There are pros and cons of using a makeup artist on your wedding day, with a lot of elements like timings, budget and personal preference to consider. If you are on the fence as to whether to hire a professional or go DIY for your wedding makeup, this article will help you to make up your mind.

Top Tips for hiring a Makeup Artist

Choose the right Makeup Artist for you:
Tips and referrals from family and friends are always the best way to find a makeup artist, so if you know someone whose look you loved on their wedding day, find out who their makeup artist was.

If you don’t know of anyone who can help, your wedding planner or venue may have a list of recommendations, or if you have a trusted beauty advisor on counter in store they often work freelance themselves on the weekend or know someone who does. If all else fails, search online for makeup artists in your area – they often have a portfolio or images to help you get an idea of their work. If you find someone who is available and looks like they might work for you, arrange a trial.

Prep before your consultation:
To get the most out of your consultation with your potential makeup artist by taking along some information and pictures to help them understand what you are looking for. We would recommend taking:

• A photo of your dress and accessories which will help them to imagine the overall look
• Any mood board images of the wedding, especially if you are having a theme
• Make a note of any beauty issues you have such as mascara tends to flake on you, lipstick dries your lips etc so that they can consider these concerns when creating your look
• Images cut out from a magazine or any you have found online to help you describe the look you are imagining
• Don’t be afraid to consider something new – your makeup artist might have some great suggestions about what would suit you that you hadn’t thought of before. Ask them to show you one look that you describe to her, and one more if they were to recommend the colours and products to you.

On the day, speak up if you don’t like something (even if it’s a little thing):
You need to make sure you are as happy, confident and comfortable as possible so even if you are shy, make sure you ask for anything you don’t like to be changed. After all, your makeup artist wants make sure they are doing a great job and that you feel your best too. You could always tip them or send a thank you card to them afterwards if you feel like they have gone above and beyond.

Top Tips for DIY Wedding Makeup

Even if you are confident in applying your own makeup, bridal makeup is different. You need to choose the right products that make you look your best on photographs and are long wear enough to last you through the dancing!

Get inspiration:
The best place to start is to look online and in bridal magazines for inspiration and product recommendations. Step by step “looks” tend to have both product recommendations and application tips, so try them out yourself to see what works. If you would like to have personalised advice about applying your own wedding makeup, book a lesson at a beauty counter in store or a trial with a makeup artist to see how and what they apply. Most makeup counters will also write their recommendations down for you to take home.

How to pick the right makeup for you:
Look online (particularly images of celebrities on the red carpet) for people with the same colouring as you and take colour inspiration from what they wear as their makeup will have been applied by professionals who know what suits them.

You also need to pick makeup that works best with your outfit – if you wedding dress is soft and bohemian, stick to natural looking makeup and soft pastel shades. Alternatively, if you have a classic dress with simple lines you may want to dress it up with a bold red lip. The same works for your hair – make sure that the different parts are all working in harmony with the overall look.

Application tips: To make sure you apply your products correctly and in the right order, seek advice from beauty counters or look online for step by step bridal tutorials. We have created some looks for you on our page here for wedding makeup inspiration and application tips.

Lastly, on the day itself allow yourself more than enough time to get ready (we would suggest around 3 hours) and enjoy yourself!