Page 2 | Crazy bridal makeup prices!

Butterbeer22 · 2022-07-04T00:18:20+00:00

So, I've been coming across a few TikToks basically asking the question what's a scam that's become normalised that we don't realise is a scam anymore? And a girl said MUA's bridal makeup. Apparently some charge from £500 to a grand! And a few people in the comments were trying to justify the prices by saying they have to get up at 4.30, sometimes travelling for hours and have to carry loads of bags and another commenter said the price she was quoted included travel and wear and tear to her car 😲 I've never been married, so I don't have a clue about prices, but AIBU to think that them prices are insane!? Feel free to add your own normalised scams 😂

xogossipgirlxo · 04/07/2022 09:48

Wow. I do understand that life in the UK is expensive, and hour of labor costs a lot, but this is way too much. I'd rather expect that for £500 you can get make up for bride and her mum and sister. Was it really for one person? Way too expensive.

MaChienEstUnDick · 04/07/2022 09:52

MaChienEstUnDick · 04/07/2022 09:42

I charge at least £500 a day for my particular skill. I'm freelance, so I don't get paid holidays, sick pay, or any other benefits, and I have to pay tax and NI out of that. I can work remotely, but I would charge travel on top of that, and travel would of course include wear and tear on my car.

I don't need much kit to do my job but if I did, I would also have to factor that in - make up kits are expensive and need topped up constantly.

I can also work seven days a week, if my working hours were limited to weekends and Fridays I'd have to increase my rates to cover that too.

If I only work a half day for a client, I charge them for the full day because I can't 'sell' the other half. Oh and I only work for one client at a time, I don't walk into a room to see 6 different clients all with their own particular brief.

So I think it's a bargain, actually.

Do people think it's expensive because it's a predominately female role, I wonder?

Oh yeah and I don't do a 'free' trial session. Neither do muas- they build it into their day rate.

TyneTortoise · 04/07/2022 09:54

Gensola · 04/07/2022 09:29

I am getting married in August - asked for quotes for makeup from 4-5 local makeup artists and all had minimum spends of £350-900, even though I am getting married in the evening so they wouldn’t have to hang around all day and I don’t have bridesmaids or anything. The next one I contacted I asked for makeup for a black tie event and got quoted £60. No minimum spend. Same location, same make up, same face. It’s a total scam!

Exactly.
expensive makeup is fairly priced IMO if you consider what you’re paying for. If your face is hard to to work with , travel to a faraway venue, time it needs to stay on. Product quality.

I personally want my makeup more perfect for an industry event, where I can’t control photos and lighting. And everyone will see the photos :D

Thatswhyimacat · 04/07/2022 09:54

@Dowhatdowullywup my SIL is a makeup artist, bridal makeup is a completely different skill with different products and application. Regular professional makeup is just that, normal makeup put on by someone else. Bridal makeup includes consultation on style and is optimised for photography and longevity, neither of which would be done for normal makeup. It includes a lot of extra steps.

TheCatterall · 04/07/2022 09:59

It’s a business with overheads, insurance, travel and taking up hours of there time. There’s normally been consultations and test sessions prior. It’s specialist makeup built to last a day and be camera ready/flawless.

it’s normally decent products etc that all cost money.

the insurance itself and legal stuff can be a nightmare.

Dont want to pay the cost or don’t see the value. Super. Crack on and don’t use them.

Slagging off an industry because you don’t see the value says more about your mindset.

Would I like a MUA when I get married. Yes.

Will I get one. No. I’d rather keep costs down.

Do I blame the MUA, florist and cake maker for pricing their stuff outside of my budget? No.

Change123today · 04/07/2022 09:59

I paid £100 ish for my sister for her wedding make up - 15 years ago! That included a trial as well. She looked lovely - buts it’s more than just makeup it needs to last the whole day and look good on photos and in person!

I guess the price increase makes sense, it’s my biggest regret in not paying for! I had a very simple wedding but when I look back I wish I paid for hair and makeup :(

Glitteratitar · 04/07/2022 10:06

I booked a couple of the “Instagram famous” MUAs for my pre wedding party and different wedding parties.

Some of them are definite scams - their work on Instagram looks amazing but when I had them do my make up, I looked terrible as they did their standard look rather than working to suit my face…but when my face was posted on their Instagram I looked amazing.

Fortunately the one I used on my actual wedding day did an amazing job and was definitely worth the money.

Equally I used a much cheaper one for my engagement party who a friend used for her wedding and the make up was no better than I would have done myself.

Getting the right MUA is hard. It’s especially hard to find someone who knows how to work with your skin tone and the features of your face. Some are worth their money, others are heavily filtered on Instagram and massively deceive.

