Your wedding is your chance to be a celebrity for a day, and the right Hair and Makeup Artist will provide you with all the elements of a celebrity event! No matter which style you choose or just creating your own individual style will guarantee that your day will feel more like a red carpet event.

One of the ways to draw inspiration for your bridal hair and makeup, and to achieve your own individual style, is getting ideas from Pinterest, internet and magazines.  Providing the Artist with as much information as possible to be able to achieve your desired look and style.

A talented Hair and Makeup Artist can transform a person into someone special. Like with any art form, it takes quite a bit of studying and practice to master the craft. Although, these days it is easy to be fooled by the whirlwind of u-tube videos out there!  Some good and some really bad!!  A true makeup artist knows how to work your bone structure and facial features to pull out and enhance the best of you and disguise the parts you may be concerned with.  Remember, it’s not only art but technique too!

Choosing a hair and makeup artist isn’t as easy as some people think, especially if it’s something you’ve never done before.   Although the internet is a very informative place, it has sometimes, inaccurate information about this particular topic.  It’s no surprise to me that I get so many brides calling me and emailing me in confusion.

Here’s what I think you need to know!

In the most honest and most transparent way possible I want to share with you some very honest advice, so that by the time you finish reading this post, you’re all set to find your ideal wedding Hair and Makeup Artist!  Remember, choosing the wrong Artist can ruin everything on your wedding day!

1. A Professional hair stylist and makeup artist will share helpful tips about your desired look.
2. Always schedule a trial where possible! Let me explain why… as I mentioned earlier, not everything on the internet is reliable and I know for a fact that there are many people out there who are great with marketing, they put their websites together with photo galleries of work that may be heavily photoshopped,  but as I say, you can’t fake it in a trial situation!!!

3. Know what to look for: whether it be to enhance your natural features or to create something more glamorous, the communication between you and your chosen Hair and Makeup Artist has to be clear and precise. If there is a communication breakdown it is guaranteed you will not be happy with the end result!

4. A professional should arrive with everything they require for your session. They should be organised, provide clean hygienic products and be ready to start in any situation.

5. Don’t be cheap – Remember, you get what you pay for! I don’t mean you need to be paying through the nose for a service but a truly fantastic Hair and Makeup Artist deserves the same respect for their work as any other professional.  Ask whether they use, professional products, whether they provide an assistant if you have a large number of people in the bridal party, etc.
6. The cost of the trial should be treated as a separate event.  As you can appreciate, the Hair and Makeup Artist will be with you for a couple of hours and provide you with the full service so you can have an idea of what you will look like on your wedding day.  You need to know that a professional will usually always asks for payment at trial because at the end of the day they are providing a service, using products and spending the time to create the look that you want.

6. Reliability
   Remember, reliability is another important factor! I have had phone calls last minute from brides crying and telling me that their hair and makeup artist has cancelled last minute, or is sick and doesn’t have a replacement.  What do you do then??  A professional will provide you with a replacement in case of emergency or change of situation and not leave you panicking and stressed last minute.  You don’t need to be stressing about that on your wedding day!!  It could ruin everything!

7. Prep your skin and hair
   A lot of the time I get to see the bride months and months before their big day. At the trial I usually advise on their skin condition and also on the condition of their hair and I often get asked: “should I have a facial or skin treatment just before the wedding day?”.  My answer to that is a flat NOOOOO!  You will risk having a major breakout just before.  It’s like you not exercising for 6 months and then all of a sudden decide that you want to lose weight and get in shape so you go for a run…what happens your muscles feel really sore, you can’t walk everything aches.  The same thing applies to your skin.  You can’t expect to change it overnight.  It needs time to repair and restore and therefore I would suggest having skin treatments or facials at least 3 to 6 months prior to the big day!  You will notice a big difference in the condition of the skin.  Your skin will look much more beautiful, refreshed and polished.

8. Trust what your Hair and Makeup Artist tells you.
   Although your Hair and Makeup is a very personal thing and it is hard to put yourself in someone else’s hands, you have to try! If you have chosen someone you can trust, and if he or she gives you expert advice, take it. A professional is a professional for a reason.  What you may see in photos, magazines or u-tube doesn’t always work in real life, especially for weddings, therefore your chosen Hair and Makeup Artist may be able to shed some light regarding the technicalities of what you are wanting and whether it is achievable and/or sustainable.

9. What is Airbrush Makeup? Your Makeup Artist may suggest a different type of makeup application such as Airbrush Makeup!  I must say it is one of my favourite techniques and the results are extremely long lasting as well as flawless!  Perfect for High Definition.  I have to say that 90% of my brides love the effect of Airbrush and rave about it long after the Wedding day!  It feels lightweight but provides an opaque finish which photographs beautifully.  A skilled Makeup Artist will be able to do more than just the base-foundation with Airbrush but will be able to provide blush and eyeshadow too!

10. Do these hairstyles work? Once you have chosen a few styles from your reliable researching and discussion with your Hair Stylist it will be a good idea to try the hairstyle for your wedding day.  Let your Stylist give you advice and ideas.  They may decide to put their own original twist into the look for you so it becomes yours!

11. Lastly, remember to have fun!!! This is one of the most important days of your life so you want to enjoy every minute, including the selection process of your Hair and Makeup Artist.

© Cherie Spisso 2016