The Beauty Counter: Addressing common bridal makeup concerns

In my career as a makeup artist, I have to say that my favorite time is wedding season. I get to be a part of someone's life in a very special way by helping them look their absolute best. I also get a lot of questions from my bridal clients regarding their makeup for that day. So, when thinking about this article, I decided that I would put together a few of my most asked questions from my bridal clients and share it with you. Maybe those of you who are newly engaged might find this information useful when deciding on your look for your big day.

1What should I do to my skin prior to my wedding day?

Hydrate and moisturize. Keeping your skin moisturized right up to the wedding day does so much more than you can imagine. My personal favorites are the skin masks you can purchase literally anywhere. Also, and probably most importantly, drink plenty of water. It's the simplest idea, but sometimes the simplest of things do the most wonders. This can be especially true for your lips. By keeping your lips hydrated, it helps prevent them from being overly dry and chapped, which is always crucial to ensure that perfect pout for your wedding day.

2 I don't wear a lot of makeup. Do I need to wear more makeup than usual on my wedding day?

Yes. You need enough makeup to last throughout the entire evening. There are going to be a lot of pictures taken that day all through the day and you want to look as polished in the evening as you did the moment you walked down the aisle. Makeup can begin to wear down during the day, even with a good primer, but if your makeup is applied correctly, then even though it is slightly more than normal, it should still feel breathable and not caked on.

3How can I be sure that my makeup will look good throughout the day?

This is one of the few times that I think an overload of "selfies" would be appropriate. Take pictures of yourself in different lights so you can see how your makeup holds throughout the day and then share that information with your makeup artist so if there are any adjustments that need to be done, they can take the proper notes for your file. There's a very good chance the initial shock of thinking you have too much makeup on will quickly turn into you being glad the makeup artist added a little extra blush, or did a little more contouring than what you are normally used to.

4The last question I get really isn't so much a question itself as it is a suggestion, but it always leads into questions.

Wedding days are not a day, in my opinion, to be adventurous in your makeup choices. There is a difference between everyday makeup trends versus wedding makeup trends. I tell my clients to imagine looking back at their wedding album 10 years from now and what do they hope to see? It has always been my opinion that makeup for a wedding day should appear classic in nature and not so much trendy so that 10 years from now, when you and your spouse reminisce on your special day, you do not look at your photos and immediately ask yourself if wearing unicorn highlighter and purple eyeshadow was really the wisest choice. You want to look timeless in your photos.

Lastly, when you are giving an inspirational image to your makeup artist, keep in mind that it is only that. It is used for inspiration for the makeup artist while they are doing your makeup. Nine times out of 10, the image you show your makeup artist will have been retouched and edited possibly 10 to 15 times before it actually becomes available for the public to see. So, please keep that in mind.

The absolute most important thing I can say to any future client for your wedding or any event is to be honest with your makeup artist. If you have a trial run (most artists will encourage a trial run for this exact reason) and you find something not quite right about the makeup you have on, let them know. It is their responsibility to ensure that you not only look your absolute best, but that you are happy with that service. And in most cases, if there is something you do not like or are unsure of, they would much rather you explain that to them so they can change it to your liking, rather than you telling them it looks great when in reality all you want to do is just wash it all off and go barefaced instead. Remember, it is your day and you should always leave the stylist's chair feeling confident in your appearance.