Bridal Beauty Tip #9 How To Choose The Perfect Lipstick For Your Wedding

Choosing the perfect lipstick for your wedding day can seem tricky.
You have the dress, the flowers, the hairdo, hopefully all telling the same story, and now you have to bring the whole look together with your makeup. 
Your lipstick choice can really make or break your entire look. Should you go bold or should you go nude? Should you opt for a matte lip or should you try glossy lips? 

How To Choose The Perfect Lipstick For Your Wedding Day

image of my makeup student Therese, photographed by Jessica Savidge

1. Be True To Yourself
Your wedding day is probably not the best day to get all the way out of your lipstick comfort zone.
If you don't normally wear much color, this is not the day to try out a new red.
If you are a big lipstick girl chances are you will feel washed out with a naked lip.
Choose a color that is in keeping with your wedding makeup, that enhances your skin tone, that doesn't make your teeth look yellow, and that makes you feel lovely.

image of my makeup student Therese, photographed by Jessica Savidge

2. Marry With Moisture
Your lips will be a big focus on your wedding day. You will be talking more than usual, kissing and air kissing, posing for pictures, smiling - you name it! You will also probably get a very dry mouth.
A matte lip will look dried out and cracky as the event progresses, and unless you are a matte-lip-pro it can flatten your entire look.
An over glossy lip can look tacky, and he's probably going to be wondering if he'll get covered in slimey stuff if/when he kisses you.
Instead look for a lipstick with a subtle sheen or satin finish, that looks moist and makes the lip look alive and inviting.

3. Layer Your Lip
If you are prone to eating off your lipstick, think about staining the lip with a longwear color and complimenting it with a subtle gloss. If you are wearing a deeper or bolder color, staining the lip underneath will help you to maintain the color and will require less time infront of a mirror repairing your lipstick.
Most longwear lipsticks are super drying, so make sure you have either a gloss or a satin finish lip to put on top.
Plenty of my brides don't wear lipstick in their day to day life, so a longwear lip works perfectly. They just keep their chapstick/lip balm with them and top up when ever their lip feels dry.

a nude lip shouldn't look like concealer (image via foxerbox.com)

4.Nude no's
Nude lips can be fabulous, especially when paired with a stronger eye, but there are a few things to consider.
* if you normally wear color on your lips you will feel naked in a nude.
* use a nude that compliments your skin tone
* never choose a nude that is paler than your natural lip color
* nudes that look like concealer are never flattering

5. Buy it
You will need to touch up your lips after your makeup artist leaves, and throughout the evening. After you do your makeup trial, buy the lipstick your makeup artist used and bring it with you on your wedding day.

6. Trial
Make sure you have a trial makeup session prior to your wedding day. Wear the lipstick or lip gloss that your makeup artists tries on you, and see how it looks as the day progresses. Does it pill up? Does it dry and crack? Does it look tacky and sticky? Or does it look fabulous on you?

Destination Honeymoon ~ Which Beauty Products You Should Pack

Last September I shot a story for 

Phoenix Bride and Groom Magazine 

about which beauty items you should pack 

to take on your honeymoon. 

If you are getting married this year, or if you are traveling, this is a great guide for you.

Here is the Phoenix Bride and Groom Magazine article, reposted.

Bon Voyage!

Corinna Cooke on an Easy Honeymoon Beauty Routine

“I’m always getting on a plane to somewhere! Whether it’s a shoot across the country or across the world, I always follow these four beauty travel tips. They work perfectly for your honeymoon too!” 
Corinna Cooke

1

Travel Bags. I like my beauty products to go in my cabin baggage, so they arrive at the same destination as I do, when I do! I use see-through cosmetic travel bags from Stephanie Johnson. They are beautiful and chic, are easy to take through airport security and are sturdy enough to protect all my beauty products. I also take them to the beach – one with sunscreens and a separate one for any post-beach hair and makeup goodies. I don’t want sandy bottles of tanning products mixed in with my hair and lip products, and I like being able to see what’s in each bag. Remember all your liquid products have to be 3 fluid ounces or less to go in your carry on baggage.

