Whether you're the glowing bride-to-be or attending as a guest or last-minute plus one, a wedding is an opportunity to look and feel your best self. And, let's be honest, getting all dolled up is a great excuse for a photo (or few!)
From natural, barely-there looks to the latest Tik-Tok trends, there is no shortage of makeup looks on the internet to trial for the big day. While you're likely to be wearing more products than you would on any given day, it's important to look closely at the ingredients you're putting on your face.
When looking at makeup products, Starlight applies the same strict protocols used for skincare to review cosmetics. Our method involves rating products into three categories. This approach ensures no harmful ingredients slip through the cracks, and we can fully stand behind the products we recommend to our glowing clients.
If you need a reminder on how we qualify if a product is safe or harmful for your skin, here's a refresher on our categories of concern:
Comedogenic
At Starlight, we constantly preach the importance of non-comedogenic products. The comedogenic scale is a rating system that indicates how likely a specific ingredient is to clog pores. This rating is important for those with acne-prone skin and ranges from 0-5, with zero being non-comedogenic and five being severely comedogenic.
Irritation
Irritants include a variety of ingredients, such as essential oils, drying alcohols, and fragrances, both natural and synthetic, which, you guessed it, can irritate the skin. The effects of irritants are often immediately apparent and cause sensations of skin tightening, tingling, or burning, but, in other instances, the effects of irritants occur over time, causing damage below the skin surface. Prolonged use of irritants can cause radically reactive and sensitized skin. Those with oily skin may trigger a response that increases oil production and breakouts, while those with dry skin often feel skin tightness and flaking.
Safety
The safety index assesses ingredients on a scale of 1-10 for the likelihood of dangerous/toxic ingredients. The lower the rating, the lower the risk an ingredient is. Unlike comedogenic and irritation, safety is a comprehensive rating that reviews long-term usage and exposure, according to reports from credible sources, like the FDA. The purpose of assessing the safety of an ingredient is to determine the risk for long-term injury to your skin, cells, and your body as a whole.
Now that we've dealt with the technicalities, it's time to dive into the fun part: makeup. Here's a look at the products Kaye recommends using for attending a wedding or any other special event. If you plan to do a little pre-event skin ritual, check out Kaye's guide for prepping her skin before her wedding day.
Bridal and Wedding Guest Makeup That Won't Clog Your Pores
TiZO Tinted Mineral Primer Sunscreen
What type of medical spa would we be if we didn't recommend your makeup routine start with a SPF? Loved by Kaye and the Starlight team, TiZO Tinted Mineral Primer Sunscreen is an amazing base layer to your makeup that will protect your skin against the sun's harmful rays. The best part? It's tinted, meaning it won't produce a white cast in flash photography.
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation
Rated zero on the comedogenic scale, Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk is the best foundation that will not cause breakouts or irritation. There is a reason it has been a beloved luxury product of celebrity makeup artists and beauty influencers for years.
Expert advice from Kaye: Pick up the mini-size to ensure your product does not expire before it becomes empty.
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Multi-Purpose Concealer
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Concealer is the perfect counterpart to the foundation. Offering a lightweight and luminous finish, it provides hydration and comfort to the eye contour and rest of the face. Reduce the look of dark circles or blemishes with this buildable concealer.
Expert advice from Kaye: purchase the concealer in a darker shade and use it to bronze and contour your face.
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter
Looking for a little extra glow? Enhance the high points of your face with a natural shimmer, or apply it as a priming base under makeup for luminosity that radiates from within. Produce a highlighting effect without clogging your pores.
Nars Talc Free Powder Blush in Behave
Blushes are a tricky product to debunk and approve because of the pigments required to produce them. Red-based pigments are in many formulations of foundation, concealer, bronzer, and blush and are incredibly pore-clogging. If you are looking for a blush that is not likely to clog your pores, favour light pinks to avoid harmful red-based pigments. While Nars Talc Free Powder Blush in shade Behave is not entirely non-comedogenic, it rates only one on the scale.
Anastasia Brow Wiz
No makeup look is complete without brows to shape the face. A good brow is a staple in Kaye's natural and event makeup routines. As a cult classic, Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz is her pick for natural brows that shape her face.
Starlight Skin Glow Spray
A good setting spray goes a long way in ensuring the longevity of your makeup. To ensure the products adhere to your skin, Kaye recommends using Starlight Skin Glow Spray in place of a traditional makeup setting spray. Not only will Glow Spray give you an additional boost of hydration, but it also effectively locks in products for hours on end.
Expert advice from Kaye: carry it in your bag for a quick refresh throughout the day/evening.
Debunking Your Cosmetics
Curious if your products are on the safe or do-not-use ever-again list? We're happy to help! Send us a DM on Instagram with the makeup products you're using, and we'll debunk them for you.
The Debunk Dictionary
Considered the holy grail of product knowledge, Kaye and Raquel have spent endless hours reviewing and re-reviewing products in the Debunk Dictionary. When you purchase a product matters, as with reformulations and changes in shades, new ingredients can come into the mix that make the product no longer safe for use. The Starlight Debunk Dictionary is routinely updated to ensure it only reflects the most recent information product available. Download the Debunk Dictionary today!
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