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Now that you’ve seen our amazeballs engagement photos, let’s talk about my face. I used the photo shoot as an opportunity for a makeup trial. There’s a very affordable salon right down the street from me, so I decided to splurge on airbrush makeup.
This is my before—a nakey face and messy hair:
And this is the after:
It looked—I don’t know—fine, I guess. The foundation looked good but not as flawless as I’d hoped. I probably just expected too much. At any rate, my skin looked a lot better than it did when I walked into the salon.
I was kind of unsatisfied with the experience, though.
The first reason was that my stupid birthmark was still showing through!
The second reason was the ordeal that I like to refer to as Lipglossgate. I asked the makeup artist for red lips, but with a stain. A subtle red lip. I was imagining something like Anne Hathaway’s lips—how it looks like she just ate a strawberry popsicle:
Either I didn’t explain myself well enough, or the makeup artist just didn’t get it. I ended up with thick, gooey red gloss that extended well outside of my lip area. Unfortunately (or fortunately for me), no photos exist of that mess. I looked like, as they said on Glee, a sad clown hooker.
I asked her to remove the red gloss and just give me a nude lip. Even then, she glopped the nude gloss on well outside my lip area. And calling it “nude” was a biiiiig stretch. If anything, it was a dark nude, but I’d call it a brown. It reminded me of the Revlon Coffee Bean lipstick I wore in high school. (For those of you who are counting, I’m talking late ’80s to early ’90s.)
But I was running late and had to get to the shoot, so I just left. It was blustery outside, and as soon as I exited the salon, a gust of wind blew and about half of my hair was stuck to my lips. SO gross.
So when I got into my car, I grabbed some napkins from the glove box and scrubbed the goop off of my lips. I reapplied one of my everyday glosses, and I felt much better.
Another thing that bothered me was my eye makeup. It looked fine. But that’s it—it looked just fine. I wanted my eyes to look amazing, beautiful, to pop, and they just didn’t. Again: they looked fine. But I can do fine for free by myself.
I’ve never had my makeup professionally done, so maybe I was just expecting too much. Maybe I’m too picky. Or maybe I got a sub-par makeup job. Who knows? Maybe all I need is to find the perfect foundation, and I can save money by doing my own face on my wedding day.
But all in all, it wasn’t a bad experience. It was just, well, OK.
Were you happy with your makeup trials, or did you have to try several artists to get what you were looking for?
I’m going for my first hair and makeup trial on Friday. I’m hoping they get it right as there is no time to switch artists at this point… and the deposit is already paid!
You could do what she at the salon to yourself at home 
I hear what your saying… I hope you find someone! that will wow you! there are girls out there… don’t give up!
I think you need to find a new person! My makeup person really delivered a “wow” factor, and it was so. much. fun. I brought in more dramatic inspiration, though - I knew that I wanted a dark, smokey eye to give a little edge to my bridal look. Adding a real pop to one of your features might help a makeup artist give you the effect you’re looking for - Anne Hathaway is stunning in that picture, but her mouth only really pops because it’s, well, huge (in a good way). Maybe play around with a more dramatic eye on your own and see if you like that? Or have a really bold lip and keep your eyes as they are?
Have you ever been to a M.A.C.? They will do a consultation and always deliver that “pop” you are looking for…at least for me they did! 
Oh girl you just gotta find someone who knows what you want, and exactly what you want. And it doesnt have to be done expensively. Case and point: I had mine done for my mothers wedding a few years ago by a MAC artist- lets just say Im still looking at the pictures and using the words “baby prostitute”.
I used to do wedding makeup for clients when I worked at Sephora in NYC and I loved it. Having access to almost every makeup product ever made is a handy tool and I also was very knowlegeable on the makeup products so I was aware of ones that worked and didnt work. I would just recommend going somewhere the specializes in make-up and most of these artists have look-books too so you can see what kind of work they lean towards (ie: dramatic/clean/subtle/weddings) I dont really think you were expecting too much out of your appt. - I have seen airbrushed makeup and it should cover better than that (you still look great!) Good luck lady!
Definitely go with someone else for the wedding. You don’t want to look “fine”, you want to look stunning! If a makeup person just can’t deliver, find a makeup savvy friend to do it for you. Then you can get unlimited free trials 
Yup. I concur with almost everyone else- get another artist! If you get someone good, you’ll have that same feeling when you leave the salon after having your hair done- you know, the “I can blow dry my own hair, but it never looks like this…” feeling!
We had a friend (who is conveniently a make-up artist) do our make-up, day of, no trial, and we were SO happy! He did an amazing job! I say find someone else!
And for what it’s worth- you look gorgeous in those photos! Birthmark and all!