2

The Skin Care Equation. Think about the climate you are traveling to before you pack. If you live somewhere dry, like Phoenix, and are going somewhere humid, such as a beach honeymoon, you will need to change to lighter skin care products. I travel with Verso skin care products (thoughtfully sized at 3 fluid ounces or less). I add a broad spectrum sunblock with the highest SPF I can find (a sunburned face isn’t exactly honeymoon glam), an eye-makeup remover to dissolve waterproof mascara, and a soothing face mask like luxurious Tatcha Luminous Deep Hydration Lifting Mask to keep skin looking lovely.

3

The Makeup Story. 

The key to travel makeup is to keep it simple. You don’t want to spend your honeymoon in front of a makeup mirror and you don’t want to weigh your bags down with more cosmetics than necessary. Opt for a fresh-faced look with a BB Cream instead of a heavy foundation, pack a little something for your brows, a bronzer to keep you looking beachy, and a soft blush to add a little color. Take one color story for your eyes. I like a soft goldy/bronzy look as it goes with everything, always looks gorgeous and you can dress it up or down. Waterproof mascara and a great eyeliner in espresso brown or a deep plummy-grape complete the perfect travel eye makeup story. Lastly pack two lip options: a soft, kissable glossy lip in a gentle tone and one bold color for a va-va-voom lip to knock ‘em dead on a dressy night out.

4

The Hair Story. A climate change can make for a really bad hair day, so you want to have some rescue options with you. A little hair decadence feels divine, so I travel with Oribe products. I pack the Oribe single-use travel shampoo and conditioner packs because they are fabulous, smell divine and take up absolutely no space at all. Oribe’s travel-sized Anti Humidity Spray tames any flyaways or crazy humidity hair, Dry Texturizing Spray is fantastic if you need a little post-hat-hair lift, and Apres Beach Spray gives you great beachy-looking waves when you don’t actually have any. I also love the Oribe Gold Lust Nourishing Oil both to make hair glossy and shiny, and also to protect color and keep the ends from getting destroyed by sun, surf and wind.

Travel sized Oribe Hair Products

All photography by Jessica Savidge www.SavidgePhotography.com

Here I am behind the scenes laying out the items for the shoot

Briday Beauty Tip #7 Go Easy On The Contour

Brides beware!
There is this crazy trend in bridal beauty where brides feel they need to be super contoured like a Kardashian. Brides are often showing me pictures of overblown contour, thinking it's the ultimate in makeup, and telling me thats what they want. Sometimes it can take a lot of explaining to maneuver them back out of what could be a real makeup disaster.

Don't be the victim of a bridal beauty blunder.

Firstly let me say Kim Kardashian invariably looks fabulous.
No question.
But she lives her life in a very different lighting situation to that of 99% of all brides.

I loved this quote from Jezebel: 
Sure, love is a battlefield, but makeup isn't supposed to look like warpaint...

Makeup artists have been contouring forever. It's part of how we create balance in the face, bring out the best in your features, and diminish the things we don't want to draw attention to.
But there is a huge difference between the contouring that a pro makeup artist does on a shoot, and that which we see all over Instagram and You tube.
Contour should be subtle, and only used where needed.
It should blend away seamlessly into the complexion, so that you can't see where it is, you only see a beautiful face.

It looks as though the majority of IG contour has been stolen from the Drag Queen playbook. And don't get me wrong - I love my drag queens. In fact I adore them. 
Drag Queens utilize significant contouring to take their very manly facial features and soften them into female features. They soften their jawlines and foreheads, streamline their noses, create cheekbones to die for. What they do is brilliant. But much of the time it is designed to look stunning with a wig, under bright lights, at night.
Not to be photographed outdoors at 2 o'clock on Saturday afternoon in natural light, with a soft swishy updo and a white gown.

