Wedding - do I need a make up person?

[fruityb]

I wear make up, not loads, and feel confident in putting it on. I wear foundation, eyeshadow, eyeliner and mascara every day. I always put my face on so I can go out as and when without worrying - I did it when I was younger as friends used to call me impromptu and I just do it now. It's my little time to myself though my son watches me every morning lol.

Anyway. I'm getting married this year and don't have anyone booked for make up. I don't have particularly fancy stuff but will be treating myself to some nice bits before the day. However someone mentioned that for it to stay on best or to be photo ready I should have someone do it for me. I'm always concerned I won't look like me though! I know I can have consultations but I'm still unsure.

Should I have one or can I just do it myself? My nieces are my bridesmaids and have a good collection between them (like a whole make up counters worth) and yet if I let them near I'll end up contoured and shiny or like I've been sprayed with gold shimmer!

Should I? Or do i just do it myself? Hair isn't an issue as I have a short style that I can blow dry up, but I want my face to look nice lol.

I went to a counter at a department store the morning of the wedding and got them to do it, saying that I was going to a wedding. I bought a few products for top ups later and it all worked brilliantly.

jess that's a great idea!

I got a trial with a great makeup pro for my wedding, but when I looked at the end result, I thought I could do that!
She was great but the full cost was going to be £100, I don't like being fussed over, and it was just one more job to cram in on the wedding day morning itself (I am quick getting ready) so I did it myself.
We did spend shit loads on a photographer and I have to say that is where I would spend my money if I had to do it again, the photos are amazing and you wouldn't know I only took 30mins to do my hair and makeup! Honest!

I did my own, felt I'd rather spend money on some posh makeup to keep rather than on a mua. I wanted to look like me and would have been more stressed about someone else doing it tbh! There's an urban decay spray called all nighter which is meant to make your make up last for ages.

Get a mac or whatever lesson (deductible against good primer and foundation etc). Then spend money on an amazing photographer who will make you look subtly flawless.

We have a fab photographer so that's good. I think I'll go to mac - my niece did it and the amount to spend on make up is appealing. My nieces have a display of the stuff!

I would go for MUA. I had quite a lot experience with mua and it's worth it. Contouring, right eyeshadow cover and long lasting I think it can be done just by professional mua. It doesn't have to be super expensive, you can try cheaper one, check her work and do a trial. Plus as someone mentioned before you will have a lot on your plate that day and the least you want to worry about your shaking hands and doing makeup for yourself.

Don't forget the make up is heavier so you look great in photos as well as in person. If you find foundation makes your skin look rough, you are using the wrong one.

Like pp, I went to a few counters before the wedding to have their free makeover and some product advice. I bought the products, but overall it was far less cost than a MUA.
I wanted a very natural and underdone look, but was conscious about getting the right foundation that wouldn't reflect shine in the photos. And I had a few false eyelashes to help my eyes look less piggy than they usually do!

I'm confident doing my make up day to day but I had an MUA for my wedding, I can honestly say it's one of the things I'm really really happy I did. It cost me £75 including trial (we were on a budget, that's more than I spent on all my shoes/accessories combined) it didn't look too heavy at all but it stayed put all day without me having to think about it once. When you're hot/stressed/sweating it can be difficult to get your foundation to stay perfect but with an MUA they have all the right kit. If you do it yourself just remember not to use any primer of foundation with SPF in.

Why no SPF?

I had a pre-wedding trial make up session with a local beauty therapist. She applied make up without me seeing, and then had her 'ta-daaa' moment as she swiveled me round to face the mirror. My mouth fell open with shock. The reflection looked nothing like me all - complete overkill in blusher, brows, glittery shadows, eyeliner... I couldn't help feeling there was a touch of small-girl-finds-Mummy's-make-up-bag-and-has-to-try-lots of-everything about it. When words came to me, I thanked the beautician heartily, but said I thought it 'just wasn't me'. On the day, I applied my usual make-up and felt lovely!

SPF is what makes your face look ghost white in flash photographs.
I did my own make up for my wedding. Spent a few months beforehand really looking after my skin. Glycolic was and pads every day strict with moisturising. I also went to all the make up counters and tried different bases got samples where I could.
One thing I did do which may sound daft was my friend and I were doing make up one evening and I took my camera along and took flash photos in different lights to see what the make up looked like. One thing I did discover is that when I thought I had on enough make up I put on a little more. When we took photos we realised that the make up disappeared a bit so did do it a little heavier than normal on the day.
I had tried so many times that on the day it was absolutely fine and i was very relaxed doing it.

I had an awful trial with a make up artist whose idea of natural was to make me look like a hooker - think rings of black eyeliner and false lashes on a pale English rose. I was horrified when I looked in the mirror! I ended up doing my own. I went to a few make up counters and got tips and some high quality products. Almost everyone was very helpful.

