8 Bridal Beauty Blunders

Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life.
It is also one of the most photographed days of your life. Make sure that you can enjoy those pictures forever by avoiding the following 8 Bridal Beauty Blunders.

1. Getting Caught Up In Trends.
Trends and fads come and go. The biggest look of the moment will be out of fashion in 3 months. Your wedding look should be timeless and beautiful, and not look dated next year, or in 10 years time.

2. Contouring And Highlighting Like A You Tuber.
Following on from avoiding trends, understand that the excessive highlight and contour you see on you tube is perfect for drag queens, but can be an absolute nightmare for brides.
Most wedding photography happens outdoors in natural light, which is the absolute worst light possible for an over-contoured face. Rather than making you look beautiful, heavy contour and highlight can make you look like a caricature of yourself.
Save your big contour for nightclubs, where it's perpetually dark, and everyone is drunk anyway!

3. Trying Something New.
Your wedding day isn't the day to try something new. Don't break out a big red lip for the first time ever, or suddenly convert to an intense smokey eye or giant strip lash.
Your groom needs to recognize you as you walk down the aisle. You need to look like your very best version of you, not like a stranger to him. 

4. Skipping The Makeup Trial.
The trial is not only important for setting up the look for the day, but it gives you a chance to observe the makeup artist, their skills, products, hygiene. It also gives you a chance to see if their energy matches yours. Some artists are technically brilliant but their energy is just toxic. You need to make sure the vendors who will be around you on your big day bring good energy and a pleasant vibe.

Bring pictures to your trial, both of makeup you love and makeup you hate. It's the best way to make sure you are both on the same page.

5. Shimmer And Shine In The Wrong Places.
I always advise scaling way back on the shimmer, or even skipping it altogether. Shimmer can translate to sparkle in sunlight, and look terribly wrong, especially high on the cheeks and under the brows.
Glowing, dewy skin is lovely, but can make you look oily/sweaty in the wrong light, so don't go overboard on the shine. Adding shine to the center forehead and along the bridge of the nose can be fabulous on a fashion shoot, where everything is controlled, but on a bride can often look like greasy skin.
Avoid glitter completely.

6. Too Much Dark Drama On The Eyes.
Black liner and black shadow are a no-no for brides. Black liner grabs the light and makes you look like you are squinting in all your pictures. If it doesn't shut your eye down in the outdoor light it becomes the main focus on your face, and you see the liner before you see the girl. Opt for dark expresso browns and deep moody purples instead. They will give you the accent you are looking for without closing your eye down.
Even if you can make black shadow look fabulous in the makeup chair, wedding makeup has to last 10 to 12 hours at least, and black shadow as it wears in can make you look heavy and tired under the eye, and can make your eyes look like they have sucked in to the back of your skull.

7. Lashes That Are Too Big.
Back to the outdoor light - lashes can act like awnings hanging over your under eye, creating big shadows that make you look tired and haunted. They can also be too dense at the lash line, making you look squinty in your pictures. Be careful with strip lashes if you are not used to wearing them. Tears can weaken the glue in the inner corners of the lash, making them lift away and look crazy.

8. Foundation Mis-match.
Your foundation needs to match your skin, not only in depth of color, but also in undertone. Your makeup artist needs to know if you are a cool tone or a warm tone, and needs to have a solid grasp on color theory, so that they can build you a perfect color. Once your perfect shade is created it needs to be applied in a sheer and even veil. Thick, chunky foundation looks awful, especially in the daylight. It should look like perfect flawless skin, not thick, opaque makeup.
I just read on a Facebook pro makeup artist community page a post from someone bragging that they do 10 faces in 4 hours for weddings. That is only 24 minutes per person, which tells me some major steps are being missed, and my guess is the first missed step is going to be the creation of the perfect complexion.

Bridal Beauty Tip # 14 ~ How To Wear A Red Lip On Your Wedding Day

Red lips are stunning, dramatic, and wildly alluring.
They can compliment a white wedding dress and a glowing complexion like nothing else, giving you a look that is fresh, modern and uber chic.

Super fresh and stunning - bride in a red lip

But they also can be tricky to pull off on a day as huge as your wedding day, so here are  tips for How To Wear A Red Lip On Your Wedding Day.


1. Do I or don't I? 
If you normally wear a red lip, absolutely! - Go for it! If you don't normally wear a red lip, proceed with caution. Red is trickier than any other color to wear, and as it is such an attention grabber, any hiccups that occur along the way, happen front and center.