If you step in to kiss a Drag Queen's cheek there is an expectation that she will be wearing a heavy layer of makeup. If you step up to a bride you are expecting her to look radiant and beautiful, not excessively made up with completely overblown contour.

contour gone wrong...

You may think your extreme contour looks okay (ish) in the makeup chair, but when you step outside its an entirely different story.
Sunlight is going to pick up all those white lines in your highlight and flare right off them, literally giving you white stripes and white patches, meanwhile the dark areas are going to grab the light. If they are too dark, or have the wrong undertone, or aren't blended properly your skin will look muddy.
If your contour is not blended to the nth degree you will look like you have stripes on your face.

With brides I find that most of the time a little well placed 
non glittery and non sparkly highlight, blended to perfection into a gorgeous, sheer foundation is all you need to create the illusion of a natural contour. 

Make your focus be a flawless, beautiful complexion (that looks lovely at close range) and your wedding makeup will look absolutely stunning. 

10 Bridal Beauty Tips

The spring/summer wedding season is about to take off, so if you are getting ready for your wedding in the next few months here are 
10 bridal beauty tips to have you glowing and gorgeous on your big day.

1. Hydrate.

Even if you are months away from your wedding day start drinking extra water. Every cell in your body will love you for it and your skin will start to glow and look super vibrant!

2. Book your makeup artist.
The good ones book up fast so make sure you secure one as quickly as possible.

3. Book your trial makeup
I'm a big believer in getting this done as quickly as possible. You need to be certain that she is the right artist for you, and if she isn't then you want tht extra time to find someone else.
Your artist may have some fabulous ideas for your look that take some time - maybe she wants you to grow your brows in, or maybe she wants you to get a series of facials. The sooner you can get started the better!

4. Find a really great facialist.
Whatever your budget, find someone to work with you on facial treatments to get your skin in super good shape. The better your skin looks, the better your makeup will look.
Your makeup artist can probably give you some great referrals if you don't already have someone.

5. Book a trial airbrush tan.

Instead of planning on UV hours on a cancer bed, opt for an airbrush tan. Have a trial so you can see that you like the color and see how many days its good for. I like to count out how many days it is til perfect. For me day 3 is the best color. Once you know which day is the prettiest you can schedule it that many days prior to you wedding day.

6. Get a trial eyebrow session.
Everyone looks better with well groomed brows, but you don't want to make any drastic changes, or have any drastic errors happen right before your wedding! Find a great brow girl and have a trial with her a few months out. If you love the look she gives you its easy to keep it maintained until your wedding day.

7. Plan your body treatments.
Start losing the rough skin of winter, and get some glow into your skin. Making the skin on your body glow can take a little work, so start early with exfoliation treatments and luxuriant lotions. Whatever skin is showing in your dress needs to be smooth, supple and radiant.

8. Cool Sculpt.
If you have problem areas that no amount of working out is helping, such as over the bra fat that wants to roll over the top of your strapless dress (even slim girls get this!), and if you have at last 3 months before your wedding day, look into Coolsculpting.
This is the miracle cure to literally melt away (well, freeze away) the problem folds and have you both looking and feeling sensational. I send my brides to Sandra at the Blume Skin Centre (click HERE for info). The results are nothing short of spectacular!

9. Treat your hands to some TLC

Every bride has photos taken of her hand with the ring, her hands holding the flowers, her hand slicing cake - her hand gets a ton of attention on her wedding day! Getting some hand treatments along the way helps to keep the skin smooth and luscious. If you have sun damage you can get photofacials on your hands. If the skin is just dried out and tired a few parafin treatments will make it look and feel like a million dollars!

10. Love your lips.
Soft, supple lips take work to achieve. Invest in a gentle exfoliant and a super lip balm and use them religiously in the months and weeks leading up to your big day.
Your lipstick will glide on and hold better, and your lips will look fantastic. Chapped, scaly lips never look good!

