I think one of the hardest parts of a makeup artist's job and running a beauty company is simply the fact that people's expectations aren't realistic. There are going to be some things that simply can not be achieved for you no matter who your artist is. Photoshopped images are a huge issue in our society these days. No one has completely smooth skin with zero pores or texture, you will not be able to look 20 years younger by applying makeup. In real life, even those models you find as inspo have pores and texture that have been edited out in post after the photos were taken. Another example of unrealistic expectations is when you are someone with mature skin, fine lines and creasing or dare I say.... "wrinkles" and you ask your artist to make you look like a model you found on instagram who is maybe 20. There is NO way that your artist can get rid of your fine lines and wrinkles. We can do a lot to help bring a more youthful glow to your skin and face but we can not completely hide elements that are not a simple color correction. Anything that is "3D" can not simply be covered behind makeup. Makeup is not a curtain. Makeup is not cement. Trusting your artist to know what you need to have a youthful glow shine through is what matters, sometimes offering too many ideas on what you think you want are not good for you.
For hair, If you show us a model who has a hair piece in or has a ton of hair and you have shorter, finer hair. We can not make your hair look like that image. It just isn't going to happen. I am sorry. Trust me... it pains us to not be able to give someone EXACATLY what they want no matter what it may be. We are makeup artists and hairstylists, not plastic surgeons. The only time you are going to look 100% different with makeup is if you have SFX makeup done... which is not ideal for weddings, special occasions or photoshoots that are not theatrical/character based!
I can sit here and tell you allllll day to be realistic with your expectations. However, I find it to be much more effective to give you ways to adjust your expectations. I want to share with you some ways that you can set your expectations and artists up for success before your first meeting! ESPECIALLY if you are a bride and this is your trial!
#1 Finding The RIGHT Inspo Pictures
Looking for inspo pictures can be both fun and insanely overwhelming. Seeing all the beautiful ideas that you could be lucky enough to rock but also too many options and not knowing where to begin. Finding the right Inspo picture(s) can be challenging and normally people always tend to find the same few photos... which is also so wild to me, because out of all the images on the internet, how da helllll are y'all finding the SAME 3? Anywho....... the truth is, not everyone can wear the same look. When I say it this way it seems like common knowledge, yet most people want the same look as the next person. Upon seeing the same few models being shared over and over by all my clients can be disheartening for both myself and my clients. Finding the best Inso picture for you may take a little more deep diving into the internet. You will need to narrow down your searches by being specific with your requests.
Examples to type in:
Makeup inspo NO editing or filters
Mature makeup inspo pics for mother of the bride
Traditional bridal makeup for a natural look
Full glam bridal makeup on deep skin tone
Makeup that looks best on blonde hair and blue eyes
Hairstyles for fine, shoulder length hair
Hairstyles for thick and heavy hair
Round eye, eye makeup
Almond eye, eye makeup
Best lipstick colors for light skin tone
Best lipstick colors for deep skin tone
Heart shaped face makeup inspo
Oval face shape makeup inspo
Makeup inspo for 45+ year old women
Makeup inspo for 65+ year old women
Hairstyles for short hair/pixie cut hair
Finding models that look more like you in skin tone, face/eye shape and age group is important to help you find the look that is more relatable to you and will give you the best idea of what you will look like.
Learning what your face and eye shape may be can sound terrifying and confusing to figure out, but there are diagrams on google that can assist you and YES you can have multiple shapes at once. For example, I have both a round, almond and hooded eye shape. This can be tricky. However, getting a rough idea is still a great start even if you don't nail it entirely. Just do your best!
SHAPES TO HELP GET YOUR STARTED
EYE SHAPES: | FACE SHAPES: |
Almond | Oval |
Protruding | Heart |
Monolid | Round |
Round | Square |
Upturned | Diamond |
Downturned | Long |
Deep set | Rectangle |
Hooded | Triangle |
Close Set | |
Wide Set |
#2 Understanding Beauticians Have Limits To Their Witchcraft
Try your best to remember that we are not magicians. We are not witches. We do not posess magical powers. Therefore, when you hire us, we can only work with what we/you got! Our magic wands are simply makeup brushes or hair brushes. Our potions are hairsprays and foundations, powders and creams.... and our cauldron is you. It is important to be aware that everyone has different skin types and everyone is at different stages in their lives and that is ok! You will still look beautiful after your makeup and hair gets done because you are beautiful just as you are. You just have to know that we can not take away gray hairs or add hair to any sparse areas. We can not reduce wrinkles or deep pores. We can only utilize the tricks we have to camouflage areas of your main concern as best as possible. Realize that you are you and the model you found as Inspo is that model. You do not look alike, even if it's close. The makeup artist isn't the same, the photographer isn't the same. HELL, the model doesn't even look like that in person, I guarantee it!!! So use the inspo pictures as a guideline and do not expect to be a carbon copy. That is impossible and honestly a little de-lu-lu. I say this with love of course.
