This is my first MU job ever! I have a LOT of questions, too.

[MikehBella]

So, about an hour ago, my friend (who is in charge of bridesmaids at her uncles wedding), contacted me and asked me if I wanted to do makeup for the wedding. I've never really done makeup on others, aside from messing around with my friends for halloween, parties, or just hanging out.

As someone who's never had to do this professionally, I have a LOT of questions!

I have been collecting makeup for a little over a year now.
I don't have a lot of brushes, foundations, blushes, bronzers, or even a train case!

So here are some questions;

I don't have a job right now, so I have to try and be money conscious, while still using good, respected brands.

1) Foundations.
I have two Studio fix foundations from mac. N3, and NC25.
I also have mac studio fix in NC25!
What foundations should I get to be safe that I can match most skin tones? I plan on getting three, on top of the ones I have.

2) Bronzers/Blushes.
What bronzer and blush can I get from mac that would look good on most skin tones?

3) Eyeshadows.
I plan on going neutral.
I have my original Coastal Scents 88 palette. The problem is I don't own any neutrals from higher up brands, only bright colors. What are some good browns, that would work for light or smokey eyes? I need a lid color, a crease color, a highlight, and an outer corner color.

4) Brushes.
Right now, working on others is hard, because the only brushes I have are eitehr too flimsy, or too stiff. They can be quite hard to work with, seeing as they are drugstore brushes. The only mac brush I've splurged on is the 187. What are some eye/face brushes I should invest in? Especially eye brushes.

5) Lips.
I need some good shades that will look good on most skin tones. Any suggestions?

6) Cleaning brushes
I can't afford duplicate brushes AT ALL.
How on earth can I do a handful of women, with only one set of brushes?
How do I clean them in between? This may be a simple question, but I just need to know. Lol~

7) Lugging it all around
So, I can hopefully afford to buy a brushbelt soon, so that's not a problem.
But train cases are quite expensive. How can I lug all this makeup around, and still look professional?

And lastly;

8) The looks
Do I do the same look on all the girls? Or different looks?
What's customary at a wedding?

Please help, I have no clue what to do at all.

 

[counterobsess]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikehBella So, about an hour ago, my friend (who is in charge of bridesmaids at her uncles wedding), contacted me and asked me if I wanted to do makeup for the wedding. I've never really done makeup on others, aside from messing around with my friends for halloween, parties, or just hanging out. As someone who's never had to do this professionally, I have a LOT of questions! I have been collecting makeup for a little over a year now. I don't have a lot of brushes, foundations, blushes, bronzers, or even a train case! So here are some questions; I don't have a job right now, so I have to try and be money conscious, while still using good, respected brands. 1) Foundations. I have two Studio fix foundations from mac. N3, and NC25. I also have mac studio fix in NC25! What foundations should I get to be safe that I can match most skin tones? I plan on getting three, on top of the ones I have. 2) Bronzers/Blushes. What bronzer and blush can I get from mac that would look good on most skin tones? 3) Eyeshadows. I plan on going neutral. I have my original Coastal Scents 88 palette. The problem is I don't own any neutrals from higher up brands, only bright colors. What are some good browns, that would work for light or smokey eyes? I need a lid color, a crease color, a highlight, and an outer corner color. 4) Brushes. Right now, working on others is hard, because the only brushes I have are eitehr too flimsy, or too stiff. They can be quite hard to work with, seeing as they are drugstore brushes. The only mac brush I've splurged on is the 187. What are some eye/face brushes I should invest in? Especially eye brushes. 5) Lips. I need some good shades that will look good on most skin tones. Any suggestions? 6) Cleaning brushes I can't afford duplicate brushes AT ALL. How on earth can I do a handful of women, with only one set of brushes? How do I clean them in between? This may be a simple question, but I just need to know. Lol~ 7) Lugging it all around So, I can hopefully afford to buy a brushbelt soon, so that's not a problem. But train cases are quite expensive. How can I lug all this makeup around, and still look professional? And lastly; 8) The looks Do I do the same look on all the girls? Or different looks? What's customary at a wedding? Please help, I have no clue what to do at all.

First of all - I hope this wedding isn't any time soon, as it will take you some time to not only get the tools you need but also the practice you need. Putting makeup on others is TOTALLY different to doing makeup on yourself. You know your face, your skin and what works for you - and that is not necessarily what will work for other people.

