Bridal Makeup series : The Makeup Mentor

Once a bride has her dress, the next thing to focus on is hair and makeup. With so many makeup artists out there it is hard to know which one will work best for you and make you look like the beautiful bride you always thought you would be on your wedding day. Even though I am writing about beauty everyday, I have found the task of picking a makeup artist extremely difficult. At least with the dress, I know more or less how I will look in it on the day and there is no chance of anything looking dramatically different. However, when it comes to makeup, you may have one idea in your head of how you want to look and the image may be completely different to the reality that the Makeup Artist creates. This panic about makeup has led me to do a Bridal Makeup series. Over the next few weeks I will be visiting a number of makeup artists and they will be creating a look on me, as well as answering questions that many of the readers of The Beautiful Truth had.

First up in the Bridal Makeup series, is a Makeup Artist who I have been following for quite some time now on Facebook. Tracy Duggan,  The Makeup mentor has been in the business for a number of years now, and bridal makeup is her absolute bread and butter. This year alone she has done 30 weddings  and still has 16 left to do. Her expertise and professionalism in this area clearly shone through during our meeting. Tracy knows what she is doing and you would certainly be in a steady pair of hands and have a rock of sense  around on your chaotic wedding morning. I asked Tracy for a dramatic look and you can see from the pictures below that she did an absolutely amazing job.At every point during the trial Tracy asked me questions about what I liked and didn’t like and altered the look to suit my own personal taste, while using her own judgement in creating the best look for me. I am over the moon with how the makeup turned out. The pictures do not do this look justice as the light wasn’t great and it was dark by the time I got home. Leona, who works in the salon with Tracy did my hair, and I will have a full post up on that during the week. Take a peak at Tracy’s tips and tricks for Bridal makeup below.

Picking a makeup artist to do bridal makeup is very difficult. What are your tips for picking a makeup artist to suit each individual bride? Would you suggest a number of trials with different MUA’s before booking your chosen MUA?

There are so many Makeup Artists out there that you need to do some research. Go onto Facebook and look through their work. If a makeup artist isn’t putting up bridal pictures, it might suggest that they aren’t doing bridal makeup very often. Bridal makeup is very different from occasional makeup and it is important to know what works and doesn’t work, as well as researching what trends are in.

Do not let the price of a makeup artist turn you off straight away. You don’t need to pay loads and loads to get someone good. Keep within your budget and if they have a good price and good pictures in their portfolio and they come across well, then this is someone that you need to go and see. Pick 3 makeup Artists that you like and go and get them to do your makeup for a night out. That will tell you an awful lot about how they make you look and feel. Your bridal experience will be different, but it will give you a good idea of what that person is like to work with.

How soon before the wedding should a bride book their makeup artist for their big day?

So far this year I have had 30 weddings and I still have 16 left to do. I have 26 booked for 2015 and 5 already for 2016. Im not bigging myself up here, I’m just trying to show you how busy makeup artists are, with the summer period being the busiest. If you want to get someone good you need to book them early. Don’t presume that they are just going to be available. Your makeup is so important for your wedding day. It is going to be in every single picture and people will be looking at it as much as the dress. It will be seen all the time. Invest in someone that you know is good at what they do. Pick someone that has experience in brides, but book them as soon as you can, as they might be already booked for your date.

How soon before the wedding day should a bride have their main trial with their chosen MUA?

Once you have picked your makeup Artist for the big day, if you haven’t already done so, go and get your makeup done for a night out. This helps the makeup artist to see what you like and don’t like and helps you develop a relationship with the MUA. You can book your bridal trial for whenever you like then, but don’t leave it too close to the day. Don’t forget, the bridal trial experience is a lot different from getting your makeup done for a night out.

Many brides worry about the condition of their skin for their wedding day. Do you have any skincare tips for brides to make sure their skin is in the best condition possible for their big day?

The thing with your skin is. what will happen will happen. If you are going to get breakouts, there is very little you can do to stop it. Start getting facials asap, as they bring out the impurities and leave your skin feeling fab. Do not leave facials until the last minute, as this will cause your skin to break out. If you do have a break out, maybe look at something like the Dream dots. While I am not sure if they work completely, a lot of people say they take the angry look out of a spot. A good makeup artist will eb able to give you good coverage so that you feel happy and feel like a million dollars walking down the aisle.

One of the biggest concerns for brides regarding their makeup is their foundation. Does the MUA pick the foundations or should a bride find a foundation she is comfortable with and bring it to the trial herself.

I use all high end products and so when she has the trial if a bride still doesn’t like the foundations I use and would prefer to use her own, I can accommodate it no problems.

The wedding day is extremely long. What tips doe you have for keeping makeup in place all day, especially in hot climates or sweaty days?