We are not plasti surgeons, as previously mentioned and to be completley honest, if you brought that same inspo picture in to a plastic surgeion for thousands of dollars, they would tell you essentailly the same thing. They get the gist of what you want. but you ain't gonna look like that exactly. So please, please respect us when we say, we can onyl do so much.
#3 Skincare & Haircare is KEY
If you want the best application of your makeup as possible and you want to look as filtered in real life as possible, it starts with your daily routine in skincare. Finding the right products for you and using them as recommended is yourm ticket to looking effortlessly flawless (to look effortless takes effort) . If you show up for your makeup to be done and you have very dry/dehydrated skin and do not have a
healthy skin care regimen you are following there is only so much we can do to help you. Your makeup will look splotchy and caky. There is no way around it. We do not have enough time to do weeks and weeks worth of maintenance in a 40-60 min time span. That is asking us to basically fix the issues that are your daily responsibilities and expecting us to perform miracles. If you haven't been drinking water all week, me adding moisturizer and serum to your skin before applying makeup isn't going to matter. Your skin is going to suck that up and then still be flaky underneath. We also can not layer too many products under foundation because it will start to separate and your makeup won't lay together anyway this can even lead to some peeling/rolling of products and create little balls on the skin that seemingly want to roll right off.
As for my acne besties out there, I know acne can suck. Having blemsihes on your face can be such a confidence killer... However, your acne does not define you or dictate whether you are beautiful or not. Nor does prevsious acne's current scarring. Please understand that just with any other marking on the skin, we can only do so much. Makeup can help most with color correction if you have red/inflammed acne. Makeup will not make the bumps look flat or any scarring indentations disappear.
As a licensed esthetcian I recommend that you stick to a monthly plan to get a professional facial once a month. Find an esthetician you trust (me) and see them monthly for skin maintenance. Espeically before a big life event. Start at least a year before your event!
Same care needs goes for hairstyling. If you have super dry or brittle hair, it isn't safe to put too much heat on it, but if it is too greasy and not cleaned and taken care of properly it will also not style and stick flat to your scalp. When you come for a beauty service the time allowed is very specific we do not have time to be washing hair not to mention, we normally arrive on location for bridal events where there is not a proper sink anyway nor did we pack the correct products for a wash and blow out. Most product does not mix well with oily hair and we can not force it to do so.
#4 Do Not Look At Models Who Are Not At All In Your Age Bracket
I know this one is hard to hear! None of us like the fact that we are aging each day.
Trust me. As women it is even harder to accept that we are aging and our face and body are changing in a way that we can not really keep up with what society has deemed to be the beauty standard for ALL women. It is exhausting to say the very least. I sort of touched on this a little in tip #1 BUT It is important to reiterate this tip, I feel, until I am BLUE in the face! Why? Let me tell ya.....
If you come in to your appointment with unrealistic hopes that your makeup artist is going to hide all your imperfections such as fine lines, wrinkles and that we can knock 20-30 years off of you... Hell, even 10 years is a lot to ask!! You are going to be extremely disappointed when you discover that we are not plastic surgeons and even if we were plastic surgeons the hour that we spend with you would not be enough time to perform a plastic surgery procedure. I wish that I could hide each and every single fine line and wrinkle that you are insecure about. I wish that I could stop makeup from settling into your lines since it causes so much distress for you, but the fact of the matter is, you can not use a liquid product topically and cover textures in the skin. It is foundation and powders, NOT spackle (which would be insanely uncomfy anyway!) When you come in with girls that are 20-30+ years younger than you as your inspiration images, who also have been completely photoshopped and edited and do not even look like that either, but I digress, you are setting not only your artist up for complete failure, but also you are setting yourself up for heartache. Please understand, I am not trying to being harsh! I am being realistic! You are beautiful, fine lines, wrinkles, crowfeet, WHATEVER and ALLLLLLL. You do not need to look PERFECT with makeup. It is a subtle enhancement. No matter how heavy the makeup is applied, no matter how caked on it is, it can only do so much. There is a limit to the potential of makeup products for standard beauty applications....
Now if you want to dabble in SFX makeup, as mentioned, now you're speakin' my language. LOL However, that also is not realistic for average events unfortunately. And it takes several hours. Ask Heidi Klum how long she sits in that chair each Halloween to be completely transformed into the craziest stuff I have ever seen a celeb do for Halloween... she is rad for that.
