Dear Bella,
I am the maid of honor in my friend's wedding and our dresses are chocolate brown. I am very fair with blond hair and green eyes. Brown has never been a good color for me so I have no idea what sort of colors to use on my eyes, etc. Please help! — Sarah

Dear Sarah,

First off, I can understand your dilemma — as I've been in several weddings myself. From burnt sienna to periwinkle, I've worn it all. Look at it this way. The bride's picked a color that's definitely doable. Hello yellow or orange? Now, that could be more of an issue.

The best advice I can give is to keep your colors light, natural, and modern (but not too trendy). In general, while your bridesmaid's dress should complement your makeup — always match your makeup to you, and not the dress. Although your tones are cool, all of us have some elements of peach, pink, and gold to our skin. Using these hues for your makeup will give you a radiant glow, and accentuate your fair coloring nicely. Also, put the focus on your best feature — your pretty green eyes are going to knock'em out! (Without taking any attention away from the bride, of course.)

For some color suggestions and application techniques for the big day, read more:

• Face — For wedding parties, avoid foundation that is too shiny — it doesn't always photograph all that well. Try a semi-matte formulation like Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet + Matifying Foundation ($34).
• Cheeks — Use a light bronzer and a peachy-pink blush for the perfect combination. A slightly shimmery faint brown for your bronzer should do the trick. Lightly apply to the apples of your cheeks and anywhere the sun would hit (hairline, nose, jawline, down into your décolleté). Next, for dimension and a natural flush, lightly apply a peachy-pink blush over the bronzer, focusing mostly on the apples of your cheeks. I like Nars Blush/Bronzer Duo in Orgasm/Laguna ($37).
• Eyeliner — Choose a rich brown liner such as Maybelline Expertwear Brow & Eyeliner in Dark Brown ($5.80) and line the inner and outer rims of both your top and bottom lashlines.
• Eyeshadow — Apply a trio of shadows for your base, lid, and contour. Try Smashbox Eye Shadow Trio in Head Shot ($28), which includes a dusty pink, a soft ivory, and a soft brown. First apply soft ivory as a base color from lashline to brow. This will help your eyeshadow last throughout the day. Next, apply the dusty pink shadow on your lids. (PS — pink makes green eyes pop.) Finally, add the soft brown in the crease area of your eyes, focusing on the outer corners for drama and depth. For a nice touch, tap and blend this color over your liner to set.
• Lipliner — For lasting color, first pick a lipliner in a color that's just a shade darker than your natural pigment. Try Lorac Lip Pencil ($14).
• Lipstick — Apply a rosy peach lip color for the final touch bareMinerals 100% Natural Lipcolor in Amaretto ($15).

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