Tag Archives: award-winning make-up artist

Choosing your bridal make-up…..

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As a hair and make-up artist, I’m often asked for advice on the latest trends in bridal make-up, but to be honest, these days it’s really hard to define what ‘standard’ bridal make-up is! With easy access to so many online tutorials and articles, people are becoming more adventurous with their make-up and it can be really difficult for a bride to know what will work for her wedding day. So here’s some of my thoughts and tips on finding that all important bridal look for you!

Natural bridal make-up

Hair and make-up by Sarah-Lou

Keeping it natural…. If you don’t usually wear a lot of make-up, it’s unlikely that you would want to go for anything too bold on your big day, so it’s a good idea to keep a natural fresh-faced look, and neutral colours can be great for this. They can be built up to give varying degrees of subtlety and are an excellent starting point for any bride who is finding the choice of make-up very daunting.

Going for bold…. If you regularly wear a lot of make-up, you may prefer to go for a bolder look on your wedding day. Smokey eyes are great, look fab in photos, and again, can be built up to achieve a look that works for you. Add to that some lash extensions and you have a whole new look! They help to open up the eye, finish off the make-up, and again, look great for your photos.

Bold bridal makeup

Hair and make-up by Sarah-Lou

There are so many different make-up styles and trends, but not all of them will work for everyone. A professional make-up artist will be able to work with you and advise on styles that will be suitable for you, based on many different factors.

And most importantly…. Don’t skip the trial! With wedding budgets spiralling out of control, it can be tempting to try and save pennies by skipping on hair and make-up trials, but I would advise always getting a trial for at least the bride. Taking the time for a trial before your wedding day will give you peace of mind and reassurance that we can not only achieve your desired look, but we can achieve a look that works for you. You want to feel comfortable with your ‘bridal’ look and my aim is to ensure that you look like the best version of you!

What’s your favourite?

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We all have our favourite make-up pieces…. you know one the ones I mean…. those that we use religiously and would have a meltdown if they were ever discontinued…. yep that’s the ones!

As a professional make-up artist I’ve gone through more than my fair share of make-up, so I thought it was about time I shared some of my favourite items from my own kit with you!

Now, bearing in mind my own kit is more than likely ten times the size of the average person’s, I wouldn’t have time to share all of my key pieces with you in just one blog post, but here goes with some of my absolute favourites……

make-up, glam make-up

Make-up by Sarah-Lou Beauty

Smashbox Primer…. I just love this primer as it helps to create a flawless blank canvas to start any make-up look.  What’s more, there are several different formulas of this primer to suit all types of skin.  My favourites are the original oil free photo finish primer, hydrating photo finish primer (great for dry skin!) and colour correcting photo finish primer, which helps for covering up red patches of skin and conditions such as rosacea.

Urban Decay Naked Eye Palettes….. right from when I bought my very first Naked eyeshadow palette (the original one) I have been hooked on these, and have since added Naked 3 and Naked Smokey to my collection.  The colours are fantastic and with these 3 palettes alone I can create so many different make-up looks.

NARS Illuminator in Copacabana….. this is quite a recent addition to my kit, but I absolutely love it!  A little goes a long with with this, and you only need a tiny amount to achieve a natural glow, but you can also build it up to give a more intense look.  It’s really versatile as it can be used under or over foundation, as well as mixed with it (or moisturiser) to create many different looks.

make-up, glam make-up

Make-up by Sarah-Lou Beauty

Mac Lipsticks….. in my opinion, a Mac lipstick is a must have for any girl’s make-up bag.  They come in different textures such as matte, satin and frost, and the colours are so pigmented.  They last really well, especially if you use Mac lip primer before applying.  Three of my favourite colours are ‘Velvet Teddy’, ‘Mehr’ and ‘Russian Red’.

Rimmel Scandal Eyes Volume Mascara….. As well as the high-end make-up brands I’ve recommended, I also wanted to include some of my favourite items from high-street ranges, and here’s one of them.  This mascara is great for adding volume and length to any lashes without looking too clumpy.

Real Techniques Buffing Brush…… This is another one of my favourite high-street brands! Real Techniques brushes are very reasonably priced when you compare them to other similar high-end brushes, yet they do such a fantastic job.  I use my buffing brush for both powder and liquid as it’s so good at getting the product right into the skin for a flawless finish.

Mac Powder Blush….. As you would expect from Mac, the colours are highly pigmented so this blush lasts for ages!  A fantastic range of colours, two of my favourites are ‘Peaches’ and ‘Harmony’ (which is also great for contouring!).

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray….. this setting spray is the perfect finishing touch to any make-up and helps it to stay in place all day.  Leaves your skin feeling nice and refreshed as well!

make-up collection, award-winning make-up artistThere are so many other fabby make-up pieces that I could mention here, but unfortunately don’t have the space to go into detail about why I love them so much, but here’s just a few more…… NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer (great for under the eyes), Mac Fluidline Brow Gelcreme (for killer brows), Rimmel Brow This Way Eyebrow Gel (for even more killer brows), Anastasia Beverley Hills Cream Contour Kit (fab colours for contouring) and not forgetting Salon System strip lashes to finish the look!

The list could go on even more, but I hope you have enjoyed reading about some of my favourite pieces of make-up….. I’m sure I’ll be adding to this list again!