Picture Perfect – A Night and Day Difference

You’ll always treasure your wedding album — no doubt getting it out on your anniversaries to remember the special moments of your day. For pictures so important, you want to be sure you look your best. Sarah Packard, an esthetician at Not So Plain Jane’s in Manchester (www.notsoplainjanes.com), has some makeup tips for wedding days — and nights.

For a daylight wedding — inside or out, sunny or not — you want a softer look. Earth tones are good for eye shadow; pink looks good in the summer. Add a mild eyeliner and blend it to soften the effect. Shimmer powder and eye shadow adds a bit of sparkle. Use lighter colors — pinks and peaches — for your blush and lip color. To keep the lip color longer, blot some loose powder on your lips before applying it. And, yes, use foundation.

For an evening wedding, focus on your eyes, giving them a soft, romantic look. Use darker colors — midnight blue, perhaps — and apply them more heavily. Soften lines with a sponge or eye shadow brush. A deeper lip color — a mauvey tone or red — is needed. Use lip gloss for both day and evening. Foundation and blush complete the picture.

A Great Smile

There’s no other day when you will be the subject of more photographs taken of you than your wedding day. So you
want everything to be perfect, including your smile. But if your teeth aren’t exactly flawless, it can be downright impossible to offer anything but a taut grin. Luckily, the field of cosmetic dentistry has really taken off in recent years, so you can go from a dental disaster to a megawatt grin before the big day.

When you want your teeth as white as your dress on that special day, turn to teeth whitening or bleaching. Though plenty of off-the-shelf trays, stickers and brush-on liquids are available at your local drugstore, having it done by a professional allows the teeth to get more dramatic results than with the at-home kits. “Very few people report consistent satisfactory results with over-the-counter whitening systems,” says Dr. Robert Marshall of Concord’s Aesthetic Dental Center. “They may see a slight change, but not what they hoped for and certainly not up to their potential. The dental office systems, either done at home or in an office, will get you the best shade change. We have seen up to 14 shades whiter.” The cost for professional bleaching is approximately $300 for athome use and $600 for the type done right there in the office, says Marshall.

If your teeth need repair, cosmetic dentists offer options such as bonding and veneers, or even crowns, bridges and implants for more extensive repairs. With any cosmetic dentistry procedure, ask for references, and always look at before-and-after photos to get a feeling for the experience and talent of the dentist doing the work.