What Do You Need to Know for Your Makeup Trial?

Part of the reason to have a makeup trial is to make sure you’ve selected the right makeup artist. If a trial doesn’t go well, it’s important that you’ll have time to book someone else and have another trial. Or maybe the trial goes just as you planned and you love the makeup artist, but then you see a bridal look in a magazine that you become obsessed with – now you can call your makeup artist to schedule another trial to see if that new look works for you.

Unless you go to a lot of events, it’s likely you’ve never had a makeup trial, even if you frequently get your makeup done professionally. If this is the case, you may be wondering exactly how to approach a wedding makeup trial. We’ve prepared an important list of questions for you to ask, as well as what you'll need to tell your makeup artist.

What to Ask the Makeup Artist:
- What kind of preparations should you make before the trial?  (i.e. Should you arrive having applied moisturizer, or with a completely clean face?)
- Is there a time limit for the trial? Knowing the makeup artist has somewhere to be will help you prioritize: Do you want to try one or two complete looks or a bunch of different lipsticks?
- Will the makeup artist come to your location for your wedding or do you need to get your makeup done in a salon?
- What happens if the makeup artist you hire is sick or has a personal emergency on your wedding day? Is there a back-up makeup artist, and can you meet him or her before the wedding?
- Can you take photos of the trial, so you can get opinions from loved ones? If not, would the makeup artist be willing to email you photos he or she might take for his or her portfolio?

What to Tell the Makeup Artist:
- What features (eyes, lips, cheekbones, etc.) you want to be the focus.
- Make sure the makeup artist is familiar with your skin type, especially if you have sensitive skin and need to be wary of certain ingredients.
- What features you aren’t happy with and want minimized.
- If you don’t like what he or she is doing, say so! Sometimes it might be a case of needing to see the complete look, but if not, this gives you more time to start over.
- Explain what your dress looks like – bring pictures if possible! Also show your veil and any other hairpieces.

For more wedding beauty tips, discover what your makeup artist and photographer have in common, and be inspired by the gorgeous makeup worn by real brides in our photo galleries.