Pootles34 · 04/07/2022 10:07

Having been a waitress at a venue that did both weddings and corporate, I can assure you that weddings are much harder. Half the guests are drunk, they are all expecting perfection, it's such a long day.

TommyShelby · 04/07/2022 10:28

Omg - this is making me think I got a bargain… £285 mine cost and that’s for hair and make up for the bride, two bridesmaids and make up for my mum!

thunderonlyhappenswhenits · 04/07/2022 10:34

I've paid £350 for hair and make up for myself and moh. That included trials too, so compared to some prices being shared here, haven't done too bad...

Guzy · 04/07/2022 10:39

It’s avoiding paying tax that annoys me, I remember some MUA refused to give the deposits back during lockdown. They claimed it was non refundable so basically stole people hard earned money. Disgusting!

PipeScatter · 04/07/2022 10:54

Those prices are crazy.

I got married recently and three of us had our makeup done. Mine was £150 and the other two were £45 each. This was a professional MUA that came to the venue to do the makeup. She was finished by 10am and the makeup stayed on all day, barring a retouch of lipstick occasionally.

She then went back to her other work (she's a nail tech too) for the rest of the day.

If I'd wanted her to stay with me to keep touching it up throughout the day I'd expect to pay more obviously as, like our photographers, etc, she'd need to be fed as well. I'm glad I didn't have to pay as much as has been quoted here!

UsernameIsCopied · 04/07/2022 11:02

ShirleyPhallus · 04/07/2022 08:13

The issue with bridal make up is that it needs to last the whole day, needs to look good in person and in photos, needs to be good enough for demanding brides and often needs practice sessions too.

It slightly fucks me off when people say that the cost is “just” a bit of make up, no it’s not, it’s the years of training and expertise behind those few hours. Just like when you’re paying a lawyer or a private doctor, you’re actually paying for their years of expertise not the 30 mins of time they’re giving you.

If people don’t like the prices they don’t have to pay it. Supply and demand innit.

Please don't compare the expertise of a lawyer or doctor with that of a make up artist. Applying make up is a skill that is easily learnt in a much shorter space of time. It's really not comparable to the knowledge needed by a GP, for example, and therefore you can't compare the prices.

Fancylike · 04/07/2022 11:08

Guzy · 04/07/2022 10:39

It’s avoiding paying tax that annoys me, I remember some MUA refused to give the deposits back during lockdown. They claimed it was non refundable so basically stole people hard earned money. Disgusting!

The kept deposits bothered me too. I paid deposits for various wedding related things, then the event couldn't happen due to lock down and most vendors couldn't accommodate our new date as they were already booked out/had stopped freelancing and joined a company/moved towns. Haven't manage to get around 5k of those deposits back even though it's the vendor who has cancelled on us. Now not having a wedding at all as the money we'd saved for it has been kept by these CFs and can't afford to pay twice

Dragonfly3 · 04/07/2022 12:28

some are £500 to a grand. Not all. It’s dependent on who you choose, their expertise level, the products they use, business costs etc. It’s not a scam. A pair of Jimmy Choo shoes cost way more than a pair of heels from New Look but both serve the same purpose. The buyer chooses what they want and pays accordingly. It’s the same here. If you don’t want to pay £500, shop around for something in your budget but it’s unfair to label someone’s business a scam just because you don’t like what they charge.

ShirleyPhallus · 04/07/2022 12:29

UsernameIsCopied · 04/07/2022 11:02

Please don't compare the expertise of a lawyer or doctor with that of a make up artist. Applying make up is a skill that is easily learnt in a much shorter space of time. It's really not comparable to the knowledge needed by a GP, for example, and therefore you can't compare the prices.

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You’re misunderstanding my point if you think im saying a make up artist is the same as a lawyer or a doctor. The point is that you’re paying for the years of expertise. The prices aren’t anywhere near the same either - you couldnt get a whole day’s legal or medical advice for £500.

Please don’t tell someone from a qualified profession what to compare their expertise to

upsidedownbanana · 04/07/2022 12:48

I had a quote recently from a hair and makeup artist in Scotland, it was £500 just for my hair and makeup (no bridesmaids or mums etc.). The breakdown of it showed £65 each for the hair and makeup which I thought was reasonable, it was the extra £370 added for travel and a 'minimum cost' that I thought was a bit pricey. Plus, it would have been an extra £100 for a trial so had I accepted I would have been looking in the region of £600!

I wouldn't mind paying the cost of fuel, I know its extortionate at the moment but this just seemed far too excessive and I definitely cannot justify it so I'm going to attempt to do it myself which I'm slightly dreading but hoping for the best!!

We have found throughout the wedding planning process that everything is significantly more expensive when you add the word 'wedding' even for a small event like ours.

