Photographers:

Bec Blooms Photography, Wallflower Weddings, Aleisha Edwards Weddings, Lauren Joy Photography, Posie Studio, Harbourtown Campaign, Lauren McCowan, Victoria Cranstoun

ISABELLA JANE HAIR MAKEUP

How to choose your dream wedding hair and makeup look

You are planning your wedding (congratulations!) and beginning to imagine what you would look like in your dress with your hair and makeup done. Before you look at booking a hair and makeup artist, I recommended having a general idea of how you are wanting your glam to look so you can select the right stylist/artist for your day. Wanting natural looking makeup and then booking someone that only shows they do full glam probably isn’t the right move. Equally, a traditional bridal hairstylist that doesn’t show they can do the modern Harley Bieber bun probably isn’t your best choice if this is what you are wanting.

How do you figure out what your hair and makeup style is, or what look/style you should go for on your wedding day?

Below are a few of the questions I ask during my trials to determine my brides needs, which may be helpful for you planning your look.

1. Do you wear makeup day to day? If you had a special occasion, what would you do differently?

If you don’t wear much makeup day to day and don’t really like wearing makeup, more likely than not a full glam for you would feel a lot fuller than it would to someone who is used to wearing foundation daily (and visa versa!). I find knowing how much makeup you wear and the type of looks you do on yourself helps determine where to start looking. Do you like to wear a wing liner every time you go out (even if you aren’t amazing at it) or have a particular blush you love that makes you feel amazing? If this is how you feel best about yourself, maybe these aspects should be incorporated into your look.

2.What is your skin like at the moment: oily, dry, combination or normal? Is the ceremony/reception in or outdoors and what time of year?

Keep in mind these aspects when choosing makeup looks as your skin will be reacting differently to the same products in summer vs winter, and looking and lasting differently in an indoor vs an outdoor wedding. 

If you are prone to oily skin or are self conscious of your pores, a dewy glowy complexion probably isn’t the right base to be choosing unless you are prepared for constant touch ups. A semi matte or matte look would be a better option as it allows for your natural oils to come through later in the day and still get that glowy look, but be more long lasting so you aren’t slick rick at your reception.

Dry skin will be drier in winter so skin prep and home maintenance will be very important here to ensure products don’t emphasis lines or grab to any dry skin and look as natural as possible.

An important thing to remember as makeup artists is that we are only as good as your home skin regime. If you don’t moisturise and cleanse daily and use high alcohol, stripping products on your skin at home, the base we have to work with isn’t starting at its best. 

3. How do you style your hair day to day compared to special occasions?

Without realising it, you have certain ways you feel most comfortable and confident with your hair styled. Even if you are someone who needs to wear their hair back for work and just ‘chuck it up’, there is usually a certain place you put the ponytail or bun. Some are slick, others are textured. Some like a part at the front, others will style it all completely back with no part.

These may not be preferences for everyone, but they are ways you are used to seeing your hair and your face. I find sometimes when people choose looks that are too different from their day to day, even when it comes down to the parting they are used to, something for them just doesn’t feel right. A parting can make such a big difference to how a face looks and a parting too different can really throw them off without realising it. 

Do you find that you ALWAYS style your hair down for special occasions and that is how you feel most confident and beautiful?

Then have your hair down.

Does having hair in your face annoy you but you don’t want it completely up? Go either down with hair tucked behind the ears or a half up, half down style.

Have you always preferred your hair up but a family or friend tells you it looks better with the dress to go down?

Wear your hair up!

  Don’t let the dress wear you.

The dress or anyone else isn’t the boss of you and shouldn’t make you wear your hair down if you don’t want to. At the end of the day, you want to feel like the best version of yourself and the dress will look beautiful either way because you will be glowing.

How does your hair usually hold a curl? Is it fine or dense/thick?

Different hair types vary the techniques and products I use – For example, fine hair that doesn’t hold curl well will be curled differently to those who hold curl well.

If you have very fine hair, either wear it up or you will need hair extensions to hold the shape and add volume. Thick, heavy hair may need lots of layers cut throughout to break up the weight and allow hair to hold curl better. 

Using the correct products at home will also ensure your hair performs at its best on your wedding day. Wanting lots of volume?

Don’t use a heavy conditioner or treatment on it before hand and make sure you shampoo twice and ensure the conditioner is well washed out the day before. Hair must be freshly washed for fine hair wanting volume- there is only so much dry shampoo can do!

Do you have naturally curly or frizzy thick hair?

Make sure you use a shampoo and conditioner made for smoothing and hydrating for the best results and don’t forget to blow-dry your hair with a leave in heat protectant/conditioner. Leaving your hair to air dry into your naturally curly or frizzy hair texture will make it more difficult on the day to smooth and keep straight.

“Analysing your inspiration photos”

I like to send my brides a consultation form to fill out which basically covers everything I need to know about their preferences and ideas. For hair as an example this includes things like if you like height at the top of your head, if you prefer a smooth or textured finish, if you are wearing a veil etc, and then upload up to 5 inspiration photos of looks they are thinking.

When we are starting the consultation, I basically look at the images with my brides and zoom into the photos to look at all the details and differences between each style to pick out what it is they like and don’t like about each hairstyle. I then like to show them in the mirror to confirm everything we have spoken out including any bits we are leaving out, confirming the amount of volume etc they are wanting before starting the hairstyle. 

Lastly, It’s important to understand what is realistically achievable. I do find social media a blessing and a curse sometimes as it does create unrealistic standards from highly edited faces in makeup to hair that contains several packets of hair extensions in model’s hair. Some hairstyles are created for beautiful photos but aren’t designed to stay looking like that for 12hrs, so it also educating yourself on how the hair will wear and how you can best prepare for this such as adding in hair extensions or bringing a wide tooth comb. Sometimes all it takes is a new haircut, setting the hair in a different way or some hair extensions to get the look you are after, which is why I spend so much time on the consultation with my brides.

Remember, you want to feel like the best version of yourself. You don’t want to look back and think you conformed to a trend or what your friend told you to have instead of the looks that really resonate with you and make you feel most confident and beautiful.

I hope this helps and if you are looking for a hair and makeup artist for your special day, I’d love to look after you!

IJ x