• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Kelli Thomsen Beauty

Kelli Thomsen Beauty

Portland, Oregon l Makeup & Hair Team specializing in clean beauty.

  • About
    • Contact
    • Blog
      • Eco Beauty
      • Weddings
      • Travel
  • Weddings
    • Portfolio
    • FAQs
  • Services
    • Skin Treatments
    • Event Makeup & Hair
    • Replenish Retreat
  • Home
  • Beauty Education
  • Book Now
  • SHOP
the conscious blog

DIY Wedding Makeup: Your Guide to Wedding Beauty Confidence

Skin Care, Wedding Beauty Team, Wedding Prep

Kelli Thomsen Beauty

Wedding Planning Should Feel Positive

Wedding planning is meant to be a magical time. You’re connecting everything you’ve ever loved in one day. You’re surrounded by the people, music, and food you can’t imagine life without.

You want to look and feel like yourself. I want to make sure you feel confident.

Do You Really Need a Professional Makeup Artist or Should You Do Your Own Makeup For Your Wedding?

If you’re wondering whether you need a professional makeup and hair artist for your wedding day, the answer is maybe. Having a person or team there to create beauty magic brings a level of luxury and peace of mind.

Here’s my insight: Anytime you feel nervous or don’t have a budget to include beauty services, come see me. You can also visit someone licensed in your area. We can customize skincare and makeup steps for your skin type. This gives you that wedding day glow. It creates makeup results that last the entire day.

The Secret to Wedding Day Beauty

After working in the beauty industry and doing hundreds of weddings, I realized something important. Focusing time on a daily skincare routine can be more important than any makeup application by a professional. I started to see the connection between consistency and feeling beautiful.

If I could give one piece of advice to a bride about makeup, it would be this:

“Flawless skin translates beauty in photos better than any makeup application.” -Kelli Thomsen

What This Means for DIY Brides

You want to do your own makeup. But you don’t know if your day-to-day products will work. You’re not sure if you’re even using them correctly.

There are two components to successful wedding day beauty. I’ve narrowed it down to this simple formula:

1. Daily Care + The Correct Colors & Product Options

Your daily skincare routine is your foundation. Combine it with makeup colors that actually suit your skin tone. Use products that photograph well and last all day.

2. Professional Skin Treatments

Schedule treatments like deep cleansing facials in the months leading up to your big day. These prepare your skin for makeup application.

Making Your Skin a Priority

You’re juggling dress fittings, engagement photo planning, and cake tasting appointments. Finding time for skincare in between all of this will make all the difference. It affects how you feel and look.

Making your skin a top priority ensures you feel your most beautiful on your wedding day. There’s nothing better than loving the way your smile and skin look in photos. You come through, not the makeup.

Daily care and a personalized treatment schedule is the best way to ensure your complexion is radiant. Whether I’m applying your makeup or you’re doing it yourself, the result is the same: you look like you.

Why Skin Preparation Changes Everything

Clean, healthy skin is the canvas for all beauty. When you invest in your skin, makeup becomes easier. It applies smoothly. It looks natural. It lasts longer.

This is true whether a professional does your makeup or you do it yourself. The difference is in the preparation, not just the application.

Portland Oregon Esthetician Wedding Makeup and Hair

Learn to Do Your Own Wedding Makeup

Ready to learn how to do your makeup for your wedding? Reach out to take my DIY Wedding Makeup Lesson.

During this lesson, I teach you how to apply each step. You’ll leave with the products in hand. You can start practicing right away.

What You’ll Learn

  • How to prep your skin for flawless makeup application
  • Which clean beauty products work best for your skin type
  • Color selection that photographs beautifully
  • Application techniques that last all day
  • How to create a natural, editorial look

What You’ll Receive

  • Personalized product recommendations
  • The actual products you need (take them home that day)
  • Step-by-step application guidance
  • A customized routine you can practice
  • Confidence in your wedding day beauty plan

The Kelli Thomsen Beauty Difference

Whether you choose our team for your wedding day or decide to do your own makeup, I’m here to help. My goal is always the same: you should feel confident and beautiful.

Our approach combines clean beauty expertise with personalized education. We believe every bride deserves to feel empowered in her beauty choices.

You know your face better than anyone. With the right products, proper skin preparation, and expert guidance, you can create stunning results.

Your Wedding Day Beauty Starts Now

Don’t wait until the week before your wedding to think about your skin. Start now. Build a consistent routine. Schedule treatments. Learn the techniques.

Your future self will thank you when you look in the mirror on your wedding day. Even better, you’ll love every photo for years to come.

Book Your DIY Wedding Makeup Lesson

Ready to take control of your wedding day beauty? Let’s work together to create your perfect look. We’ll customize a plan that fits your vision, your values, and your budget.