2. Balm It.
If you are planning on going red for your wedding look, make sure you start prepping a few days out. Gently exfoliate your lips then keep them super hydrated with a thick and nourishing lip balm day and night leading into your big day.
Cracked, chapped lips, even slightly chapped lips, look awful under a bold red lipstick.  Get those lips smooth and hydrated before you go near a red lipstick. Try Nuxe Nourishing Lip balm (click on image below)



3. Saturate Your Color
Choose a lipstick that has really saturated color. Pinky/nudey glosses don't really require too much color saturation, and will look fine even if the color is a little wiggly or patchy. Bold colors like reds really need dense, even pigment to make the entire lip look even. A patchy red lip looks awful.
(Click image for link to Temptu Imperial Red Lipstick)



4. Line It Twice.
I like to use two lip liners when working with red. The first is slightly darker than the lip color I'm using. This helps to create a multi dimensional lip, and stops the red from looking like it's just sitting on top of your skin. (You will blend your lipstick through this line and make it disappear, but it will still be doing it's job for you underneath.)
The second lip liner is the same shade as the lipstick, and you will fill the entire lip in with it. This way if your lipstick starts to come away you will have a matching color underneath.

5. Finish Strong.
Although glossy reds can be fun I don't recommend them for weddings, instead I direct my girls to a matte finish.
Mattes hold longer - glosses tend to slip more. A matte lip in a bold color lets you opt for a glowy gorgeous complexion offset with a firm brow.
Another thing to consider when thinking red lips is the fellow you are planning on kissing. 
Men both love and fear a red lip. Red lipstick commands attention, is madly sexy (it will have him thinking about the wedding night allll day long!), but if you have a glossy or satiny red lip he will fear kissing you because he doesn't want a trail of red slime all over him. A matte lip is both alluring and kiss friendly!

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!

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...

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....

Bridal Beauty ~ Where To Begin

Looking Your Most Beautiful On Your Wedding Day – Where Do You Start?

 

image courtesy of Phoenix Bride and Groom Magaine

You just got engaged.

Congratulations!

Or maybe  your wedding is fast approaching - regardless of where you are on the road to holy matrimony, the time to start working on your skin is now.

image courtesy of Phoenix Bride and Groom Magazine

On your wedding day you want to look fresh and beautiful and radiant, and the first step is to have your skin in the best condition possible. Whether you are going to be in makeup, or whether you are planning on being au naturel, gorgeous skin is essential. So where do you start?

 

image courtesy of www.darrinjamessalon.com

The first thing to do is go have a facial. If nothing else, while you are lying there being pampered you can come up with a plan!

If you don’t already have a facialist that you see on a regular basis, ask around and see if you can get some recommendations from friends, family and co workers. A referral from a happy client will seldom lead you astray.

If you don’t have a referral from anyone, check out day spas and medi-spas in your area.

If your budget doesn’t have wiggle room for facials look at the aesthetics schools in your area. Prior to graduating students have to clock in hundreds of hours of facials and beauty treatments, and as such you can get a fabulous facial very economically.

Once you have found your place for treatments, you and your facialist need to come up with a plan for getting your skin ready for the big day.

Sometimes that will only mean having a facial the week before the ceremony, other times it will be a more comprehensive plan that involves hydrating facials, deep cleansing facials, exfoliating treatments – whatever is necessary to give you that polished, beautiful look.

One of the most fabulous things you can do for your skin is to have a microdermabrasion treatment.

This is where a machine is used to remove the dead and dull skin on the surface leaving you with a smooth, fabulous, glowing complexion.  Dermasweep is a highly evolved form of  microdermabrasion that follows the intense exfoliation with infusion treatments. 

You walk out the door with the most exquisite skin, and feel like a million dollars!

While you are there, talk to your aesthetician about your eyebrows.  If you haven’t started grooming them, now is generally a good time to start.

Well maintained eyebrows are so very important  - they’re like punctuation marks on the face.  Eyebrows can make or break a great look. The most beautifully executed makeup can be made marginal by a furry, untamed brow.

Ideally your first brow wax shouldn’t be right before your wedding, just in case you don’t like it. You may also have some upper lip fluff that she can remove at the same time – we want that upper lip smooth!

You may find that you need to change up your skin care products too. Maybe you’re not using the right components for your skin’s particular needs, or perhaps the products you’re using need modifying.

Your aesthetician can guide you and help you create the ideal skin care regime for your lifestyle and for your budget.

No matter how talented your makeup artist is, your makeup will never look flawless and perfect if your skin is not in good condition, and especially not if your skin is dry, patchy or flaky. 

