Weddingbee Blog

This week, I’ve taken on a very serious mission – one that few at work would guess I’m equipped to handle.

By day, I’m a mild mannered reporter, but after work I slip into the nearest phone booth and transform into …

MAKE-UP LADY!

Wielding my magic brushes and two large cases of makeup, I transform a cast of ordinary teenagers into a slew of crapshooters and hotbox dancers for the musical Guys and Dolls.

This poor high schooler looks scared because I just finished yelling “Not enough blush!” and attacking her face with my brush.

I might be the person you’d least expect to be a makeup expert if you saw me walking down the street. I routinely go out looking like a hot mess—bare faced with my still-damp hair pulled up into a pony tail.

I rarely wear makeup for more than a few days in a row before my lazy gene kicks in and I give up. I’ll occasionally apply it every day for a week and then go three weeks without wearing any at all.

And indeed, I am not really an expert. I’m completely self-taught in the art of makeup except for what has been passed down to me by my compatriots in the theater makeup world. So make no mistake, friends. I’m no Lo.

Lack of training aside, my 11 years of experience doing other people’s makeup has taught me a thing or two that I’m going to use on myself and probably a couple of my bridesmaids on my wedding day.

Yep, I’m gonna be a DIY makeup bride.

Care to peek inside our theater’s makeup stock?

We have tubes upon tubes of Mary Kay foundation, left over from my short-lived, misguided stint as an “independent consultant”. Love the product, but sales just isn’t for me.

You can’t pull off a ’50s musical without lots of lipsticks. We rely on L’Oreal Colour Riche lipstick in Nature’s Blush for all the boys in the cast. You can probably spot a few Mary Kay lipsticks in there. I don’t recommend Mary Kay lipstick because I find it’s not creamy enough, but in the cash-strapped theater department we use whatever we can get.

Huzzah for color! We have so many options here that we could turn Yoda into a blushing bride.

Stage makeup isn’t exactly like special occasion makeup. Stage makeup has to be very dramatic to withstand distance and harsh stage lights. More than that, stage makeup is a part of the package that transforms an actor into a character. Unless you’re having a costumed wedding, you want to look like yourself on your wedding day.

What makes wedding makeup like stage makeup is that for your wedding, you’ll want enough coverage to withstand a day full of everyone looking at you from across the room — a little bit of drama. The challenge is injecting some drama while still keeping the look natural enough for the close scrutiny of tight hugs from long-lost relatives.

Stay tuned as I give tips and attempt my own makeup trial. The results may be disastrous, and you’ll want to be around for that, for sure.

Are you DIYing your makeup? If so, are you purchasing anything special to do so? (Personally, I’m considering investing in the NARS Multiple in Orgasm. I love multi-purpose products, especially ones that look good on everyone!)