Makeup and Your Wedding Day
by Cathy Crispo - Makeup by CC

Your wedding day is probably going to be one of the most memorable days of your life, and rightly so, you want to be unforgettably beautiful! So how exactly does a bride-to-be go about achieving that "bridal glow"? Well, there are a couple of things you need to do: preparing your skin for your wedding day and selecting a makeup artist that is right for you.

Caring for your skin
Unfortunately, many women wait until they are only a few months away from their wedding day before they even begin to give any thought to skin care. What you should be doing, is starting early and taking care of your skin now. To do this, you must first determine your skin type, which will help you to establish a proper skin care regimen. This combined with good eating habits, drinking lots of water and regular exercise will ensure that you will be radiant on your big day.

As for a skin care, once having determined your skin type, you should establish a daily and possibly a bi-weekly or monthly ritual. On a daily basis, you need to cleanse, tone and moisturize. On a biweekly or monthly basis, you need to give yourself a full facial in the following steps; cleanse, tone, exfoliate, apply a mask, and moisturize.

Why a Makeup Artist?
For many brides-to-be, makeup is often an area of "the unknown". There are those that wear makeup daily, some that wear makeup occasionally and then the group of women that just don't know what to do with makeup! Some of the questions that race through the mind of a bride-to-be are: What colours should I wear? How much makeup do I really need? How do I even put this on and where does it go? Sound familiar? This is why it is essential to enlist the services of not just any makeup artist, but a good one who will help you to achieve that unforgettable look you are aiming for.

So how can you tell the difference between a good makeup artist and a not so good one? Ask lots of questions! A good makeup artist should be trained in bridal makeup, which includes makeup for photography (both colour and black and white) and videography. Don't be afraid to ask your makeup artist for references or where they trained and what types of projects they've worked on. Ask about cleanliness. You want an artist who not only has a clean and neat appearance, but one who cleanses their hands, brushes and tools between clients. Furthermore, you want a fresh sponge and a clean mascara wand just for you. As important as hygiene might be, so is the skill of listening. A good makeup artist will sit down with you to discuss your wants and needs, likes and dislikes of makeup. When you finally get to the trial part of your appointment, all that "listening" should be put to good use and you'll know if your makeup artist was actually listening to you. If they were, you will find that they will work with you and not on you taking into consideration all that was discussed and help you to achieve the look you want. Finally, your makeup artist should have answered your questions about what colours are right for you, how much makeup you really need and how you would go about applying your own makeup.

Of course, there's always one very good reason in hiring a makeup artist and that's just simply because it always feels so nice to be queen for a day!