Register or log in —

Newer blog post
more in Blog
Older blog post
Newer blog post by Mrs. Lovebug
more by Mrs. Lovebug (oldest)
Older blog post by Mrs. Lovebug
Mrs. Lovebug's Picture
Mrs. Lovebug, Tucson Age and Occupation in 06: 31, Writer Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Professional Game Show Contestant Engagement Date: February 18, 2007 Wedding Date: April 19, 2008 Venue: Historic Inn About Me: Likes: blogging, wikis, semi-colons, cuddling, fragrant flowers, syntax, and spooning. Dislikes: typos, dangling modifiers, flypaper, citronella candles, and run-ons. If I had my druthers, I'd exchange simple vows in a candlelit library. But I lost my druthers long ago...anyone seen them?
About Mrs. Lovebug

Is This Why It’s Called A “Trial”?

January 28th, 2008 @ 12:06 pm by Mrs. Lovebug

Dear Dude Who Did My First Hair and Makeup Trial,

I don’t know how to say this, so I’m just going to come right out with it. I don’t think it’s going to work out between us.

I knew it the minute I showed you this photo for inspiration and you frowned and said, “That’s what you want to look like? She looks tired.”

And I know you have your own salon and are therefore exceptionally busy. But you’re the one that double-booked me. It was sort of like being wedged, begrudgingly, into the lunch hour of a sullen MAC counterperson. That is, if the girl next to me was getting a haircut instead of a makeover.

Which reminds me, is she OK? The poor thing probably caught her death waiting for you to finish throwing on my blush and dash back over to rinse her.

Anyway, I appreciate the combined ten minutes you spent on my consultation and the actual application of cosmetics. My fiance thinks clowns are totally HOTT, so we had a great night enjoying your work. Even if my cheeks still feel itchy. (It’s probably just some residue from the towel you kept smearing your brushes on.)

One thing - you might want to consider upgrading to an actual makeup case. When you dumped your expansive collection of two lipsticks and three eyeshadows out of a Crown Royal bag, it kind of terrified me.

Best of luck.

Miss “Stickler for Hygiene” Lovebug

p.s. Thanks for being so generous with the hair spray. I’ve always wanted to be Chaka Khan for a day.

Anyone else have a disastrous, disheartening first makeup trial? Anyone else thinking, hell with it, I’ll do it myself?

Tags: , |   Link for this post | Share this post: Is This Why It’s Called A “Trial”?      
Newer blog post
more in Blog
Older blog post
Newer blog post by Mrs. Lovebug
more by Mrs. Lovebug (oldest)
Older blog post by Mrs. Lovebug
advertisement below

26 Responses to “Is This Why It’s Called A “Trial”?”

1.
Member Icon
Member
Amy (message)  259 posts, Helper bee

hilarious! can we see a pic ? ;)

 
2.
Guest Icon
Guest
Sara

This is hilarious. You are a terrific writer. I feel bad for being entertained from your horrible experience, but I hope you find someone who not only knows how to apply makeup and do hair well but also knows how to manage their time and be courteous to their customers.

The last time I had a very bad experience like this was in high school for a dance. I went to a salon where the woman was rough with me while washing my hair. Then she teased my hair into knots while only half drying it (not what you do to Asian hair!), tied various pieces of my hair into more knots, and then said, “Isn’t it beautiful?” I told her it wasn’t at all what I had asked for (which was for the sides to be twisted back into a bun), and she got upset. I told her I would just wear it down, but she wouldn’t let me leave until she personally undid everything, washed my hair, and dried my hair again since she “couldn’t let me walk out of her salon looking like I did with wet hair.” I ended up running late due to her and having to restyle my hair at home. Needless to say, I didn’t pay or go back to that salon.

 
3.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss Hummingbird (message)  193 posts, Blushing bee

Well as Chaka Khan would say “I feel for you . . . (Chaka Khan!)” I have only had my makeup done professionally once when I was on a cruise and I swear to God I looked like Ernie from Sesame Street’s skanky cousin with the way they heaped on the bronzer. It took five washings of my face to get it all off. :S
Anyway, good luck finding a new makeup artist! Hopefully you’ll come across someone who can give you the wedding day look you want! :)

 
4.
Bee Icon
Bee
Mrs. Corn (message)  1,010 posts, Bumble bee

uh yeah…please see here:

http://www.weddingbee.com/2007/06/22/makeup-trial-2-2/

any further questions?

 
5.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss Petunia (message)  288 posts, Helper bee

I want to know: if it’s called a trial, why don’t they do it for free? Goodness knows many of these people should be giving away their services, not charging for them!

 
6.
Bee Icon
Bee
Mrs. Radish (message)  388 posts, Helper bee

Oh god yes! My first makeup trial made me look like a hungover drag queen. So sad.

http://www.weddingbee.com/2007/08/03/a-very-trying-makeup-trial/

I did end up doing my own makeup… which also turned out to be a folly, but more about that later.

 
7.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss Hydrangea (message)  386 posts, Helper bee

I’m with Radish and Corn. My first trial was disastrous:

http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/01/21/make-me-up-2/#more-43893

I could have done a better job on the hair and the makeup. Luckily, I tried again and had better luck!

