#1 Find a makeup artist sooner than you think
Makeup can often be the last thing on a brides mind when they start organising their big day, however bridal makeup artists can often be booked months in advance. Once you have a wedding date I’d suggest you start investing some time into finding a local makeup artist, you can get a great feel from a website if their makeup style is what you are looking for. Give them a call and speak to them personally, you want someone who you feel can understand what you’re looking for and check their availability for your wedding date.
Remember bridal makeup artists are also a great source of information for recommendations, we do a LOT of weddings, meet a lot of other suppliers and will always remember the ones who were amazing at photography, hair etc
#2 Don’t let a makeup artist hijack your look
For a lot of people their wedding is a time to feel pampered and have someone else do their makeup, but it can be a time when the makeup artist will make lots of makeup suggestions. Listen to your makeup artist and take on board any product suggestions, techniques they suggest as they will know what works well for photographs, however stay true to yourself. Often I hear ‘I love smoky eyes but it’s not bridal’, in my experience the perfect ‘bridal’ look is whatever makes the bride feel like themselves but at their most beautiful.
#3 Trial run anything new before your wedding day
The last thing a bride wants to be dealing with in the lead up to the wedding day is an allergic reaction to a new product. If you’re going to try new makeup, individual lashes, fake tan or even perfumes try them all a few weeks before to make sure you have no sensitivity or allergic reaction to them. With eyelashes I’d always suggest trying individual or cluster lashes rather than a strip, they will look more natural but also feel a lot lighter, in fact if they are applied correctly you shouldn't even be able to feel you have them on- but try them before to see if you like the feel of them before the big day itself.
#4 Fake it beautifully
If you plan to fake tan for your wedding day make sure you have a couple trial runs if you have time so you can test how the colour develops and how its fades on your skin. Give yourself a good amount of time beforehand so the tan sets in and you don’t smell of it on your wedding day. If you don’t have time to trial run a new spray tan then picking a gradual tanning body moisturiser would be a safer bet as these are much more sheer.
#5 Mini Makeup Kit
It’d be great to not have to think about retouching your makeup the whole day but chances are you will need to or you may even want to add a stronger lip colour for the reception. If you can find a place at the reception to hide away a little stash of must have products in advance or ask a friend to carry them for you in their handbag. Keep it simple, blotting papers are a great way to combat any shine, a concealer and cotton buds are a great way to correct any little smudges and lastly your lip colour. Bridal makeup artist will chose and use products that will stay in place and last all day, but happy tears and congratulatory kisses can lead to smudges!! Be prepared and stay looking fab.