HelpfulInformation
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Introduction
Trial - preparation
Tips for wedding party members
Introduction
I wanted to start this information pack with a little bit about me so you can get to know me before we meet at the trial (Eek! Exciting times!)
I started my journey into bridal makeup & hair in 2015 when I left college and started working in a beauty salon as a receptionist. Through this job, I met lots of extremely talented people in the industry and wanted to start doing makeup in order to teach people how to do their own makeup.
This lead me to doing numerous courses and earning certifications with The Guild of Beauty Therapists. Through this, I started assisting experienced makeup artists with their weddings and other bookings and built up my knowledge from there.
All of my latest work is on my Instagram and I keep my website portfolio topped up with professional photographs as much as I can.
Since going vegan in 2017, my makeup kit is made up of 100% vegan and cruelty free products. My hair kit is mostly vegan and cruelty free however, there are some products I have not been able to replace due to quality but they are still from cruelty free brands. I'm constantly on the look out for vegan brands so I'm hoping this will change in the near future. If this is a concern, please do let me know during the trial and I will avoid using those products.
trial Preparation
Not everyone knows exactly what they want for their wedding hair & makeup on their wedding day, and that's ok with me! I have a huge passion for working alongside people to create the look of their dreams.
Pinterest is your friend
One of the best ways to find what you're looking for is to search on Pinterest. Key and descriptive words will bring up a multitude of results. Even words about your dress can bring up results for hair and makeup ideas!
The key is the type words that represent you. Specify your style or overall wedding style like 'boho', 'modern' or 'rustic'.
Specify your skin colour, undertones, face shape and eye shape.
Once you have a few ideas pinned to a board, you can go through them and share it with your close friends and get their ideas about it too (if you want their opinion, of course!)
On the day of your trial, we'll go through and discuss elements that you like or don't like about the pictures and create a look that's perfect for you.
Skin & hair prep
As well as knowing what sort of look you're after before the trial, it's really helpful to try and make sure your skin and hair are in the best condition possible before the trial too. Here are a few bits of advise before the trial.
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Spend a good week making sure you're doing a daily skincare routine of at least cleanser, toner and moisturiser twice daily. If you don't have a routine currently, it's not a good idea to start one now. We'll asses your skin on the trial and I'll be able to advise if it might be necessary depending on how much time there if before the wedding.
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Set an alarm on your phone to remind you to drink a full glass of water at least every 2 hours! Keeping hydrated is hugely important for plump looking skin.
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Avoid doing anything that will potentially irritate your skin within 24-48 hours of the trial like a face mask or a night of heavy drinking. Toxins from inside the body generally come out in spots or dryness on the face in the day(s) following this.
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If you're a daily hair washer, try to leave as long as possible between your last hair wash before the trial. Hair that's too clean can be difficult to style and pin but too dirty and it can be irritable for your scalp with the mix of natural oils and product in your hair. You know your hair well enough by now to know what's the best thing for you!
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When you do wash your hair, avoid conditioner or any serums that smooth hair as they can be heavy and any curls can drop quickly - however, we completely understand some hair types cannot go without conditioner!
trial
We will have already agreed a time and place for the trial and I will let you know when I'm on my way if coming to you.
Payment for the trial is £160 of the total balance of the invoice and due the day before via bank transfer unless agreed otherwise prior to the trial date.
You might like to have another person at the trial to seek advice and guidance. This is absolutely fine but I'd recommend only 1-2 people as it can be overwhelming to have many opinions going on at once.
Once I arrive, we'll discuss ideas, any known allergies, your skin type, your dress style (this often helps with deciding up or down dos if you're undecided) and anything else you might want to let me know before we start. Once we've done the first hair look, we will have time for 2 more if you want to see other styles. If not, we'll move to makeup.
With the makeup, I always start with a look that can be built up. We'll take pictures too so you can see the makeup at different stages and decide how you feel as the time goes on. It also means I don't need to take everything off and start from scratch - if anything, this is more to save your skin than to save time!
If you have a lip colour in mind, it's best to bring it along with you so we can use it in the trial and see how it all fits together. You're more than welcome to buy a lipstick for the day but if you decide to go with something from my kit, I'll make up a pot for you to take with you so you can top up throughout the day.
Tips
for wedding party
members
This section is for members of your wedding party so they can share some responsibilities so you can have the most relaxing morning possible. It's all about delegation!
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Someone to organise a wedding morning playlist and bring Bluetooth speakers
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Someone to arrange food and drinks if not provided by the venue
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Someone to be in charge of the schedule to make sure people are around for their hair and makeup time slot (this is super helpful for myself and assistants as there can sometimes be so many people it's hard to remember everyone's names!)
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Someone to set a phone alarm for everyone to start getting dressed. This is usually about 45 minutes before the car arrives or you are being collected by the events manager at the venue.
Tips
for you
This section is for you to have a checklist for the week of and morning of your wedding. We're on the home stretch!
The Week of
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Avoid changing your skincare routine too much (if at all)
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If doing any beauty treatments like a facial, make sure this is at least 72 hours before your wedding day
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Keep up that hydration game, girl!
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Avoid heavy drinking sessions (sorry, someone has to be the party pooper!)
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Try and get plenty of sleep - put your phone down, go to bed early, read a book and have some proper relaxation time. Good sleep = good skin. Sometimes circumstances don't allow for this so don't beat yourself if you can't allocate that chill time!
The Morning of
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Drink plenty of water - if that water comes in the form of Prosecco that's absolutely fine, but maybe have a glass of the still stuff in between each one?
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Eat! Your wedding party should have this sorted so make sure to help yourself.
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Remember that everything is under control. Delegation is key and you should have nothing to have to do apart from enjoy it!
Your wedding day
What to expect from me...
About a week before the wedding day, (or earlier if specified) I will send a detailed schedule of call times for the whole bridal party. We allocate 45 minutes per service and an hour for the bride per service. This is an example of how we put a schedule together.
Arrive time: 08:00 | Finish time: 12:15 | Bride leave by 12:45
Venue address: Pelham House, Lewes
Lead MUA: Zoe | Assistant MUA: Harleigh
Bridesmaid hair x 4 | Bridesmaid makeup x 4 | Bride hair & makeup
Zoe // Harleigh
08:00 BM* 1 Hair // BM 2 Hair
08:45 BM 3 Hair // BM 4 Hair
09:30 BM 1 Makeup // BM 2 Makeup
10:15 Bride hair // BM 3 Makeup
11:00 // BM 4 Makeup
11:15 Bride makeup //
11:45 Hair & makeup touch ups
12:15 Pack up & finish
*BM = bridesmaid
Please share the schedule with your bridal party members before the wedding day. If they are arriving at the venue at different times, you may want to name them on the schedule before the day so they know when to arrive.
Please advise them to arrive 15 minutes before their call time.