SmileyPiuPiu · 04/07/2022 12:58

ShirleyPhallus · 04/07/2022 08:13

The issue with bridal make up is that it needs to last the whole day, needs to look good in person and in photos, needs to be good enough for demanding brides and often needs practice sessions too.

It slightly fucks me off when people say that the cost is “just” a bit of make up, no it’s not, it’s the years of training and expertise behind those few hours. Just like when you’re paying a lawyer or a private doctor, you’re actually paying for their years of expertise not the 30 mins of time they’re giving you.

If people don’t like the prices they don’t have to pay it. Supply and demand innit.

Thank you I knew it must be more complicated than standard. It also needs trial runs etc usually.

SmileyPiuPiu · 04/07/2022 13:00

UsernameIsCopied · 04/07/2022 11:02

Please don't compare the expertise of a lawyer or doctor with that of a make up artist. Applying make up is a skill that is easily learnt in a much shorter space of time. It's really not comparable to the knowledge needed by a GP, for example, and therefore you can't compare the prices.

Show quote history

They haven't directly compared the skills but they are saying you're paying for the skills. Like if you pay a plumber and they fix a leak in 10 minutes, you don't pay just for those 10 minutes you're paying for the knowledge and expertise that has allowed it to be done in 10 minutes. PS. Being a makeup artist is a highly expert job.

LeafHunter · 04/07/2022 13:12

I paid £300 for someone to come at 7am and leave at 12. She did hair and make up for four of us. It felt excessive but she was brilliant, did a hugely better job than we could have done and it was very relaxing and enjoyable!

coffeecupsandfairylights · 04/07/2022 13:29

What extra ‘planning and coordination’? It’s a buffet line. They just have to stand and serve the food, set up, tidy, same as any other event. And I don’t want any extra decoration or anything.

Not all weddings are buffets and many require sit down meals and lots of special dietary requirements.

Unless everyone gets food poisoning (which actually happened at a wedding I attended) I fail to see what requires extra charge to not screw up, different from a normal event.

You're right - in a rational world there's not much difference but if, for example, a server spills something down the brides dress, it's enough to kill a company dead.

Also entitled people will blast vendors on social media for ANYTHING. Even if the wedding went perfectly.

You're not wrong.

Like I said - why don’t they itemise what specifically costs extra.

I don't disagree that they should but ultimately some services cost more than others. If you don't want to pay the inflated costs you're free to go elsewhere 🤷🏻‍♀️

ItWillBeOkHonestly · 04/07/2022 13:30

Lookright · 04/07/2022 05:16

I agree that the Asian bridal makeup industry is insane. The "insta famous" ones easily charge up to £1000. This is for bride only, no one else as they only do bridal.

They don't stay for most of the day, they do as many as four brides a day, up and down the country, so each bride is done in around 2 hours max and each bride pays in cash so it easily adds up during the summer wedding season.

How does one train to be an Asian bridal makeup artist? Count me in!! 😂

livingonpurpose · 04/07/2022 13:33

Fancylike · 04/07/2022 11:08

The kept deposits bothered me too. I paid deposits for various wedding related things, then the event couldn't happen due to lock down and most vendors couldn't accommodate our new date as they were already booked out/had stopped freelancing and joined a company/moved towns. Haven't manage to get around 5k of those deposits back even though it's the vendor who has cancelled on us. Now not having a wedding at all as the money we'd saved for it has been kept by these CFs and can't afford to pay twice

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Whilst I'm sure it was frustrating to 'lose' your deposit, don't forget that these vendors lost their anticipated income during lockdown. For many it will have been their only source of income. They would much rather have done the promised work and got paid the full amount, than just have your deposit.

And that's what wedding insurance is for, after all. If you're paying out lots of deposits, make sure you have insurance to cover cancellation. You would then be able to claim your deposits back from insurance. Wedding vendors can't get insurance to claim for lost income when a client cancels or for unexpected events like lockdowns.

ComDummings · 04/07/2022 13:34

As others have said you’re paying for the skill and expertise. They also have a lot of makeup and brushes so their equipment will run into the thousands too. If people are willing to pay that amount I don’t blame them for charging as much as they possibly can. My MUA for my wedding day was essential - I looked absolutely amazing and it was so nice to have one less thing to worry about. She was expensive but worth every penny.

ItWillBeOkHonestly · 04/07/2022 13:36

In answer to the question about normalised scams, I reckon paying minimum £2.76 for a cup of tea at Starbucks is right up there. It's a teabag and boiling water! Even if you factor in the 45 seconds of staff time (assuming they're on minimum wage) to make it, I feel like the markup must be pretty good.

Likewise pre-packed sandwiches especially if you have to buy them at the Services. I got caught up in horrendous traffic recently and pulled off to the Services to grab a sandwich - £4.30 for a bit of tuna and mayo on two slices of bread.