My Makeup Trial

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I had my makeup trial done on Saturday.

It went pretty well though it was long, two hours long. But I think it was worth it because I loved the results and even better, those results lasted for a long, sweaty day (more on that later).

I found my makeup artist, Kim, through a friend (you can read more about her over here) and thankfully she was as friendly and personable in person as she was over email. She arrived right on time and was fully stocked with everything she needed. After chatting a bit about what I wanted, she got to work.

Kim was very thorough and gave me plenty of chances to look in the mirror and give feedback. She was also a bit of a perfectionist, definitely a trait you want in your makeup artist! For example, despite my best cleansing efforts, I still had old mascara on my lash lines that bled out onto my just concealed under eye area. Without any prompting from me, Kim wiped the area clean and started again.

Another thing Kim did was let me see that my ideas weren’t also the best. I really wanted to try on false eye lashes and so she glued them on, then took them off when I decided that I hated them. She then explained that she’d never had a bride who actually went ahead with the fake lashes, something that I would have dismissed prior to putting them on and seeing just how costumy they were.

At the end of the trial, I had Shawn take a few pictures of my makeup while Kim jotted down what she had used. She says that she’ll create a face chart for me that will break down exactly what she used where. It’ll speed up makeup application on my wedding day so I won’t be looking at a two-hour long application process then.

The reason I did my trial on Saturday was because we had a wedding to attend that afternoon and I figured, hey, might as well get my makeup done on a day where I can show it off.

Well, I did more than show off that makeup, I put it to the test by spending probably close to two hours under the hot sun (it was an outdoor ceremony that we arrived at early because Shawn was an usher). Though I was definitely sweating, my makeup didn’t budge.

So my recommendation to you is to really “try out” your makeup post-trial by getting out there, moving around, and seeing just how long your pretty face will last.

A few other tips:

• Avoid wearing makeup the day before, particularly eyeliner or mascara
• Find out how your artist wants your face to be prepared prior to the trial (yes moisturize, no moisturize)
• Wear your hair in a style similar to your wedding hair so that you get the full effect
• A makeup artist can require a lot of space to set up on so consider using your kitchen table instead of a cramped bathroom
• Make sure you’re also set up in a space with plenty of proper (ideally natural) lightning
• Have ideas but also be opened to suggestions and seriously ask yourself if what you want really looks good now and in the future
• Don’t be afraid to speak up and say you don’t like something/want to try something else; you’re paying this person to make you look good after all
• Find out if your artist provides you with any touch-up products for your wedding day or if you should pick these up separately (Kim is providing blotter papers and whatever she used on my lips)
• If your artist is doing your wedding party’s makeup, find out what you/they can provide in advance to speed up their makeup application (some artists require that the wedding party members provide their own foundation)