How to get the most out of your make up trial and decide on your look 
In an ideal world, your wedding day will be a calm, joyous 24 hours where you feel positively giddy with happiness. In reality, particularly the getting ready part, can be a bit overwhelming! By hiring someone to do your make up on the day it can really ease the stresses of getting it right on the morning. How you will look on your wedding day is quite understandably a big deal for a lot of brides so when you have a trial for your make up I want you want to make the most of it. A few practical things that are helpful when coming for your trial are:
- Wear the colour that you will be wearing on the day. Some colours can really affect your skin tone so by wearing the same colour as you will be on the wedding day is helpful.
- If you think you will be getting a spray tan for the day try to get one for the trial. It is not a must, but it will affect the colours and sometimes the amount of makeup we use.
- Bring company- if you want to bring a special person to the trial. Someone you really feel comfortable with who really knows you, who will be honest with you. This is always good to help to make that final decision.
- Finally teaming your trial with a day or night out (maybe even your hen!) is a great way to test out the longevity of the products used and how they sit on your skin.
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W DOWN TO THE LOOK! Deciding what to go for is very much a process that I will help guide you through so don’t feel you have to know exactly what you want before you come. I will ask you lots of questions to help us know what to try and really the first place we will start is You. Find pictures where you think you look your best. Where you remember feeling amazing. Bring those pictures along and together we can pin point what it is about those pictures you like best. If you are someone that likes to wear full make up everyday don’t feel you need to be natural on your wedding day. That being said if you never wear make up on a daily basis you don’t have to wear a ton of it on your day just because you think you should. A few clever well-placed products can really brighten up your complexion and enhance your eyes so you just look like you on a really good day. If you prefer the no makeup look accept that you may still see make up but trust me on the day once you are in the dress and your hair is done the make up will be the last thing people notice they will just see a beautiful glowing You.
THE DRESS. We will take a great lead from the dress – if you have gone for a structured, strong lined dress a soft less defined make up won’t work but perhaps a bolder lip with a strong liner to enhance the eyes will look stunning. A softer maybe more boho styled dress, with a smaller silhouette will really suit a glowy, neutral toned make up. All these things we will come to together, so if you think ‘I have no idea’ that is what I am here for!
EYES. Eyes are often the feature that people want to make the most of with their bridal make up. Don’t feel you have to decide on colours for your eye makeup before you come, mostly your colouring will dictate this. The colours you have chosen to feature in your wedding such as the flowers, bridesmaids’ dresses, jewellery etc will also help to lead us to your ideal tones. If you do have a particular colour you want to wear though, that’s great, we can incorporate it. Lashes are something that are included in all my prices and whether you want a strong lash, or just natural ones to enhance your eyes, these we can try at your trial to see if you like them. They are a great way of bringing out your eyes in photographs without having to wear more make up.
SKIN. Prep is key- In the lead up to the wedding look after and prep your skin. Foundation can only go so far. Nourished, fed, hydrated skin treated correctly is beautiful. That’s not to say that you won’t get spots, blemishes or an uneven skintone – these we can cover but if your skin’s condition is at its best it will look all the better. Have you ever worn foundation that has gone patchy? This is often because your skin is dehydrated and it is drinking up the moisture in your make up. By prepping your skin with lots of moisture (yes even an oily skin) that will plump your skin and make it look beautiful for your day. Use products with hyaluronic acid or glycerin to plump the skin and improve its condition. See here for a guide to a basic skincare routine. Don’t worry if you are not a foundation wearer, foundation is not everything. If you don’t want to wear it we can tailor the base to make it sheer so it is barely there (or not there at all if we just use concealer) but your skin will still look perfect. Airbrushing is an option that is light and sheer and feels lovely on the skin. We will discuss the difference at your trial and see what’s right for you.
LIPS. Finding the perfect lip for brides is something that I get asked constantly. There are so many factors to consider: your comfort level, what you usually wear, the finish you like etc. If you always wear a red and that’s how your future spouse knows 
you- then that’s what you should do. If you hardly ever wear colour on your lip now is not the time to experiment. Think about that all important first kiss – you don’t want to be transferring colour or worrying about it at that very special moment. If you want a bold colour but are not used to it, wear something that will define your lips for the ceremony and take it up to a bold colour for the evening. Often people say to me they just want to wear a nude colour lip. Nude is not one colour – everyone has their own nude, it could be a mocha tone, it could be a rosy pink, it could be olive. It’s totally dependent on your skin tone. There is no perfect nude for everyone, nude is any tone that skin realistically comes in. But it has been commonly misunderstood as one colour – Nude is not beige, or tan brown, we are talking about an entire range of colours that skin naturally comes in. To find your perfect nude and to define your lips you might find you have a choice. For the most natural bite your lips and look in the mirror and see what colour your lips go and we’ll try and replicate that.
As for finish you could go for a balm or satin lipstick (most natural), gloss (good for thinner lips but easily transferable) or a matte finish. A note on matte or long wear lip colours; yes they will last a lot longer but often at the expense of the appearance of your lip. They will suck all the moisture out of your lip in order to keep the colour there. And really, who wants dry crusty lips when they are about to have their first kiss of their married life?
Lips are the one element of your face that I will rely on you to touch up. There is not a make up artist on the planet that can get your lips to last from the ceremony, to the reception to the evening (and not just last but looking great) without touch ups. If I was there through the day I would be pestering to touch up your lips every few hours which is why, if you have booked one of my packages, I supply you with a touch up kit to take with you. In this little bag, amongst other things, you will get your lip colour to reapply.
SAME SEX WEDDINGS. I wanted to highlight these here because it’s a question I often get asked when there are two brides; what if we clash? The short answer is no, you wont! Brides might come and want to make sure they look totally different –If that is what you want then great but as with all brides, you should do ‘you’. Even if you feel that is too similar to your future wife, embrace the gown, the hair, the make up; it is double the glamour! Two beautiful women getting married the way they want to is beautiful in itself so if that means one of you is in jeans and converse with full make up and the other in an incredible gown with not a stitch of make up on then that is amazing too. Your looks can be different but complimentary, they can be the same but complimentary.
COMMUNICATION. And finally, communication is key. I want to get the theme, the vibe, the feeling, of not just the wedding but of you, the bride too. I want you to feel comfortable with me so you can get exactly what you want. If you don’t like something please do say. Finding your right make up is a process that is different for everybody. My style is very much a beautifully enhanced natural (or sometimes a bit more glam!) version of you on your wedding day. I take each bride as an individual, I won’t just force a look on you because that’s what I want to do. The most important thing to consider is how you feel. Once I have done your make up and you look at yourself I want you to feel incredible and most importantly not worry you don’t look right!!
I can’t wait to see you at your trial, if you have any questions please just get in touch!