 
8.
Member Icon
Member
jemmanyc (message)  3 posts, Wannabee

Hey Ladies.
I am the trainer for New York City for mac cosmetics. I do all the education for the tri- state area, and do makeup for fashion shows (including bridal). Sorry to hear about your negative experience. If you need recommendations on a great artist send me over a message. I pcan recommend anyone in NY or NJ. Let me know if I can be of any help.

 
9.
Guest Icon
Guest
Jamie Z

I had a great trial and was totally willing to pay some major $$ to have her do my makeup for the wedding. Then she cancelled…4 days before my wedding. Maybe she didn’t want to travel, maybe she found a better paying job? I don’t know, but I was stuck and ended up at a MAC counter learning how to apply “camera-ready” makeup two days before the big day. I ended up being happy with the results, but how do you do that to someone?

 
10.
Guest Icon
Guest
Jean

OMG - I had a terrible first trial too. My makeup was so thick and heavy that my hair stuck to my face all nice. EW. The worst part was that I paid $200 for the trial.

 
11.
Guest Icon
Guest
Jenniferb

WE WANT PICTURES!!! (and help a Tucson sister out…where’d you go?)

 
12.
Guest Icon
Guest
Indigo

Hi Jemmanyc

I would be interested in your recommendations on a great artist for my wedding day. They would have to be equally gifted in the art of persuasion as my Mother still thinks wearing eyeliner ala Cleopatra and black lip liner is envogue. I want her to look modern and beautiful for my wedding. The rest of my sisters, whom think this is their wedding..should be easy. =) Oh yeah and makeup for me, the bride, too.

 
13.
Guest Icon
Guest
Tea

i don’t know what he was talking about but i like your inspiration pic and i thought it would look lovely on you. and yes, pictures. please.

hopefully i’ll be able to have my sister do my hair and makeup so if she messes up, well, may God be with her since i know where she sleeps. lol.

 
14.
Guest Icon
Guest
endb

My make-up trial went well — done by my sister’s friend who works for MAC — but my first hair trail was DISASTEROUS. I asked for a low, sleek chignon and came out a pin-curled, frizzy mess — nearly TWO hours later. Trial #2 was much better. Hang in there!
I think of the two — hair and make-up — I’d be most comfortable doing my own make-up.

 
15.
Guest Icon
Guest
Marilyn

I’m sorry about your experience but I ‘m dying laughing over the “Crown Royal bag”.

 
16.
Member Icon
Member
jemmanyc (message)  3 posts, Wannabee

I think a really good idea for all brides is to bring pictures of makeup they like…remember “makeup”, not Angelina Jolie’s bone structure..We find that a lot of women don’t realize they’re asking to look like a celeb and not looking at colors/textures/placement of the makeup in the photo.
A sign of a good makeup artist is one that will ask YOU questions about what makes you comfortable/how much makeup you wear daily..You should look like you on the big day, not like Miss Drag America (although some women really like that). I feel for the woman whose makeup artist bummed out 4 days before-that stinks!! It would be a good idea to draft a contract and have the artist sign it. Unfortunately if you find someone who works at a makeup counter, you’re technically not booking the company (i.e. mac) you’re booking “sally sue, makeup artist”. So back yourself up with a contract!
As for paying for trials-they should be a paid service because they are a lot of work for your hair/makeup artist. Also there’s no guarantee for the artist that you won’t cancel them at the last minute so its still necessary to be a paid for service.
Most important for your makeup trial: wear a white/cream colored top (makes a huge difference seeing your face made up wearing white) and bring your digital camera! Make sure your makeup looks great not only in person, but in photos too!
As for recommendations-please email me privately, as I don’t want to broadcast names for the artists’ annonymity. email me at stiletto3779@yahoo.com.
Hope this was insightful!
J

 
17.
Guest Icon
Guest
jp

hahha… LOVE it! i wish you had pics! i had a pretty horrible first trial too… the worst part was that she kept saying, “oh, it’s cuz you’re not used to so much makeup on your face”.. i was like honey, it’s not the amount that i’m cringing about, it’s the WAY IT LOOKS! i have a 2nd person lined up and i have high hopes! =)

 
18.
Member Icon
Member
Nopinkertons (message)  110 posts, Blushing bee

Mine was horrible. She used Bare Escentuals, but she laid it on so thick I looked like death. After a couple hours, after the layers underneath had absorbed into my skin, I looked like death warmed over with a mask on. It just sat thick on my face, and was nasty in pictures. Awful.

My two favorite reactions: My bridesmaid also got hers done, and also hated hers. As we were sitting at the bus stop waiting to go home and wash it off, a guy came up to me and tried to pick me up. His opening line: “Is that your mom?” Note: I am Asian. She is white. And she’s only four years older than me.

The second reaction, from my fiance: “Um. You look really…..Asian.” I’m thinking he meant, like a geisha!