Valentine's Day Lip Love

Valentine’s Day Lip Love

Valentine’s Day – the official holiday of smooching - is nearly here, so it’s time to think about your luscious lip plan.

Today I am giving you 3 date night lip options combined with a little color theory class, breaking down some color options for those of you with a cool complexion and those of you with warm undertones.

Read on and pucker up!

Valentine's lip number one is for those of you who don’t want to do a big lip, but feel like more than just chapstick. Try using a lipliner to shape your kisser, and top it off with a colored lip gloss. In these images we've left the liner where you can see it, but in real life blend through it with your lip brush and make it invisible.

Icy and pink glosses look fabulous on girls with a cool toned complexion, while soft peachy tones are beautiful on a warm toned girl.

Valentine's lip number two is all about your pink game. Moving into a full lipstick our warm undertone gets a lovely coral based pink which compliments the olives and golds in her skin.

Our cool undertone model got a blue based pink, breathing magic into her complexion and making her teeth look super white.

Valentine's lip number three is a feisty bold red lip – the ultimate Valentine’s lip! Girls with a cool toned complexion look amazing in a blue based red, 

while warm toned girls are best in a true red or an orange based red. (pictured here in a true red).

The lip models in this story were actually 2 of my makeup assistants! Whitney is our cool toned girl, and Therese is my warm complected model. 

Here are a couple of bts shots.

Therese in the makeup room getting a soft, glossy lip

Whitney on set getting a muted red lip

This story was originally written for Phoenix Bride and Groom Magazine.
Check it out here:

Photography by Jessica Savidge www.SavidgePhotography.com

 

3 Ways To Wear Red Lips This Valentine's Day

3 Ways To Wear Red Lips This Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is best served with a bold red lip.
A red lip is sexy, it can be fierce, it demands attention, and it is the calling card of the vixen.
But if you are a girl who doesn't normally wear red the mere thought of that can be overwhelming! 
If a red lip seems scary, or feels like too much work, here are 3 easy ways  to slip into a sexy Valentine's rouged moue.

lipliner and gloss

1.   Ease your way in to red by lightly coloring your entire lip with a red lipliner, then adding a clear gloss.

lipliner and lipstick patted in with your finger

2.   Want something a little more substantial but still keeping it muted? Shape your lip with a red liner then pat a soft red lipstick on with your finger. You can control the intensity by tapping on a little more or a little less depending on your mood.
In the picture above we kept it super soft and subtle.

3.   Feeling a little more emboldened? 

bold, matte, red lip

Try out a velvety matte red lip. Shiny red lips can slip and slide, and often men cringe at the thought of kissing them and getting it all over their face.
Matte is the easiest way to wear red as it doesn’t move or bleed and stays on your lip rather than your glass. Or your man.
And it's sexy.

Looking for a new red lipstick?
Check out How To Choose Your Perfect Lip Color here

and The Best Red Lipsticks post here
I am also crazy about the new Temptu Color True red lipstick. Check it out in the link above.

The model in this story is my assistant Whitney, and all images were photographed by Jessica Savidge (www.SavidgePhotography.com)

If you liked this post please share it with your friends on your social media. (and join me on mine - see the sidebar on the right)
Also I would love to hear about your favorite red lipsticks! Drop me a line in the comments section below and tell me all about them!

Valentine's Lips Don't Lie

The great celebration of smooching is almost here, so there is no time like now to get your kisser ready for a big dose of lovin!

These 3 fabulous lip products came across my desk a while back, and I wanted to share them with you intime for you to get supple, kissable lips for Valentine's Day.

Because Valentine's Lips Don't Lie

1. Ilia Tinted Lip Conditioner

By day keep your lips soft and conditioned with this soothing lip conditioner. Ilia uses all organic ingredients, and their lip conditioner comes in a variety of shades that give a sheer wash of color, but that add intensity when applied liberally.
Winter lips need extra protection during the day, and this one is just gorgeous.

