Miss Cookie, Denver
Age and Occupation: 25, Nonprofit Fundraiser/Theatre Designer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Financial Analyst
Engagement Date: September 2007
Wedding Date: September 2008
Blogging Since: May 8, 2008
Venue: Ten Mile Station
About Me: With a degree in Theatre I never realized that planning a wedding was a lot like Theatre Management, until I started planning my own. I am a coffee addict, especially Starbucks' Grande Mochas, yummy! I love to cook (especially chocolate chip cookies for my honey), travel to exotic places, and be creative. As a couple, Mr. Cookie and I are extremely practical, down to earth, and children at heart. We live in a cozy abode with our adorable Pomeranian, and love to play board games and watch movies into the evening.
Make-up Trial
May 21st, 2008 @ 1:00 pm by Miss Cookie
Back in November, after I bought the bridesmaids dresses from Ann Taylor with my FSIL and FMIL, we decided to do an impromptu make-up trial at MAC. At the time I was riding the fence about whether to hire a make-up artist or DIY, and going to the MAC counter helped. Here are some photos of the trial:
Kirsten, the lovely MAC make-up artist, apply the make-up
FSIL and me after the make-up trial sans lipstick and foundation
After going to the MAC store, I decided to DIY my make-up. Why? Kirsten did a fantastic job with my make-up, I loved my look! If I was having my wedding in Denver I would have hired her without any hesitation, but with my wedding in Breckenridge I don’t want to pay for her travel expenses. There are plenty of spas/salons in Breckenridge, but they charge almost $200 and not in my budget.
Many of the make-up artists I have talked with recommended hiring a professional, which they should as a salesperson, in order to apply enough make-up for the photographs. I do admit that your wedding day is the one of the most photographed days of your life, and if you don’t feel comfortable applying make-up you should hire a professional, but if you do feel comfortable, save yourself the money and DIY. With my background in theatre, I feel very confident to not only put on enough make-up but also achieve my desired look.
If you’re DIY’ing your makeup, please tell us why you decided to go that route!
21 Responses to “Make-up Trial”
I did my own, partially because we had a destination wedding and there was no way to get a trial. I’m comfortable with makeup, do my own every day, and knew how I wanted to look (which is to say, like myself!).
I applied it a bit heavier than usual. The bright sun made my skin look great and my photos came out just as I’d hoped.
I think DIY is a great route! One thing people keep telling me though is to get a KILLER foundation made for photography like smashbox or nars, and also NOT to wear any products on your face with built in sunscreen that day (it photographs shiny).
It’s BECAUSE I don’t wear makeup on a daily basis that I can’t justify to myself the expense of hiring someone else to do it. For some reason in my mind it just seems silly considering my budget and just my personality. I’m a very Type A person who is already having enough trouble delegating tasks to people - the last thing I want on my wedding day is to be beholden to someone else’s schedule for my appearance. So definitely doing my own makeup and most likely doing my own hair. I’m going to start buying my own make up soon (I have the basics, but really no colored eye shadows, for example) and do my own trials until I feel I’ve gotten it down pat. (Also, I’ve done plenty of theatre, so I’m familiar with the basics of makeup application, I just don’t choose to use this knowledge on a daily basis - it’s enough of a struggle to put my contacts on in the morning!)
I’m doing my own because I’m getting married in the middle of nowhere and can’t afford to bring someone in from far away. I’ve done my own makeup as a BM for 4 weddings and I was happy with how I photographed in those pictures, so I’m not too worried.
I do think I’ll go have a consult at a couple of make-up counters of Sephora just to get some ideas/instruction for making a look that’s different/better than my everyday look.
I suppose it all depends on how you want to look in your photographs, and also on your photographer. Our photographer has done multiple portrait sessions for me (family portraits, engagement portraits, individual portraits, a set with my sister and her baby) and I applied my own makeup for all of them. I love the way I look in all the portraits. So apparently I don’t actually need a bunch of extra makeup in order for him to get very nice shots of me. Another advantage of the engagement photo shoot - if you thought you looked washed out or something in those photos, maybe you do need some extra help. Given my photographer’s style, I think that if I put on significantly more makeup than I normally wear, I wouldn’t like the look in the photos any more than I would in the mirror.
I would love, love, love to do my own makeup. The one thing I’m concerned about is making it last. I know a primer will help, and also the type of foundation… but I sweat like a stuck pig, and makeup comes off my face in 20 minutes flat when I’m sweating. Miss Cookie, are you using MAC makeup (and do you use it when you’re onstage, too)? Anyone have ideas for super-water-resistant foundation and makeup in general, especially blush/bronzer and eyeshadow? What formula lasts longest - powder, gel, cream, etc? Thanks!!
oh and concealer too!
i’ll be doing my own makeup too. i do my own makeup fairly well, so its not that big of a stretch for me.
in fact, just this past weekend i launched into full research mode to learn as much as i could about professional makeup application. in a day i came away with enough to make me feel confident with my own wedding day application.
i’m 5 months out and plan to practice as much as possible so its 2nd nature and I’m not stressed about it on the day of (a common reason people try to sway you to go pro). I am also looking into purchasing some really good foundation, concealer, and powder (looking into MAC- i hear glowing reviews about it everywhere). To me, the investment would be worth it bc i can keep the products and can continue to look great in the future rather than to give someone money and they box up their supplies and leave me with a lip gloss.
i just might get some of that Model in a Bottle too. I hear glowing reviews on that as well.
