Lana Turner Had It Right

Lana Turner Had It Right

April 25th, 2011 @ 4:20 pm by Mrs. Snow Cone
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…when she said, “I would rather lose a good earring than be caught without makeup.”

I’m in makeup limbo. I have a good amount of experience with makeup application, stemming from my reliance on it throughout high school and college. As a result, I think my makeup skills are good, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say they’re great or wedding worthy. At the same time, Johnstown isn’t exactly swimming with professional makeup artists. I want to look as amazing as possible (duh), but this is a problem with no clear solution. After some thought, I’ve come up with three possible options to address this makeup-limbo dilemma.

Option A: Get a professional to do the job—a relatively easy solution, minus the fact that I would likely have to pay for a trial, pay for the actual wedding-day job, and hoof it 25 minutes out to the department store to get it done on the morning of the wedding. (We don’t have a Sephora or anything like that in Johnstown.) I’ve only had my makeup done in-store once, for my senior prom:

Personal Photo of the Snow Cones, 2006

I liked it well enough for the day but, overall, I wasn’t totally convinced that the end result was infinitely better than what I could have done on my own. I’m kind of hesitant to go down that road for the wedding for that reason.

Option B: Go to a makeup store here in Pittsburgh and ask for step-by-step education on formal makeup. Ideally, I’d let the makeup artist do her thing and watch closely in the hopes that I could recreate it myself. This would hopefully save on some money, even though I’d end up buying a good number of the products used by the artist to ensure as close a match as possible. Makes me a little nervous, though, that the final product would be entirely in my hands.

Option C: Suck it up and do it myself. I’d probably go through a good number of trials on my own, experimenting with colors, contours, and all that stuff. I figure that in today’s day and age, I can surely find some sweet YouTube tutorials to help me bump my skills from average to passable for wedding-day makeup. I did my own makeup for our engagement pictures…

Photo by Christina Garber

…and I was pleased enough with the outcome. With that being said, those were engagement pictures, where you’re supposed to look natural, casual, like an everyday version of yourself (at least that’s my opinion). Weddings, on the other hand, are when you’re supposed to look like the most beautiful, glammed up version of yourself that you can—without looking like a drag queen, that is. I also did my own makeup for my senior commencement ball, which I consider to be the apex of my glam-makeup skills:

Personal photo with the lovely BM E and BM B

Now all I need to do is pick a plan of attack and make it all happen, I suppose. No biggie.

Did you have a makeup conundrum? How did you end up sorting it all out?

Tags: makeup, pittsburgh |

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26 Responses to “Lana Turner Had It Right”

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Member

Miss Smashville (message) 247 posts, Helper bee

One of my girlfriends is actually doing mine. She works at Sephora and always looks fantastic. This way, we get to “play makeup” several times before the wedding. She is also making me beautiful for my boudoir shoot in June & she did it for my e-shoot this past weekend.

4/25/11 @ 4:37 pm (reply)

Member

missbiscuit (message) 1,050 posts, Bumble bee

If you DO got the youtube route I’d HIGHLY recommend these gals: http://www.youtube.com/user/pixiwoo

4/25/11 @ 4:38 pm (reply)

Member

lmc183 (message) 288 posts, Helper bee

I have the same problem. The nearest mall is 2+ hours away so that option is definately out. I don’t feel confident enough in my abilities to do it myself. I especially such at eye makeup, and that’s one of the biggest makeup aspects on the big day!!! I’m hoping I can find someone around town who can do makeup much better than I can!

4/25/11 @ 4:41 pm (reply)

Guest

Sam

I sort of did option B! I just went to the MAC counter and told one of the girls that I needed a good foundation for my wedding and I wanted to learn how to do pretty eye make-up for my wedding as well! I was pretty comfortable with everything else that I already owned, make-up wise. So I just bought the items for eyes and foundation. She was super helpful with finding me the right colors and explaining how to apply everything. And I now wear my wedding eye makeup (toned down of course) almost every day! Highly recommend this option! Just give yourself a few weeks before the wedding to practice!

4/25/11 @ 4:47 pm (reply)

Member

miss bloom (message) 280 posts, Helper bee

I’m thinking of getting airbrushed foundation and doing my eyes myself (because I’m really picky).

Ps- I def wore that prom dress in hot pink to my jr prom!

4/25/11 @ 4:49 pm (reply)

Member

peachplum09 (message) 650 posts, Busy bee

If you go the diy route, be sure to check out http://www.makeupgeek.com/ Marlena has the best tutorials and advice on makeup!

4/25/11 @ 4:52 pm (reply)

Member

Lo (message) 538 posts, Busy bee

I am having a make up artist travel to my mom’s house to do my make up and all of my bridesmaids. The costs was similar to getting it done in a salon and they come to me so I can enjoy my mimosa while getting ready.

4/25/11 @ 5:13 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Pain au Chocolat (message) 1,698 posts, Bumble bee

MUA - all the way. I am all thumbs when it comes to hair and advanced make-up.

4/25/11 @ 5:47 pm (reply)

Member

Nickers2 (message) 34 posts, Newbee

I second makeupgeek.com! Her YouTube channel is full of great tutorials and reviews!

