TL;DR: My brow lady gave me a free bridal trial, and I came out looking like a gothic doll with purple lips.
Full story: The girl who waxes my brows (let's call her "Annie") is talented at what she does. Amazing. A brow-whisperer of sorts. So naturally, when I asked Annie if she knew any good makeup artists for my wedding, and she recommended herself -- I was all for it. She said she regularly attends makeup conventions, and that makeup is her true passion. Sure, works for me.
I came back to the spa she waxes at weeks later for the free bridal trial. I explained my makeup preferences (as natural as possible), my wedding date (Summer), location (outdoors, plenty of sunshine) and desired vibe (timeless, glowing, all that typical bridal jazz).
I came out with purple lips, black winged eyeliner, contoured everything, and foundation so dark and so thick I think I'm still wearing it weeks later. I think it's important to note here that I'm pretty pale, so while all these components might look fantastic on a gal with more melanin, it just looked...freaky on me. Like someone straight out of the Addams family.
The best part? This wasn't a "final reveal" type of makeover. I was shown progress every step of the way, and gave Annie honest, real-time feedback. BUT SHE WASN'T HAVING ANY OF IT. I'm serious. I explicitly said things like "I really don't wear eyeliner, so I do not envision thick, black eyeliner at my wedding", and "I do not wear lipstick, this color is too strong for me". She conveniently had a counter-argument for every qualm I had.
I ultimately walked away hysterically laughing. I'm just grateful this was a FREE experience!