My top tip for getting foundation on well is to exfoliate. I use the kiehls microdermabrasion stuff once a week or so. It's gentle but makes a real difference.

Thanks for all your advice! It's being camera ready I'm aware of as I'm not great at having my picture taken ironically! Didn't know that about spf. Think I'll start buying some stuff and experimenting. I actually think it'd stress me more having someone else do it!

I did mine - in fact, I also did mine when I was a bridesmaid and the bride had offered to pay for us to have ours done. I just don't like the feel of fortyfive products on my skin.

I would try a couple of different places for primer/foundation and - crucially - don't buy on the spot, wait till you get home and see how it 'settles'. Also agree a bit of attention to your skin beforehand will work wonders, I did have regular facials.

If you're happy doing it yourself then I wouldn't bother with an MUA. Try introducing exfoliater twice a week and use a primer to see if that sorts out your rough patches.

I had mine done and it was lovely :) not heavy at all, very natural. Although I also had it done by someone else when I was a bridesmaid at a friends wedding and omg it was horrific. There was probably more make up on my face that day than in the rest of my life combined, it was cracking and flaking off and everything. I also discovered that day that my husband has a clown fear and apparently my face smelled of clown 😂 so he was keeping his distance until I scrubbed it all off after photos. The foundation was also just a totally different colour to my face, which really added to the overall effect.

I got a makeup person and im really glad i did she was brill!
I think it just helped with the stress because i knew someone was going to take care of that and i didnt have to worry.
If you do get a makeup artist be sure to have a makeup trial and be very assertive about what you do and dont like. A good one will then take pics of the look you have decided to go for so that she can recreate it exactly on your wedding day.
I didnt like the way she initially did my lips and we had to try out alot of different ways of doing it. Dont be shy and just accept whatever they do even if you dont like it.
Mine was great because it lasted all day and all night. She was a lovely woman as well, really calmed me down. I wish i could afford to hire her every time i have a night out now lol!!

Definitely go around during the make up counters hmfet samples of foundation and/or get them to apply it and go away for a few hours before you buy one. There were on or two on me that looked fab when she done it but looked orange half an hour later or seemed to make me look pale.
I'm not great at having my picture taken and had told the photographer I didn't want loads of posed shots I just wanted the family ones that parents would put on the mantlepiece the rest were all casual and taken on the move. There were a couple I'd caught him and I'd pulled a face and actually one of them is my favourite picture of the day.

I'm fairly good at makeup except liquid eyeliner.
But I want to look more polished on my wedding day next year.
The MUA I've picked does my style of makeup. Elegant and glowy but not too intensely fashion forward.
I'll be having a trial with her too.
If you do end up doing your own get colour matched with a quality, high end brand for foundation, concealer and powder. And wear a primer and setting spray. Do you feel confident doing eye makeup?
Have you looked up online what look you'd like? Do you have any pics?

I did my own makeup after getting tips from a makeup counter lady at Boots. I just put on more makeup than usual. And plenty of primer including eye primer, to make sure it stays put all day!

I think if I'd paid for a professional to do it, I'd have ended up wanting to wipe it all off and start again - I can't see anyone else doing my makeup 'better' than me - when I say better I mean meeting my exact preferences! I had a makeup trial before and the eye makeup was applied really differently from what I'd normally choose, cheeks contoured in a way that just didn't feel like "me". I've had lots of people looking back at my wedding photos and asking me who did my makeup because they were really impressed with it!

Let's not forget your fiancé wants to marry you, not a professionally transformed version of you. Nothing wrong with a bit of extra makeup for the photos but I don't know why people want to look almost unrecognisable from their usual self!

I had an amazing MUA so would say worth every penny and get a trial so you are happy.

Remember your wedding day is incredibly long, you may be hot/flushed/tired from lack of sleep and people will be hugging and kissing you all day/evening.

Throughout that you want to look your best, both in person and in photos. So it's not like a typical day.

I also am fairly good with makeup but my MUA helped me look flawless all day. I was so exhausted I completely forgot to wash my MU off and it still looked great the next day

Those who say they don't feel like themselves when someone else does their makeup. Is that because you always do your own makeup the same way?
I'm just interested because I've never felt like that and maybe it's because I try different makeup looks a lot.

I want fairly natural as that's what I wear so I'm practicing the smoky eye and looking at nice eye shadow pallets. I'll be trying the set spray as well. My niece advised using Nivea men's shave balm as a primer and I tried that today - worked pretty well! She was told that by the mac person who did her makeover. Never asked so much advice of a 16 year old!

I'd recommend one of the urban decay naked palettes.
They are very good.