#5 Don't Make Things More Confusing For Yourself
Sometimes the hardest thing is figuring out exactly what you want or where to even begin. Not knowing what you want or having a clear (realistic) vision you will
never be happy with the results... because you don't even know where to start... How can you spare yourself toe frustration? How can you keep yourself from having a menty-B at your appointment? How can you do that? How can you simplify your appointment and not confuse yourself? Allow me to walk you through the art of knowing what you want even if you do not know what you want:
Know the vibe of your occasion - Is the event a wedding? What does your outfit look like for the event? Is it a day time event? Night time event? Are you wanting a full glam, soft glam or natural look? Is it a photoshoot? What kind of photoshoot? Is it a family shoot? Outside? Inside? Is it headshots? Is it a boudoir shoot? Is the theme soft and elegant or dark and moody? How long is the event? Just a few hours? All day? Narrow down the event/style type. That is number one.
Trust your artist - Trust us to give you advice on your look. Tell us as much info as you can about your event and your lifestyle and also how you normally wear your makeup. Tell us if you have any sensitivities to things, like eyelashes for example. Trust us to know what will best suit your eye shape and face shape best. We are experts in our crafts! We. have been doing it a while (most of us) and have seen what works and what doesn't for specific skin types, eye shapes, skin tone, hair color, different events, types of photography etc.
Limit the amount of inspo pics you collect - Find one or two pictures you really like and stop there. Make sure the looks are not total opposites either. Having too many options or completely opposing options will get confusing. This will make it hard on all of us because then you will have no idea what you want. Look at both pics- Are the color schemes similar for the eyeshdow? How about eyeliner? Do you like eyeliner? What about the heaviness of the lashes? Ok now the face- Do you like the full covereage look or natural? Do they both look like they are wearing similar coverage? Is it very matte or is there a lot of highlight (this is mostly photoshopped but it will still give me an idea). Lips- Are the lips sublte? Bold?
Do not nit-pick your flaws after application - To reiterate, we all have flaws, pores, blemishes fine lines, skin creasing etc. At all ages we have these things. There is not a single way for us to take those things away. It is just the fact of life. Nit picking every part of your face after you get your makeup done is just announcing an unrealistic expectation that you wanted the makeup to change what you have naturally. Not gonna happen. I am sorry.
Have fun - So many people get so nervous when they sit in my chair. Relax! You're just getting makeup. It is not permeant. It washes off at the end of the day. It is just for fun! So have fun! Do not overthink. Do not worry so much! Just try to have a good time!
#6 And Last But Not Least, LOVE YOURSELF.
A moment I have expereicned more times than I ever wanted to is the moment when someone sits in my chair and just does not love themselves. They are already being so mean about every aspect of how they look and who they are. It breaks my heart. My entire brand is focused around boosting people up and helping them love themselves as they are. When you already do not like yourself or when you are already feeling a lot of negativity surrounding yourself and/or the situation you are
not going to have a good expereince. It doesn't matter who your stylists are. Doesn't matter how amazing of a job they did or how amazing you truly look, you wont see it and you will be unhappy. It starts with you. Not having a genuine love for yourself before allowing someone else to amplify or enhance things on/about you is not going to play out well. I can gurantee that you most likely will not be happy with the outcome because you are ultimately going to feel one of two ways- 1. Not like yourself with the hair and makeup at all and this will make you feel even more uncomforatble in your own skin than you already did/do or 2. You have expectations to look completely different (See steps 1 through 4. Remember how I said we are not plastic surgeons?) in a way that YOU think is more beautiful than you, leading you to be sad when you see it is still you, just with a little more vava voom and not a completely different person looking back at you in the mirror.
Self love takes practice. It does not happen overnight. It does not happen with one final decsion of "I want to love myself!" No. It takes time. It takes work. Be kind and gentle with yourself as you navigate how to love yourself correctly, truly and deeply. Some days you will feel more self love than others. The road of self love is not linear, it is not flat. It has twists and turns, curves and hills. Moutnains and rubble. The path isn't even always paved. However, it is worth it.
If you do not love yourself wholeheartedly before you sit in a beauticians chair, you are not going to love yourself anymore when you get up from it.
IN CONCLUSION, Having your makeup and hair done should be a fun experience. An experience that helps you see how beautiful you already are and how confident you should feel. Your artists should be providing a comfortable and safe space for you to be exactly who you are and celebrate you.
Hopefully these 6 (kind of) simple steps can light the way through your makeup appointment journey! Have fun at your next makeover session!
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