Don't Be A Victim - Bridal Make-up Gone Wrong

Your face should look better after applying make-up and you should feel better about yourself.

Unfortunately, this was not the case for the bride or myself when a make-up artist did our faces for her wedding in 2006.

The make-up artist set up her station in a room with poor natural lighting; and I kept wondering what had possessed her to do that.  She wasn't even close to a window; and I had seen better lit areas that could have been used.  Even I knew that good lighting was one of the keys to creating gorgeous make-up; and I realised just how important it was thanks to this experience.

It was no surprise to me that the shade used was too dark, the make-up was applied too heavily and the bride and I looked like golliwogs.  Below is an accurate depiction of how our make-up looked:

We were so disappointed and upset; especially after seeing the beautiful make-up of the other bridesmaids and the maid of honour.  They all had lighter skin tones and so did the make-up artist; she clearly lacked experience in applying make-up to dark skin tones.  The bridesmaids and maid of honour tried to console us as they quickly realised how awful we looked compared to them.

Luckily for me I had brought my Iman Cream to Powder Foundation and Luxury Pressed Powder just in case; and luckily for the bride I knew what to do to fix her face.

Without wasting any time; I wiped off the excess make-up with tissue.  I then used my foundation and powder to give our faces a more natural look.  I am happy to say that the Iman products were a perfect match.

We all high-fived each other as we rushed to get dressed.  Thankfully everyone was now equally gorgeous and the bride was a show-stopper.

The bride thanked me so much for saving the day; her moment in time had almost been ruined.  Can you imagine how horrible it would have been for her if that mess had been captured forever in the minds of her guests, in the wedding video and in the wedding photos?

This should never have happened; not for such a momentous occasion.

Make-up artists we have a huge responsibility resting on our shoulders to ensure our clients look their best -  let's not take it lightly.

"...because your make-up should always BE (Blend and Enhance)." - Nakita Squires

ERROR - That Is Not The Correct Shade For This Client (Part 2)

Click here for Part 1

I took a deep breath and put my doubts aside.  I left home without wearing any make-up  because your natural skin tone must be visible, and went to the make-up store hoping that this time would be different.  

Here is a summary of my experience:

It started off on a good note.  I was greeted well and made to feel at ease but then everything went downhill... fast.  

Error #1 

 She did not ask about my skin type (normal, dry, oily or combination skin). 

Tip #1 

 Some types of foundations (liquid,powder,cream) work better with a particular skin type.

Error #2

 She did not ask what conditions I would wear the foundation in. 

Tip #2 

 Air conditioning dries out your skin and being outdoors may cause you to perspire more than usual. These factors affect how your foundation will look during the course of your day.

Error #3 

She did not ask which type of foundation I preferred. 

Tip #3 

Some persons may prefer a particular type of foundation i.e. cream, liquid or powder.  

Error #4 

My face was not cleansed with a facial wipe/toner, nor moisturised, nor primed.

Tip #4 

Make-up should only be applied to clean, moisturised skin;  while on my way to the store my face would have been exposed to dust/dirt in the atmosphere.  

For persons who want to minimize the appearance of lines and wrinkles, using foundation primer is critical.

Error #5 

 The foundation was not tested on my jawline. 

It was applied from my temple and went as far as quarter-way down my neck. 

Tip #5 

Foundation must match your face and your neck.  

You should not see where it starts nor ends.  

The jawline is the perfect area for determining  if the shade matches your skin tone.

Error #6

She was double dipping i.e repeatedly dipping the brush in the product after applying it to my skin.  

Tip #6

After double dipping the product must be sanitised before using it on the next client to prevent the spread of infections/germs. She simply replaced the cover on the container and returned it to the product table with the other testers.

Error #7

 I was not invited to go outside to view the result in natural light. 

 The shade used looked too light to me but I decided to go outside to be certain.

Tip #7

 It is surprising how different your make-up looks in natural lighting vs artificial light.  

Make-up viewed in artificial light can be very deceptive.

I asked for a mirror and went outside to view the result.  What would I find when I got there?

To be continued... Click here for Part 3

"...because your make-up should always BE (Blend and Enhance)." - Nakita Squires