It all happens in an instant doesn’t it? You become engaged and then you need to make ALL the decisions. Wedding venue, celebrant, dress, photographer – flowers! You barely find the time you need to trawl through instagram and collect your inspo for your bridal hair and makeup!
This is arguably one of the most important parts of the day for any bride (or groom!) because everyone wants to look their best on their big day, right?
Here, TONIC Hair & Make-up Agency founder, Monica Gingold shares with us the six tips every couple needs to know to ensure they get the very best bridal hair and makeup on their wedding day. And she should know, TONIC are one of the best Hair & Make-up agencies in the country! So let’s get the tea on what you need to know to look your best for your Big Day.
1. Pick the right references
When searching for hair and makeup inspo, try to pick images with features similar to your own. Brides often gravitate towards images with blonde hair as it tends to photograph better, showing a lot more detail. If you have dark hair, try to avoid falling into this trap! Choosing images of hair similar to your own, will help manage your expectations.
The same goes with makeup – If you are fair skinned, try to pick makeup references where the inspo look is a similar skin tone to your own. The more you look like your references, the more achievable the look will be.
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2. Don’t remove facial hair the week before your wedding
While it might be tempting to wax, thread or get dermaplaning in the days before your wedding, this can work against you. Makeup needs those tiny little baby hairs to stick. If you wax your brows or other areas of your face too close to the wedding, the makeup will have trouble sticking as the skin is so bare.
Go ahead and remove those unwanted facial hairs up to 2 weeks before your wedding. This is long enough for the skin to hold the makeup, but not long enough to completely regrow.
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3. Have a trial (including tan and facials)
The best way to know exactly what you want on your special day is to trial your artist beforehand. Trials give the artist a chance to get to know you, what you like and don’t like, and how your skin and hair will react and last. It also gives you a chance to see your hair and makeup look, and make any changes before the day.
Try to book your trial during natural daylight, and if you plan on wearing white to the wedding, wear a white top to your trial. Wearing bright colours can throw off the makeup. It also doesn’t hurt to have a spray tan trial if you don’t normally get one.
Ideally have it before your bridal hair and makeup trial to give you the most accurate result. If you plan on having facials in the lead up to the wedding, have one or more a few months before the wedding to ensure you don’t have a bad reaction.
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4. Switch to good quality products
You will get so much more out of your hair and makeup on the day if you start looking after your skin and hair months before the big day.
Say goodbye to supermarket shampoo and start using salon quality products that are suitable for your hair type. Using hydrating skincare will give plump, youthful looking skin that makeup will sit perfectly on and lasts so much longer throughout the day than it would on dehydrated skin.
Investing in a good cleanser and exfoliator will also really help your skin look and feel its best. Keep in mind – good quality doesn’t have to mean expensive.
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5. No lash lift or lash extensions
Unpopular opinion for those who love it, but makeup artists generally don’t like lash lifts or eyelash extensions. There is definitely a time and place for a lash lift, but if you plan on wearing false eyelashes on your wedding day, a lash lift can make it impossible to apply them. It can even be difficult to apply mascara.
Eyelash extensions are generally applied with the client’s eyes closed, and upside down, meaning they can end up being too long and can even cause the eyes to have a down-turned effect. Let your makeup artist customise your eyelashes for you on the day with false lashes that can easily be adjusted. A good makeup artist will apply eyelashes piece by piece, asking a client to look up between applications to ensure the shape, length and thickness is right for you.
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6. How to time the morning
The last thing you want is to feel stressed on your big day. Make sure you allow enough time between finishing all the makeup and departing for your ceremony – about an hour at least is recommended.
This will give you time to breathe, get into your dress, have a sneaky snack (don’t forget to eat!) and take some gorgeous bridal party photos. When putting together a run sheet for the morning, artists generally allow an hour per service, but check with your chosen artist, and work backwards from your ‘ready by’ time.
Bridal makeup should always go second last – this means makeup is fresh as it’s towards the end, but not last in case of any last minute delays.
