollywood looks are complete with side swept hair or a classic bun. Use this bridesmaid makeup idea if it fits with your wedding theme! 

25. No-Makeup Makeup Look

Bridesmaid with natural makeup featuring a no-makeup makeup look, embracing the 'less is more' trend for a fresh and timeless appearance.

Natural bridesmaid makeup can be absolutely gorgeous. The no makeup makeup look is the biggest makeup trend recently, so opt for a less is more approach to your bridesmaids look if you like this style. 

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Caroline Kinsley

Caroline Kinsley is a recent graduate from the University of Delaware. With a degree in media communications, Caroline’s passions are marketing and journalism. Caroline has always loved the wedding planning process, being the daughter of an event planner. In addition to contributions to Yeah Weddings, Caroline Kinsley has published articles in Delaware Today Magazine, Her Campus, and YOUR Magazine.

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