What to Expect During Your Bridal Hair + Makeup Trial

Perfect Wedding Day Hair

Your hair and makeup trial can often be one of those items that are overlooked on your to-do list. And if you’ve never had one before how do you know what to expect during your bridal hair + makeup trial?

Today we have asked French Wedding Style vendor Carey Hawkins, a talented Make Up Artist and Hairstylist in France to share with us, what you should expect during your trial.

Handing over to Carey:

Every Bride has a very different idea about how she wants to look on her wedding day and the makeup artist/hairstylist has to bring that dream to life. With a little preparation and advice from your artist you can get the most out of your time together.

Get to know your makeup/ hairstylist

Get to know your make up artist/hairstylist through initial email and Skype/Facetime calls. Check that their portfolio suits the look you want and ask about experience, insurance and what you can do/bring to the trial. Having your make up and hair done is a very intimate process and you need to completely trust the service they provide.

Be realistic

As with a hairdresser don’t be afraid to bring images of styles you like but be realistic. If the model in the photo has flawless skin, super sleek hair and a dazzling smile – will this work for you?  Pinterest and Instagram are such a fabulous source for wedding ideas but so many of the images are photoshopped or for a shoot (so would not last the rigours of a wedding day) so again ask advice and look for real life images or for someone who looks a little like you.

Share your Dress

It is also vital for the artist to see your dress (or a least a picture!) and to understand any other themes that you may have too e.g. a period look, country or très chic!

Use images to see different angles

Take a camera or your phone to the trial. This will help you to see how you will look in your photos which is different to what you see in the mirror.  Also very handy for you to see an instant picture of the back of your hair.

Bring everything

Bring everything that you want to have in your hair along to the trial e.g. veil, tiara, clips etc. A beautiful hairstyle can suddenly look very different with a veil over the top or it may be difficult to fit into your ideal look.  The most important thing is that you leave the trial knowing exactly how you are going to look on the day (apart from your dress!) so that the look can be recreated perfectly for you and you remember it well.

Wear similar colours

Wear a similar coloured top to your chosen outfit/dress. Dark colours take colour away from the face and light reflects onto it, which changes the way that colours look on the skin

Wash hair night before

Ensure that your hair is washed the evening before the trial. I know for a lot of ladies this sounds terrible, as they wash their hair every day.  It really does make a difference to the texture of the hair when it has some natural oils in it (and it is not squeaky clean) which helps curls to hold and pins to stay put!

Perfect Wedding Day Hair Ideas

Bring your Makeup bag & products

Bring your make up bag and any favourite products with you. This will help the make up artist to understand what you normally wear and the colours that you like.  Remember that everyone describes colours differently so what might be bright to one person is not bright to another!

Stick with what you know

Most importantly avoid trying anything too different from your normal look – if you never wear your hair up, or wear a smoky eye, your wedding day is probably not the time to try is for the first time!’

Speak up

Don’t be afraid to speak up if you do not like something. This is not the time to be shy or indifferent.  The English are very good at saying they like something when they really don’t!!  It really helps the artist to bring to life your dream look if you are completely honest but do remain realistic about what we can achieve!  Also, sometimes the relationship and connection is just not there, so don’t be afraid to say no and start to look again.  Your artist will also know this too.

 

Carey Hawkins is a Make Up Artist and Hairstylist living in France and has worked with brides since 2004 as well as working on a wide range of films and TV. She is a regular contributor to FWS. For more information visit:

www.careyhawkinsmakeup.com

 

Photo Credits

Paul Wright Photographer | Nicolas Duvivier

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