One of the most important vendor relationships as a photographer is with my bride's makeup stylist. Undoubtedly, wedding makeup is crucial to a photographer's success. Before taking a meaningful image of a bride, I need the stylist to make our client feel the best she's ever felt. If my bride looks and feels gorgeous, it will show in the photos. Confidence goes a long way when being photographed and when a woman feels beautiful, she is confident.
When I was thinking about writing a blog post about what my clients should look for in an awesome makeup artist, I turned to an expert. She is a woman who has made many of my brides look beautiful and feel confident.
Meet Charlotte Erace from CE Facial Artistry!
I asked Charlotte to share her thoughts on what she feels a newly engaged bride should look for in a great makeup artist. Here's what she had to say:
What look and feel are you going for?
First and foremost, you want to look for and choose a makeup artist whose style and taste in makeup best complements the look, feel and vibe you're going for with your own wedding day look.
If you're someone who never wears makeup and wants to keep yourself looking natural, that's awesome! But find a makeup artist who specializes in natural, barely there makeup looks as opposed to hiring a makeup artist who's style is more glam and vice versa.
Make sure you have a contract!
A great bridal makeup artist should also be incredibly professional and a contract for services for the date of the wedding should be issued. If you're not receiving a contractual agreement binding you to that makeup artist or makeup team for services the day of your wedding, you need to be very careful and cautious. Even though paperwork can feel like one more thing to have to add to your plate while planning a wedding, it's truly for your own protection and peace of mind and demonstrates the legitimacy of the vendor and their word.
You are new to this. Make sure your stylist isn't!
A great bridal makeup artist is also someone who's going to guide and direct you as far as the wedding day is concerned. You're new to this experience and it's more than likely your first time planning a wedding but it's probably not their first rodeo! You want to be sure that your makeup artist is able to articulate what they'll need to ensure a smooth, seamless experience for you and your bridal party.
Make sure they're experienced in Bridal Makeup
Simply put, you're also going to want to look for someone who is well versed and experienced with bridal makeup and weddings.
Makeup artists break down into many categories including bridal, beauty, editorial, FX, etc. An editorial makeup artist (someone who primarily does makeup for magazine shoots or staged photos) might be incredibly talented but that doesn't necessarily mean their strengths lie in the world of bridal. A great bridal makeup artist is more than likely someone who's doing weddings most weekends of the year and is focused on bridal makeup and its wear.
Look for "real"work when viewing portfolios
While social media is a great tool for inspiration and shopping artists, you want to approach Instagram feeds with open eyes. Look for a bridal makeup artist who posts everything from unedited, unfiltered pictures and video to professional pictures and video of their work.
Social media is the force behind the spike in interest within the makeup industry and while that's great, there are far too many overly edited pictures circulating the Internet and this can lead to unrealistic expectations.
That girl who looks like she's barely wearing makeup more than likely has a full face of makeup in order to achieve that look and the picture of that bride with perfectly smooth skin is most likely due to Photoshop or retouching.
Be realistic in your expectations and look for a makeup artist who's willing to show "real" work too!
Thanks again to Charlotte for her valuable input! You can reach Charlotte and her awesome team at C.E Facial Artistry.
Want to learn more? Hit me up and let's chat!
"Ralph's ability to make his clients feel like they are #1 at all times is phenomenal! His work speaks for itself, but it is what he does in addition to the pictures that makes the difference. Him and his team went far beyond our expectations and were able to capture not only pictures, but a story of our lives. We would recommend Ralph Deal Photography to anyone who wants an exceptional and personalized experience!"
-Rona Diamond