Other than the wedding gown, the next important thing would be your Wedding Makeup. As the main lead in your wedding day, with cameras all pointing towards you the whole time, you are going to be photographed all day long. These are photos that contain precious memories of your wedding day, and you will want to look perfect and fabulous for the photos.
The Wedding makeup is one component that you can’t possibly miss out – all the final touches to make your bride look gorgeous and shimmering than before! Makeup does wonders – it defines your features, changes up your look and transform you into anything you want! To fit into the wedding theme, choosing the right makeup, the right shade and look is so important to compliment your dress and the setting. Usually, hiring a professional makeup artist is recommended to settle your makeup woes, but it’s good to know some knowledge about it to make sure your Wedding makeup is perfect and error-free. Here’s a helpful guide to your hows!
Defining What a Wedding Makeup and how it differs from Normal Makeup
A bridal makeup will take longer to apply (even if the look can be done quickly, generally the makeup artist spends more time on the bride— you don’t want to rush this process!). The makeup artist has to be very detailed in every touch as the makeup has to be long lasting and looked fresh throughout the whole wedding.
For Wedding makeup, usually the bride will seek professional consultation and sometimes included trial with the artist before the wedding to discuss the desired look and the bride’s vision. However, the consultation is not free and the bride will have to pay an additional fee for it.
Knowing your face shape and features
The face shape plays an important part in determining the parts of the face to contour, to highlight to give a sharper bone structure and look to your face.
The different uses of contour, highlight and blush depends on the bone structure, which is measured by the jawline, the cheekbones as well as the hairline.
If your hairline is higher, it is usually good to contour to cover the bigger forehead. The chin is often applied with contour as well to achieve a sharp, v-shaped chin that is desirable among many.
So here are some guides on how to look stunning on your wedding day.
Beauty preparations every bride should do to do for their wedding day:
1. Good skincare routine
Start your skincare routine at least one month before. Getting regular facial treatment months leading to your wedding day is crucial to have a healthy and radiant skin. Sometimes your skin can have an adverse reaction to new products, and you wouldn’t want to face situations where you have breakouts and redness on your wedding day. With every new treatment and facial products, make sure you give at least one month to test it out.
See More: Guide for Wedding Eve Skincare Routine
2. Stay hydrated
Drink tons of water one week before to keep your skin hydrated. This is the most natural way to have your skin and lips moisturised. Dry skin can cause makeup products to look flaky.
However, be careful not to drink too much water the night before your wedding as this will cause water retention and make your eyes look bloated.
3. Ensure the Makeup your Makeup can last
If your wedding is going to endure the whole day from morning till night, you should ensure that your Makeup is long-lasting. One tip is to waterproof your Makeup – use waterproof and smudge-proof Makeup to prevent streaky and patchy Makeup at the end of the day. Another tip is to apply Makeup in thin layers
See More: Best Waterproof Mascaras
4. Have an emergency makeup kit
Pack an emergency makeup kit and have it by your side during your wedding, so that you can easily touch up your Makeup at all times. This is extremely important and helpful.
Here are some things to pack in your kit:
- Oil-blotting papers/power
- Lipstick
- Foundation
- Tissue and Cotton buds
How to hire a wedding makeup artist:
1. Look through portfolio
The 2 most important things to look out for in a makeup artist is – reliability and experience.
One of the most dreadful things to happen on your wedding day is to find out your makeup artist is running super late or worst, not going to turn up. It is essential that your makeup artist is reliable and responsible so that you can trust your makeup artist and be stress-free on your wedding day. Word of mouth is often the best way to find a makeup artist, get recommendations from your family and friends on makeup artists that they have engaged with before.
Next thing to check out is how experienced is the makeup artist. You may find some makeup artists that offer very cheap rates, and that may be because some of them are freelance and just starting out with not much experience. Usually, the case is, the more experienced and more skilled.
Every makeup artist has their own style. Check out their works on social media or request from the makeup artist, and make sure you are comfortable with their style.
2. The kind of makeup styles you like
Do your research online to find out what kind of makeup styles you are interested in. Below are some common and popular looks:
Minimal Makeup Look: Ever since Megan Markle slew her minimal makeup look on her wedding day, this minimal / no makeup style has gained much popularity amongst brides. Using minimum makeup products, this style reflects confidence, exuding perfection with imperfections.
