Rachel’s Atzaró Wedding: Natural Bridal Makeup, the Perfect Slick Back and Staying Fresh Until Dinner

Some brides know exactly what they want from the beginning. With Rachel, it was less about changing her look and more about becoming confident enough to push it that little bit further.

Rachel is incredibly laid-back and not a huge makeup wearer. She wanted to feel like herself, but definitely still wanted to feel polished and properly done for her wedding. We’d already had her bridal trial, and I also got her ready for her pre-wedding party at Experimental Beach a few days before, so by the time the wedding morning arrived, she knew exactly how everything was going to feel.

And I think that gave her the confidence to go for just a little bit more.

From Experimental Beach to Atzaró

Rachel’s celebrations weren’t squeezed into one day. Her pre-party was at Experimental Beach on the Thursday, where she wore an amazing Annie’s dress, with her hair down in waves and really natural makeup.

Friday was a day off, the wedding was on Sunday, and then everyone was back together for a pool party at the family’s house on Monday. A proper Ibiza wedding weekend.

For the wedding itself, Rachel got ready at her family home in San Juan with her mum Maxine, sister Hannah and best friend Linoi.

There was also a lovely bit of history behind their choice of venue. Hannah had got married at Atzaró four years earlier, and now she was back for her sister’s wedding with her own six-month-old baby. It felt like a real full-circle moment for the whole family.

Natural Makeup, Just Turned Up a Little

Rachel still wanted natural makeup on the wedding day, but after seeing herself at the trial and again at the pre-party, she felt confident enough to have slightly more coverage and definition.

I used NARS Sheer Glow for her base, giving her that polished finish while keeping the skin looking like skin. On the eyes I used a warm brown Merit cream shadow and smoked everything out really softly. Nothing too heavy or overly structured, just enough to give her eyes more definition.

Her best friend Linoi is basically Rachel’s fashion oracle, so she got involved in choosing the lip too. We went for a deeper nude using a Morphe liner with a KIKO gloss.

And I will say it: Morphe lip liners are seriously slept on.

They’re inexpensive, the nude shades are brilliant and they perform so well. Your wedding makeup bag absolutely does not need to contain only luxury products for the sake of it. If something works, it works.

The Slick Back Had to Be PERFECT

Hair was another story.

Rachel knew exactly what she wanted: a completely slicked-back bun. No parting, no softness around the front, nothing breaking up that super-clean finish.

Simple-looking hair can sometimes require the most precision.

I worked Rachel’s hair in three separate sections so I could get the direction and tension right, particularly across the top. I layered Rock & Ruddle mousse, Cantu edge control and Eco gel, taking my time rather than trying to slick everything back in one go.

The result was super clean and glossy, and it worked perfectly with her dress.

And what a dress.

Rachel had this enormous gown with a huge train. Zoey from Seamstress Ibiza was there throughout the day and, once the ceremony and photographs were finished, she transformed it by putting up the bustle. There were around 22 separate connections involved, so this definitely wasn’t a case of hooking up one little loop and heading for the dance floor.

Once it was up, the whole shape of the dress changed and Rachel could actually party in it.

A 200-Person Wedding at Atzaró

This was a big wedding. Around 200 guests, with Ruth Alexander Weddings and her team running everything.

I work with Ruth regularly and her weddings are always incredibly special. There were beautiful flowers everywhere, every detail had been thought about and, despite the scale of the day, everything felt so well managed.

My job also didn't finish when Rachel left the getting-ready chair.

Rachel had booked my extended touch-up service, so once everyone was ready at the house, I packed everything up and moved over to Atzaró to set myself up again.

And this is where having me stay on can make such a difference.

What Wedding-Day Touch-Ups Actually Look Like

There’s quite a lot of life between finishing your makeup in the morning and sitting down for dinner.

Rachel had an emotional first look with her dad, so I was there afterwards to make sure everything was perfect again.

Then came the ceremony, another refresh, and all the family photographs. During those I was essentially working as I would on set, keeping an eye on everyone and jumping in whenever something needed adjusting.

And then came the hora.

I’d never experienced a hora at a wedding before and it was honestly SO much fun to watch. The dance floor was absolutely packed, Rachel was lifted up on the chair and everyone was having the best time.

It was also energetic. Very energetic.

And this is Ibiza. In summer. 😂

So afterwards I moved my setup again and created a little refresh station ready for everyone to come in, cool down and get freshened up before dinner and speeches.

By that point we weren't trying to make anyone look as though the previous few hours hadn't happened. They'd cried, hugged, danced, had photographs taken and properly celebrated.

It was about bringing everything back together so they could head into the evening feeling amazing again.

A Look That Still Felt Like Rachel

I think Rachel’s wedding is such a good example of why I love doing a bridal trial.

The final look wasn't dramatically different from what we'd originally planned. The trial simply gave Rachel the confidence to know that she could wear a little more coverage and definition without suddenly feeling like someone else.

By the wedding day, we'd already done the trial and the Experimental Beach pre-party together. She knew how I worked, I knew what she liked, and there wasn't that uncertainty of wondering how everything would turn out.

She still looked completely like Rachel.

Just Rachel with incredible skin, a warm smoky eye, the slickest slick-back imaginable and a 200-person party waiting for her at Atzaró.

And after seeing how much fun she had during the hora, I’m very glad she booked my touch up service!!