How to prepare for your makeup trial
Here are my absolute musts for getting the most out of your makeup trial, and allowing yourself to properly visualise the final look:
Come to your trial with a tan.
If you are planning on having a tan for your wedding - regardless of how light or dark you’re planning to be - please come to your trial with some sort of tan on your skin.
The tan you apply for your makeup trial can be a professional spray tan, a self-tan, or even a temporary/wash-off tan.
Tan changes the undertone of your skin, which plays a huge role in your makeup look, meaning your makeup will look completely different, and your makeup trial could be a total waste of time if you’re not tanned.
Prepare your skin properly.
In the week leading up to your makeup trial, stop using active ingredients (like Vitamin C and Retinol) as these encourage skin cell turnover, which in turn dries out the skin.
The night before your trial, cleanse and exfoliate your face, apply a hyaluronic acid serum (if you’re currently using one in your routine) and a heavy moisturiser.
Before coming to your trial, cleanse your face twice, and exfoliate using a damp, warm washer. Apply a hyaluronic acid serum and a heavy moisturiser - please don’t apply Vitamin C or SPF products, or any makeup products.
Wear a similar colour and neckline to your wedding attire.
The colours in your outfit will make your makeup look completely different, and colour balance is important for visualising your final look - for example, if you’re wearing a bright top at your makeup trial, it will make things like your blush and lipstick appear brighter than they actually are.
Wear a top or dress in a similar colour and neckline to your wedding dress, so you can visualise the colour balance and skin exposure.
Do your hair and bring some earrings.
When all the elements of an outfit come together, they balance each other out, but when you see only one element, it looks very stark in contrast. For example, if you have your hair trial and don’t have your makeup done, and you’re wearing a t-shirt and jeans, your hair looks very over-the-top. But once you’re dressed properly and have makeup and jewellery on, your hair balances out.
Don’t be alarmed if you’ve had a breakout.
The chances of having a breakout in the lead up to your wedding are high, so coming to your makeup trial with a breakout means you know your makeup artist can handle a breakout on the day of your wedding.
Don’t come to your trial with inspo pics or too many set ideas.
I believe you’ve booked your makeup with me because you’ve seen what I do, and you trust me.
My process as an artist, is to do an in-depth consultation with you, and look at your face and features, to design a tailored look that will make you shine. Inspo pics and too much technical input on your end, can disrupt this process, and leave us with average results.
Come to your trial alone.
I can’t wait to meet your loved ones, but your makeup trial is not the best time for it. Your makeup trial is a time for you and I to meet one-on-one so I can get to know you properly.
A makeup trial is really challenging if your loved one is offering up extra opinions, answering questions on your behalf, or even just having a conversation with you and taking your focus away from having your makeup done.
I promise you don’t need a support person, nor do you need someone to help you answer makeup questions or tell me how you like to have your makeup done - as a professional makeup artist, it’s my job to ask you questions that I know you can answer easily without needing a translator.