Do I NEED hair and makeup trials?

bridalmarch · September 2012

My hair and makeup should be simple for any hair/makeup person with some experience. I want a sideswept bun and a smoky eye/red lip. Should I still have the trials? Is this an appropriate place to save money? The only issue I have is sensitive skin so I want to make sure they use products my face can handle.

staar987 · September 2012

I wouldn't save money by skipping it. What if you don't like how that looks? What if your hair and makeup person aren't good? I especially wouldn't skip it because of your sensitive skin. You want to make sure you don't have an issue with anything. Plus, you will have a great idea of how long it will take to have everything done on the day of.

JoanE2012 · September 2012

I definitely wouldn't save money by not doing trials. I hated my first makeup trial and ended up going with someone else. It'll probably be your most photgraphed day.....do you really want to take a gamble with how your hair and face will look?

fallbride1109 · September 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_wedding-beauty_do-i-need-hair-and-makeup-trials?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:358Discussion:8ed51cb3-4706-40fb-959f-ec0b9bfa8be2Post:7418f96b-aa89-4e8d-9d88-c9631793eb9c">Re: Do I NEED hair and makeup trials?</a>:
[QUOTE]I definitely wouldn't save money by not doing trials. <strong> I hated my first makeup trial and ended up going with someone else</strong>. It'll probably be your most photgraphed day.....do you really want to take a gamble with how your hair and face will look?
Posted by JoanE2012[/QUOTE]

Ditto. If I had used the first girl I had a trial with on my wedding day, I would have been very disappointed.

hshertenlieb · September 2012

I agree with PP, you've got to do trials!

[Deleted User] · September 2012

Highly recommend the trial run. If I had not done one, we wouldn't have realized that I need to purchase extensions to help fill in the look.

It was also a great time to bond and discuss the plans for the day with her.

lanamilo · September 2012

I had a destination wedding and did a trial with my MUA the day before. I am really fair and I have a LOT of hair.
They makeup looked great from the trial (minus the false lashes I wore the day of) but my hair fell after a few hours.

The next day for the wedding she was able to correct the hair problem and it turned out amazing for the day of.

eide143 · September 2012

I plan on the makeup and hair girl getting there early so if I don't like it she can redo it. It will save me from spending the money on the trial.

MrsKathyC · September 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_wedding-beauty_do-i-need-hair-and-makeup-trials?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:358Discussion:8ed51cb3-4706-40fb-959f-ec0b9bfa8be2Post:3cf8048b-f93d-422d-a3f6-142d2ef6c324">Re: Do I NEED hair and makeup trials?</a>:
[QUOTE]I plan on the makeup and hair girl getting there early so if I don't like it she can redo it. It will save me from spending the money on the trial.
Posted by eide143[/QUOTE]

This is a bad idea. How do you know she wont charge you extra for having to redo it? And what if your hair is so full of hairspray and your makeup is so horrible that you need to re-wash?

KristenMarie163 · September 2012

I agree with some of the other ladies--do not skip as it is one of your most photographed days and you want to be happy and confident that day. I too have sensitive AND breakout prone skin, so I really feel a trial is important. Plus my skin can get shiny--so I need to see how makeup they use holds up throughout the day. And as some of the other say, you may not get the look you envision. Some people interpret "smokey" look differently--some may be overdone for you, and others not done enough. There are some professional places that offer free bridal make up trials. Others will usually do it for less than they charge on the day. Good luck whatever you decide!

vbjoanna · September 2012

I did my own makeup and had a friend do my hair, but even we practiced. I'd thought I'd want to pin back the sides (I have short hair), but when she curled my hair and pinned it back, even with the veil and headband in I looked like I do when I go to work. Not the look I was going for. Turns out, I needed to leave the sides down, and I wouldn't have realized it if I'd waited and I definitely wouldn't have had the time to figure out something else the day of. We did the practice run for the day of my bachelorette dinner, which was a week after I'd gotten the last cut and highlights before the big day.

