Don’t be caught with running mascara on your big day!

Christie Marie van Zyl

While having a wonderful sister or other family member do your make-up on your wedding day could have definite budget benefits, choosing to do so can undeniably leave your mascara running . . .

Pre-wedding excitement, and the occasional jitters, can be overwhelming and a lot of brides forego the hiring a professional make-up artist for what is arguably the biggest day of her life. It would also be her biggest mistake. After all the wedding bells, confetti and fairy lights have been cleaned up, your wedding memories are only available on your photos, and there’s nothing more unforgiving on your make-up than the flash of your photographer.

So, if you’re tying the knot sometime soon, consider these tips when choosing a make-up artist to hire for your wedding day:

Don’t be afraid of asking about your make-up artist’s qualifications.

Making sure your make-up artist is adequately qualified is important. Remember that you’re a paying client and thus the qualification of your make-up artist should match your specific needs. Professional make-up artists have a depth of knowledge with regards to skin tone, face shapes, colour pallets to cover flaws and enhancing beautiful features. Speaking for myself: I see a canvas when I look at your face, and I want to make you glow on your photographs.

Observe your make-up artists’ technique. Book a trail session.

Make sure to book a trial make-up session for your wedding. Yes, this may imply extra costs, but this will be worth so much more than gold. Book this session in advance so that you have enough time to search for other make-up artists, should things go south.

Prepare all your questions and ideas before you sit down for your make-up. It’s always a good idea to tell your make-up artist a little about yourself, your personality, how much make-up you wear on a daily basis and what you’d want to represent on your big day. This is essential, especially if you don’t know your make-up artist on a personal level. Look, if you wear a heavy eyeliner day-to-day, you will, without a doubt, not feel very comfortable if you can hardly see that you’re indeed wearing make-up on your special occasion, or if you usually wear very little to no make-up, you’ll feel self-conscious if your make-up artist applies half of her kit to your face. I always tell my clients I can actually be a better make-up artist if I have more information about their ideas and personality.

That said, don’t dismiss any advice given by your make-up artist, as mentioned earlier, over time your make-up artist also gained a lot of experience. Experience makes the difference between good make-up and an exceptional look. Professional make-up artists know how important it is to send out a perfectly balanced face into the world, as this is also how we advertise our trade.

Now, during this trial session you have the opportunity to observe your make-up artist’s technique. First of all, your make-up artist should be taking notes as to what she’s using on your face, or at least be asking you to write it down. Carefully watch as she’s working. What’s happening with the used brushes? Is she blowing powder off your face? Is she touching your hair unnecessarily or did she show up with a dirty set of brushes? Is she testing products out on your face for the first time? Is she using a professional make-up line or is she using products available from your local drugstore? If so, then run, run for your life.

Additionally, to make the most of this trial period, try to introduce your make-up artist and photographer to each other, as most photographers have certain preferences with regards to the make-up used on brides these days. It will put all of the parties at ease and will ensure the proceedings run smoothly on you wedding day.

Choose someone you ‘click’ with or get along with.

Trust me on this, you could be as calm as the Dead Sea under normal circumstances, but on the day of your wedding, you’ll be nervous. The make-up artist you choose should be complementing your personality and not add pointless stress to your day. Make sure she is trustworthy, the last thing you need on your wedding is for her to be a no-show. Use social media platforms to read replies and reviews on the person you choose. Make sure you’re happy with what other clients have been dealing with and are reporting about your make-up artist. You should be so comfortable with your make-up artist that you don’t feel awkward or embarrassed to ask her to change or add anything. For me personally, I like to help carry the wedding vibes with my client. It’s really the best feeling in the world to see a lady radiantly walking down the aisle, knowing that you helped complete her day.

If you find a make-up artist you like, BOOK her (and expect to sign a contract).

Once you’re comfortable and happy with your make-up artist, be sure to book the date with her. Try and avoid short notice appointments. From a make-up artist’s point of view it is a nightmare to squeeze appointments in during wedding season. Our diaries fill up quickly.

Furthermore, you should be signing a contract with your make-up artist. In essence your make-up artist is running a business and rendering a professional service. A contract keeps an open conversation between all parties and it also prevents any of the parties from bailing out at the last minute. This is often overlooked by clients, but remember your make-up artist is doing her job when she’s doing your make-up. She means business when she’s transforming you into your best-looking self. This brings me to my next point: pricing.

Include the make-up artist’s fee into you budget when planning your wedding.

My advice would be to include your make-up artist’s fee into your budget while planning for your big day. Be wise in planning, by requesting quotes from a few prospective make-up artists. Be specific in how many faces your wedding party consist of, and how many are to be included in the quote. To complete hair and make-up for the bride on the day of the wedding could take up to three hours, and your make-up artist might need to bring along an assistant, depending on the size of your wedding party. Remember that the more information you give your make-up artist, the easier for you to obtain the quote. This would put you in a position to compare prices and get insight into what the industry has to offer.

The bride’s job on the day of her wedding is to relax, take it all in and enjoy it. A trusted make-up artist could add value to the most photographed day of your life, so consider her carefully. You’ll be thanking yourself forever . . .