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Let’s cut to the point - weddings are costly! By the time you’ve paid for the venue, wedding planner, photographer, catering and all the little ‘extras’ you hadn’t accounted for, more than often the first thing to be cut off the list is sadly the bridal makeup & hair services. Or perhaps you would feel more comfortable if you did your own bridal makeup.
Whatever the reason may be, as a professional makeup artist who works almost exclusively with brides, over the years I have seen a lot of brides who make the dreaded mistake of not hiring an expert and then live to regret it later. I also speak from a personal experience. 17 years ago there wasn’t many bridal artists available, so I asked my eyebrow lady (also a friend at the time) to do my bridal makeup. Let’s just say that every time I have looked back on my wedding album, there hasn’t been a time where I haven’t CRINGED! Even after all these years, I avoid looking at my wedding album.
Fast forward to 2022, here are the key reasons why it’s still so important to hire a professional bridal artist for your wedding…
1) Flawless skin – to look flawless you need to correct your flaws; simply covering them up will not be enough. We all have blemishes, under eye circles, puffy eyes, but you do not want to see them on your all-important wedding day. Hiring a professional artist will mean hiring their expertise and skills to properly correct and conceal your skin, ensuring it looks flawless on camera and to the naked eye, without looking cakey.
2) Avoid a pasty face – incorrectly matched foundation is the classic mistake of a D-I-Y bridal makeup job. A professional artist understands the theory of colour, ensuring to properly match the depths and undertone of your skin. Not only that, they will also add dimension to your face through contour and highlight to balance your natural features. The last thing you want to see in your wedding photos is your skin looking too light or too dark! Hiring a professional artist will avoid any pasty or sallow skin colours.
3) Photo-ready and made to last - OK, let’s be honest. There is only so much a setting spray can do on its own for your wedding makeup. Makeup artists are always searching for premium products that are specially formulated to withstand a long wedding day and be gentle to the skin. Whether the bride has sensitive, oily, combination or a normal skin type, a makeup artist will have a wealth of products on hand that will suit any skin type. A makeup artist will also have extensive knowledge of knowing which products to be applied in what order as there is an art to the process of ‘layering’ products to your skin without creating a heavy or cakey look. No matter how much kissing and crying you do, or how oily your skin may get, your makeup will remain fresh and beautiful from the early hours of the morning until the late night Reception party.
4) It’s in the detail – No traditional Asian bride is complete without the full bridal jewellery and dupatta pining. Heavy jewellery cannot be worn as normal jewellery because they will most certainly slip off due to its weight. A professional artist will have experience and know-how to correctly place and secure each jewellery item in place so it is completely comfortable for the bride and stays put without wobbling around. Sometimes the artist will incorporate jewellery into the hairstyle for extra security, adding glue or body tape where needed.
5) Hair to support – We all know some bridal dupattas are very heavy! In order to leave you feeling relaxed with your dupatta placed on your head, a professional will know how much support to incorporate into your hairstyle to safely secure your dupatta into. I call this support the ‘scaffolding’. Your dupatta simply can’t be placed and pinned onto your head as it will just weigh your head down and leave you with a terrible neck and headache. I add sufficient extensions and padding to your hairstyle to support the weight of the dupatta being pinned to your head all day. Even with the heaviest dupattas, a professional will know how to distribute the weight evenly and where it should be pinned, so you are left comfortable to enjoy the rest of your special day.
6) Countdown - In those final hours before the ceremony, do you really want to be rushed and anxious about your finished look? Alongside being already nervous about the whole wedding ceremony, you do not want the added stress of having to do your own makeup and running out of time. With a professional makeup artist you can be comforted knowing that you are in the best hands. I am often informed by my brides that the ‘getting ready’ process is often the most (and sometimes the only) relaxing part of their whole day, as they simply sit back and relax whilst I take care of their whole look.
These are just some of the very important reasons why you should seriously not compromise on your bridal makeup and hair services. Consider your bridal artist as your comforter and friend. We are there to create a calming atmosphere, keep you away from any behind the scenes mayhem, and occupy your mind as we beautify you.
Above all, a bridal artist has your best interests in mind, and I personally will always ensure you look absolutely perfect without making any compromises. When you have already spent alot of time, effort and money ensuring that every aspect of your wedding is perfect, the last thing you would want to do is cut back on your bridal hair & makeup. After all, when you walk down that aisle for your wedding ceremony, all eyes will be on YOU!
I hope you found this blog insightful! :-) Are you one of my brides? If yes, then I would love to hear from you! Leave a short review on your overall bridal service, so our future brides and clients can read of your personal experience.
Write to us at support@abmprolondon.com or leave a Google review
Written by Anita Pillai – Director and Lead Makeup Artist
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