The Bridal Makeup Trial: When to Have It and How to Use It

Your wedding day is the wrong day to learn that the foundation is a shade lighter than your neck, or that heavy lashes irritate your eyes after an hour. The makeup trial exists for exactly that reason: to see the result, live in it for a full day, and change what you do not like while there is still time.

Why the artist's page is not enough

Photos on a makeup artist's social media are taken in careful lighting, usually retouched, and show faces that are not yours. A trial answers what pictures cannot:

• How does this style look on your own features and skin tone?
• Does the makeup last six or eight hours on your skin?
• Are you comfortable with the artist as a person? You will spend the tensest hours of the day with her, so ease matters.
• How long does getting ready really take? The whole day's schedule is built on that number.

When to have the trial

The best time is six to eight weeks before the wedding. By then you have chosen the dress and you know the veil and accessories, and there is still room for a second trial, or even a different artist if needed.

Two things to bear in mind:

• In summer and around the Eids, well-known artists are reserved many months ahead. Secure your wedding date early with a deposit and arrange the trial later. Ask what happens to the deposit if you are unhappy with the trial.
• Pick a day with an occasion if you can, such as a friend's engagement or a photo session. You get to use the makeup and test it in real conditions.

A trial is usually a paid service, separate from the wedding-day price, though some artists deduct it from the total once you agree. Prices change and differ from one artist to another, so ask for the details before you go.

What to bring

• Photos of makeup you like, ideally on brides with skin tone and features close to yours. Bring photos of what you dislike as well. They do half the explaining.
• A photo of the dress, or a fabric swatch if you have one, plus pictures of the veil and accessories.
• The veil or tiara, if the trial covers hair or hijab styling.
• Your contact lenses, if you will wear them on the day.
• A top in white or in the colour of the dress, with a similar neckline. Colour reflects onto the face and changes the impression.
• One friend or sister whose honesty you trust. One only. Too many opinions will confuse you.

Arrive with clean, moisturised, bare skin.

What to tell your artist

A makeup artist builds her choices on information. Do not leave her guessing.

• Where and when the wedding is. Makeup for an air-conditioned hall at night differs from makeup for a daytime garden or beach wedding with humidity and wind.
• Your skin type and what usually bothers it: shine, dryness, breakouts.
• Any allergy you know of, to a product, an ingredient or lash glue. If your skin is sensitive or you are having skin treatment, speak to your dermatologist before trying new products.
• Whether you expect to cry. Most brides do. Ask for waterproof mascara and liner.
• How long the day is. From the photo session to the last dance can be ten hours.

Questions to ask

1. Who will do my makeup on the day: you, or someone from your team?
2. How many brides do you take on the same day, and where am I in the order?
3. Do you come to the house or hotel, or do I come to the salon? Is there a travel fee?
4. How long do makeup and hair, or hijab styling, take?
5. Which products do you use? Are brushes and tools cleaned and sanitised between clients?
6. Does the price include lashes, hairstyling, hijab styling and fixing the veil?
7. Can someone touch up my makeup after the photo session or before I enter the hall?
8. Do you also do mothers and sisters, and at what price?
9. How much is the deposit, and what are the terms if the date changes or I cancel?

Test the look after you leave

The trial does not end at the salon door. The most useful part happens in the hours afterwards.

• Photograph your face in daylight by a window, under warm indoor lighting, and with your phone's flash. Flash reveals whether the foundation or powder leaves a white cast.
• Compare face, neck and shoulders. They should be one colour.
• Keep it on for at least six hours. Eat, drink and move about, then look. Has it creased around the mouth? Are the nose and forehead shiny? Has the liner smudged?
• Watch your skin for two days. Any redness or itching is important to report so that the artist can switch products.
• Ask yourself the main question: do I still look like me? The most beautiful bride is the one her family recognises when she walks in.

If you do not like the result

Say so, clearly and kindly, while you are still in the chair if possible. "I'd like the eyes lighter." "That red is too dark on me." "The brows are wider than I like." A professional would much rather adjust now than have an unhappy bride on the day.

If you feel your tastes simply do not meet, there is nothing wrong with looking for another artist. That is why the trial happens early.

Common mistakes

• A trial days before the wedding. No time to adjust, and none for skin to settle if it reacts.
• A deep facial, a peel or a new product right before the wedding. Anything new for your skin belongs weeks earlier, with a specialist's advice.
• Chasing this season's trend. You will look at these photographs in ten years. Quiet, well-executed makeup does not date.
• Colouring or cutting your hair shortly before the wedding.
• Trusting a filter. Judge with the plain camera.
• Forgetting the neck, hands and shoulders if the dress leaves them uncovered.

How Gawazy helps

On Gawazy you can browse makeup artists and hairstylists in your governorate, see their latest work and customer ratings, then contact them directly to ask about dates and trials. The booking and the agreement are between you and the artist.

• Makeup artists
• Hairdressers
• Beauty salons
• All beauty and care services

Save the looks you like as you browse. They are the same pictures you will take to the trial.