For this beauty story, we set out to create two of-the-moment looks for modern brides and occasion dressing, both grounded in a philosophy we return to again and again at Together Journal: beautiful makeup should enhance rather than disguise. Think healthy, luminous skin, a softly flushed cheek, defined eyes and lips that still look entirely kissable. Polished and considered, but never overdone.
Just as importantly, we wanted this shoot to be about the products and tools we genuinely rate. These are not simply beautiful things that arrived on the beauty desk. Many are tried-and-tested favourites that our team and makeup artist Alex of Penton & Co. have used for years, both professionally on set and personally. From Bobbi Brown icons and Tom Ford Beauty to La Mer skin prep and the brilliant ghd Chronos, these are products we know, love and can wholeheartedly vouch for.
Across our two looks on Sophie, we explored different ways to create that coveted healthy glow, playing with sheer layers, subtle sculpting, soft colour and beautiful skin preparation. The result is less about prescribing a single ‘bridal look’ and more about inspiring a beauty approach that feels fresh, feminine and modern, while still allowing the person wearing it to look unmistakably like themselves.
GHD Sculpt
For this beauty shoot, we put the GHD Sculpt in White to work, creating the kind of soft, undone hair we love for a modern bridal look. Polished but never too perfect, with natural movement, beautiful shine and an ease that feels fresh and feminine.
Behind that effortless finish is some very clever technology. The Sculpt reads the hair as you style, responding to section size, speed and movement and adjusting the heat accordingly. Its AI-powered Heat-Adapt technology samples data 2,900 times per second, while ultra-slim infinity plates and softly curved edges glide through the hair to create everything from a smooth finish to loose bends and tousled waves. It was the latter we wanted for this look. Working with small sections, Alex created gentle movement through the hair, keeping the finish relaxed and touchable rather than overly styled. The Sculpt made a technique that can be time-consuming feel remarkably intuitive.
“I loved how easily the GHD Sculpt glided through the hair. Creating that undone, tousled movement can take time when you’re working with small sections, but with the Sculpt I was able to create the shape faster than ever before.” Alex, Penton & Co.
There is something particularly lovely about the Sculpt in White for a wedding morning, too. Sleek, minimal and quietly beautiful, it feels perfectly at home among the considered details of getting ready. And, importantly, it delivers: glossy, softly styled hair with impressive shine and noticeably less frizz. A beauty tool we genuinely loved using, and one we would happily make space for in our own beauty kit.
Bobbi Brown’s Vitamin Enriched Face Base+
A true all-time favourite, Bobbi Brown’s Vitamin Enriched Face Base+ has held a place in makeup artist Alex of Penton & Co.’s kit for years, while our editor Greta is also a long-time devotee. For Sophie’s second look, it created the perfect starting point, leaving the skin plump, hydrated and glowing before makeup was applied. The buttery formula combines niacinamide, vitamins B5, C and E with 24-hour priming benefits, helping foundation sit beautifully while maintaining that fresh, supple quality we love. This is one we truly swear by, and a brilliant wedding-day skin prep essential for creating a luminous, beautifully conditioned canvas.
Bobbi Brown Weightless Skin Foundation
There is something about Bobbi Brown that feels so naturally aligned with a wedding day. The brand’s enduring philosophy of glowing skin and of enhancing, rather than masking, natural beauty is one we wholeheartedly share at Together Journal. Bobbi Brown Weightless Skin Foundation embodies this beautifully, delivering breathable medium coverage with a natural matte finish that still looks and feels like real skin. With 24-hour moisture and wear, plus hyaluronic acid, glycerin and honey extract, it’s an ideal bridal foundation for creating polished, balanced and beautifully natural-looking skin that still feels entirely like you.
Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara
A Bobbi Brown icon that has earned its place in beauty kits over decades, Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara likely needs little introduction. We used it on Sophie to create beautifully defined, elongated lashes, with its intensely pigmented formula building volume while the tapered brush catches even the smallest lashes. For a wedding-day eye that feels polished and expressive without becoming overdone, you simply can’t go past it.
Jewels + Florals
No look is complete without the right jewels. We had BÓHDAN Diamonds on set to add the most perfect final touches with their exquisite jewels. All jewels are by BÓHDAN Diamonds and the glorious flowers are by Michele Coomey Floral.
TOM FORD Soleil Lip Balm + TOM FORD Architecture Brow Pencil in Taupe
For a more bohemian twist on Sophie’s look, we added a headscarf-style veil and continued the idea of a soft, naturally flushed lip, elevating it with Tom Ford Soleil Lip Balm and defining the shape with a Tom Ford lip pencil. Infused with hyaluronic acid, shea butter and jojoba oil, the balm gives lips a beautifully plumped, dewy finish with a sheer wash of colour that feels polished but still effortless. It’s an especially lovely choice for a wedding or event, where comfort and easy touch-ups matter just as much as the finish. And we have to mention the sleek gold case, which feels wonderfully sophisticated and is exactly the kind of beauty object you want to pull from your bag throughout the celebration.
Sometimes the most useful products in a makeup kit are those that work beautifully beyond their intended purpose. The TOM FORD Architecture Brow Pencil in Taupe was one such discovery on set. Designed to define and softly structure the brows with precise, hair-like strokes, Alex also used its cool taupe tone to subtly contour around Sophie’s lips.
The light brown-grey shade created the gentlest suggestion of shadow, adding definition and dimension without an obvious lip line. Used through the brows, it brought the same quiet structure to the face. We love this kind of makeup artistry, where a product becomes less about its label and more about understanding colour, texture and placement to achieve a beautifully natural result.
The story was brought to life with our beloved regular TJ collaborators: Alex of Penton & Co., @penton.andco on beauty direction, Michele Coomey, @michelecoomeyfloral on floral styling, Alla of Bóhdan Diamonds, @bohdan.diamonds for supplying the jewels, and Lauren and Jacque of LVR Bridal, @lvr_bridal, and Katie of Hera Couture, @heracouture, curating the bridal wardrobe. Our beautiful model is Sophie from Red Eleven, @redeleven_models, Photography by Greta Kenyon, @greta.kenyon, assisted by Marlo Capamagian.