Your wedding day beauty should feel authentic, effortless, and completely you. Let’s make it happen!


logo

4751 SW Seymour Ct. Portland, OR 97221
kellithomsen.com/ | 503-890-5355

facebook icon instagram icontwitter iconpinterest icon
Share :

Follow @KelliThomsen on Instagram

There’s something about a Hood River wedding that There’s something about a Hood River wedding that asks you to trust the elements, and Kathleen did just that.

Golden hour light spilling across The Gorge. Soft winds that honored her delicate veil instead of fighting it. A bridal party that moved through the day with the kind of ease that only comes when everyone feels genuinely cared for.

For Kathleen’s makeup, we let her natural freckles show through because why would we cover what makes her uniquely beautiful? Warm taupes and neutral tones that enhanced rather than masked. Soft and natural individual lashes. A rosewood lip chosen specifically to complement her natural skin tone, not fight against it.

This is what happens when you choose a beauty approach that works with your skin, your features, your natural coloring. Kathleen’s makeup held beautifully through riverside portraits, emotional vows, and dancing under the twilight because it was designed for her skin, this climate, these conditions.

This is the Pacific Northwest wedding beauty we’ve spent 25+ years perfecting. Weather-tested, botanically-driven, designed to let you be fully present instead of worried about how you look.

Thank you to this exceptional vendor team who understands that true luxury is in the details, the care, and the experience!

Venue: @thegriffinhouse
Planning/Design: @amandajeanpdxevents
Photography: @megangallagherphoto
Florals: @trellis_flowers
Hair: @styledbymattie
Skin & Makeup: @kellithomsen
Catering: @bellyfulcatering
Band/DJ: @bluewaveband
Rentals: @riverhoodrentals
At 50, I’m not winding down, I’m finally warmed up At 50, I’m not winding down, I’m finally warmed up! What I’m tending now? 

It’s been growing all along. After years of trial & error, I finally learned how to be still enough to enjoy it bloom - the garden, the work, the space and balance of energy. Everything around me is finally aligned. There’s this flow now where nothing is forced and everything feels organic, exactly how I approach the work I do, exactly how life is meant to feel. 

RECAP of the most important things I’ve learned: 

-you don’t need a master plan, just keep showing up for what feels true.

-build your life like a garden, one intentional choice at a time.

-some people are seasonal, others are perennial, the storms show you which is which.

-your body’s wisdom is smarter than your mind’s logic, listen to it.

-you can’t show up for others unless you’re showing up for yourself first.

-boundaries aren’t walls, they’re how you protect the energy for what truly matters.

-healing changes your taste… in people, in habits, in dreams.

-trust what lights you up, because your excitement is real data.

-you don’t have to choose between the wild & intentional, be both!

#Turning50 #CultivatingBeauty #ComeSitInMyGarden #CleanBeauty #SlowingDown #TendingToMySanctuary #Enhancement #IntentionaLliving
If you’re the couple who: •Cringes at ‘bridal gla If you’re the couple who:
	•Cringes at ‘bridal glam’
	•Wants to look elevated, not transformed
	•Likes your face & doesn’t want to cover it
	•Cares what ingredients are going on your skin
	•Wants makeup that breathes
	•Needs someone who calms you
…we should connect soon.

Because the most beautiful version of you isn’t a trend or a technique. It’s you, on a day you’re fully present for - glowing because you’re hydrated, rested, and genuinely full of excited energy.

Imagine makeup that enhances everything already extraordinary about your face. Hair polished or framing your radiant complexion. That’s what we do. That’s what we created for Annika for her backyard wedding in McMinnville, Oregon above. 

We align with couples who want this too. Reach out to connect for your 2026/2027 elopement or wedding day date so we can help you start planning your dream look!

Photo: @valphotoco
Floral: @atozflowerfarm
Rental: @ardeneventcollective
Catering : @biscuitandpickles
DJ: @litproductions503
Dessert: @valleyflour
Coordination & Planning: @nkcoordination  Beauty: @kellithomsen / Hair Artist Taylor
Your skin is the canvas and that’s exactly why we Your skin is the canvas and that’s exactly why we created this luminous, no-foundation look for Teal. 

When your complexion is this healthy, why cover it?

The truth about wedding day radiance? It doesn’t start in the makeup chair. It starts three months before your date—with daily hydration that plumps from within, gentle exfoliation that creates glass-smooth texture, and nervous system care that keeps stress from stealing your glow.

Because here’s what prepared skin does: Makeup melts in seamlessly. You photograph like light itself. Your look lasts through every tear, kiss, and dance floor moment without touch-up panic.

This is the difference between makeup that masks and beauty that magnifies what’s already yours.

That’s why our consultation doesn’t start with Pinterest boards—it starts with your current skincare routine. We need to know what your skin is drinking in every morning and night, because that 90-day investment is what makes the difference between makeup sitting on top of your face and a glow that comes from within.

