As a makeup artist, I do various different genres but one of my favourites is bridal work. Over the years, I have had the privilege to play a very important role in many a bride’s day. For a lot of women, our wedding is something we have dreamed about since we were little girls and whether we like it or not, all eyes are on the bride, so how we look, from the dress to the hair and makeup is an important consideration for many.

 

I am not just a makeup artist for my Brides; I can be their stylist, confidante and friend. I work very closely with them so that everything is as perfect as they want it to be and I am still in touch with many of my bridal clients. I have mediated arguments, soothed nerves, put cakes together, fed babies and helped many brides into their dresses. As much as I take this part of my business very seriously, this is undoubtedly one of the best parts. Having had the wedding of my own dreams, I can fully understand how even the smallest thing can mean the world to someone getting married and I do whatever it takes to make their vision of how they wish to look a reality.

 

Sadly, this can’t be said for some other makeup artists as incidents over the years have shown. Unfortunately, far too many brides have had their artists not show on their wedding day. There is no justification for letting a bride down this badly on her wedding day and I have many times come across this or been called to the rescue of a bride having been harshly let down by someone she had placed her trust in.

 

Over the past decade, I have attended several weddings where the booked makeup artist has cancelled last minute with a flimsy excuse, done a disappearing act or simply just not shown up.

 

Here is a selection of some of the excuses that I have heard, as told to me by the Brides themselves;

 

1)   A week before her wedding, the Bride contacted the MUA to confirm all details for her wedding. In a spectacular U-turn, the MUA informed the Bride that she was no longer happy to work for the agreed price and demanded more money. The shocked Bride politely informed the MUA that she couldn’t pay more but kindly offered to cover her travel costs as well, only to be then verbally abused and told “I don’t work for charity”. If none of that was bad enough, the MUA then blasted the Bride over Facebook, threatening physical violence.

 

2)   I was called to one wedding last minute due to the Bride being informed by her MUA that she wouldn’t be attending as she had gone out the night before, had only just come in and was still drunk but she “could come around later”.

 

3)   Upon arrival, the attending MUA informed the Bride that not only did she no longer have time to makeover the waiting Bridesmaids, she could do eye makeup only on the Bride as she had clients that afternoon who wanted makeup for a night out.

 

 

4)   Another Bride, upon waiting for the arrival of the now late MUA, decided to call her to find out where she was. Apparently, the MUA hadn’t realised this was the time she was required to come and had she known it was so early, would never have taken the booking. It was for 9:30 am.

 

5)   One bride told me of her horror to receive a phone call from the MUA the morning of her wedding apologising as she would no longer be able to attend following the death of her child. It was later discovered that the MUA had in fact gone on a 3-day drinks and drugs bender. I am also pleased to report that her child is very much alive and well.

 

 

6)   A lovely young Bride became my client after the previous makeup artist went silent. The Bride contacted the MUA a few days before just to confirm the booking whereby she was promptly blocked! The Bride to this has no clue as to why this happened and is one of the nicest women I have ever met.

Clearly, not all makeup artists are built the same and a small minority are currently damaging the credibility of the industry. With makeup as popular as ever, there is a huge influx of new artists emerging. This is great as it is nice to see new talent; however, for a few at least, this is seen more as a hobby, and therefore not treated with the respect it deserves. 

 

With social media now, it seems anyone can now put MUA behind their name, put a couple of selfies and put statuses up saying they are now accepting appointments.

But how do you separate the good artists from the bad? How can you be sure that not only is your chosen artist going to turn up, but also be capable of actually applying makeup to a professional standard? 

 

What follows is my advice on how to ensure your choice is the right one or, at the very least, minimise the risk of things going wrong;

Go with who you know– If you use a regular artist, then obviously they should be your natural choice for your wedding. If you don’t, ask friends and family who they have used and have had good experiences with, then make an appointment.

 

Be wary of recommendations– While this may seem in complete contradiction to the above, just bear with me for a second and allow me to explain. My husband is a solicitor. If you called me and asked me did I know any good solicitors or asked me on a Facebook group as you need legal advice, I would naturally recommend my husband. Now, I have never been a client of his so I don’t know how well he does his job but because I love him, want to help him out by getting him a new client and you need a solicitor, I’m going to go ahead and recommend him to you. Now, for all I know he could be terrible at his job (he isn’t) but I am allowing my personal relationship with him to cloud my judgement. Some of the recommendations I see on Facebook wedding groups are for artists who I wouldn’t trust based on reputation alone, and some were even those responsible for the horror stories above.

 

Don’t be fooled by pretty pictures– I have seen many a bride drawn in by a seemingly impressive portfolio of beautiful makeup only to be mortified when the reality doesn’t live up to their expectation. With the invention of Facetune and other similar apps, photo editing is no longer solely for photographers; anyone with a smart phone can now edit their images. It is a well-known fact that some makeup artists over-use editing to such a degree that it makes their makeup look far better than it is. 

 

Also, be sure the images they are presenting are actually their own. I have sent many a letter threatening legal action to self-proclaimed MUAs who have attempted to pass my work off as their own. Check for consistency and that the skill in the photos matches the experience they tell you they have. If you think there is something not quite right, you can now do a reverse image search on google to check the origins of the image and to see if it appears on any other websites.

 

Price can mean everything and nothing– Just because an artist is the cheapest doesn’t mean they are the worst and similarly just because someone is the most expensive, doesn’t mean they are the best. However, like a bottle of wine, price can tell you a lot. If a makeup artist is charging less than £20 for bridal makeup then it’s a fair assumption that the artist lacks experience and is fairly new to the industry. Don’t let this put you off as there are some fantastic new makeup artists out there and we all started somewhere. 

 

If a makeup artist is charging that little but is alleged to be very experienced, I would be wary about parting with any cash until I had seen them in action.

 

Please book a trial– Contrary to popular belief, makeup artists don’t pluck figures out of the air then times it by 30 to come up with a price for bridal clients. With the amount of behind the scenes work, kit costs as well as necessary admin, our price will cover that and everything else. It costs more because it is more work than standard makeovers. When we suggest a trial we aren’t telling you to book one because we want to make more money off you, we are suggesting it because you are unlikely to have ever met us plus this is a chance to get everything perfect for your big day. 

 

If you really object to the cost of a trial, then at the very least book with your preferred artist for eye makeup so you can see how they work. The only time I would say it was safe to forgo a trial is when you have used the artist before or have seen their work first-hand. For the cost of less than a night out, it is advisable though to schedule your trial for the same day as your hen night so you can take your pretty makeup and show it off.

 

With all this in mind, it’s only fair to point out, that life is life. Sometimes, even with the best will in the world, the best makeup artist may find they are unable to fulfil an obligation to a client. You can’t protect against or legislate for serious illness, true emergency or bereavements. However, the indicator of a true professional is how they handle the situation. If worse came to the worst, I know I could get another fantastic makeup artist to my client and there is no way I would leave someone high and dry on their wedding day.

 

Do your research and don’t take anything at face value. Check references. Most importantly, get to know who you are booking. You wouldn’t hire an employee without extensive interviewing, so why should it be any different with the person in charge of making you look even more beautiful on the most special of days.