What to Expect for your Bridal Makeup Trial
UNDERSTANDING THE TRIAL:
What is a bridal makeup trial? It is when you and your makeup artist get to meet face-to-face, chat about your vision, and preview a dream look for your big day! Prior to your trial, it is SO important that you research a makeup artist’s (MUA) creative footprint/take a look at their portfolio to decide whether they would be a good fit for you. If you are someone who prefers a natural look, don’t choose an MUA who has full glam looks all over their portfolio. The same goes for the extra-spicy brides who want their makeup to be glamourous, don’t pick an MUA who has primarily natural looks in their portfolio. Your makeup artist will be using their creative aesthetic to bring your bridal makeup inspiration to life. Choose a makeup artist who has a portfolio you love; that way, you know you will love your look!
BOOK YOUR TRIAL DATE:
So you have booked your bridal makeup artist…now what? If you opted to do a trial (I HIGHLY suggest that you do this), you can begin coordinating with your MUA to schedule it! A good rule of thumb is to book these 3 - 4 months out from your wedding date so that your look is fresh in both you and your MUA’s minds.
HOW TO PREPARE FOR YOUR TRIAL:
Start by looking at inspiration photos. Pinterest is a great resource but keep in mind a lot of the pictures you see there have been edited to look ‘perfect.’ You will want to use these as inspiration photos in guiding your makeup artist to the look you want. That means, if you want a statement red lip, be sure to include pictures with red lipstick.
Next, invest in yourself! Investing in a quality skincare routine is well worth the time and the money. If you want your skin to look it's absolute best, you have to put in some work. At the most basic level, I would suggest investing in a pH-balanced gentle facial cleanser and a moisturizer. For those of you with a little more motivation, I would recommend purchasing moisturizing or illuminating face masks, a pH-balanced gentle cleanser, a moisturizer, and a liquid exfoliator.
On the morning of your trial date, complete your everyday skincare routine. Hopefully, by now, I have at least convinced you of adding a moisturizer into your skincare routine, so make sure you moisturize before heading to your trial. Also, make sure to arrive with a clean face so that your makeup artist does not have to spend time removing old makeup.
If you are not doing your hair trial on the same day, you will want to do your hair before coming to the trial! If you want to see realistically what you will look like on your wedding day, try doing a style similar to how you will be wearing your hair. It does not have to be the exact hairstyle you will be debuting, but it will give you a solid reference as to what you will look like on your wedding day.
WHAT TO EXPECT DURING THE TRIAL:
It is finally time for your trial! Most trials take up to two hours, so be sure to have blocked out this time in your schedule to be entirely devoted to getting your makeup done. Your MUA will most likely start with a series of questions to better get to know you and your vision.
Some of these questions may include:
- Do you wear makeup often?
- Do you have any allergies?
- Do you have inspo pictures?
- What are your colors?
- Do you have skin concerns?
- What type of skin do you have (normal, dry, oily, combo)?
Now time for the makeup application! Your makeup artist should now have a good idea of what you want and how they are going to do your makeup. Once they show you the completed look, be honest about how you feel about it! Your MUA cannot read your mind, so speak up! I promise you are not hurting their feelings. They want you to feel beautiful, and if they are a good makeup artist, they will take feedback constructively and use it to modify your look to your liking.
WHAT TO DO POST-TRIAL:
After your trial is over, make sure to take some pictures! You should be feeling extra beautiful, so be sure to take some photos in different lighting and send a couple of pics to your bridal hype squad!
If you find later on you did not love something, be sure to communicate that with your artist - that way, they can make those adjustments before your big day.
At this point, you should feel completely confident in your look and trust that your makeup artist understands your vision. You are now one step closer in getting ready for your big day!
As always, stay beautiful,
Alaina K. Howell
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