Your wedding day radiance isn’t painted on. It’s earned through intentional care, then elevated by expert hands who know how to let your natural beauty lead. #oregonwedding #weddingbeauty

planning + design: @hostedby.co
florals: @novella_floral
photo: @elissadeline
venue: @rockyhillevents
rentals: @ardeneventcollective
beauty: @kellithomsen
bar: @bliss_bar
catering: @thehivecateringco
dessert: @milkglassmrkt / @laurettajeans
draping: @runestoneevents
photobooth: @stumptownbooth
dj: @rockyvertone
transportation: @columbiawinetours
I can give you a beautiful makeup application, but I can give you a beautiful makeup application, but I can’t give you healthy skin. That partnership starts before your wedding - with hydration, consistency, and a routine that supports your nervous system as much as your microbiome. Because the most elevated beauty? It starts beneath the surface. 

The couples who photograph best aren’t the ones who wear the most makeup - they’re the ones whose skin was ready to receive it. Prepped. Hydrated. Cared for. This is where flawless begins. 

These are some of my favorite products that give incredible results, but they’re just tools - and they’re not right for everyone. What transforms skin is finding YOUR unique habits and showing up for them every single day. 

That’s what we do together in consultation - I read your skin, we talk about your life, and we create a customized routine you feel good maintaining. Consistency is everything, but it has to be built on the right foundation. 

This is how we unlock lasting radiance and find your perfect routine together. My consultations allow you to start your skincare journey with clarity, confidence, and a customized plan.

I can’t wait to share our NEW skin care, makeup & hair styling packages for our 2026 & 2027 couples soon. Imagine intentional & elemental beauty as we help you feel your best and unlock your most radiant and flawless complexion! #weddingbeauty #cleanbeauty #oregonwedding #healthyskinprep #oregonweddingmakeup #oregonmakeupartist #skinprep #skintips #weddinggoals #beauty Florals & Design: @bloomculture_co
Photography: @hvfitzphotos
Coordinators: @haveandholdeventco
Venue: @gorgecrest
Beauty: @kellithomsen
Cake: @venus.cakery
Rentals: @greatjonesnw
Stationary: @covenantcalligraphy
The best part of wedding days? For me it’s not jus The best part of wedding days? For me it’s not just the beauty that surrounds me - it’s the connection. When Gina asked me for a hug today, it was everything. We had so much fun and she’s the epitome of natural beauty. She didn’t want to feel overdone or made up, so we created a look that enhanced her radiance while keeping everything soft & luminous. 

The Skin Prep:
@gloskinbeauty PRO 5 Liquid Exfoliant
@soniarosellibeauty Water Elixir
@belif Aquabomb Moisturizer
@ombeautyoil | Om Beauty Oil pressed on top

The Face:
We bounced in @faceatelier | Face Atelier foundation with a sponge for that seamless, skin-like finish. @fitglowbeauty | Fit Glow Beauty Peach Corrector brightened her under and inner eye darkness, then we added @kosas | Kosas Baked Blush in Dreamland and Heartbeat for a natural flush. My favorite Glo Skin Beauty Cream Bronzer Stick in Warm Glow brought warmth and dimension to complete her glowing complexion.

The Eyes:
Glo Skin Beauty Cream Shadow in Beam created soft definition, with @diorbeauty | Dior highlighter placed in the outer corners and upper cheeks for a lifted, luminous effect. I tightlined with brown liner by @onesize | One Size, then used @danessa_myricks | Danessa Myricks Color Fix to set her individual @eyemimosanfrancisco | Eyemimo lashes (after curling with the @rephr.to | Rephr lash curler first). Prepped the curled lashes with @judydoll_official | Judydoll mascara in black for that perfect lifted, pre-flutter.

The Lips:
Fit Glow Beauty Lip Serum as the base, topped with Glo Skin Beauty lipgloss in Whisper - the perfect understated elegance.

Setting It All:
Danessa Myricks Evolution Powder and One Size Waterproof Setting Spray to ensure everything stayed flawless from ceremony through the entire celebration.

#oregonweddingbeauty #naturalbride #naturalbeauty #oregonmakeupartist #weddingskinprep #cleanbeautybride #naturalweddingbeauty #weddinglook #wedding Vendors: Photography @georgy.shishkin / Makeup @kellithomsen & Hair @hairandmakeupbyshana / Getting ready @woodlark_hotel / Wedding Venue @coopershallpdx

Get conscious beauty tips delivered to your inbox monthly

    ​

    Services About Kelli Weddings OM Beauty Oil Replenish Retreat Read the Blog Book Online
    logo

    4751 SW Seymour Ct.
    PORTLAND, OREGON 97221
    503.890.5355
    KELLI@KELLITHOMSEN.COM


    KELLI THOMSEN © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
    MADE BY WALLFLOWER