For my makeup, I always use Aveda, and I'd stopped by the store at the mall to talk to them and have them select eyeshadow and blush. My makeup looked mostly like a regular day, and so I could practice it any day of the week. It really helped me plan what I was going to do and choose a couple products to add -- notably a primer and foundation. If your makeup is that simple to do, you could save the most money by just doing it yourself. But regardless, I'd still practice it and make sure it's what you want and that you have everything you need.

Sassenach1743 · September 2012

No professional Makeup Artist or Hair Stylist would book a bride without a trial! They are not mind readers and it's always advised to have a run through before the stress of the "big day" is upon you.

Do not look to this as a place to save money. And please do not expect to pay less than $100 for your makeup. This is a real skill. You are paying for time, talent, application, product (i.e. kit fee to replenish what is used) and there should also be a mileage fee if your artist is travelling more than 20 miles to get to you on your wedding day.

Your look sounds simple and classic, but you will still require talented artists to create it for you. Your trial is your opportunity to get comfortable with your Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist so that your look is exactly what you want. This will also ensure a smooth schedule the day of.

Sassenach1743 · September 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_wedding-beauty_do-i-need-hair-and-makeup-trials?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:358Discussion:8ed51cb3-4706-40fb-959f-ec0b9bfa8be2Post:3cf8048b-f93d-422d-a3f6-142d2ef6c324">Re: Do I NEED hair and makeup trials?</a>:
[QUOTE]I plan on the makeup and hair girl getting there early so if I don't like it she can redo it. It will save me from spending the money on the trial.
Posted by eide143[/QUOTE]

<div>This is NOT a good plan. </div><div>
</div><div>No professional Makeup Artist or Hair Stylist would ever agree to this. There will not be time to redo your makeup and hair the day of, should you not like it. That is specifically what a trial is for. </div><div>
</div><div>We also factor in timing (i.e. travel, set up, application, etc.) <strong>beforehand</strong> and plan a schedule for the day, <u>because we are professionals</u>. It's also possible that we might have other appointments that day. So just "redoing" it will be very inconvenient for you <strong>and </strong>your artists. Additional fees are to be expected if you pull this kind of thing and could result in a double charge (when a trial is usually half or even a fraction of the cost, depending on the artist rates). So please don't think that skipping your trial (the time you'd have had to work out the kinks) will save you money.</div><div>
</div><div>This is also a very unprofessional and disrespectful way to treat your beauty vendors. Please do not treat their profession and talent as if it shouldn't take any time or effort and can just be "winged" at the last minute. If that's how you feel about your hair and makeup than the only suggestion to save money for you would be to do it yourself.</div>

RADonnelly · November 2012

I had my makeup trial recently, at a salon that incudes formal occasion makeup application in their specialties (and especially emphasizes that they do bridal makeup!), and here's what I was supposed to look like (my eyes at least):

And here's what I did look like:

I was shiny all over because the makeup they used was super greasy, and they REFUSED to use mine that I had brought along that I wear all the time, and therefore know isn't greasy. I had also brought my makeup because I have incredibly fair skin, and I didn't think they'd have a foundation shade that matched my skin... and they didn't! You can't see in the picture, but my face is a completely different color than my neck.

The eyeshadow color that I ended up with wasn't even close to the pictures, even though I did have the colors needed in my makeup bag. And my eyeliner was not a nice, smooth line done with liquid eyeliner like in the picture... she used a pencil, had a shaky hand, and could not draw an even semi-straight line to save her life.

The end result was hilarious, and my FMIL told me that I looked like a cheap hooker when I went over to show them... which I did! Please, PLEASE do a trial... If this had been on my wedding day, the trial application itself took an hour, and then I would have had to wash my face, and figure how to do my own makeup, and be able to have enough time to do it right, and redo it if I made any mistakes... because after that, I wouldn't have let the MUA near my face again!

Feel free to laugh at my picture (I definitely have!

) but please do not let that happen to you on your big day!

Do I NEED hair and makeup trials?

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