"She's a natural beauty" - words any bride would love to hear.

A local cosmetics consultant suggests starting early to ensure a flawless wedding day complexion.

At least a month before the big day, the bride, as well as her bridesmaids if possible, should visit with a consultant to begin a skin care regimen appropriate for each skin type, Cindy Nieman, Mary Kay independent beauty consultant, said.

"That allows plenty of time for the skin to clear up and get healthy," Nieman said. "Color cosmetics don't look as good and don't last as long without clear skin."

She recommends following five steps to a healthy complexion: cleanse, exfoliate, freshen with a toner, moisturize or apply an oil-absorbing moisturizer and top it all with the correct shade of foundation.

"Color cosmetics are an illusion," Nieman said. "They conceal the things you need to conceal and bring out your best features and play them up."

When applied correctly, cosmetics can literally transform a face. Correcting concealer can be used to "reshape" a not-so-perfect nose, and neutralizing concealer can tone down redness or brighten sallow skin tones, she said. Various techniques of eye shadow application can make eyes look bigger - light shades bring out eyes, or to look smaller - dark shades recede.

The bride should stick with neutral tones for a natural look, while intensifying the color on her eyes and lips.

"Sunlight and a photographer's flash wash out the face," she said, therefore more color than normal should be used to play up eyes and lips.

Hot shadow colors now are earthy taupe, fig and any soft brown with hints of plum or purple, Nieman said, while sage green is also gaining popularity. Neutral blush in shades like nutmeg and desert bloom are popular, as are lip colors like sagewood and suede.

Mary Kay's new Hypnotics line of loose eye powders come in many pastel colors, with a hint of shimmer, she said. Silver, vanilla and bronze shimmer shadows also are popular.

"You want a classic look, timeless. Anything too trendy will date your pictures every time you look at them," she said.

Bridesmaids, and even mothers of the bride and groom, should color coordinate makeup with their dresses and with each other.

Nieman recommends getting the entire group together with a consultant to choose shades that work well with the wedding colors, and each woman's skin tone.

Makeup can tie into a color scheme like cranberry ice eye shadow with a burgundy dress, she said.

"I wouldn't recommend red lipstick on the bride," she said. "But bridesmaids could pull it off with red dresses."

Once the color cosmetics are selected, the bride can even purchase the makeup as her gift to her wedding party. And the bride should be sure to learn how to recreate the look so she can carry it out during honeymoon and into her marriage.

Emotions are likely to run high on the wedding day, but mascara should stay put. Nieman recommends waterproof mascara for anyone prone to tears.