Reason Why Brides Must Have A Make Up Trial! (With Before-And-After Make Up Photos)

I have to be blunt about this. I don't usually put on eye make up because I had challenges with my uneven eye shapes. Till date, I still struggle with them. Thanks to the multiple photoshoots we had, I start to have more exposure towards make up and what are some things I can look out for.

So, this is how my eye shapes are like in a cartoonised form:

Got the eye images from http://baysidejournal.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/eyes-makeup.png
When most Make Up Artists (MUA) see me, they will probably be frowning hard because they need to spend a considerable amount of time to balance my eye shape with eye lid tapes, eye liner, fake eyelashes and mascara. But doesn't that also mean I'm a good guinea pig to test out the skills of a MUA? Hehe.

So, sharing my experiences, I have done up a series of BEFORE and AFTER photos of me myself and I after the different make up I had with various make up artists.  For situations whereby I do not have an immediate before photo, I will put a selfie of myself at least 1 or 2 days before the make up. Kindly note that all photos are not edited at all. 


1) Make up By Hair and Make Up By Hanh (Website: https://www.facebook.com/hairandmakeupbyHanh/)

  • Hanh is a friend of ours and we first approached her when she just completed her lessons on bridal make up and was just embarking on this new business in March 2015.
  • She did a really great job in ensuring the make up looks natural and not oily. My lips were actually peeling very badly that day. She started my make up with a thick layer of Vaseline on my lips before starting on the other parts of my face. By the time it's time to put on the lip gloss, my peeling lips have started to get better.
  • The only challenge was getting my eyes to be balanced. It does not look very obvious when shes doing the make up. However when I attempted to take a selfie, I got a shock. The make up is done to enhance each eye in its own shape type but not fitting when placed together.

2) Make up By Feline Wedding 's Mia (Website: http://www.thefelinebridal.com/)

  • This make up was done for my pre-wedding photoshoot. I forgot to take a before photo. Instead I found a selfie of myself which was taken 1 day before this photoshoot. Notice how the face is all brightened up and the eyes are more defined after the make up is done. I also like the lighting at the studio! Perfect for taking a selfie!
  • My dislike would be that the eyebrows and eyeliners are a little too dark and thick to my liking. I prefer a more natural brow shape and colour. Eyes are still only about 80% balanced. Then again, this is a photoshoot, all the photos can be like photoshopped. Haha.

3) Make up by a Bridal Studio in Jeju, Korea (Website: http://www.corejeju.com/)

  • In April 2015, we went for a holiday to Korea and a photoshoot under Jeju Core Travel. The travel agency linked us up with a bridal studio located in Jeju. 
  • On the left is how I looked like after giving myself basic foundation, blush and lip stick. On the right is my completed make up by the bridal studio. It's a pity I did not take down the name of the bridal studio.
  • I love how the make up is so natural and my eyes are so well balanced. I actually have some eczema reaction on my right eye that day, that's why my right eye was evidently much smaller. However, the MUA is still able to cover that up flawlessly.
  • Before the make up is done, the MUA used Innisfree skincare products as the base. So considerate of them! This is my favourite out of all the styles. Korean style make up ftw!

4) Make Up by TangYong Hair & Make Up (Website: http://tangyongmakeup.com/)

  • I had my make up done by MUA Tang Yong, thanks to the opportunity by Ideal Weddings Singapore bridal magazine. We were selected to be featured in one segment, published in the second issue of the magazine.*Whee*
  • I remember this hair and make up was completed in about 40 minutes time. Since I had so much experience with make up now, I highlighted to the MUA about my eyes issue so she could pay more attention to it. 
  • The MUA also expressed challenges in dealing with my eyes and even asked me what's my personal strategy to dealing my eyes. I replied saying I usually draw thicker eyeliner on the smaller eye. Guess what, this is exactly what she did on me. Before I left for the shoot, she told me to avoid shots of myself looking downwards because the differences in eyeliner will be very apparent.
  • Sad to say, the outcome with Tangyong was rather disappointing. The reason for disappointment is evident from my selfie. The eyes are totally off.