Shimmer Eyeshadows and Nude Lips: For chic and modern brides, this look gives off a natural but elegant vibe.
Bold Red Lips: bright red lip is another popular trend that gives off a striking bridal look, rock that smile with that charming and sexy lips.
A Hint of Blue: there’s something charming about the colour blue that gives off a dreamy look when used for eye makeup.
Smokey Eye: Smokey eye makeup is a simple way to make your eyes stand out, and there are many different styles for the smokey eye to give different looks.
3. Go for a makeup trial
Trials help you and your makeup artist to figure out what style works and doesn’t work on you. It can give you an idea of how you will look like on your wedding day. This is also a chance for you to find out what kind of makeup products they use, and whether you are comfortable with the makeup brands they use, especially those who are particular about the ingredients used in the products.
A makeup trial usually lasts for 3-4 hours, where the makeup artist would try on a few styles on you and eventually have a discussion on the look that you will be going for on your wedding day.
Although going for a makeup trial is pretty costly, average cost about $200 – $300, and some brides may choose to skip having a trial to save cost. However, this trial is extremely important to ensure that you have a perfect look on your wedding day. It is for your makeup artist to figure out the right products to use for your face. You wouldn’t want to have the wrong foundation shade that doesn’t match your skin tone. The makeup artist also needs to find out how is your skin condition, such as is it dry or oily skin, in order to use the correct products as different product suits different skin types.
What to prepare for your trial?
- Pictures of your wedding gown/attire
- Any accessories that you will be wearing
- Pictures of makeup styles that you like
4. Check through details
Once you are sure of the makeup artist that you would like to engage with, confirm with him or her on the services that will be provided on an actual day.
One thing to check with is the venue where the Makeup will be done. If it is for the gate-crashing day, will the makeup artist come over to your house? If it is for a wedding dinner, will the makeup artist come over to the hotel venue?
Secondly, what are the equipment that will be provided by the makeup artist, and what are the things you will need to supply with?
Lastly, ask how long will the makeup session take and discuss what time should the makeup artist come over. It would be good to check if the makeup artist has other sessions on that day so that you will know your makeup artist availability in the event you need him or her the entire day.
Price Range
Depending on what is required and the reputation of the makeup artist, engaging a makeup artist can range from $150 to $2,000. There are different packages for makeup services such as:
The number of looks you need: for simple weddings, most brides only go for one look. But for brides that have different segments throughout the whole day, such as gate-crashing, solemnisation and wedding dinner, brides may want to consider having different looks for the various segment. This is especially if you have different outfits, you will wish your Makeup to match your gown/dress.
Makeup services: applying fake eyelashes, trimming eyebrows, and florals for hairstyle all require additional cost. These extra beauty touches will depend on the look you want.
Onsite service: some brides would prefer their makeup artist to be there for the entire day so that they can refresh their Makeup whenever it is needed. Hiring the makeup artist for the entire day would definitely come at a higher cost.
Things makeup artists wish brides knew
1. Trust your makeup artist
Makeup artists wish that brides would trust them more so that they don’t get stressed out on their wedding day. You have hired your makeup artist for a good reason – that you don’t have to worry about anything as they are tasked to handle your Makeup. That is why you should engage in a reliable makeup artist that you can trust. So just relax and leave your Makeup up to the professionals.
2. Take good care of your skin
Having a good base is very important for the Makeup to look good. Other than going for facial treatments, diet is essential too. Months before your wedding day, avoid oily and heaty food, and go for a healthier and light diet.
Most importantly, have a good sleep the night before and avoid stress. Your makeup artist wouldn’t want to see a bloated-face bride with dark eye circles.
3. The proper way to handle your tears
It is going to be an emotional day with all the heartfelt speeches from your family and close friends. Many brides can’t help but tear or cry on their wedding day. With tears running down your cheeks, you realise it is going to ruin your Makeup and start to grab tissues to wipe off your tears. But don’t panic. Instead of wiping and rubbing off your tears, gently dab off your tears with tissues to make sure that the makeup products still stays on your face and that your Makeup doesn’t become patchy.
Next, this is where your emergency makeup kit comes in, and you can easily touch up your Makeup.
Most importantly, be happy and confident. Happy brides are the most beautiful ones. With that in mind, no matter what it is, you will look absolutely gorgeous and stunning on your wedding day.