The most rewarding aspect of what I do is empowering women to feel confident and beautiful
I love being a makeup artist. Simply for that reason, I love seeing women transformed, radiating confidence and feeling empowered after a makeover.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and it is my duty as a makeup artist to make sure those words include beautiful, radiant, stunning. I must say though that my favorite type of work being a makeup artist is definitely bridal makeup. I have the privilege to work with these women on their most special, important day. I get to help them look and feel their most beautiful. I love working with women who want to find out and express who they are by utilizing makeup – especially on the big day, most women don’t treat themselves to such a luxury on a regular basis.
I’m currently booking up very fast for the upcoming wedding season, and I always love to ask my brides what kind of look are imagining in their head. I have found that a lot of these women do not wear a lot of makeup, and request a natural look for their big day. I like to tell them, “well lets go a little darker in certain spots to really bring out those eyes and make them pop. That’s what my focus usually is, drawing out the brides eyes. And let’s not forget about the bridesmaids and mothers too, because everyone is going to be a part of those photos and you want everyone to be complimenting together. So when it comes down to it, it’s all about expressing who they are, but also letting them be naturally themselves on their wedding day.
So while this is definitely achievable and my ultimate goal, you do need to keep some things in mind when it comes to bridal makeup.
1. PHOTOS PHOTOS PHOTOS…..Honestly, your wedding day is the one day when you will probably be the most photographed in your whole life. You will have your photography done by your hired photographer, but not only that all of your family and friends will have their own cameras too. And these days, with social media, everyone and his dog is a photographer! A picture lasts forever so you need to ensure that your makeup needs to be absolutely flawless, from every single angle.
2. FLASH…. The makeup needs to photograph perfectly, trust me, the flash is not your friend. As a MUA it is my job (and what I went to school for) to ensure that it does photograph perfectly. I have to continuously keep the camera flash in my mind, and when doing makeup think how it this going to affect the picture. For starters, the camera can totally wash you out and make you look as though you are not wearing anything at all. Powder is crucial as any kind of shine or glimmer the camera lense will read as oily or greasy, or even worse a big reflecting dot on your face. Things like really glossy lipgloss, glitter, shimmer, mineral makeup…anything with the ingredient MICA or high in the ingredient MICA will cause this to happen (you would be surprised how many products have MICA in them). Cameras also exaggerate pink and red tones, so using a yellow/green based foundation or airbrush solution helps to counteract that problem. This is just a few examples of how the camera picks up your makeup. What you see in the mirror, is different to what the professional photos will look like to some degree. You are probably investing a lot into those professional photos to, so you want to make sure everything is impeccable.
3. STAYING POWER…..I tend to use a lot of product, I know that when a bride is sitting in my chair it may seem like im “packing it on” (if she isn’t looking in the mirror to see whats going on) but these products are necessary and well chosen for each person and their different skin type and condition. Everything has a function and purpose, I don’t just apply these products for the fun of it. For example: No brides sits in my chair without a good cleanse, tone, moisturize, under eye crème and primer. Primer is crucial, its like the glue the holds everything done. It also prevents your natural oils from breaking down the makeup and gives a nice silky canvas to work with. Eye primer is also another top on the list must have for my bridal makeup application as it also helps the color stick for longer, and also shows the true color of the shadow. Everything is set with powder, to increase longevity and ensuring photographs are flawless. Again just a few examples, but rest assured, as much as it seems like I am applying a lot, it will never appear that way – that’s my job!
You need to look fresh, radiant, classic and flawless. I want the bride to feel beautiful in her own skin and be able to walk down the aisle and have her husband to be recognise her – that’s the ultimate goal! You want to look like YOU at your very best, for one of the most important days in your life.
Just for fun, here are some of my favourite makeup looks:
