Welcome back to a new blogpost from the series “Advice for couples”. Today my special guest supplier is Sasha Brown Makeup Artist who will share with us her top tips on finding and booking your wedding Makeup artist. She will offer practical ideas to help with:
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- where to look for a professional makeup artist
- how you know when you have found the right makeup artist for you
- is a makeup trial necessary
- how to prepare for the day
Sasha often works across the Three Counties (Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire) and the West Midlands. She has also been invited to travel to popular wedding locations all over the UK, Ibiza and Malta. With a passion for enhancing the natural beauty of her clients, Sasha uses her experience and creativity to this purpose. Luxury products from quality brands like Charlotte Tilbury, Estée Lauder, and Laura Mercier are amongst her absolute favourites!
Hi Sasha, thank you very much for accepting my invitation to share the best ways to go about booking a makeup artist for your wedding! Before that though, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? 
“My love for beauty started at 14, when I was wearing a little makeup and looking at my mum applying her Chanel lipsticks! I often used to ask if I could borrow some of her makeup; then they just happened to hop across the landing from time to time! We still laugh about this now I’m 30 and she is 60.
I enrolled on a beauty therapy course before sitting my GCSE’s. This started off my love for products, skincare and well being. Having always loved and been fascinated by how it makes us feel and boosts our confidence, I went on to work on board the cruise ships providing luxury electrical facials. Later on I also worked in Spas and salons in the UK and in Malta and Ibiza providing massage, body painting and facials.
I now feel so lucky to still be able to provide a service that is so rewarding for a bride on her most special day of all!”
Dear Sasha, here are a few questions from the perspective of a bride to be.
Should I wear makeup on my wedding day, if I don’t usually wear any?
“Yes, absolutely and I recommend booking a professional wedding makeup artist to do the job. A good makeup artist can achieve a subtle makeup with a very natural look and feel. The difference is, it will last all day and night when applied by a professional. As makeup artists we know the right colours and tones for your complexion, eyes and colouring. This will show beautifully on camera and those pictures you will be looking at for a lifetime. You will feel complete with a bridal gown on when hair and makeup are professionally done.”
When should I start looking to book a makeup artist for my wedding?
“I would suggest not leaving it later than 12 months before your wedding. I book up 12-18 months ahead for high season May-October.”
How do I find a great makeup artist I can trust?
“I can certainly say that research and personal recommendations are your best options. Asking your venue and photographer are good options too. There are two signs that you have found a professional makeup artist:
- you can see on their website/social media pages a clear and consistent style of makeup
- they have a clean, professional well-lit photography and portfolio.”
How do I know I have found the right makeup artist for me?
“Here is the best advice I can give brides to be: the most important thing is to feel that the other brides’ makeup that you see in their galleries is what you really like. If you want to feel as good as they look and feel, it’s a sign you may have found your makeup artist! Another thing you can do is to read their online reviews. Lastly, if you also get personal recommendations of this supplier, you will be absolutely safe to book this makeup artist for your wedding.”
Is a trial necessary?
“Yes very much so. Having your makeup done is a very personal service and I always like to feel reassured that the bride has confidence in me. My desire is to make her feel her most beautiful on her very special day.
In some cases, people have sensitive skin too. The makeup trial is important so not to have a reaction to any products on the actual wedding day. Some brides even have two trials: one when they first come across my work and then one closer to the wedding. My kit has a wide variety of products, from designer brands to vegan and cruelty free brands too. I have it covered!”
Do you expect the bride to have a clear idea of her desired makeup look?
“I always advise brides to bring along inspiration photos of what makeup they like. Some clients have a good idea of what look they would want to go for. Other clients do not and trust me to create an appropriate look suitable for them.
This is done after a consultation on skin tone and colours that would enhance their colouring. There is no ‘must do’ look, it is a choice based completely on the individual features of each bride. I give makeup advice and direction to all my brides to be on what texture, coverage and colours would suit them best. My aim is to enhance the natural features of my clients, bringing their best features to life beautifully.”
I understand it is important that the makeup artist and hair stylist work together well, to best manage the time on the morning. I am guessing I would be safe to go with somebody they recommend rather than booking them separately?
“Firstly I would recommend looking at the venue’s recommendation. What also works well are personal recommendations from local salons and bridesmaids or family members that have used a local supplier. Instagram is always very good for the area too and checking for hashtags of the venue. Once you have chosen your hair stylist, we will share with them the morning’s schedule as well. Booking both a professional makeup artist and a professional hair stylist for your wedding is important; they will be key in managing your very precious time on the morning.”
Would my makeup need re-touching throughout the day? How does it work when I may not have the same products that the makeup artist used?
“To top up I would suggest a compact powder, Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush flawless compact powder. For a very oily skin I recommend Laura Mercia Translucent / medium Loose powder. For lips I always give the lipstick in a pot in the top up bag with concealer too, to all my brides. That’s all you will need for the duration of the day and night.”
A question from the point of view of the photographer: Tips on how not to be late for church and to have time for everything on the morning without any rush? I am thinking here about 1-2 bride portraits by the photographer and a few enjoyable moments with the parents and bridesmaids before the bride walks down the aisle to say Yes to the love of her life.
“I always try to suggest have a schedule on the morning, plan time for everything you’d like to do. You want to have time for the photographer when in the dress, seeing dad or mum or best friend, these moments don’t happen again! Nobody wants a huge rush, and this does happen if the bride hasn’t made a general plan or gives herself too many jobs. Delegating to somebody the job of keeping an eye on the time would be beneficial. Once you have planned it all, your job on the day, as a bride, is to enjoy every minute of it!”
Best makeup advice for brides to be in the run up to their wedding?
“It is very important to have a regular age appropriate skincare routine. Morning and evening are key and to keep it going! Start from 12 months before the wedding ideally, or 6 months if you haven’t started already. A good skincare routine will serve you well. These are some of the secrets that will help your makeup last all day and look the best it can do.”
Is there a final thought you would like to share with brides to be reading this blogpost?
“Firstly, preparing and being organised is a very good idea! Secondly, making sure you don’t leave big tasks to the wedding morning. And thirdly, relax and allow the professionals to guide you. Don’t be scared to ask the suppliers at your trials for any advice on timings and preparation.”
Thank you very much, Sasha, for your valuable contribution and guidance in today’s blogpost!
Note: Apart from Sasha’s portraits that I took on a separate occasion, the other photos above are from a real wedding that me and Sasha worked together at, alongside:
The previous (and first!) blogpost of this series was “Where to start on your wedding dress journey” with the bridal designer Stephanie Kyles.
To read all blogposts from the “Advice for couples”series, click here.
As the bride in these photos I would say you can’t wrong if you book both Cat and Sasha (and Hair Comes the Bride). All were brilliant and they made me feel the very best me. Thank you so much.
Dear Laura, it’s so lovely of you to say this! You were an absolute dream to work with. We have all been so lucky to have you as our bride and our couple! I hope you are well and I am sending you a massive hug from Herefordshire 🙂
I would like to invite Hair comes the Bride to do a similar post with me, and your photos will find their way into that blogpost as well. I appreciate both Sasha and the “Hair comes the bride” team for their high quality work!