Ilia Tinted Lip Conditioner in These Days

2. Nuxe Reve de Miel
This one is a powerhouse repair product for chapped and sore lips, but is also a fanatstic anytime lip balm. I use it in my pro makeup kit, but also keep tubs of it at home and in my handbag.I love to wear it to bed at night, it's so concentrated that you only use a little, and wake up with smooth soft lips.
Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm always gets 5 star reviews - I think it may be one of the very best lip balms ever.

Nuxe Reve De Miel Lip Balm

3. Lancer Volume Enhancing Lip Serum
With your lips all soft and supple it's time to plump them up a liitle with Dr Lancer's amazing Volume Enhancing Lip Serum. Not only does it increase lip volume (without any harsh irritants), but it also smoothes out the appearance of the little fine lines around the lips, making your lips look even more kissable.

Lancer Volume Enhancing Lip Serum

Wedding Makeup Myths Debunked

Bridal beauty is big business. Brides all over the world hit the interwebs everyday, searching out every detail about how to look sensational on their big day. There is some great information out there, but there is also a ton of dis-information. 

I consult with brides every week of the year, and hear the same myths over and over. 

Here are 4 Wedding Makeup Myths, Debunked.

image via Phoenix Bride and Groom Magazine
hair by Will Zecco
makeup by Corinna Cooke

1.) "You need to do your makeup heavier for pictures"

No. Actually you don't.

There are so many foundation options now that give you flawless coverage, but can be applied super sheer, creating the illusion of gorgeous, perfect skin. Which after all is the goal with foundation anyway.

Cheeks should glow and look fresh, not like great stripes of war paint, and eyes should be enhanced, not overkilled.

A face full of thick, heavy makeup looks hideous, and as the night moves on it looks progressively worse. 

Beautifully applied makeup photographs beautifully.

2.) "You can't wear sunscreen on your wedding day"

Yes you can. 

You couldn't pay me to go even one day without sunscreen! There are definitely formulations that leave the skin feeling slimey, and there are formulations that flare or flashback white with flash photography, but there are plenty of others that work perfectly, giving you sun protection all day long.

Kiehls Super Fluid UV Defense SPF 50 is a sheer formula that protects you from 90% of the sun's damaging (aging) rays, and stops you from burning. It feels as light as air on the skin.

Skinceuticals Sheer Physical UV Defense SPF 50
This facial SPF has state of the art technology to keep you completely protected. The formula is super sheer, paraben free, and is ideal for all skin types, even the most sensitive. It also plays beautifully with makeup, and doesn't flare with flash photography. 
Love it. 

Remember getting sunburned on your wedding day is the ultimate bridal beauty buzzkill!

3.) " You have to use colors and styles that are in fashion"

Nope. Not true.

The goal here isn't to make you look like a fashion victim - it's to make you look like the most gorgeous version of you. Your wedding day makeup should be timeless and beautiful. When you look at those pictures on your wall in 10 years time you don't want to be haunted by colors that make no sense or that have dated, statement brows that now look silly ( instagram eyebrows are the worst offenders!), you want to see yourself looking radiant and lovely and timeless.

4.) "You need to wear big false lashes"

I am all about lashes. I love them to death. But there are many things to take into consideration when selecting lashes for your wedding day, one of which being the light that you will be photographed in. Most brides have their wedding pictures shot outdoors in natural light. If you have a bright sunny day a big strip of lashes or a dense strip of lashes will act like an awning poking out over your upper eyelids, casting a huge shadow below. Light will grab hold of the black strip and make you look like you are squinting in all your pictures.

A good makeup artist will not be married to one lash, but will have an assortment of lashes with her, and select the right one for that day.

I adore strip lashes, but often use individual lashes in my brides as I can accentuate the lashline without chugging down the eye.

A girl's gotta have options...

The Most Over The Top Haute Couture Brides Ever!