Also, Beauty Broadcast on YouTube helped me a TON with my DIY make up. She works with a mixture of low end & high end stuff, but definitely focuses on cosmetics that you can purchase at the drug store. Definitely check her out!! She’s got a TON of videos with great tutorials!

4/25/11 @ 5:51 pm (reply)

10.

Guest

elaine

You should go to the one of the counters and ask if any of the girls do freelance in addition to working in-store. They may be willing to come to you, especially if any of your b-maids or family members want their make up done also. It’s worth asking!

4/25/11 @ 6:49 pm (reply)

11.

Member

running.rachel (message) 24 posts, Newbee

I am in the same boat. I actually did try the local salon for my makeup, and I feel terrible because I hated how it looked. I smiled and told her that I loved it, went home and washed my face and started over. I am pretty good at doing my own makeup, but I too wanted to the professional touch. I am still not sure what I am going to do.

4/25/11 @ 7:23 pm (reply)

12.

Guest

Miss Gerbil

Hey miss snowcone..do not worry so much about the makeup..if you are very concerned try going on youtube and type “wedding/bridal makeup” in the search bar…there are 100’s if not 1,000’s of makeup guru’s that show you amazing step-by-step makeup tutorials. Good luck!

4/25/11 @ 7:48 pm (reply)

13.

Bee

Miss Pony (message) 4,180 posts, Honey bee

I’m leaving it to someone else. I can’t figure out my proper foundation, let alone apply my makeup adequately, so I’m forking over the cash to do it myself. My MOH did hers for her wedding though and it looked great!

4/25/11 @ 8:03 pm (reply)

14.

Bee

Miss Seal (message) 1,179 posts, Bumble bee

I’m getting an MUA—I just can’t trust myself! Plus, if the budget allows…why not get pampered on your big day?!

4/25/11 @ 11:12 pm (reply)

15.

Member

blueroses (message) 179 posts, Blushing bee

I vote Option B! My wedding day isn’t til December, so I have time to think about it, but I think I’ll be going the Option B route. I had my makeup done for proms and a few weddings that I was in, but I normally don’t like how it looks!
I wear makeup everyday but it’s pretty basic and pretty natural looking. I certainly want it to look flawless, but I feel like I can do a good job on my own…and if I need help, I have a few talented bridesmaids.

4/25/11 @ 11:33 pm (reply)

16.

Bee

Miss Tartlet (message) 3,207 posts, Sugar bee

The makeup you did yourself looks awesome! I knew I had to go the MUA route because I have such limited experience with applying makeup. I *just* learned recently the wonder of finishing powder.

4/25/11 @ 11:53 pm (reply)

17.

Bee

Miss Cotton Candy (message) 436 posts, Helper bee

I resisted the makeup artist until my mom pointed out that I go makeup less about 80 percent of the time!

4/25/11 @ 11:54 pm (reply)

18.

Guest

Lauren

I’m SO confused on this right now myself! I’m at that point where if I’m going to hire a make up artist, I’ve got to book them now. And yet…I’m not. I’m so scared I’m not going to look like myself…and at the same time I’m scared because I’m getting married at on a July afternoon and have visions of sweat and make up smearing my dress. Something that doesn’t sound like a huge dilemma to my fiance…but it is!

4/26/11 @ 12:28 am (reply)

19.

Member

LittlestBirds (message) 2,626 posts, Sugar bee

Oh goodness, where is option D, a real wedding makeup artist who will come onsite and take her time to make sure you look your absolute best? DON’T judge all makeup artists by what you can find at a department store, they are trained, but that doesn’t make them makeup professionals! I had department store makeup for many dances in high school, and it was fun, but it was worth what I paid for it (zilch). A real pro wedding makeup artist with wedding experience who will have no problem driving 25 miles out to your getting-ready site will have you looking more fabulous than you ever knew. Worth a try.

4/26/11 @ 1:03 am (reply)

20.

Bee

Miss Snow Cone (message) 1,026 posts, Bumble bee

@Miss Smashville: ooo lucky you! I’m sure that will turn out wonderfully, and you’ll have a nice memory with your friend.
@missbiscuit: @peachplum09: @Nickers2: thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for the tutorial recommendations! I’ll definitely have to check those out.
@lmc183: my best suggestion is to ask some people who got married in your city in the past, if you know any… I’ve gotten a lot of ideas and vendors from previous brides that way.
@Sam: that sounds manageable! I will definitely consider doing just that.
@miss bloom: then you have AMAZING taste in prom dresses, my friend
@elaine: that’s an interesting idea… one I’ve never thought of! Thanks!
@Miss Pony: @Miss Seal: @Miss Tartlet: @Miss Cotton Candy: very, very jealous of your MUAs, m’ladies.
@LittlestBirds: all my research has come up empty, so hopefully something will come through for me soon!
@blueroses: I totally agree. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it works out for you!
@Miss Gerbil: I love seeing the confidence you have in youtube… gives me hope this will all work out!@Lauren: I got a recommendation for a product that’s designed to fight that issue that I’m eager to purchase and try… if it works out, I’ll definitely let you know!!