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Wedding Makeup: 5 Tips To Put Your Best Face Forward On Your Big Day

Put Your Best Face Forward On Your Wedding Day
NEW YORK - OCTOBER 14: Model prepares backstage for Badgley Mischka Bride collection by Mark Badgley & James Mischka during New York Bridal fashion week at 7th Avenue showroom on Oct 14, 2012 in NYC
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NEW YORK - OCTOBER 14: Model prepares backstage for Badgley Mischka Bride collection by Mark Badgley & James Mischka during New York Bridal fashion week at 7th Avenue showroom on Oct 14, 2012 in NYC

You've booked the photographer and DJ and have bought your dress — your wedding to-do list is in rather good shape. But one thing you could be forgetting to plot out is your big day beauty plan.

As makeup artist and stylist Deepa Berar points out, taking a moment to decipher how much makeup you'd like to wear — or the exact look you're hoping to achieve — will ensure you feel relaxed and beautiful when walking down the aisle.

Here are her top tips to getting your bridal makeup plan in order.

Get Makeup Artist Referrals. "Ask your family, friends and other vendors, especially your photographer, if they have any recommendations. If you’ve gone to a wedding and loved the bride’s makeup, find out who her artist was, and how happy the bridal party overall was with that artist. Check out their websites and review their portfolio."

Be Prepared. "Know how many women in your bridal party need makeup, where you plan on having the makeup applied on the actual day, and when you will need to be ready by. And know what you want — if you want false lashes, is there any additional charge? What the cost is for a trial? Price can vary from artist to artist, with the range being anywhere from $60 to $120 per person, often with an increased cost for the bride."

Book A Trial. "Come prepared with either magazine clippings of the look you want, or even saved images on your phone/tablet. Take a picture of your finished look with your phone/digital camera. Make sure the artist keeps a record for themselves for the big day! This will also give you an idea on how the makeup will look in photographs. And don’t be shy — be 100 per cent honest about the finished look, if you don’t like it, ask for some adjustments."

Booking The Artist. If you're happy with the look, book the artist as soon as possible. It’s also a great idea to make sure that the makeup artist makes note of the products used and/or takes a picture themselves. Any good artist knows you can’t rely on memory alone to recreate a look done in a trial. A lot of makeup artists will have bridal contracts ready for you that will specifically state all of the details involved with cost, if there is any deposit required/given, location, timings, number of people, etc. It’s a good idea to have everything written down so that both you and the artist are clear on all the details."

The Big Day. Make sure you keep your artist updated on any changes in timing or location and provide them with a list of contact numbers, especially the maid of honour’s. Have a place setup for the artist to do their work. You will want to take things into consideration like lighting, ample room to work, enough table space and find the tallest chair in your house (i.e. a barstool) ready to get the artist going once they arrive. Lastly, be sure that everyone in your party has their payment ready! No bride needs to see any members of their party scrambling around at the last-minute."

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