I’ve always been a low maintenance sort of person. Maybe because my mom is that way, or I only have brothers, or because makeup and hair products cost money, and using them takes time…I’m not really sure exactly why I missed the whole acting like a girl thing when I was a teenager.
But when I started teaching, I wanted to make sure that I was able to look professional, and somehow putting on makeup in the morning made me feel like I was putting on my “game day” face, in a good sort of way. At the recommendations of friends, I went to the Clinique counter during their bonus days, and bought way more makeup than I thought was possible. I have since spent the last year and a half getting increasingly better at putting on my own makeup. (The big thing for me is that in the last month or so, I have finally figured out how to put on eyeliner without looking like Marilyn Manson. This is huge for me.)
The point of all of this is that I still haven’t been convinced about the need for makeup. I mean, really- how much of a difference can it really make on a day to day basis? But then Mr. Dahlia and I went to hear DJ Tiesto in DC. I looked at the photos, and while Mr. Dahlia thinks that he looks like a mess (I disagree), we both agree that I look much better than I normally do in pictures.
See what I mean:
Shiny on the left for my birthday, and much less shiny on the right at Tiesto. (And my nose seems to keep getting bigger. Looks like I did inherit the nose that everyone on my mom’s side of the family has.) Now I know that lighting makes a difference, but I tend to be shiny in nearly every picture of me. While I felt like I had on way too much makeup at Tiesto, in the picture, I think that it looks good overall. If you disagree, please tell me nicely. 
What this means to me is that good makeup is essential for the wedding. I know, I know, I should probably have already figured this out, but makeup just isn’t much of a priority for me. But the question remains- should I hire someone to do my makeup (anyone have any suggestions for someone in the Cleveland area?), or should I go to Sephora and DIY (or ask one of my lovely lady friends to help me out in this area?) What are you doing for your makeup for your wedding?
I’m hiring someone to do airbrush makeup for my wedding. I love how light it feels, but it lasts for hours without any shine. I figure I’m spending so much money to get great pictures, shouldn’t I invest in looking as good as I possibly can for them?
I went through the same thing…I convinced myself that I needed to hire a makeup artist and found one a few months before the wedding. She was going to come and do my makeup and three of the bridal attendants. Three days before the wedding she called me and canceled. I had no choice but to go visit the MAC counter (no Sephora in my area) and beg for help. I bought foundation, powder, eyeshadow, liner and lipstick and practiced for the next three days to get it right. In the end it was just fine. I was able to copy the look she did during the makeup trial and even with buying all that makeup I saved $300 by DIY. PS…I recommend Smashbox makeup primer to help control the shininess. It also helped my makeup last through pictures, the wedding, and the after party.
When I was first dating my guy, I wore makeup. But during the day, he would see me at work without it. Turns out that he liked the sans makeup look. I asked him why, and he said the he liked that there wasn’t anything between him and my face. He could kiss me without kissing my foundation. So now I only wear it for special occasions, with the wedding day being one of them.
I don’t know that I could have done a wedding worthy makeup job (the kind that looks good in professional pictures), so I went the girl my boss hired. No matter who I chose though, I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it myself. I was afraid of being so excited that I’d poke myself in the eye with my pencil.
Miss Dahlia, I hear ya! I don’t wear make-up on a daily basis — only when I go out or for more important occasions. So for me I knew I couldn’t do my make-up myself.
See my endless make-up trial saga here: http://tinyurl.com/2z5sct and take it for what it is — a hunt! Don’t assume someone will be able to give you what you want, you HAVE to go to trials until you get it right.
That being said I know there are bees and other brides who went the DIY route and looked stunning. I didn’t want the stress and wanted to be 100% confident that day. I mean, brides spent thousands of dollars on the rest of the event — the dress, the location, the photographer — why take a chance with how you’ll look and how you’ll look in pictures for years to come! I’d say unless you’re 150% confident you can look fantastic on your own, hire someone.
I’d say hire someone as well. Makeup artists know what works for cameras in particular types of lighting, and they’ve made a career out of finding the balance between “looking good on film” and “not looking like a clown in real life.”
Miss Dahlia, you look great with our without makeup! I’m not a makeup girl myself, but when I feel like stepping it up, I usually head to the MAC counter. They are the BEST! My cousin had a minor bike accident and bruised her entire chin… really discolored and I took her to the MAC counter and the salesgirl played around with concealer for a bit and it looked flawless! We even took before and after photos. Pretty awesome! When it comes to makeup for photos, you always have to put a little more on and add more base coverage. MAC has great foundations and concealers for all of that without looking cakey.
I didn’t think it mattered until my sister had some one do our make up for her wedding. WOW. My skin looked flawless, my eyes popped, I looked great in the pictures. This woman didn’t charge an arm and a leg either. After seeing those pics, and realizing I was comfortable all night (not feeling like my face was sweating off under the makeup) I think it’s definitely worth it.
Fellow Cleveland bride here! Wow, I feel like I could have written this post.
