Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Sun Lite for June 2, 2003

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, June 2, 2003 | 12:55 p.m.

Lisa Ferguson's Laugh Lines column appears Fridays. Her Sun Lite Column appears Mondays. Reach her at lmsferguson@yahoo.com.

Gifts to grab

Ask not for whom the bells toll. Duh, it's June. All the clinging-clanging racket is obviously in honor of brides and grooms preparing to take the plunge.

Speaking of rackets, that's one way to refer to the wedding industry. It seems this month every big corporate-America player has some nuptial news to share. Sears is once again showing its softer side, reporting the results of a survey about the role grooms play in the wedding-gift registry process.

According to the retailer, 80 percent of guys tying the knot this year want to help their fiancees pick out the couple's potential loot.

According to the survey results, home-theater gadgets are at the top of the giftwish list for 31 percent of grooms, trailed by tools (29 percent) and kitchen appliances (21 percent). In fact, the top three must-haves are Hitachi's 42-inch plasma-screen TV; Sears' own Kenmore gas grill; and a Harvard-brand pool table. Who needs flatware, anyway?

For richer or poorer?

Of course, bickering over the contents of the gift registry is pointless if the, um, happy couple can't at least find common ground when it comes to finances. So say the relationship experts with the American Bankers Association Education Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that teaches kids and grownups about money. Doesn't that sound romantic?

These number-crunching nuptial gurus suggest all brides- and grooms-to-be have a pre-wedding discussion with one another about all sorts of financial issues before taking along walk down a short aisle. Among the suggested topics:

Makeup is hard to do

OK, brides: The gifts and finances are in check. What about your makeup? Wouldn't it be a shame if, in all those pricey wedding photos, that coveted bridal blush looked more like a nasty sunburn, courtesy of too much rouge?

Time to call in the professionals specifically the makers of Artistry Skin Care and Cosmetics products in Grand Rapids, Mich., who offer several tips for brides looking to put their best faces forward.

Smooching is a wedding-day given: Seemingly everyone wants to kiss the newlyweds or watch the newlyweds kiss. Keep lipstick off guests' cheeks by sealing it with a dusting of powder on the brides' lips before and after applying color.

Further experience the power of powder by applying it over foundation to set liquid makeup in place. It also works on eyelids, over a layer of concealer but under shadow and eyeliner. Avoid "raccoon eyes" caused by crying tears of joy: Wear waterproof mascara.

Finally, lay the makeup on thick. It isn't a job for your future hubby's Spackle knife, but a little heavy-handedness with the cosmetics will help your look last all day.