 More couples get engaged between Thanksgiving and Valentine's day than at any other time of the year. Combine that with Paris Fashion Week Haute Couture this past week, and Vogue.com came up with this fabulous post on the 22 Most Over The Top Haute Couture Brides Ever.

Dior Couture, Spring 2007

I loved it! I adore Haute Couture. I had the enormous pleasure of working couture shows back when I lived in London and worked extensively on the runway circuit. Couture has the distinction of having the highest level of craftsmanship, paired with the ultimate in style, and sometimes it walks way out there on the wild side.

So for you upcoming brides seeking a dress, and those of you who love couture, here are my 10 favorite of Vogue's Most Over The Top Haute Couture Brides. Ever.

Atelier Versace 1999

Atelier Versace Fall 1993

Givenchy Haute Couture spring 2003

Christian Lacroix Haute Couture, Fall 2002

Emanuel Ungaro Haute Couture, 1991

Chanel Haute Couture, Spring 1994

Chanel Haute Couture, Fall 2003

Givenchy Haute Couture Fall 2002

Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture 1965

Don't you wonder which of these dresses were sold, and who wore them??

See the rest of the story - there are 12 more dresses! here at Vogue.com

Hiring A Makeup Artist For Your Wedding Day

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Hiring A Makeup Artist For Your Wedding 

Here in America, engagement season is in full swing.

image by Sergio, makeup by Corinna Cooke

The big question gets popped more between Thanksgiving in November and Valentine's Day in February than at any other time of the year.
So over the next few months brides are going to be planning their weddings, creating wedding budgets and allocating vast sums of money to an array of vendors, all of whom will be part of making this the best day of their life.

With your budget, which may run from a few thousand dollars to over a million dollars, its important that you, the bride, make sure that attention is paid to the areas that are important to you.
If your flowers are important to you, don't go cheap on them. If a wedding video is important to you, don't have your cousin shoot it for free - hire a really great wedding videographer.
If your wedding photographs are important to you, don't find the cheapest photographer - find the one who brings your dreams to life. (As a side note here, I have never, ever heard a bride say she was really glad she scrimped and got a cut rate photographer to capture her on her big day. There's a reason photographers charge what they charge. Don't expect a $5000 job from a $500 photographer - its just not going to happen.)

image by Sergio, makeup by Corinna Cooke

Within the budget you are creating, right from the very start, allocate money for beauty.
This is the one day of your life where looking and feeling beautiful really reallycounts. You're spending money on your dress, your flowers, your photographer, and now you need to make a plan for your hair and makeup. Many brides leave this part of the planning until later, and end up with only a tiny amount of money left to make them look their most beautiful on their big day.
Your hair stylist and makeup artist play a massively important role in your day.

image by Sarah Hagerty for Phoenix Bride and Groom Magazine,
makeup by Corinna Cooke

Today I want to address the makeup part of the equation, specifically booking a makeup artist.
Generally when a bride is working with a wedding planner, the planner will make a point of discussing the hair and makeup team, and the importance of booking them early. The good ones always get booked up.









Lately I've been noticing in my own market, and then hearing from fellow makeup artists both nationwide and from far flung regions around the world, this crazy trend where so called makeup artists, or beginner artists, are offering their services for weddings at ridiculously low prices. Sometimes even on Groupon.


At first glance this may seem like a banging deal.
But maybe you should look at the total picture, and see just what you might be getting yourself into.



In the markets that I have researched, including my own, pricing for makeup artists for weddings tends to run into 3 tiers.

1)The most expensive, which is typically comprised of a handful of artists with enormous experience and incredible skills. If they are in your price point, grab one before they get fully booked. And they will get fully booked.

2)Next there's the main tier of makeup artists. Their pricing will be very similar, normally within
$5 - $15 of one another. These artists tend to be very good at what they do. In general they have plenty of wedding experience, are able to airbrush, and are going to do a great job.

3) Then there is the bottom tier. These artists are super cheap. In most instances in life you get what you pay for, and there is a reason why these artists charge well below the median.

