20 Mar 2012

Bridal Makeup Trials: What to Remember


Today I had a bridal makeup trial with one of my clients, Sandra. Above you can see the look we came up with together. I thought I'd go into detail how I go about working with clients, and what I feel needs to happen during the bridal makeup trial.

Previous to the appointment I talked to Sandra on her overall wishes for the look, if she had something specific in mind. Some brides will be very concrete about their wishes and have pictures from magazines to show you, others might be completely clueless and need your guidance to pick out something appropriate. In this case, it's helpful to have a peek at the wedding dress if one has already been purchased, and any jewelry and accessories that will be worn on that day. You should also get an overall feel for the bride's personality to see if she would prefer a more bolder, dramatic look, or something very understated.

In Sandra's case, she had a basic idea of what she wanted. She told me she wanted her look to be inspired by Arab makeup, but without the harsh typical eyeliner and sharp corners. She wanted the colors to be a bit more pronounced than normal, with a strong crease blend, but the overall look should still be soft and flattering. She wasn't too specific about which colors she preferred, just that she didn't want any bright bold ones. She also told me she's getting eyelash extensions for the wedding, and she would be removing her nose ring.

Sandra arrived at my house (I prefer to do trial runs at my place), and over a cup of coffee we went on the Internet together and looked at some Arab makeup pictures. I had already got an idea of what she wanted, but I needed to figure out a few details. Together we decided an overall softer look would be more flattering, and more suited to her features and her dress. Then I showed her my palettes to see what colors she liked most, but in this case she relied mostly on my judgement to pick what looks good together. I showed her a few combinations of flattering shades in both matte and pearl finish, and then came up with the look above.

During a trial run it's also a good idea to try out different things. For example, you can see she's wearing two different colored liners on her waterline, and I used different blushes on each cheek. We also did two lip variations until we decided on this one. It's a good time to see what works and what looks nicer for the big day.

I then proceeded to do the makeup on her in natural daylight close to a window, as that will be the condition which she will be photographed in. It's also the best place to make sure the foundation is perfectly matched and evenly blended into the neck and bust line. During the process I showed her a mirror a few times so she could see how things were progressing. Try to make it enjoyable and relaxing for your client; I played some nice music in the background, burned some home fragrance oil, and made sure everything was clean and tidy.

After all the makeup was done, I gave her a mirror to go outside and see how it looked. I asked her if there was anything she would want different on her wedding day, which liner she preferred, etc. Take note of any changes that you will need to make on the big day - Sandra said she wanted a deeper color lipliner and less highlighting around the cheekbones.

Remember that even though you are the makeup artist, your paying client makes the final decision. You can give suggestions and guidance on what looks best, but in the end if they want something that you personally don't think looks good, it's their call. If they want to wear hot pink lips with dark smokey eyes, then just follow their wishes and try to make it as flattering as possible.

Finally I made a Word document of all the products I used on her and placement, so that I will remember exactly on the wedding day. Make a list for your client of products they might need to purchase for touch-ups (unless you are on-hand throughout the wedding), for example blotting powder, lip products, etc. Discuss the final arrangements of the wedding day, how much time you need and when and where to arrive. Also be sure to have your financial aspects in order at this time, such as down payments, contracts, etc. You don't want to be talking money to a stressed out bride on her wedding day! This is also to protect yourself, to make sure you get paid. If you are doing makeup on other members of the bridal party, be sure to discuss that in advance and schedule enough time. Give your client your business card if she needs to contact you, and be sure you have their contact details.

That's it! Happy makeup-ing! I'll be sure to post some final pictures of Sandra's makeup on her big day!




20 comments:

  1. soooooooooo greeeeaaaat!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous6:01 pm

    Wow, great Makeup. "Client", does this mean, its possible to book you as a Makeup Artist? Thanks and best regards, Alencia

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous6:30 pm

    thank you! great insight!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sanna6:38 pm

    Great advices :) I have done a lot of hairdues on brides and think that's also a thing to have in mind when doing make-up. It's easier to to the hair to go with the make-up than the opposite :) parden my spelling :/

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous7:16 pm

    Very Helpful. I definitely picked up some pointers! Thank You!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous7:34 pm

    think the white in the waterline gives it more of a bridal appeal as opposed to the black in the waterline. awesome job. really!

    ReplyDelete
  7. waooo thts nice she is looking radiant n makeup is gorgeously done... Gd work

    ReplyDelete
  8. thanks for this I do pretty much what u said except i usually make a face chart for myself so i can remember the look as well as products i used that day also as far as payment once they decide to use me for the event I collect half of the fees after the consultation and contract signing and the other half either day of wedding or the day of the rehersal dinner just as a precaution ppl can be weired

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous9:49 pm

    Wow das schaut richtig schön aus. Darf man fragen mit welcher Kamera du deine Fotos machst? und ob du sie bearbeitest?

    ReplyDelete
  10. This was very helpful! I'd love to see more posts on your life as a makeup artist!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thank you Julia for this great Bridal look. I had all together 3 trials. Two with the same artist who made a really soft-almost nothing look the first time. The second time I asked her to do more since I don`t like this "a bride has to look natural, just her natural beauty without big make-up". And the result that came out was a really thin brown ece liner that was barely noticeable and did not enhance anything and a little bit of colour in the crease. The third one, who actually made my make-up at my day started with "usually I do brides with rosy eye shadow". This almost made me run away but after I showed her my stuff she picked out MACs Expensive Pink, Club and Satin Taupe which was perfect for me and my blue eyes. I totally loved it especially because it was not like every day and totally natural like with the other artist. And this one is also great!

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a lovely make-up, well done <3

    ReplyDelete
  13. This is a great article. Your client looks good in her makeup :) You did a great job!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous5:36 pm

    Thanks, Julia for posting this!
    I didn't know you also work as a makeup artist.
    Do you have a studio where you do the makeup on the actual day?
    You did a great job! :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. I am going to do a wedding makeup later this year for a family member, this post will help me a lot because i have to do wedding trial makeup before the actual wedding. Great Job and Thanks Julia x

    ReplyDelete
  16. Can't wait to see the final look. I love learning about the process you have to go through as a MUA.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Great post!!!Love it! I am doing bridal makeup in three weeks so very helpful..I would also appreciate if you could give uz some options of product, what to be aware of :-)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Love this post. More posts like this one! :)

    www.rebekasbeautyworld.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  19. I have attended many weddings in my life. And it has been my practice not to wear any make-up except lipstick. I do this because I always cry during these times. It is not advisable though.

    ReplyDelete