If this is something that you wish to do as a career, then it is worth getting the right stuff NOW instead of making poor choices and having to keep using cr*p products until they run out and you can replace them. If this is a one-off, then the choice is yours.

Most of your questions can be solved with some further research. Search the forums here, and also check out the Makeup FAQs on the Model Mayhem site. These are questions that have been asked a thousand times before, and thus have been answered a thousand times before. I should know, I did the same thing a few months ago

But anyway - my answer is thus:

In general it is poor form to be using your own products on others. Of course in reality that doesn't happen (hey, I still steal products from my pro kit on occasion!) but in general - NO to using your own foundation, NO to your own mascara (although I'm sure you know this already) - in general anything creamy or liquid should not be from your own stash.

You can be budget conscious for this, but that does not necessarily mean that everything will be MAC. MAC is pricey, and (with apologies and respect to everyone on this forum!) not always the best choice. There are a lot of brands out there that are more cost effective and give the same or, dare I say it, better results.

I think you should find out exactly how many faces you will be working on, and their general skin tone. For foundation, look at Camera Ready Cosmetics for some great palettes like Cinema Secrets, which is about $20 for a number of skin tones. If everyone is similar, you may be able to get away with 1-2 of these for the whole party.

Brushes - look at Crown Brushes or, my favourite, Royal brushes. Buy a set, which will work out cheaper. You can clean brushes in between with a brush cleaner (get one that is a fast-drying alcohol, so you won't waste time waiting for brushes to dry). Even try and rope in a friend to clean the brushes in between clients.

This is one of the most important things - LEARN SANITARY PRACTICES. Don't use a sponge/applicator on two different people - they're disposable, so throw them out. Clean brushes. Never dip a brush that's been used on the client's face back into the original container (powders are ok). Don't blow on brushes/client's face. Sharpen all pencils before use. Clean your hands with hand sanitiser between each client. I could go on - but Google will help you the most.

You don't always have to use matte shadows, but if they are 'mature' then it's a must. I can't help with MAC colours as I use the Yaby Neutrals palette. Same with bronzers, blush etc.

It will be ESSENTIAL to do a trial with the bride. You will have much more confidence if you know the EXACT makeup you will do on the day (face charts are perfect for this). You can also match her skin tone and do a trial run with foundations to make sure there are no reactions or breakouts. MAC does have a reputation for breaking out on some skins, so please be careful! At this time you can discuss what she wants for bridesmaids etc. You may want to go neutral, but she may have a different idea of what 'neutral' is. She might want black eyeliner. She might want no liner. She might want neutral colours but a dramatic look. Everyone's interpretation is different.

The bridal parties that I've worked on have had the same 'look' for everyone, but this might have meant different colours on different people. A colour won't look the same on a porcelain skin and a tanned skin. Alterations may be necessary. But something soft and pretty is usually in order, but asking the bride about the ceremony location, reception, colour scheme etc. should give you an idea of what to do.

Research photographic makeup. Learn what NEEDS to be applied, even if the look is 'neutral'. SOME makeup is necessary for definition in photographs.

As for a case - you don't need a fancy metal one, but something to hold it all together is necessary. Check out fishing stores for tackle boxes, or even cheap $2 stores, and see what you can find.

Ok... my brain is empty for the moment... I'm sure I'll think of more later....

 

[ShugAvery2001]

girlllllll.... your best bet would be to look up wedding looks on youtube. But before I go any further, to be honest, I'd suggest to you tell your friend to go ahead and get a professional MUA.. only because there are too many considerations for wedding makeup

they type of foundations (MAC foundations besides face and body don't photograph well), water proof makeup that won't run WHEN (not if) the bride or bridesmaids cry, applying the makeup in a manner that will help it stay on

If you really feel you must, then just check out pixiwoo and makeup geek on youtube. they have decent wedding makeup tutorials

 

[lojical1]

I haven't done a professional job yet, but even at work I have found that NARS Torrid blush works on every skin tone beautifully. If you plan on charging per person, you can use that to purchase foundation shades (without sunscreen/spf) to address each skin tone. Ask about time of day, look, and style of the wedding. also, have the bride find a pic if she can for the look she is going for.

 

[pinkvanilla]

You have been giving some very good advice here

I totally agree with getting the bride to give you an idea what she is wanting. If she has no idea then give her some guidance on what you think will look good on her.

And what counterobsess said about hygeine - please take this away with you and NEVER forget it! I know of MUAs that do not practice good hygeine and it can get you a bad rep in this industry.