When I got married back in June, I had little to nil make-up application experience. I used the makeup artist at the salon where me and my girls had our hair done. I was wedding planning from afar (NYC) so I didn’t have the luxury of having a trial far ahead of time.
I went to the salon and had a hair and makeup trial run just a few days before the wedding and it worked out perfectly.
It probably helped that I wasn’t super specific about what I wanted - just even skin tone and a nice lip stain. She actually convinced me to go with mascara too even though I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of tarantula eyes.
If you’re having your hair done at a salon, inquire about whether they have a makeup artist on staff.
As another bride who rarely wears makeup, I was reeeally scared to have to do my own. But since my wedding was in the middle of nowhere….no pros. My compromise (which might work for you too?) was to have my makeup done professionally at a MAC counter, buy all the crap, and then have a friend/bridesmaid actually apply it on the day of. We did a trial run (using the diagram and explanations from my MAC guy) so I was confident she could do it well, and I didn’t have to have the pressure of getting it right myself.
I have two places that I go here in Cleveland, and both do makeup. I’ll be using Simply Esthetics for my makeup - and the owner, Sarah, does the makeup (as well as nails and everything else fun). Her website is:
http://www.simplyesthetics.com She’s on the west side, and she’s so wonderful (and her prices are reasonable).
I agree with Sara, you look great with or without makeup! And I can’t exactly tell the difference…I could see the gloss, but I wouldn’t have noticed if you didn’t point it out.
If I were you, I would hire a make up artist (I’m STILL trying to figure out how to put on eyeliner and I’m 25!). It would be less stressful overall and I wouldn’t trust myself to do my own make up on such an important day (but maybe you do!). If you are hoping to save the hassle and money of hiring someone, do you perhaps know a friend who is pretty good with make up? Maybe that can be her/his present to you. =)
I’d say hire someone. I’m a makeupaholic and even I hired someone for the day of as you never know how composed you’re going to be on that day. I thought I might be too nervous and poke my eye out with a mascara brush or something. ; )
On the other hand, you mentioned that the mu you bought was Clinique. I actually work for Clinique at their corporate offices in ‘my real life day job’. I’ve tried everything they have. I swear by Clinique’s ‘Perfectly Real’ both the foundation and the powder are great and in particular great in photos. Clinique is good in the way that typically the product does what the name of it says. Perfectly Real is basically you, but better.
Good luck!!
I’m a no make up kind of girl most of the time. I hate the way it makes my skin feel. My mom wanted to try Bare Minerals and talked me into going to an Ulta store with her. I LOVE it! It was worth every penny, and idiot proof (which I really needed). All I bought was the main powder foundation. They said one jar would last 6 months, but since I’m not a heavy user it has lasted just over a year for me. You really can’t feel it and it looks very natural.
I just got married on Labor Day weekend and I went with DIY make up and I don’t regret it one bit. The pictures came out amazing and everyone kept asking me who did my make up on the day of the wedding. Now I admit, I’m a little bit of a girly girl and I love wearing make up to begin with but I had to practice. If I’d hired an artist, I would’ve had to spend a minimum of 750 going up to a 1000 dollars (yes, those are NY prices for ‘reasonable’ make up artists) but instead, I bought two make up books, a bunch of expensive make up (smashbox primer is essential to holding the foundation in place), co-ordinated the colors by practicing on my kid sister, replicated the look on myself, separating everything that worked together in a separate make up bag and voila! I was set for the wedding
Mail me and I’ll mail you pics!
In real life, I never wear makeup. At my wedding, I used the same crappy drugstore makeup I’ve always used for “special occasions.” I invested no additional money, maybe 3-5 minutes of actual time, and I was BEAUTIFUL. Because I was the BRIDE.
If makeup isn’t important to you in the rest of your life, why make a big deal of it at the wedding? You’ll be beautiful no matter what, because you’ll be the bride. Put in the time and money on things that are important to you, and forget the rest.
I second the MAC recommendation. I was in a wedding this summer and the bridal party had our makeup done at the store (for the cost of $50 in products) and we all looked fabulous. I did not feel like I was wearing a mask at all. The artists at MAC are real pros, go through regular training, keep on top of new products and techniques, etc. As you can tell, I’m a huge MAC fan.
Thank you for your blog, I am getting married soon and am going to use your story. Thanks
Ms. Dahlia, Detroit/Cleveland
Age and Occupation: 24, PhD Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, IT System Administrator
Engagement Date: December 31, 2006
Wedding Date: May 2008
Blogging Since: September 19, 2007
Venue: United Methodist Cathedral & historic downtown hotel in Cleveland
About Me: I enjoy cooking, dancing and swimming. I am a geek and apply game theory to my everyday life. Winter is my favorite time of year, especially when spent curled up with good coffee and a book by Madeleine L'Engle.
I actually can’t tell the difference between the two pictures except for maybe the lipstick. But I say to go with what you feel most comfortable in. Maybe ask for some advice from make-up counters, try them at home, take some pictures. I you think you need more or less, than that’s your call. As in a previous post by Miss Jasmine, you managed to snag your love being just who you are. ^^