How did you vet your hair and makeup artists?

I read reviews, looked at their social media, and did a trial. Luckily, I really like the first girl I met. But a trial is a must, in my opinion.

I’d suggest narrowing your search down to two or three favorites before you do any trial runs. One of the best ways I’ve found that help narrow down who is worth the time and money is by reaching out to the salons and artists and just talking to them about your plans. Some of the more established places can be rather rude and rushed. Those places I choose to stay away from because I prefer to have a better relationship with the stylists and companies. Good luck!

I found the ones in the price range I could afford that had great reviews and whose photos on social media I liked. Ultimately went with the only one who could get everything done in the amount of time we have (can't get into the venue until 10am and since it has a super nice ready-room I didn't want to deal with trying to figure out where else we could get ready at).

I read reviews, looked at photos and viewed their social media if they had any, compared prices as well. I went with who I chose because they have been in the business for years, and have a lot of reviews that are positive! I know a few people that had them for their wedding, and they did an amazing job, plus they're well within my budget, and close to our venue, so I won't have to worry about them getting there on time.

Thank you all! It's really great to hear how you all have gone about this. It's weird. I feel like it was very easy to select other vendors since I either love their work/style and they are available within right price range or they don't, but with make-up /hair.. Everyone looks like they'd be good at the job lol

I absolutely would not have picked one without a trial. Makeup is one of my hobbies so I had certain comments/questions that would tell me whether I'd like the person's abilities or not, but nothing is going to replace having them actually work on your face and see how their work performs over the course of a day. Even if they're the best makeup artist ever, if they've never worked with my skin type or my eye shape or whatever, then they might not be able to get the results I want, you know?

View Quoted Comment Thanks Rosie! That makes sense and completely agree on the trial part.. Would you mind sharing what types of questions /Comments help to inform a person's ability? Makeup isn't my forte so would love to know if there is anything else besides how long have you done x.

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You're welcome! I'm not sure how helpful they will be as they were specific to my personal favourite brands and things I know work/don't work for my face, but I'll give a few examples!

The first thing makeup artists want to do when they see that I have blue eyes, is use bronze eyeshadow. Whenever I've been in a wedding as a bridesmaid, they gravitate straight towards it. And to be honest it looks awful on me, so I always ask what they'd choose. I look much better in softer peaches or cool browns than bronzes, so if their first thought is that, I know we are likely to have a similar vision.

They also always seem to want to line my lower lash line, but I know that doesn't work on me and my eyes look much smaller when they do that. If they're insisting on that, then again, I know the look I'm going to end up with isn't what I'd want it to look like on me.

I also ask what foundation they like - I've tried at least 30 different brands and I know which ones last on my skin and what their performance is like over a 16 hour day or even longer, so if they suggest one of my favourites for photo-ready coverage (estee lauder double wear is the most common one that makeup artists would be likely to have) then I know they have an idea of what they're talking about.

I also ask about setting spray. If they ask what I'm talking about or they don't use one I know we aren't on the same page about how long I'm expecting my face to hold up.

I think the real thing is, that they are listening to what you are telling them, that you have a similar vision with respect to how you will look on the day (make sure to bring pictures!) and the level of coverage you're comfortable with. Don't be bullied into heavy coverage if that's not you, because it's your wedding day. See what words they use to describe their style and make sure it fits with what you want to look like on the day! So, if you want a natural, glowy, no-makeup look, look for artists who specialize in that. if you want heavier more dramatic makeup then look for words like 'picture-perfect' 'immaculate' 'contour' or 'instagram' which imply much heavier application.
But mostly just enjoy it! Makeup is so much fun

View Quoted Comment This is great. Thank you for the insight. I would never have thought of them on my own lol