Investing time in preparing your skin can give you a gorgeous, glowing complexion on your big day!

Bridal Makeup Trends For Fall 2014

Sometimes magazines ask me for my thoughts on products or on upcoming trends in beauty and makeup. 
I invariably forget to repost the articles on my blog, This week Phoenix Bride and Groom Magazine published a story about 
Bridal Makeup Trends for Fall 2014, and featured me in it. The information is relevant both for girls having a fall wedding, and for girls who just enjoy makeup. 

makeup touchups during a Phoenix Bride and Groom Magazine photoshoot

Here is an excerpt from the article:

What are the makeup trends for Fall and Winter 2014 weddings?

Corinna Cooke:

-Metallic eye shadows are huge for Fall 2014. Stay away from silvers and greys – they can make the skin look cold and can enhance any under eye discoloration you may be wanting to disguise! Opt instead for universally flattering shades of bronze and soft champagne golds.

-Eyes are well defined for fall, and this season they are featuring lots of lashes.

-Skin is glowing for fall winter 2014, so get facials and keep your complexion both exfoliated and hydrated, and use a silicone based foundation such as Makeup Forever HD Foundation or Face Atelier Ultra Foundation to keep the skin looking alive and vibrant.

What about wedding day do’s and don’ts? 

Corinna Cooke:

Make up do’s for your wedding day: make sure your skin is super hydrated before you put makeup on. Drink tons of water in the days leading up to your wedding, and that morning apply moisturizer liberally, giving it at least 30 minutes to soak in before you put on primer and foundation.

Makeup dont’s: Don’t use a lipstick shade that is paler than your own lip color – it will look chalky and unflattering to both your lips and your skin tone. 

Also don’t use Bronzer as a contour product. Bronzer is designed to make your face look like it has been in the sun, and as such is reflective. It will also make your skin look muddy. Contour products are made up of black and grey and are designed to absorb light. Try Makeup Forever Sculpting Kit for a perfect contour.

Follow Corinna on Twitter, Facebook and her blog; check out her blog post and video about bronzing- it’s a must see! http://corinnabsworld.blogspot.com/2011/05/bronzer-101.html

Read the full article here

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 really counts. 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....

How To Cool A Heat Rash

Its wedding season again!

image by Sarah Hagerty

Recently I worked on a wedding where one of the (out of town) bridesmaids came down with a seething dose of heat rash.
Of course it had to be across her throat, chest and upper arms, and of course  the bridesmaids were wearing strapless dresses, leaving her nowhere to hide the telltale red blotches.
 

image by Holly Schumacher for Phoenix Bride and Groom Magazine

That got me thinking that throughout the summer girls everywhere will be getting married/being in bridal parties, and should this happen to them, they may need a quick fix.

Now in this case our bridesmaid had already been through hair and makeup, so the first course of action - a cold shower- wasn't an option, so we soaked towels in icy cold water, wrung them out so that they weren't dripping wet, and laid them over the areas covered in rash.
(Obviously she didn't have her bridesmaid dress on at the time)
If cold showers/cold compresses don't have a medicinal benefit, they at least cool down some of the firey redness, and reduce some of the blotchiness.
If you do shower, be super careful when towel drying. Rubbing the skin can just agitate it.

Next up, a staple in my makeup kit is Hylunia Colloidal Silver Spray. I use this on any and all skin irritations, and it miraculously seems to heal all. 
I've used it on models who have had the worst wax burns you have ever seen, sun burn, wind burn, everything you can imagine.
The stuff is magic.

there I am working away on a Phoenix Bride and Groom Magazine shoot

Normally I will do 3 or 4 applications of colloidal silver spray, allowing it to air dry in between. 

If there is no Colloidal Silver spray on hand I reach for hydrocortisone cream. 

The last part of the equation, which may have verity, or may just be a placebo, is to drink icy cold water or sweet tea. Something about cooling you down from the inside and the outside at the same time seems to help enormously. I'm convinced that soda just makes anything worse, so avoid the colas and other soft drinks.

Phoenix Bride and Groom magazine

One last note on summer weddings: if you are getting married on a warm day, or if you are in a mid-summer wedding, pack a small bottle of either baby powder or Gold Bond powder. 
Thighs chafing together under those dresses can be misery. I can't even tell you how many travel sized bottles of baby powder/Gold Bond have exited my kit to stay with the bridal party over the years!

To see more from the bridal shoots in this blogpost, and to find out more wedding related info, check out the Phoenix Bride and Groom blog