In addition to asking your real-life friends for recommendations, spend time reading reviews online. “Beyond artistry, we’ve heard stories about other artists, sometimes with loads of followers on social media, showing up late, arriving with a dirty kit, even eating rice cakes while doing a bride’s makeup,” says Schmidt. Crummy, no?
Get on Pinterest (and Maybe Stay Off of TikTok)
Even if you can visualize exactly how you want to wear your makeup, it’s still important to have reference images of the look you want. “Makeup artists are visual people so it’s really helpful to show pictures,” says Martin. “Share photos of what you like and what you don’t like. This helps the team understand better.”
Similar to getting your hair colored at the salon, having images also makes it crystal clear what you mean when you say words like “natural,” “smoky,” or “timeless.” “After over 10 years doing bridal makeup, I’ve come to realize that those terms mean different things to different people, so by sending me pictures of exactly what you mean, it puts us on the same page,” says Joy Adenuga, a London-based celebrity makeup artist.
Makeup artists love a Pinterest board when it comes to weddings, and feel free to add non-beauty details, like your dress, flowers, and even your cake. “Meghan and I created an inspiration board on Pinterest because we couldn’t find time together to do a makeup trial,” says Martin. “It really helps you see everything together and get a sense of your creative journey with how you want to look on the big day.”
These same makeup artists aren’t as enthusiastic about using TikTok for inspo, as the app prioritizes trends, time spent, and newness over anything else. “If you’re using the word ‘timeless’ to describe the look you want, I wouldn’t use TikTok as a guide because every morning, something else on there is trending,” says Adenuga. “Don’t let your For You page lead you astray and convince you to deviate from your personal style.” (There’s that phrase again.)
As you gather inspiration from across the web, keep in mind that videos and images online are often edited, says Schmidt. “Having realistic expectations and understanding that many of these photos are heavily airbrushed is really important to keep in mind when you’re picking a look.”
When it comes to inspo, it’s quality over quantity
When gathering beauty inspiration, it’s ideal to pull photos of people with the same (or very similar) coloring as you. “It doesn’t have to be your favorite celebrity in the world, but they should have similar hair color, skin tone,” says makeup artist Vincent Oquendo (who, full disclosure, is a longtime friend and doing my makeup for my wedding). “You could even take it one step further and look for people who have similar features to you.” If you’re redheaded, freckled, with light eyes, choosing a photo of Kim Kardashian is not going to be super helpful, as the makeup that works for her is most likely not going to work for you. Again, Pinterest is superior to TikTok or Instagram, as the platform lets you search for looks based on skin tone and eye color, as well as mood and style, which will help you further narrow down your search.