So lets have a look at what goes into pricing for wedding makeup.

* Training.
I concede that some of the greatest artists in the world have had no formal training.

Bill Gates left school early. But most people who leave school early don't turn into Bill Gates.
Although you may run into the next Pat McGrath or Billy B in your search for a wedding makeup artist, there's a strong chance that you won't.

If a quality artist hasn't been to a makeup school, they probably are still always pursuing higher knowledge, and are on a quest for greater skills. Some of the most exceptional artists that I know, from all  around the world, constantly seek more training and attend workshops and day classes as often as they can.
In a constantly evolving business it is really important that an artist is keeping up with training to remain both relevant and on point with current technologies and trends.
An artist who is paying for more training is going to cost a bit more. And they will be worth it.

* Professional Products
When an artist opens their kit you should see mostly professional, or at least high quality products in there.
Professional products are different from most commercial retail products in that they are more highly pigmented, so colors stay truer and more even, they are more refined, built to withstand more, and they are going to last longer on your skin.

Think of it this way: professional makeup is designed to make movie stars look flawless when shot in the most unforgiving HD and shown on a screen that's 30 feet tall. That's the kind of clarity and perfection you want for your wedding day makeup. And you won't get that from products purchased at a drugstore or from a distributor.
I personally like to airbrush my brides so that their skin looks flawless but not overly made up, and also because the airbrush product I use lasts a good 14 hours.
Building a kit with quality products costs money, and that will be reflected in the artist's pricing.
A kit that is full of cheapie products or products that are not intended to be used in the professional arena is not likely to produce a makeup that will last. And most wedding makeup needs to last at least 12 hours.

* Experience.
How many weddings has your makeup artist done? What other makeup experience do they have?
Anyone with an instagram account or access to youtube can apply foundation or put on lips, but when it comes to a wedding, experience is important.
For example: does your artist know how to interpret the light? You maybe getting ready in a softly lit hotel room, but your pictures are happening in bold, afternoon light. Someone who knows what they are doing will factor that in when choosing intensity and color of makeup, length of lashes and how much gloss or sheen will work on your lips.
Even more importantly someone with experience will know how to handle all kinds of calamities that may arise. And with weddings, things do happen. From unexpected tears, to people running late, to allergies, to stressed out skin, to giant day-of-the-wedding pimples popping up, to an unexpectedly hot/cold/windy/rainy/humid/dry/sunny/cloudy you name it day, and plenty more.
Sometimes the most mellow, sweet natured girl will turn into a demon on her wedding day (luckily not often though). An experienced artist will be able to see whats really going on and roll with it, rather than getting frazzled or moody. An experienced artist will not only arrive with a makeup kit full of products that are ready to fix any problem, but he or she will be able to diffuse situations before they arise, stay calm and friendly, and keep everything moving along.

image by Stuart Thurlkill for Eyes 2 See Photography
makeup by Corinna Cooke

I've been hearing horror stories from girls in bridal parties, about hideous makeup in prior weddings that they've had to wash off and redo themselves, unclean brushes and products being used, colors mismatched, looking like ghosts or raccoons in wedding pictures - you name it. They tell me over and over that they wish they or the bride from that wedding had had the foresight to book someone better.
And funnily enough, I have never heard anyone say that they are so eternally happy that they booked a $35 makeup artist for their wedding, or that they looked and felt their most beautiful in their smoking deal, super cheapie makeup job.
It tends to be the exact opposite.


When choosing your makeup artist for your wedding day, do some research.
Find out what experience the artist has.
Ask to see some of their prior work.
Schedule a trial well ahead of time, so that you still have time and options if you don't like their work, or don't mesh with them.
When you have your trial keep an eye out for cleanliness. Brushes, tools, makeup and makeup cases should be clean. Both for hygiene and also as indication of the artist's professionalism.

A final thought from a fellow makeup artist:

Don't let a $45 makeup job ruin $4000 of photography....