24 Gorgeous Wedding Guest Makeup Looks

Plus, expert tips for doing your wedding guest makeup.

Photo: Nikki Daskalakis

Updated Feb 26, 2025

When planning your wedding guest look, choosing the perfect wedding guest makeup to go with your outfit is the perfect finishing touch. Whether you're planning on going to a makeup artist or want to try your hand at DIY wedding makeup, it's important to have clear inspiration to draw from to know where to start. That's where we come in. We've compiled 24 of our favorite wedding guest makeup looks you'll want to recreate. We also spoke to Monica Case, bridal makeup artist and owner of Kalon Rouge, for her top tips for wedding guest makeup. From how to make your makeup last all night to her favorite product recommendations, Case has you covered for everything you need to know about wedding guest makeup and wedding makeup trends.

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Whether you're searching for how to do makeup for mature skin or want to try out the best highlighters on your skin, we've searched high and low for gorgeous makeup looks for a wide range of ages, skin tones and styles that you're sure of love. From smokey eyes to retro red lips, the world is your oyster when it comes to wedding guest makeup ideas. The best part: They came from real weddings featured on The Knot! We suggest you pour yourself a glass of wine, bookmark this page and start scrolling!

In this article:

24 Wedding Guest Makeup Looks to Recreate
3 Wedding Guest Makeup Tips From a Pro

24 Wedding Guest Makeup Looks to Recreate

Whether you're a makeup pro or are still learning the basics, these wedding guest makeup looks cover every skill level. From natural glowy skin to bold statement lips, there's a makeup look out there to suit every wedding guest's personal style. You can save these looks to recreate at home or show them to your makeup artist as your inspiration.

Glam Smokey Eye

A wedding is the perfect time to try out a glam, smokey eye like this one. Paired with airbrushed skin and a defined brow, this wedding guest eye makeup is perfect for a nighttime wedding look. Pro tip: If you have trouble getting your eyeshadow to stay in place, try using an eyeshadow primer for extra grip.

Pop of Color

Pink eyeshadow wedding guest makeup look

A pop of color on the eyes is a great way to liven up your wedding guest makeup and differentiate it from what you might wear on an everyday basis. We love the vibrant pink eyeshadow shown here, but you can opt for any color you'd like for this style. Match your eyeshadow to your wedding guest dress for the perfect monochromatic vibe.

Soft Focus

Simple, glowy skin paired with pink eyeshadow and your best blush is the perfect soft makeup for a wedding guest. Pair it with a swipe of shimmery nude lip gloss and you're good to go.

Classic Red Lip

A cherry red lip is a classic for a reason. This retro-inspired makeup look is an easy way to elevate your wedding guest look. When hunting for the perfect shade of red wedding lipstick, experts suggest looking for shades that have similar undertones to your skin. Those with warm-toned complexions should opt for warm shades of red with orange undertones and those with cool-toned complexions should opt for reds with cool blue undertones.

Moody Hues

Looking for guest makeup for a wedding that makes a statement? Look no further than this moody makeup look that pairs a gray-toned smokey eye with burgundy red lipstick. Keep your skin simple with some glowy highlighter.

Retro Cat Eye

An elegant cat eye works for just about every makeup look. This retro-inspired look elongates the eyes and makes them pop. Let your eyes do the talking, and keep the rest of your makeup minimal with a lightweight wedding foundation and a baby pink lip gloss.

Natural Beauty

If you don't wear a ton of makeup daily, you may feel best in a more natural wedding guest makeup look like this one. Light foundation and blush enhance your natural complexion, while a coat of waterproof mascara and pink lipstick tie the look together.

True Blue

Add some seventies-inspired glam to your look with blue eyeshadow. This one is paired with a retro-cat eye and natural skin and lips. While you could achieve this look with any eyeshadow color, we're particularly fond of the aqua-blue hue.

Lightly Bronzed

Summer or beach weddings call for glowy, bronzed makeup looks. A generous dusting of blush and bronzer can bring extra warmth to your makeup look. For lips, keep it tonal with a bronze or nude lipstick or opt for a poppy red gloss for some color.

Lady in Red

Glossy red lips pair exceptionally well with dewy skin and a subtle smokey eye. This dreamy wedding guest makeup look is polished without being overly complicated. Wear this versatile look both day and night.

Megawatt Glow

Let your glowing skin steal the show with this gorgeous makeup look. This look is especially fitting for a beach wedding if you've gotten a bit of sun—or are rocking a fake tan. Glossy lips and some light mascara are all you'll need to finish off the look.