I’m DIYing and I’m using Smashbox primer (the clear kind with no color). I have to say, I bought most of my wedding makeup from Bobbi Brown (I’ll use it all after the wedding, of course!), and in particular, the corrector and concealer does wonders for your eyes, in photos and in person. Her blush seems to have some wearing power as well. A good powder is really important to set everything as well. I’m using MAC loose power and then am using a more inexpensive L’Oreal pressed powder for touch ups during the night.
I like the L’Oreal Infallible lipstick and lipgloss–it has staying power as well.
yes…L’Oreal Infallible is good stuff!
just bought some this weekend and wore it to church. i was impressed with its staying power as well…
I’m DIY my make up too. Well, sort of. My SIL loves to play with makeup, and she’s going to put it on. She does a great job, so there’s no sense in hiring someone. 
@GorgesViola: I do use MAC make-up on a daily basis, but I only use the eyeshadows onstage because I like the vibrant colors. I will probably be using a combo of MAC and Clinique for my wedding, just because that is what I am used to applying.
Since Colorado is really dry, I’m always looking for makeup with lots of mositure, but my eyeliner from Clinique raccoons out on me especially when I cry. With the major possibility of a flood of tears I too am searching for water resistant make-up. I promise I’ll do a post about what I find when I go grab make-up for the wedding.
ms cookie, the make up forever eyeliner called aqua eyes, or something like that is absolutely great. its totally waterproof and it its actually made for olympic swimmers (supposedly) so its designed to withstand some rough wear and tear. i also use urban decay eyeshadow primer to keep things in place and also dab a bit of cosmedicine’s medi matte on my eye area (cuz my face is overall very combo/oily skin and make up melts off like nobody’s business).
i also use smashbox primer for oily skin and altogether, everything works really great. everything stays on all night long when i go out dancing and i don’t have to touch up much. as far as concealer is concerned, YSL’s Touche Eclat is greaaaaaaat and i use Dior Show waterproof mascara. I found this to be more dramatic and full looking then Imju Fiberwig which does lengthen significantly but does zilch for volume. ok. i think that’s enough rambling for now. 
I normally don’t wear makeup but I DIYed my own for my wedding. I thought it was outrageous how much MU artists charged for ONE day of looking good and decided I’d invest that money and some time into buying products I can use after the wedding and learning the skills and techniques of applying makeup.
I found http://www.makeupalley.com and http://www.specktra.net to be great resources for learning about products and techniques. I used Revlon Colorstay Active Light foundation with MAC Blot powder to finish and it had great staying power. Also love L’Oreal Infallible lip color. That stuff is virtually indestructible. I can go the whole day w/o reapplying color, just the topcoat to get a bit of shine. It does rub off a bit if you eat really oily foods but you won’t have time to eat much that day anyway.
Does anyone know a good place in Manhattan for make-up lessons? I will be DIYing also as getting married in the middle of nowhere. Thanks!
Thanks for the great specifics, everyone! Another one to add - MAC liquidlast eyeliner is absolutely amazing and comes in TONS of different colors… and waterproof liquid liner is really hard to find regardless, much less in aqua and burnt orange. Though maybe those aren’t colors everyone wants on their wedding day…
I’ve never tried MAC’s waterproof pencils, but I’d imagine they’re equally long-lasting. The liquidlast is so powerful that I sometimes have trouble getting it off even with oil-based remover! A really cheap pencil I’ve had really good luck with (color, application, and endurance) is Prestige auto-sharpening, which you can get at CVS for about $4.
Sorry, one more thing - YSL’s Touche Eclat isn’t great for me by itself because it melts off too quickly… I need something a little heavier-duty to mix with the fancy stuff. I used L’oreal infallible concealer for a while and like it a lot, and I’ve recently started using Physicians’ Formula Mineral something-or-other concealer stick. It’s SUPER thick so you only need a little (and I usually put the TE on top as a highlighter), but it stays on all day and is really good for my Semitic dark circles.
I’m DYI my makeup. I went to a makeup trial yesterday. Costed me 150 bucks. And I looked like I got punched in the eyes. Seriously. I do my own makeup anywaise and am quite okay with it. I just wanted to get sumone else to do it. cuz I no that when photos u need extra stuff packed on for it to show. But yah I talked to the make up aritist and she said that the actual day of the wedding it would cost $350. No way man! I guess I”ll do it myself!
oh I forgot.. I happen to be on youtube.com and won’t this girl who recreates makeup looks from the stars like kim kardashian. her name is makeupgeek. she’s got her own website with all these cool tutorials. Check out. http://www.makeupgeek.com
I still haven’t decided about this… I think I’ll try going to a make up counter too as part of my decision-making process. Thanks for the advice!
I am going DIY because I need to save money somewhere and my Mom is a photographer so I understand how much makeup really needs to be applied to look great in the photos. I think that DIY for engagement shots is a great way to practice because you get to see what professional photos will do to your makeup look.
