Now that you’re engaged, you’re probably curating
 hundreds, even thousands of bridal images on your Pinterest pages and viewing even more on Instagram. But keep in mind that some of those popular, overly shared photos could be a few years old, so we’ve asked New Jersey beauty experts to share their of-the-moment trends, and here’s what they’re seeing in the bridal beauty world.
 

1.) Fresh makeup. “One of the latest bridal makeup trends is a fresh, dewy complexion. When it comes to foundation, less is more,” says Cali Mazariego of DePasquale the Spa in Morris Plains. “When you play up your natural beauty, there’s no need to airbrush your entire face. Instead, reserve airbrushing for blemishes and scars.” She adds, “Keep eyes light and bright with neutral brown shadow. Smoky eyes are for parties, not for brides. Go with a deep-colored matte or stained lip color (not shiny lip gloss), and lightly dust lips with translucent powder for staying power.”

2.) Free-flowing hair. As for hair, stylist Stephanie Parizot, also from DePasquale the Spa, says, “Don’t take away from who you are. Start with free-flowing hair, and then wear it long or in an updo that’s a little loose and piecy. Embrace your natural texture and love your curls, waves and ringlets. Resist curling irons and flat irons, and just let your style flow.”

The staff at DePasquale also cautions brides to be realistic. “If you want long, flowing curls but you have baby-fine hair, it’s just not going to happen. Have a good plan in place weeks in advance and consider the magic of hair extensions, which can take your wedding-day look to a whole new level. Once you have extensions, you can wear your tresses up or 
down. But a consult is definitely a must,” Parizot says. “Also, be mindful that you don’t want your wedding dress and hair to clash. A simple dress can handle more hair. But a fancy dress can look better with a simple, elegant pony tail or side braid.”

3.) Dramatic eyebrows. “Brows are huge right now, and brides are wearing them prominently, says Meryl Schwartz, owner of Ashimoto Essential Beauty studio, located at Dolce Viso Salon in Millburn. Schwartz specializes in on-location and in-salon makeup for weddings and other special events.

Katie Weisman of European Wax Center agrees. “Eyebrows are big in Hollywood right now, and we pride ourselves on being the experts in brows,” she says. “Brides should start planning for perfect brows early. In fact, I’m getting married in the spring, and I’ve been planning my skin and hair regimens for months.”

4.) Dewy look.  As for the bride’s makeup, Schwartz says to avoid heavy matte foundation and cover problem areas only. “Brides still like airbrushed foundation, but we prep with a luminous primer and then use a radiant foundation for a dewy-skin look, with a glow of blush in a warm peachy tone,” she says. “Try sheer eye shadow in lighter, warmer hues like taupe, gold and cognac for a more natural eye. Today’s liner is more dominant, but not a couture winged eye. And avoid precision-lined lips and go with understated lip stain in nude, plum or berry for a rich, elegant bridal look.”

5.) Lush eyelashes. Schwartz adds that lashes play a big role because they can add dramatic dimension. “Permanent lashes last three to four weeks,” she says. “Long enough to get any bride through her wedding and honeymoon, and then they will need to be filled in.”

6.) Glowing skin. “What’s new in wedding beauty right now is naturally elegant makeup for glowing skin,” says Yoav Tauber, creative director of José Eber in Millburn. “And we also like lightly blushed cheeks and light/pale lips. Brides want their look to last all day and night, so we recommend oil-free makeup formulas because they stay best. Makeup primers work, too.”  

7.)  Simple hairstyles. Tauber adds that many brides are choosing slim, sexy silhouettes and edgy cut-outs in their wedding gowns. “We like to complement these fashions with simple, playful, stunning hairstyles,” he says. “Our designers encourage brides to let us play with their hair texture, adding curls and bends, and then finishing each wedding-day hairstyle with floating details like flowers, pearls and stones.” For an updo, he likes to saturate freshly washed and dried hair with mousse, then tease the roots and apply plenty of hairspray after styling is complete. “This gives any bride a hassle-free style that will hold up from her ceremony through the reception, and look perfect throughout a day of picture taking,” Tauber adds.

8.) Wax for picture-perfect photos. Besides the normal waxing regimen that you’re comfortable with, brides should also consider waxing their forearms and underarms for picture-perfect photos if they’re wearing a sleeveless or short-sleeved dress, Weisman adds. “At European Wax, we use hard wax because it adheres to your hair and not to skin,” she says. “This yields perfect, non-irritating results. Since our technique pulls hair from the root, most brides are waxed several days before their wedding and then will be good to go for their honeymoon.” Weisman also offers a bonus to Garden State gals. Any first-time guest with a New Jersey ID gets a complimentary eyebrow, underarm or bikini line wax. Or she can upgrade to a 50-percent-off Brazilian or full bikini wax. New male guests who reside in New Jersey can enjoy a complimentary eyebrow, ear or nose wax.