It’s only natural that you’ll want to feel and look your best on your wedding day (and for all the festivities leading up to the big day too). There’s a lot that goes into preparing yourself for your big day, including a healthy diet, the right levels of hydration, a good skincare regimen, hair treatments, and much more! After doing all this, you want the right artist for you on your big day, so that all of your efforts aren’t in vain! How do you go about choosing the right bridal makeup artist, and hair stylist for YOU? Here are some tips!
Budget
Weddings can be expensive, but it doesn’t mean that quality should be sacrificed in an effort to save money. It’s important to set a budget upfront for every vendor you will need for your wedding; your makeup artist and hair stylist are no exception.
It can be a big help to find someone that does both bridal makeup and hair, because bundling these two as a package, quite often can cost less than getting two separate vendors. Do note that not every makeup artist is by default also a hair stylist. It is important that when looking for this vendor, the cost of their services is within your budget. Be realistic about what to expect as well, for instance, an “Instagram-famous MUA” may cost you way more than you’re looking to spend, vs someone who’s equally talented, but maybe not as well-known. Take into account that if you’re having a destination wedding, hiring an artist that has to travel to your location, may be more costly than hiring someone local. Asking an artist to stay for touch-ups will cost you more (and cheekily “inviting” them to your wedding is not a way out of paying for additional time and services.) These are things to bear in mind when getting quotes.
When looking at artists, and interviewing them, be sure to ask specific questions about what things cost, what are extra, and what are included. Most artists will provide you with a contract. It is crucial to read this contract before signing, and ask any questions you may have, before finalizing your commitment to hiring that artist. Remember, there are no stupid questions. As long as you’re being respectful of the artist and their time, they will be happy to address all your concerns.
Comfort and Trust
Anytime that you meet someone, you want to have a level of comfort and trust before inviting them into your personal space. When you hire a makeup artist and hair stylist, they will have to be in your personal space in order to provide services to you. If someone makes you uncomfortable, or you simply do not trust them, you will not enjoy having them, and their energy around you as you get ready for one of the biggest days of your life!
Many artists may want to focus on working, in order to be efficient, and be on time. They may not be chatty, but that doesn’t mean they’re not friendly; it might simply be their way of focusing so that they can provide you with the best level of service.
When meeting an artist, you can usually gauge very early on, how comfortable you are with them. This is why it’s great to have a consultation and/or makeup and hair trial beforehand, so that you understand the artist, understand the way they work, and their “vibe”, and ensure that you are making the right choice.
Your wedding day should begin with you feeling satisfied that the people that surround you are trustworthy, kind, respectful, and have your best interests at heart. Go into the day with good vibes only!
Hygiene
Of course the general hygiene of the artist is important, but in this instance, we’re referring to the way they work. This is often overlooked, because in many places, makeup artists are not required to have a cosmetology license in order to freelance as a makeup artist. Where it is required, you can at least have the peace-of-mind that somewhere along the line, this artist has had to learn about sanitation, disinfection, and sterilization; they understand the levels of hygiene that should be employed when performing esthetic services on another human being.
That being said, learning, and doing, are two very different things. There are certain things an artist should do, and tools they should use, to prevent cross-contamination of makeup items in their kits.
If for some reason, your artist is using your own makeup, and not their own products, then some these are not really an issue. However, if they’re using their own products, from their kit, here are some some red flags that your artist is not doing what’s best for their products, and ultimately YOU, the client:
Applying products with their original applicators, to your face, for example, products that come in a tube, with a wand applicator, like concealer, lip gloss, liquid lipstick, liquid blush, liquid contour, liquid highlighter, mascara, and yes, traditional bullet lipsticks. These items should NEVER touch multiple client’s faces directly.
Double dipping cream and liquid (any wet) products; that is, dipping a brush into a cream or liquid product (foundation/ blush/ concealer/ contour/ bronzer, lipstick, mascara, etc) applying that brush to your face, and then dipping the same brush back into the product, without first sanitizing the brush. A hygienic artist should be using a sanitized spatula to first remove product, and apply it to a clean, sanitized pallet, and then picking up the product from the pallet with their brush to apply to your face. They may be using spritzes of isopropyl alcohol whilst working, to sanitize their tools.
Dirty brushes! Have a look at your artist’s tools before, and while they are working on you. You should not see product on those brushes before they have begun to do your makeup. If an artist has multiple clients in one appointment and not enough brushes, they should be sanitizing brushes after each use (and sanitizing their hands too by either using hand sanitizer, or preferably, washing with soap and water). A good artist will deep clean their brushes after each appointment so that they go into their next appointment with clean, washed brushes.
Touching their own face/ hair, and not sanitizing their hands before resuming work.
Not being aware of contraindications; licensed estheticians, and cosmetologists know that if you have an infectious condition, e.g. a coldsore, they should not perform any service on your face. Makeup artists, by extension, whose tools will come into contact with your skin, could be spreading harmful bacteria, by working on a person that is experiencing any kind of bacterial/ viral infection. Please do not be offended if an artist cannot work on you for this reason.
Whilst working, if there is something that your artist is doing that you find to be unhygienic, it is ok to respectfully ask questions, or kindly request that they remedy this. After all, you wouldn’t want to come out of your wedding day with a coldsore, simply because your artist didn’t refuse service to another client, and used the same lipstick on you that they applied directly to that client.
The bottom line, is that hygiene is crucial to anyone working in the makeup industry, and this lies at the very core of the layers of trust you build with a person that will be touching your face.
Understanding Your Culture
Weddings are quite often, if not always, imbued with the couple’s cultures, and traditions. Religion, too, often plays a large part in weddings. Your makeup artist and hair stylist do not necessarily have to come from the same cultural or religious background as you do, as creativity and talent are not limited to any one culture or religion. However, it is important that they understand and are respectful of the culture and/or religion in which your wedding festivities will be steeped.
In many cases, this may affect how they are able to help you on your big day. For example, if you have hired a hairstylist, it would be helpful if they understood the jewelry or ornaments that are traditionally worn if you are a South Asian bride, so they may set them in place correctly for your hairstyle of choice, and secure them. They should understand the kinds of makeup that South Asian brides traditionally request to accompany their often ornate, heavily embellished bridal outfits.
They may need to understand if you are a Muslim Hijabi bride, that you may only hire a female stylist, and that they cannot photograph you without your hijab. Across many cultures, brides in this day and age wear a white dress, and may want a veil, and thus your stylist should be able to secure a veil.
Makeup trends also vary with culture, and it is very useful to work with an artist that is familiar with these trends.
When looking at potential artists, it is quite useful to see their portfolio of work, to see that they have an understanding of varied cultures, and trends.
So, who’s the best artist for you?
At the end of the day, only you can answer that. It’s important when hiring a makeup artist and/or hairstylist, to be upfront about your expectations, and ask the right questions. Your big day is about you, and not your vendors’ egos. Choose your artist wisely, and mutual respect will go a long way.
With love,
Anaarita.