Diary of an MUA: Teachable Moments from Clients f. Anastasia, Christian Dior and Chanel

I had the pleasure of working with a bride and her family this weekend at the beautiful newly renovated Le Meridien Arlington on Saturday.

Having done a trial prior to the big day we had an idea of what direction the look would take.  As Makeup Artists we plan but we also try to be prepared for anything so we have our little arsenal of tried and true products that we turn to to address any beauty emergency.  So after having a trial with not only the bride but also her sister aka Matron of Honor, her mom and a few days before the wedding the mother of the groom I was pretty confident that I knew my plan of action.

Well, the point of a trial is to determine if the client indeed wants to utilize your services for their special day, yes, but it is also to make sure that the makeup will hold up for the duration of the event and skin reaction to the products used.  More often than not we will tweak our work on the day of to accommodate any of those things.  With the mom's involved it was determined that we did indeed need to change some things and for them it meant incorporating products that they are used to using and therefore more comfortable with.

I never have an issue with this because it helps to ease anxiety or nerves and as a beauty lover it may give me the opportunity to try new products.  This past weekend afforded me exactly that chance.  Here are the items I got to use and am now wanting to add to my kit.  Listen, the struggle is real out here for beauty junkies!  :)

Dior 5-Colour Eyeshadow - Stylish Move

 I used this palette on the M.O.G. (mother of the groom), who as you can see was definitely not afraid of color.  I used it to give her a smokey eye with the deepest amethyst shade being the center of attention.  It was beautiful.  The color is buildable but also keep in mind that you dont need much to get the true color.  The palette is not chalky, very smooth in texture but not powdery.  If interested you can pick it up from Sephora.

Anastasia All in One Brow Kit

Also for the M.O.G. her brows were a bit sparse.  During the trial I filled them in with powder following her natural brow shape.  This client however was no shrinking violet and wanted a stronger brow on the day of the wedding.  She had recently purchased an Anastasia brow kit so we utilized that to give her the brow she was more comfortable with.  This kit was so perfect in achieving her desired look that I would be a fool not to get one for my other clients.  I have tried other stencils and while you can achieve the desired shape they were a bit stiff and tricky to mold to your face if using it on yourself without the aid of taping it in place.  The A.B.H. stencils are flexible, almost like a silicone or gel and very easy to fit to the face shape.  The Anastasia All in One Brow Kit is available at Nordstrom.

Clinique Instant Perfector

Chanel Perfection Lumiere

 

Lastly on the M.O.B. (mother of the bride) we found that the airbrush makeup wasnt the best option for her.  She wanted a bit more coverage as she had some scarring she wanted to minimize.  After applying her Clinique Instant Perfector, we then used the Chanel Perfection Lumiere to give her a more flawless finish.  I loved the Clinique perfector as it helped to fill in the visible pores and gave a nice matte finish to the skin that allowed the Chanel foundation to glide over the skin with no problem.  I use Chanel Mat Lumiere on myself so I already knew it was a great product.

Everyone was happy with their looks, so much so that I had someone request to be added so she could get her makeup done as well.  And thats what keeps me going, being able to see someone admire themselves in the mirror and be pleased with what they see.  That satisfaction in turn satisfies me.

It pays to be flexible because you just may learn something!

Have you used any of these products?  Tell me what you thought if you did.