 
19.
Guest Icon
Guest
Jennifer

You’re hilarious! I don’t think inspiration pic looks “tired”- I love Jennifer Morrison and I think she’s gorgeous. Better luck next time? And somewhere else?

 
20.
Guest Icon
Guest
KNW

My first - and only - makeup trial was a complete bust. I had it scheduled for the day of my e-pics, and when I went to the salon no one was there. The lights were off, the door was locked and my stylist was nowhere to be seen! I waited 30 minutes, just sure that she would show up, and finally left because I was going to be late for my photo shoot.

I went bridezilla on her (my one and only time during planning, and it was justified) and called her at home to ask where she was. She tried to tell me that she didn’t ever schedule meetings with vendors on Saturdays, and when I told her I was not a vendor, but in fact, a client, she went silent for about five seconds and then just said, “well, I guess I just forgot because I usually don’t work on Saturdays.” Not an “I’m sorry,” not an, “ohmygosh, let’s reschedule ASAP,” NOTHING.

Needless to say, I cancelled my wedding-day appointments with her, found a new stylist for my hair, did my makeup on my own and was very happy with the results.

Ditto the request for photos, and I hope you have better luck in the future!

 
21.
Guest Icon
Guest
nashgirl

i had a terrible hair trial. i showed the stylist (a very very expensive stylist known for doing special event hair, no less) a picture of what i wanted, which to be honest, i probably could have done myself, but didn’t want to have the added stress on my wedding day. He took a look at the picture and said “i don’t know how to do this.” he then put my hair into a ponytail and said “i’ll have to practice this on a wig first. see you on your wedding day!”

and even after not doing a THING to my hair…. i was charged an arm and a leg. I was PISSSSSSSSSED, and not at all confident in his capabilities. I promptly cancelled my wedding day appointment and scheduled another trial with a different stylist, who did an amazing job and gave me the exact look i asked for with NO PROBLEM - and was completely appalled to hear what had happened with the other guy!

 
22.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss Lovebug (message)  714 posts, Busy bee

The only picture I had is one he took. He just jerked the camera up and shot, without even looking at what he was doing. The picture didn’t even come out, but I was too flustered to ask him to re-do it. At that point, anyway, I knew I just wanted to get out of there.

JenniferB: Shoot me an email and I’ll tell ya. And please, if you know of anyone in town…

Radish! Are you crazy? You looked gorgeous.

Marilyn: I know, right? That was the moment I thought to myself, “Hmmm. There is humor here. Must exploit humor for loyal Weddingbee readers.”

I’m glad to hear others were horrified. Nothing more of a downer than be freaked out by your own reflection. I hate the idea of wearing a ton of makeup, or looking like I am — which makes me want to do it myself.

But I want to look good. Corn - your makeup was fantastic. Maybe I need to fly someone out, fer pete’s sake…

Harumph.

 
23.
Guest Icon
Guest
mrs. caramel

I totally have bad trials. I should post them. I look like a geisha. An unhappy geisha. This is why I’ve decided to go into makeup gigs, I know I can do so much better than these so called “professionals”!

 
24.
Member Icon
Member
crackhead (message)  46 posts, Newbee

That was funny. My makeup trial wasn’t as bad as that, but did not leave me happy. I brought in a picture that had sort of a light smokey eye look with a shimmery gold/brown eyeshadow. Very light and springy. She interpreted that as lining all around my eye with thick black cake liner. I looked like a goth vampire. I was pretty disappointed.

 
25.
Guest Icon
Guest
Mrs. Bear

I love your writing!!!

My first trial (with airbrush makeup) ended up with my face an unnatural shade of orange and my eye makeup making me look like a hooker. i stopped for a quick dinner before i went home and got funny looks from everyone. it wasn’t until i got home that I realized it was because i looked as if i was just coming home from hard partying the night before.

 
26.
Member Icon
Member
beanchar (message)  549 posts, Busy bee

With the writers on strike, you could probably sell “Chaka Khan for a Day” as a reality TV series.

 


You can also just...

Newer blog post
more in Blog
Older blog post
Newer blog post by Mrs. Lovebug
more by Mrs. Lovebug (oldest)
Older blog post by Mrs. Lovebug
Visit our sister sites Project Wedding
Wedding Songs
eHarmony Advice
Dating Advice
JustMommies
Pregnancy Calendar
Fertile Thoughts
Infertility Support
Copyright 2004-2009, eHarmony, Inc., Advertise
 


Sponsors
Mrs. Lovebug
Mrs. Lovebug Mrs. Lovebug, Tucson Age and Occupation in 06: 31, Writer Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Professional Game Show Contestant Engagement Date: February 18, 2007 Wedding Date: April 19, 2008 Venue: Historic Inn About Me: Likes: blogging, wikis, semi-colons, cuddling, fragrant flowers, syntax, and spooning. Dislikes: typos, dangling modifiers, flypaper, citronella candles, and run-ons. If I had my druthers, I'd exchange simple vows in a candlelit library. But I lost my druthers long ago...anyone seen them?
Weddingbee PRO
 
Boards
 
Classifieds
 

Blog Calendar
November 2009
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930

Weddingbee Bios
Wiki
More