Makeup trial

I've had professional makeup done 3 times, without a trial.


I didn't like my look as a bridesmaid, but everyone was raving over it.
My engagement photo makeup was ok, but I didn't like the hair at all.
I got SUPER lucky for my wedding makeup and hair.
If you're skipping a trial, make sure you're specific and have photos of models have similar features as you

They are not necessary, but definitely recommended. I did not do a makeup trial, but I hired a makeup artist based on a recommendation of a close friend with a similar skin tone who had used this MUA several times and looked FLAWLESS every time. I also reviewed her gallery of other photos and sent her inspirational photos and information about what I was looking for. In response, she sent me photos of makeup she had done that matched my inspiration pictures, and we spoke about 2 weeks before my wedding in detail about my expectations. She knocked it out of the park!

View Quoted Comment Honestly, I want a super natural face because like I said, I don’t like makeup. I want to look like my skin with lashes! I don’t think that should be too hard and I should be able to skip 😫

It's not an absolute must, but if you don't do makeup often and plan to for your wedding, I would advise doing a trial. You don't want your wedding day to come and the makeup artist does heavy makeup that you don't like. With the trial, it's much easier for the makeup artist to adjust and readjust to the look you want so you know what to expect on your wedding day.

Like others said, if you don’t wear makeup often i’d absolutely suggest a makeup trail. I’m not doing one, because my makeup artist has done my makeup for multiple events! With that said, I had another artist come highly recommend from a friend and her portfolio was amazing. I used her for an event and HATED my makeup. She is very talented, but it did not look natural on me and ended up getting really “cakie” throughout the night. Always a good idea to do a test run!

In order to make sure you and the makeup artist are both on the same page, a trial is a must. Many posts here have had makeup trials where was something they didn't like. Communication is very important to make sure you are happy at the end of the trial, and you don't want to be surprised on the day of the wedding with a look you don't want.

Absolutely have a trial! You don’t want to have make up and hair done the day of and be stuck not liking it or it not fitting your style

I personally think makeup trials are a must! They give your makeup artist the opportunity to figure out what you like and don't like, and what works well with your skin. I rarely wear makeup and I wanted a more natural look, so the trial was super important in making sure that my makeup artist understood my vision and for figuring out which products worked with my skin.

I think a makeup trial is very important especially for someone who doesn't wear a lot of makeup. You will be able to judge if the makeup artist is able to give you the look you want or if tweaks need to be able. I know I had a trial and asked them to tweak my makeup just a bit because I realized I wasn't 100% on my makeup from my trial.

In addition to what others have said, you also never know if you’ll be allergic to any of the makeup. Finding out on your wedding day would be awful.

Like you, I never wear makeup and I wanted a natural look. I did a trial, and I'm glad I did. During my trial, we tried out different options to get to what I saw as natural but elevated. Her initial attempt at my explanation was still too glam for my tastes, so it took a bit of time for us to nail what I liked. Natural still means different things to different people, so I personally think it's better to have the gameplan going in rather than playing it by ear the day of. Trials aren't necessary, but I personally liked having 1. I skipped the hair trial though because my makeup/hair stylist was the stylist I've been going to for years for my hair, so I knew she could nail that look for hair.

View Quoted Comment Okay! Thanks for the feedback everyone! Should I book them for my bridal party first or do the makeup trial and determine afterwards?

View Quoted Comment

I would 100% book a trial for yourself just so you can see how that MUA does, especially since you mentioned you don't wear makeup often.

I would do a trial first, then decide whether to book them or not based on your experience at your trial!

View Quoted Comment I booked them first.

No it's not. I've had my make-up done without a trial and was satisfied

I’m like you - I only wear eye makeup and do my eyebrows. My friend treated me to a trial and it went terrible. The salon had such great reviews and I came out looking aged and with makeup that didn’t suit my face or style. It was a huge waste of money.
On the bright side, I came out of it with a photo of me of what I absolutely dont want and also of a trial of airbrush makeup, which I actually liked. So I found a new MUA, decided to skip the trial, as I don’t want to pay so much money on makeup. We will see whether it pays off in March 🤞

Personally I would recommend it but that’s just my two cents. I noted some MUAs include a trial in their pricing if you book them.


I didn’t do a trial for my engagement photos and really ended up despising my makeup, for one thing my foundation was a a few shades darker and I had to ask the photographer to edit that in our final photos. And there were few other things that bothered me as well, the lashes used, my eyebrows etc, nothing major but ehh. None the less I wish I had done a trial or done my research when picking someone to do my makeup for my engagement photos.
For my wedding I am definitely doing a trial with my MUA to make sure we nail down the exact makeup look I want. I am a little picky and type A so that’s why a trial is even more important to me.
I do agree some artists have different styles and may interpret “natural” differently, so a trial can be even more crucial.
You may be okay foregoing it if you have picked a good MUA and have found they have done other natural or similar looks you have loved, definitely check out their galleries.