HIRING THE BEST MAKEUP ARTIST FOR YOUR WEDDING

 

A bride was going through her wedding album with her family. Reliving those precious moments of the dance, the sangeet, the wedding, she could not control her emotions. It was such a beautiful experience. 

Her portrait with her husband was just gorgeous, and the photographers had caught the right moment. But she wasn’t happy. In fact, she was so disappointed that she chose not to look at those photos again.

It turns out, on the day of her wedding, the makeup artist decided to make her look 2 tones fairer than her natural skin tone. Her face was in one tone, and her neck and hands were in another. She hadn’t noticed this until the day she looked at her photos.

That one decision by the makeup artist destroyed the entire post-wedding experience for the bride.

This real anecdote from one of our weddings is not an isolated case. Makeup artists can make or break your photos, and the difference is a fine line between a good makeup artist and a great one.

While the photographer captures the moment as it happens, the makeup artist is the one who decides the tone of that image. How you look and feel in your images is largely down to how good a job the makeup artist does with you. And from our experience, the less they interfere with your natural look and tone, the more authentic and real your images turn out.

There are three key areas that you need to consider when choosing your makeup artist.

  1. Work and timeline

  2. Products

  3. Personal connection

Each area is as important as the other, and your final choice will come down to how good a balance you can achieve between these three factors.

Let’s look at what these three factors are in detail.

WORK & TIMELINE.

This factor mainly distils down to their quality of work and time management. Compromise on one, and you are in for trouble.

The key questions you need to ask are:

Which lighting condition does their work really suit? 

For example, one makeup artist may be very good with natural daylight, whilst another will be very good with the evening look where lighting is artificial or indoor. Choose your makeup artist based on your lighting situation and venue, and ensure their work suits your conditions.

How natural is the look after makeup?

You don’t want to go for a tan or a fair look. What you want is for the makeup artist to accentuate your features whilst keeping your tone natural. Too much foundation or too little will change your look and it will get accentuated in the images negatively. 

What hairstyles do they work with, and how creative are they?

Research their work on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Are they good with hairstyles that suit your facial structure, and the look that you are going for?. When in doubt, always keep it simple and classy. For a destination wedding, see if they are capable of creating different looks if you have multiple events. 

How well do they manage their time and yours?

Ask them how long they take for a typical job. What issues have they faced in the past and how have they resolved them? What happens if you are running late? What you really want to assess is the importance they place on time management and ensuring that your time is valuable. When in doubt, allow an extra 30 minutes for unexpected situations.

CONNECTION.

Have you ever spent time with someone who you didn’t like or connect with or didn’t have anything in common? It’s awkward, isn’t it?

A typical makeup session can last between 2-4 hours, and you will be spending one-to-one time with your makeup artist in a confined space for the entire duration. You better make sure you have something to talk about.

It’s important that once you’ve filtered down your work and timeline criteria, you meet the makeup artist in person. If this is not possible, at least arrange a video call. Face to face interaction with another person is an important part of our emotional response system. And we are able to gauge instantly whether that person is someone we connect with or not.

Ideally, you want to work with someone who is approachable and makes you feel comfortable in your skin. It’s also a good time to ask some additional key questions like:

  • How flexible are they in accommodating your requests and style

  • How do they deal with specific situations, like the lighting not being right, or the space not being enough

  • Will they be doing the makeup themselves, or someone else

  • Will they bring an assistant on the day

  • Do they have any specific requirements for the day

What you want to feel is comfort and confidence after talking with them.

PRODUCTS.

Every makeup artist uses their preferred range of products and brands. They use those products because it suits their style of working and creativity. However, not every product or brand is aligned with you and your preferences.

Ask questions around:

  • What product and brand will they be using for your makeup

  • Ask them to do a small patch test on your skin and see whether you are allergic to any of those products (even if they charge you for this, it’s better than coming out in a rash on your wedding day)

  • Feel free to ask them why they use those products

  • If you have a preferred brand or product, see if they will consider using those

What you are trying to assess here is whether the product and brand are aligned with your values, ethics and preferences. It also gives you an insight the value system of the makeup artist, and how much importance they place on their customer’s skin.

The best makeup artists are like film directors. The director puts in all the work and creates the magic on screen, but in the end, the actor gets all the credit. You want your makeup artist to be like a director, and you want to be the one getting all the credit.

We have had the privilege of working with some amazingly creative and incredible human beings in this space. We have seen how they have gone a step further to make their clients feel at home and comfortable, and addressed their needs of the day.

A few of our favourites ( not in any particular order of importance ) are mentioned above along with their work links.  

If you’re looking for a wedding photographer, drop in a message with your deets, here! Would love to make it memorable for you with our photography & film services.

HAPPY WEDDING PLANNING!


 
Manasvi Ketan