Luxe Lashes

Glamorous full lashes are the perfect way to elevate any makeup look for a wedding guest. This look features a nude lip and a smokey eye paired with amazing long eyelashes. If you're looking to add fullness to your own lashes, a set of falsies will amp up your eyes.

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Berry Kiss

Berry lipstick wedding guest makeup look

A swipe of berry-hued lipstick steals the show with this stunning wedding guest look. Shimmery gold eyeshadow brightens the eyes, while simple, glowy skin acts as the perfect canvas.

Elevated Everyday

We love a makeup look that elevates what you wear on a daily basis. This makeup look is the perfect balance between natural and glamorous. The glowy, natural skin pairs beautifully with a cat eye, shimmery eyeshadow and pinky-nude lipstick.

Glowy Skin

We can't get enough of this shimmery, glowing makeup look. Generous application of highlighter and blush creates a blurred, flawless complexion. To let your skin shine—literally and figuratively—keep the rest of your makeup simple.

Glossed and Bronzed

Glossy lips and bronzed skin are a winning combination when it comes to simple makeup for wedding guests. This is the perfect example of "less is more." This contour makeup look enhances your natural beauty and ensures you look and feel your best.

Simple Glam

Simple, glowy skin pairs exceptionally well with red lips. In this case, we love how the red lipstick ties into the red floral hair accessory. Coordinating your makeup with your accessories or dress is a great way to ensure a cohesive look and add visual interest to your style.

Sparkle and Shine

This glowy and natural makeup look gets an extra dose of glamour with some sparkly face paint. Some weddings offer face painting or similar services at the reception. This is such a fun way to spice up your style

Feeling Neutral

A tonal makeup look using all neutrals is fresh and glamorous. We love the nude and brown color palette on this makeup look and how it perfectly complements the chocolate brown dress.

Lined Eyes

Sultry black eyeliner is sure to turn heads. We love that the rest of the face keeps the makeup minimal so that the eyes can take center stage. You can even play with different eyeliner colors like brown, gray, navy blue or emerald green to put your own personal spin on the style.

Scarlet Siren

If we haven't made it clear already, we are huge fans of a bold red lip for your wedding guest makeup. This bright scarlet shade brightens up the face and pairs perfectly with airbrushed skin and simple eyes. This punchy lipstick shade works for all seasons but is especially flattering in the summer with bright-colored wedding guest dresses.

Fresh Faced

Nude-pink lipstick and glowing skin keep you looking youthful and radiant. To recreate this look, pair your favorite pink lipstick with a luminous foundation, pink blush, kohl eyeliner and some volumizing mascara.

Festive Face Paint

We love that this wedding guest embraced festive face paint for the occasion. While this was likely done at the wedding reception, the colors perfectly complement her dress and skin tone. For the base, she paired barely there foundation with a wash of shimmering eyeshadow and a mauve-pink blush.

Gorgeous Glow

Shimmering blush and highlighter instantly brighten up the face and add a gorgeous glow to your complexion. Paired with simple eyeshadow and a glossy lip, you can't go wrong with this beautiful makeup look.

3 Wedding Guest Makeup Tips From a Pro

When deciding on a wedding makeup artist, it's important to choose someone whose work aligns with the vision you have for your makeup. If you choose to do your own makeup, you can still use some expert advice from the pros to master your look. Here, Case walks us through her top tips for wedding guest makeup as well as her favorite product recommendations. You can also use The Knot Vendor Marketplace to find makeup artists near you.

Apply Enough Makeup

When attending a wedding, you'll want to make sure your makeup picks up on camera, so it may be a bit different than what you are used to wearing on a daily basis. "Wedding guest makeup is different from everyday makeup because typically it is a little heavier," Case explains. "In professional photos, makeup disappears by 60%, so you want to make sure you look done up!"

Bring Makeup for Touch-Ups

No matter how meticulously you apply your makeup, you'll likely want to have some on hand for touch-ups throughout the night. Especially if you have oily skin, adding powder or using shine-blotting sheets throughout the night can be helpful as you work up a sweat on the dance floor. "Wedding guests can make their makeup last all night by having a touch-up powder on hand with a powder puff," Case says. "This helps control shine throughout the long day."

"Also, bringing lipstick and lipgloss is always a great idea because no matter how long-lasting lip products can be, you will most likely need to touch up throughout all the eating and kissing! I also recommend bringing some lash glue just in case the inner corner of your false lash begins to lift." Packing these few makeup essentials in your bag will ensure you look and feel photo-ready all night long.

Choose Your Products Carefully

Everyone's skin is different, so everyone will have their own favorite makeup products. If you're doing your own makeup, be sure to use products you know work for you rather than trying something new the day of.