5) Make Up By Fynix Thai (Website: http://www.fynixthai.com/ )

  • In mid 2015, to celebrate Yvonne Creative Bridal studio opening, Ideal Weddings and Yvonne Creative collaborated to have a contest to win a free casual shoot for a few selected couples. And yes, we are one of the lucky ones!
  • Fynix is one of the freelance MUA who works closely with Yvonne Creative. My impression of her is really great. She's fast, friendly and easy going. She also gave good recommendations on the type of hairstyles to suit my face shape and dress.
  • The outcome of the make up was clear. I love how it's so elegant and pretty. Good! Eyes wise, still considered quite nicely done. For this make up, I also topped up some money (can't remember if its $20 or $30) for the ampoule. Still a pretty decent price considering I do not have to pay for the shoot. Having an ampoule helps the make up to last longer~!

6)Make up By Feline Wedding 's Mia (Website: http://www.thefelinebridal.com/)

  • These were the photos of myself during the make up trial for my wedding day. This time round I paid special attention to my brows and informed Mia I prefer something more natural. for my brows. She was very open to my feedback and adjusted her make up style.
  • Eye make up wise, not really perfect because I slept very late the night before. Even before make up, my eyes are clearly not in their best form. Therefore, it's quite amazing that the eyes are still quite balanced.
  • I also reminded myself to take an immediate before and after photo. The outcome needs no further explaining. Somehow, my entire face brightened up after the make up is completed. A big thumbs up!

7) Make up By Feline Wedding 's Mia (Website: http://www.thefelinebridal.com/)

  • This is the make up which was done for me by Mia on my wedding's actual day. Notice how my right eye is not as droopy as my other photos? The reason for my "Good eyes day" is because I avoided looking at my phone since 11pm on the eve of my wedding day. Although it was difficult to sleep, I still laid down on the bed in a dark room to ensure I am at my best on my wedding day! This method proves to be effective!
  • I have to give credits to Mia for being very supportive during my wedding day. She gave me some good reminders to sleep early the night before and was very prompt in ensuring I am always at my best. 
  • Because I had my make up trial just a few days before my actual day, Mia was very familiar with what she need to do for the make up. In fact, she was very fast and swift with the make up, yet not discounting on the quality. It was all done in less than an hour. 
  • My jaws literally drop after I placed the before and after photos side by side. (Pardon the poor lighting in my room) It really feels like a mei tu xiu xiu photo although these 2 photos are not edited at all! Faints! I'm so glad my eyes decided not to fail me on my wedding day.

Afterthoughts:

Coming to this point, I can't emphasize on how important a make up trial (MUT) is. To put things into perspective, not being able to have a make up trial is equivalent to playing with fire on your actual day. That's how it is.

I would also like to take this opportunity to share a very important tip to all brides-to-be: After the make up is done, kindly use your handphone to take a selfie from different angles to ensure the make up is properly done. Sometimes when we look into the mirror, the make up MAY LOOK OKAY but it is actually NOT OKAY. If you think it's not nice, voice it out. Don't assume that the MUA is always right.

Another point which I learnt is the importance of sleeping early and avoiding staring at your phone for long hours. The condition of our eyes before make up will be affected! I have to also admit that I spent quite an amount of effort in going for regular facials, applying my skincare every day and night and also putting an ampoule mask at least twice a week. That's basically the secret to how I maintain my good skin condiiton!

Usually MUA will recommend an ampoule into their make up, as it supposedly helps to ensure make up last longer. In actual fact, these "ampoule" are just concentrated serum in a small glass container. MUA usually charge a higher price (some as high as $90 per ampoule) as this is also a source of income for them. Alternatively, get your own ampoule. Check clearly on the pricing before purchasing and if you have sensitive skin, try out the ampoule before your actual day, in case of breakouts or rashes.

For some bridal studios, they do not offer MUT. If that's the case, I recommend that you get your pre-wedding shoot MUA to be your actual day MUA to be safe. At least you are familiar with her make up style.
For free lance MUA, they usually offer MUT at an additional cost. My recommendations would be to pay and go for it before you decide on the MUA. You will not want to end up with the challenges I experienced with some MUA. =)

Good luck ladies!

With love,
Mrs OOPS

Comments

  1. Yup even if I'm an experienced MUA, Back then when I was doing bridal makeup in the Philippines I always asked my clients to get an MUT before they commit.

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