Congratulations – you’re engaged! So, what next? Well, if you’re thinking of having a makeup artist to help get you ready on the day, I have rounded up my top 10 tips from the 9 years’ experience I have doing wedding day makeup; on when to book your makeup artist, what to do in the run-up to the wedding and what questions to ask to get the most out of your wedding makeup and ensure the makeup is right for you!
Book in early!
Professional makeup artists can get booked up in as far as two years in advance, so if you are certain you would like a makeup artist on your day to get you Bride-ready, and you find someone’s work you like the look of – pencil your date in with them ASAP! You can have your makeup trial nearer your wedding date but it’s good peace of mind to get in their diaries before the date gets booked up by someone else.
Do your research!
Between Instagram and Pinterest, there are so many different makeup artists out there offering a variety of makeup styles, from something quite fresh and natural to something a little bolder and more glamorous. If you have a particular idea of the style of makeup you would like for your day, then have a look around for makeup artists who do that style really well and start there. And if you’re reading this thinking ‘I haven’t got a clue what style of makeup I would like for my wedding day’ then don’t worry, all good makeup artists will give you their input and recommendations on what will suit you best and will most suit your dress, hair and accessories, too. So don’t hold back from asking them for their thoughts!
Book a Trial!
This is absolutely crucial! A trial is where you try out the makeup before your big day and test a few different looks with your makeup artist until you find the right one. You can have a trial at any time before the day but it’s best if you can have one around 3-4 months before. At the trial, I would always advise starting with trying quite a natural look first and build it up in stages to something bolder making sure you take photos along every step of the way for you to look back on in a few days with fresh eyes and see which look you feel happiest with.
Bring photos to your trial!
Photos are a great way to explain how you would like your makeup to look. One person’s ‘bold’ makeup might be another person’s ‘natural look’ so photos show your makeup artist exactly the look you would like to try, which makes it easier for both of you. If you aren’t on social media, then good old-fashioned magazine tear-outs are great too! Or if you have a photo of yourself in makeup that you love, bring that along so they can get an idea of what makeup makes you feel your best.
Be honest at the trial!
If you want something changed or don’t feel quite right in the makeup, let your makeup artist know – I promise you they won’t be offended! It’s tricky to know how someone likes their makeup if it’s the first time you have done it so being really open and honest at this stage will smooth out any niggles you may have before the big day. This is what the trial is all about! Your makeup artist may also suggest ideas they feel may work better for you too – so it’s good to be open to their opinion, too, until together you nail it!
Ask about a skincare regime!
Great wedding day makeup starts with great skin. While you’re at your trial, ask your makeup artist to recommend a skincare regime for you to follow in preparation for your wedding day. It’s best to start this as early as possible so your skin has time to adjust – it’s quite common for your skin to have a breakout when you start something new as your skin starts to ‘detox’, so it’s best not to start anything new if you are in the 6 week countdown to the big day!
Drink Water!
Honestly, drinking water is the cheapest and most effective beauty treatment there is! Try to have between 2-3 litres a day in the lead up to your wedding and you will see your skin literally glowing!
Do a scrub the night before the big day!
Exfoliating your skin the night before your wedding will ensure any dead skin has been removed giving you a much smoother look to your makeup and it also really helps to make your makeup last on your skin, too! Dead skin sitting on your skin can look dull and create texture so giving your face a good old scrub before you go to sleep will take all of that away!
Make a morning schedule!
Whether it’s just you having your makeup done on the day or your entire bridal party, having a morning schedule will help the morning run smoothly, allowing enough time for you to get into your dress, to have photos before you walk down the aisle and also to have a toast before you go and get married.
Relax, and enjoy! This is your Day.
And finally, my most important advice of them all – relax, and enjoy your moment of pamper! All the hard work is done, you’ve had your makeup trial so you should be feeling confident with how your makeup is going to look, so sit back, pour yourself a drink and soak up your moment. Find out more about Michelle Nash and her Makeup at www.michellenashmakeup.com