How to Prepare for Your Bridal Makeup Trial

A bridal makeup trial can seem daunting for some brides.  We asked makeup artist Katie Saurin for some advice on getting the most out of your bridal makeup trial!

So, why is a trial important? Your makeup trial is the time that you and your makeup artist can sit down and take the time to talk through your ideas whilst possibly playing around with new ideas. It is also a great way to get to know your makeup artist before the big day. Which will make getting your makeup done on your wedding day so much more relaxed!

1. Pictures, Pictures, Pictures! 

I cannot stress this enough, but reference pictures are so important. This is a fantastic way to accurately explain to your artist what you like and what you don’t like. These can either be printed, on your phone or you can always email them to your artist ahead of time. When looking for inspiration photos its best to keep your own style of makeup in mind. Remember you still want to look like yourself on your special day so try not to find something completely out of your comfort zone. 

The best thing to do when you do not like the whole look is to pick what you do like out of it, ‘I like how the skin is done in this picture, but much prefer the eyes on a different picture and the lip colour in another picture’. I recommend bringing about 5 - 6 photo’s of inspiration to your bridal trial, this will be enough to help create the look you are thinking of. I recommend that if you have a desired look for your bridal party that you bring some photos of those for reference also.
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2. Be Honest 
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Makeup artist can do pretty amazing things with a makeup brush but unfortunately we can not read minds. The best way to get the best look for you is to be honest with your artist. If there’s something you do not like or would like to change do not be afraid to speak up. 
I think many people can feel it may be offensive or rude to say they aren’t happy with a certain aspect of their makeup. We are there to make you feel your best, while we will help guide you with some recommendations of what we think could work for you, at the end of the day you want to walk out feeling confident and beautiful on your wedding day. If there is something you want to change just say and more times than not your artist will have no issue with changing whatever you like. 


3. Bring What You Will Have On The Day 

If you are planning on wearing tan on your wedding day, we recommend coming to your trial with tan on as the effect of the look may be different in comparison to if you are paler. Some people like to get their spray tan trial done the day before their makeup trial so there’s a better idea of what the overall look would be.  If you like and want to wear a certain lipstick or lash, it is a good idea to bring them with you to your trial so they can be incorporated into your look. 


4. Try Plan Something For After Your Trial

The best way to see how your makeup will last on your special day is to see how it holds up before hand. This is a fantastic way to choose what you do and don’t like before the big day which you can feedback to your artist so they know to change certain products and/or techniques before the big day. It can also give you the opportunity if you needed another trial before the big day to have a concrete plan. 
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5. Wear Your Dress Colour & Have Your Hair Done
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Having your hair styled in the way that you will for your wedding day and wearing your wedding dress colour will give you a better indication of how you will look on your wedding day. 
 

These are just a few of the things I think are important to help with a smoother running of the bridal trial and your experience all together. As always its best to talk to your artist in advance to get some advice on what their tips would be, if not this is a nice starting point