What to Look For When Hiring A Makeup Artist

They say a picture speaks 1000 words. What will your wedding photos say to you? Here are some tips that you should look for when hiring a makeup artist.

Portfolio/Website:

One of the first things you want to do is check out the artists' portfolio and website to see if their makeup aesthetic is what you are going after.  If you want natural makeup and all you see are photos with heavy contouring, dark smokey eyes and highlighter on the tips of the nose, maybe this particular artist isn’t the right fit for you. Look for an artist that can do different skin tones, facial features and ethnicities if you have a bridal party that comes from different backgrounds. Don’t get their makeup aesthetic mixed up with the photographers editing style.

Reviews:

You’ll want to read reviews from their past brides to see how happy or unsatisfied they were from all sources. I know as a Yelp Business owner, they like to HIDE reviews! Yes, you read that correctly, YELP hides reviews, so make sure you check out their reviews on Google, Wedding Wire, The Knot and any other sources. When reading their reviews, look to see if they are current. If the last review was from a year ago, that is a red flag that they might have decided to put a pause on being a makeup artist. 

Referrals:

The best place to look for an artist is from referrals from your wedding planner, photographer or friends. These two vendors have worked closely with a makeup artist and will know if they keep to their timeline which is so important. Photographers especially will know if a makeup artist is on time with their schedule since they are always on location taking the brides getting ready photos and first looks.

Licences & Insurance:

The State of Washington requires you to have a Cosmetology License or an Esthetician License to apply any type of skincare on the skin as well as a Personal Service License to work on location at any venue. Some venues also require you to have proof of insurance before they will not allow you to step foot into their establishment to do any kind of makeup. A Business License is required to run a legitimate business otherwise the artist you are hiring might be doing this as a hobby or side hustle and not taking your safety as a priority. 

These not so glamourous factors play an important role when hiring your artist because you have to think about the What Ifs, such as, What If this artist stained a 60year old vintage wood table with their products? What If this artist poked someone’s eye with eyeliner? What If this artist spread a disease? (which brings me to my next point, Sanitation & Their Makeup Kit) If you don’t know if your artist has all of their business licenses or insurance, you can always ask to see proof from them or you can look them up on the State of Washington Business Licensing website.

Sanitation & Makeup Kit:

Makeup artists work with skin and the skin has oils and pores. Being sanitary means Never, Ever putting the makeup brush directly in any cream or wet products, using the mascara wand out of the mascara tube on anyone, using the lipstick or lipgloss wand directly on the lips or reusing a makeup brush on another person’s face, then “double-dipping” the brush in makeup products.   Make sure the artist is using a palette and palette knife to scrape out some of the makeup product before applying it on your face. Diseases and germs can spread from one person onto the next person and the next thing you know, you have pink eye! 

Look at the artists’ makeup kit and setup. Does it look like broken eyeshadow and dirty brushes all over the place or does it look clean? Are used dirty brushes separate from the clean makeup brushes? Do they have enough clean makeup brushes to use on a large wedding party? Do they have disposables- Q-tips, cotton pads, mascara wands, paper towels- to use on you? Are items labeled? A well organized makeup artist will take pride in how their makeup kit is set up and presented.

Talk To Them:

We live in a digital age and it can be a little scary hiring someone you have never met or even talked to. Schedule a phone call and talk to the artist that pretty much sets the mood on your wedding day. If they are disorganized and stressed out, you will also be stressed out. No one wants that on their wedding day. There’s something about talking to a real human that reassures you and to see if you are a good fit. Sometimes you will love their work, but your personalities don’t mesh and that’s totally OK. You want your morning to be stress free and fun and if you have someone there that is like a rock in your shoe, that’s what you’ll remember on the morning of your wedding.

I hope these tips help you out when you find the perfect makeup artist for your wedding day.

Photo Credit: Carley Jayne Photography