Are you thinking about hiring a makeup artist for your wedding or doing it yourself? If you’re hiring someone, do you know where (and when) to start?
I spoke with Carla of Creative Contour by Carla to answer these questions and more!
Carla is a local makeup artist with a bubbly personality and a passion for beauty products and skin care. Her Instagram and blog are full of product demos and reviews, so if you love makeup, or just want to learn more about it, give her a follow!
To the interview!
Tell me a little about yourself and your business.
My name is Carla. I’m based in Roslindale and I’m the owner of Creative Contour by Carla. I am a full time freelance makeup artist and a young entrepreneur. It’s my first year as a business owner – very exciting! It’s a lot of fun being a makeup artist!
When did you know you wanted to be a makeup artist?
I was one of those kids who was always playing with my mom’s old makeup. I used to wear every color eyeshadow imaginable. Like, everywhere. I would be wearing a bright blue shirt and I would have bright blue eyeshadow to match it. I was that kid. So I always knew it was something I wanted to do.
I got my esthetician’s license in 2013 from the Elizabeth Grady School of Esthetics. (Esthetics is skin care, waxing, and you can also get your makeup certification.) After that it was just a matter of finding employment. After working with another makeup artist for several years, in September 2017, I decided to go out on my own and become a business owner.
What should couples think about when choosing a makeup artist?
- Determine your “look.” Before even thinking about hiring a makeup artist, you should think about what kind of look you want. For example, you might like a “natural” look, or something more “glam.”
- Browse portfolios. Look on different websites. Look at how the makeup artists do their own makeup. Look at how they do other peoples’ makeup. Look at what kinds of makeup they do. Do they specialize in bridal? Do they do commercial or high fashion makeup? This should all be clear from their portfolio.
- Seek out high quality service and education. You want to know that your artist is educated. What kind of training do they have? An esthetician’s education is about more than making someone look beautiful. We learn about hygiene and sanitization and other important safety regulations.
- They can do more for you. Notice if the makeup artist emphasizes customer service or your education. Do they have resources about skincare and different makeup types on their website? I always want educate my clients!
Speaking of education, do you have any skin care tips that couples can use in advance of their wedding?
Oh, absolutely! I always say these three things:
- Drink your water. Water is very good for your skin. So drink half your weight in ounces of water every day because your skin will love you for it.
- Use your moisturizer.
- Eat your berries. Berries are very good for your skin.
If you do these three things, you’re caring for your skin inside and out so you’ll have very happy skin on your wedding day!
It’s also important to know your skin type and how to care for it. If you plan to get any facial waxing, go at least 4-7 days before the wedding so your skin can calm down from any irritation, bumps, or redness.
You can never start too early or too late with your skincare!
When in the wedding planning process does a couple usually book a makeup artist?
It depends on the amount of time the makeup artist has been in the field. For the most experienced makeup artist, you may need to book them 9-12 months in advance. For a newer business owner, you can probably book them around 3-6 months in advance.
Six months is a good rule of thumb. It ensures that you have time to schedule your makeup trial. There are also many wedding dates that are more popular, so the earlier you book, the more likely that the person you want will be available for you on your date.
In general, if you like someone, reach out the second you decide that you want to book them.
Tell me more about the makeup trial? How can couples prepare?
I like to say, “This is our time to play.” It’s the time where you get to decide what you like. For me a standard time frame is up to an hour and a half – That’s quite a bit of time!
- Find inspiration. I suggest that my brides take a look around at Pinterest, Instagram, or wherever you’re finding your inspiration. Even if you’re not sure what you do want, at minimum try to come in knowing what you don’t want.
- Do your regular skincare routine. When you come into the trial, do your regular skin care routine. If you wear an eye cream, lip balm, or moisturizer, come in with that on.
- Get ready to play! We’ll start with the ideas you brought into the trial, then I like to just keep trying things. We’ll try out lashes. We’ll try different lip colors, different eye shadow colors. It just depends if you know what you want. I can recreate a look, or we create something totally new based on your ideas!
Sometimes it’s recommended to wear a white top, if you’re wearing white on your wedding day. You don’t have to do this, but it’s not a bad idea.
I know airbrush makeup is one of your specialties. What can you tell us about airbrush makeup?
Airbrushing is my favorite part of the entire makeup process. I love it because it’s a nice experience for the client. People always say how nice it feels!
It’s a light spray of foundation on the skin. I use a water base, so it’s not a heavy application, but you still look fabulous after. Your skin looks flawless!
It’s a fine mist, but the foundation still covers nicely. You truly look like a model after you have airbrushing. There’s no other way to explain it. It’s high definition finish. If you touch your face, you won’t wipe it off. As opposed to a cream foundation, which can rub off or become smeared. If people give you a kiss on the cheek, they won’t smudge airbrush makeup at all.
Do you have any advice about maintaining your makeup on your wedding day?
On your wedding day, you’re worried about sweating, you’re worried about rain, crying, kissing, all that stuff. But when you’re hiring someone, they generally have a group of products that they have tried and decided are the very best. Everything in a professional’s kit is something that they feel is going to last you all day.
So you kiss away, you hug, you dance, you sweat, you drink you eat, and it’s going to stay, and you’re going to look great. So keep that in mind, that the products they’re using have strong staying power. That’s why you hired a professional.
The way I like to think about it is, you’re paying one time to get your makeup done, but those photos are for the rest of life and they’ll look flawless forever.
What’s your best wedding day advice?
- Take a deep breath. Sometimes things go wrong, but you’re going to make it through the day.
- Eat your lunch! Don’t forget to eat and drink something. Some brides say they don’t want to eat, but you need to sit down and eat something!
Is there anything else you want to share?
Even though I get paid for it, doing makeup has never been “work” for me. I never come home and complain about my job. I’m somebody who does not like getting up early in the morning, and I’ve gotten up at 4am to go to weddings, like it’s no big deal. I jump out of bed excited for the wedding day or the shoot!
I just love my clients and I love what I do!
What do you think? Have you already hired a makeup artist for your wedding? What other questions do you have about the process?
Find out more about Carla’s work and book her for your wedding at:
- Website: www.creativecontourbycarla.com
- Instagram: @creativecontourbycarla
- Facebook: /creativecontourbycarla
- E-mail: creativecontourbycarla@gmail.com