A good makeup artist will be able to do your makeup so that it stays in place all day long. When used with a primer and a foundation that suits your skin, you won’t have to worry about your makeup moving during the day. If you are going to be getting married in a hot climate, look at the Mac Pro Long wear foundation. This foundation is designed to suit most skin types and as the name suggests it is made to last for a long time. It also acts like it is water proof and if you do sweat any leak any oil throughput the day, this locks it in and doesn’t leave you looking sweaty or oily.You can use a setting spray if you like, but they aren’t essential.

Some brides are worried about looking too made up and unnatural on their wedding day. While brides like myself, who wear makeup everyday are afraid of looking too natural or under done. How do you pick the perfect look to suit a bride?

When it comes to bridal makeup, do your research. Google and pin pictures of makeup that you like and then bring your favourite 3 to your makeup trial. This way the makeup artist will be able to see very quickly what you like and don’t like and won’t have you looking unnatural or too underdone. Brides need to take herself out of her nightie makeup look and think of something that will be suitable to take them from the Church, to the reception to the nighttime.  A good makeup artist can guide you on the best look that will suit you. The Makeup artist will be investigating you to see what you like and don’t like from the minute you walk in the door. When you are having your trial don’t let the makeup artist tell you what to do. Advice the MUA on what you are looking for. They can advice you on what will and won’t work. You have your own look and the MUA won’t turn you off that, but any MUA should be able to give you guidance on the best look for you.

Some brides like to wear their glasses on their wedding day. What tips to you have for eye makeup and lashes for glasses wearers.

The eye makeup look for glasses will all depend on the type of glasses they are wearing. If you are wearing glasses that make your eyes look a little small than you will need to do things to make your eyes appear bigger. Avoid things like black pencil and eyeliners and instead use a nude liner on the water line. If you are wearing glasses that make your eyes appear bigger than they are, the you will need to introduce liners. If you don’t like black go for the softer brown colour. Avoid lashes that are too long, and instead go for shorter lashes that give a more natural look. i like the Kiss au Natural lashes as they are subtle and soft.

Most of us Irish ladies have pasty enough skin and would find it difficult to go au natural on our wedding day. What tips would you have for tanning and also stopping the tan transferring onto the dress?

Tan doesn’t swear off unless you are using instant. If you go to a professional a few days before hand you will be fine. I have heard a lot of good things about Allure beauty in Drumcondra. They use lovely tans that won’t rub off on your dress. I am a big fan of the Karora tan, and the Vita Liberate, both of these are really beautiful on brides and don’t look unnatural. If you find that you are someone who sweats a lot, or if it is going to be very hot, you can get a deodorant that if you start using it 2-3 weeks before hand, it will dry out the pores and seriously reduce your sweat. One of these type of deodorants is called  Mitchum. If you are getting married aboard another tip is to bring a small amount of talc to put between your legs to stop them rubbing. Hair spray will also stop silky dresses moving if you stray it to the tops of your legs.

Bright or a nude lip and why?

Nude. A lot of brides are going to a red lip, but the maintaince during the day is far to much. You are constantly talking and kissing people and your lip will fade to much. Your pictures won’t look consistent as a result. With lips you are better off sticking with a nude. Maybe a pinky nude a nude, or a pinky wine that is close to the colour of your own lips.

What handbag essentials should a bride have for touch ups throughout the day?

Lip liner, lipstick and lip gloss. You honestly won’t need anything else throughout the day. You can bring more, but if you have a good makeup artist you won’t need to touch your makeup as it won’t budge.

Do you have any holy grails products for brides?

The Catrice primer and Mac painterly paint pot. Both are brilliant, as the Catrice will keep your foundation in place all day and the Mac paint pot will give your eyeshadows something to cling to.

Are there a minimum number of people you would travel to makeover for the day, as some brides may only want their own makeup done?

I will travel if it is just a trial. Anyone who is interested can just get in contact with me and we can discuss it all then.

What are you bridal packages, how far will you travel and what is the best way for a bride to contact you.

My bridal packages are very reasonable and include the price of a bridal trial. If a bride would like to find out more they can contact me on, 0858288261 or on my Facebook, or Twitter page.

Products used

Face

Catrice primer, Mac Studio sculpt NC 30, Mac select cover up nw 20,  Mac skin finish medium plus, mac skin finish medium deep, highlight Mac soft and gentle

Eyes

Mac deep brunette eyebrow gel, mac painterly paint pot, mac nylon, orange, swiss chocolate, all that glitters, embark, reflects gold, kiss au naturelle lashes, rimmel scandal eyes mascara

Lips

Spice lip liners, Mac hug me lipstick and flesh pot lipsticks, Mac lipgloss phiffi