DO I REALLY NEED TO BOOK A PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP ARTIST FOR MY WEDDING?

Whether you are a person that wears little to no makeup or you’re a “do it yourself” makeup kind of girl, your wedding day is perhaps the one occasion where you will NEED the services of a professional makeup artist. I want to outline some very important factors that brides should take into account when deciding to book a professional beauty expert for their wedding day. I will present this segment by focusing on the “excuses” or reasons why brides opt not to hire a professional makeup artist. I am deliberately using the phrase “professional makeup artist” because this term goes a bit beyond the person who simply can “apply makeup good”.

As a bridal makeup artist, I often hear the following:

  • I don’t like wearing makeup. I prefer to look natural and not “made up” on my wedding day.
 My response to this is the fact that your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life. You will be photographed more on this day, than perhaps any other day in your lifetime. You are the focus  on this day. Your face is on parade. You want to look your best and even if you have perfect skin, you still will need makeup products to help your face appear radiant, defined/contoured, dewy, and beautiful.
 
 A great makeup artist can create a natural look that is both soft and beautiful but will photograph exceptionally, to give you a flawless look. Your wedding day makeup should not be applied heavy or consist of too many color tones on the face.  Therefore, you won’t look “overdone”. It is for this reason and more, that a wedding day makeup trial is crucial, as it sets you at ease with the look you will have on your big day. You are able to see your makeover and how it will photograph ahead of time. I urge all of my brides to schedule a trial with me so that we are on the same page about the look desired, which also saves valuable time and energy on the day of the wedding.
 
Another common statement I hear from brides is:
   
  • I can do my makeup on my own or have a friend or family member do it for my wedding day.
 
On this point, I often begin by pointing out how differently makeup appears to the natural eye versus high-definition camera or any camera for that matter. You may apply your makeup, take a look in the mirror, then step back and stand in awe of your handiwork. However, if a photo is taken, especially at close range, that eyeliner that appears straight may actually be too thick on one eye versus the next, that perfectly blended looking eyeshadow is revealed to be more  contoured on the left eye versus the right eye, that lipstick that looks a nice coral shade in person may photograph as a washed out pale pink or the foundation color chosen that seems a great match, can turn out a bit ashy in flash photography. The list here in endless!

To achieve flawless makeup in photographs, one has to appreciate lighting. Everyday makeup and camera ready makeup application are two totally different ball games. Very seldom what you see with your natural eyes is what is produced by the camera. Your makeup, applied very soft and natural looking,can seem gorgeously flawless face to face. However, if a picture is taken, the look can be too subtle and your face will appear totally washed out in your pictures, as a result of not having enough makeup or the wrong color tones for the lips, face, and eyes.

Additionally, makeup is so much more than just putting product on the face. The PLACEMENT and color INTENSITY of makeup products strongly influences the final look. The idea here is to play up your best features and down play your “not so nice” ones. For example, if your best facial feature is the fact that you have big beautiful blue eyes, strong cheekbones or perfect lips, you will want to draw attention to those asepcts of your face. Therefore, you would make those features the focal point by making other areas on the face more subdued. An example of this is the below snapshot of an airbrushed bridal look I did, where the focus has been placed on the eyes, that are a lovely ocean blue.

 Moreover, you don’t want to bring attraction to a fault such as an extremely hooded eye, a large awkward shaped nose or tiny lips. The placement and choice of products can highlight or camouflage these traits. A professional makeup artist can determine your best and worst features and ensure that your makeover puts your best face forward.

Unless, you or your friend understands these parallels and other factors such as foundation matching, proper blending and contouring, makeup color selection to match skin undertones and much more, my advice would be to hire a professional makeup artist that can cover all of this for you.

Keep in mind that you, your friends and family, will look at your photos years from now and you want your face to look exceptional in the images taken on both sides of the fence, i.e. by your fabulous wedding day photographer and by your invited (and sometimes uninvited lol)guests.

Besides, a professional bridal makeup artist will have you looking beautiful face to face and on camera! That is the combination you are aiming for with your wedding day makeover!

Please feel free to leave a comment or question and I will revert back with my response. I hope these insights are helpful!

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