Yep, I agree with the others…go to someone else. My first trial person did not listen to me, or follow the pictures I brought as inspiration, so she wasn’t my makeup artist for the wedding. I asked for bridal makeup, and I got club makeup. Yep, clearly 2 different ideas of “bridal”
Well, it’s a good way to have a trial and rule OUT a potential vendor - but I thought your coverage looked pretty awesome, for what it’s worth.
I failed at make up school, so I definitely need to have someone pretty me up. It kind of terrifies me.
I think it looks pretty flawless but I can understand wanting something different. Round two somewhere else?
Did you have the same makeup artist as me? I have fair skin and dark hair and no matter how many times I reminder her of that I came out looking like a oily ummpah lumpah. You know my artist convinced me to do traditional foundation and it came out looking the same way as yours. I am a thirty something bride and I feel it really aged me. If you took this pic right after you had your makeup done I would hate to see it 6 hours later as I feel it would do the same thing. I am having my wedding out of town and I am FREAKED OUT right now about it. I am going locally here to try out a consultation with a airbrush artist and see how that goes. I think that it would be worth a airbrush consult because I think it would wear so much better. As fro lips. I swear!!! why don’t people understand stain?!?! I said the same thing because when it comes time I want to kiss my fiance without leaving a sticky mess all over him. I am not a gloss feeling person and I am in love with Urban Decay stain (buy at sephra or ulta). Totally worth it. When I apply it since I have fair skin I put on then wipe off and it gives me the right amount of color… the longer you leave it on the better the richer the color would be. The more pinkish plum one they have called greedy might work great on you. Also I have been a fan of city lips plumper for years. It takes about a month of constant use but I have actually gotten lip compliments out of it! As for eye pop. Hmm.. I am having that issue to. I really think the secret is false lashes if you don’t want to do smokey eye which I think you would steer away from with bangs and your more vintage look. My lady who does my facials also recently tinted my eye lashes to keep me from having to wear as much mascera on the big day and she used a blue black tint instead of jet black and it really brought out the gold in my brown eyes instead of making them look flat brown. Mine looked more like anne hathaway in her pic above. All food for thought.
I don’t like it- you’re soo pretty and the make up is blah. I vote new artist. I feel like you’re my style soul mate sometimes.
I don’t really like it, there is nothing fresh about the make up and it is weighing you down instead of enhancing your beauty. Definitely go with someone else.
You look so much happier in the pre-makeup picture. Have you ever tried mineral powder foundation? I love it, it looks so natural, like you’re not wearing foundation at all. And I agree with the false eyelashes for making your eyes pop.
@arclee: I wear Bare Minerals for everyday. It looks just fine and does a good enough job for work, but I need more coverage for my wedding day. Also, I read that you shouldn’t wear mineral foundation when you’re being photographed, as it reflects light and makes you look pasty.
In the MUA’s defense, my makeup looked fine in my photos. But I don’t JUST want to look good in photos on my wedding day, I want to look good in real life!
I feel like I’m staring at one of those 3D picture things I could never get to work in the mall. I don’t see a birthmark in your second picture. For reals.
Someone else! I go to Juju Organics on 4th and Bainbridge, right across from Famous Fourth Deli and I had Hannah do my makeup. She was great. My eyes were a little dark on the trial - I liked it, the then husband was weirded out, especially since I barely wear makeup - and it was perfect day of.
She did not use mineral foundation, but rather the regular old fluid stuff w/ powder to set (I think).
Good luck!
Who knew it could be so hard to look good in pictures and in real life!
Maybe I’m just being really unobservant- but I can’t see your birthmark.
@arclee: The birthmark is actually a reference to something I wrote about in another post in my personal blog that never got published here on the ‘bee.
It’ll probably wind up on here eventually. But I have a giant birthmark on the side of my face. You can’t see it in the photo because I didn’t show it off!
Ahh, I see. Well I can definitely understand that you would be upset if you were expecting it to be covered and it could still be seen!
I also think that if you could get the make-up artist to understand your intention with the red lip tint, that color would look amazing on you, and really pop with your skin and your hair.
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Ms. Sloth, Philadelphia Age and Occupation: 35, Account Manager and Fashion Blogger Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Design Admin Engagement Date: December 25, 2009 Wedding Date: May 2011 Venue: Bartram's Garden About Me: I'm an internet junkie and music snob with a good eye for a bargain. I couldn't live without thrift store shopping, cheeseburgers, sushi, Coke Zero, websites devoted to silly photos of baby animals, Photoshop, and Mr. Sloth. Speaking of which, he and I are a pair of goofball homebody nerds who love our beagle (the most ridiculously adorable dog EVER) to an embarrassing degree. We're planning a low-key and intimate yet festive and quirky outdoor wedding with DIY details and deeply personal touches, and it's all taking place in the city where we fell in love and call home: Philadelphia.
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