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In-Demand Career: Bridal Makeup Artists





Here comes the bride — and along with her comes a coterie of attendants, wedding planners, and other helpers determined to make her day magical. It takes a metaphorical village to make the wedding day go off without a hitch, and some of the most valuable players are operating behind the scenes to ensure that every detail is beautiful.


One bit of glamour that nearly every bride craves is flawless wedding makeup that will keep her and her bridal party picture-perfect the entire day (and all night). For this reason, many brides hire multiple bridal hair and makeup artists to beautify their entire entourages. With this trend and with the wedding industry booming, bridal makeup artists will be in high demand in the years to come.


In fact, the total demand for makeup artists in the United States was forecast to rise 12.5% between 2016 and 2026, according to CareerExplorer.com. Similarly, the job outlook for cosmetologists is bright, with job positions expected to grow at a faster-than-average rate of up to 19% by 2030, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. With wedding makeup artist being such an in-demand career, you might wonder what you need to do in order to become a bridal beautician and position yourself as the best local wedding makeup artist in your area. For example, what does a wedding MUA need to keep on hand to create perfect bridal makeup? What responsibilities does a makeup artist for a bridal party have on the big day? How can a wedding makeup artist make herself into an in-demand professional? Read below for some bridal beautician basics.


What does a makeup artist for a bridal party do?

First, let’s talk about what a wedding makeup artist does. Bridal MUAs provide makeup services to both the bride and her bridal parties, which can include the maid or matron of honor, bridesmaids, and the bride’s mother. The wedding MUA’s goal is to work closely with the bride to design makeup looks that fit the wedding’s theme, make the bridal party look beautiful, and even create plans for makeup touch-ups and refreshes between events throughout the day.

Bridal hair and makeup packages are popular options at salons, but some brides want on-site MUA services that can be rolled into a bridal makeup package. If you’re a wedding MUA, you may want to team up with another local makeup artist as partners for bigger packages. When you set out to design your makeup packages, think about including services such as a wedding makeup consultation, a makeup trial run, skin priming and prep, wedding day makeup and eyelashes, bridal party makeup, and even tattoo covering and corrective makeup. Your package deal could even include makeup for the mother of the bride and mother of the groom. The goal is to work with the bride to design solutions that will ensure beautiful pictures and memories.

What should your bridal makeup bag contain?

Next, let’s take a peek into the tools of the trade among the best wedding makeup artists. A wedding makeup artist first needs plenty of products to help the bridal party’s skin look and feel healthy, prepped, and primed for makeup. You’ll want products that will help you clean and moisturize the skin, like micellar water and a nice moisturizer. Keep in mind as you select products for a bridal party that you’ll want a range of products that work for a variety of skin types, from oily to combination to dry.


You’ll also want products to perfect the skin, from pore-filling primer to color-correcting concealer. On top of that, you’ll want foundations in a range of shades that will perfect and complement the skin of everyone you’re serving, plus a contouring palette that will let you create highlights and depth in your makeup. For color-giving products like blushes, eyeshadows, and lip colors, you’ll want to load up on soft and neutral shades, as many brides will typically gravitate to traditional, sophisticated, and romantic looks. Think mattes and nudes with options that will let you work in pops of color and a little shimmer. Don’t forget to pack lip gloss and lip balm to add shine and hydration when you need it. You’ll also want to load into your kit brow products (think a palette or pencils in a few shades), mascara and eyeliner in blacks and browns, plus face setting powder and setting spray to lock in the look. Finally, you’ll need an arsenal of tools including brushes, makeup blending sponges, pencil sharpeners, spatulas and palettes, tissues, makeup wipes, cotton swabs, tweezers, brush cleaning solution (and/or spray), and more. If you’ve gone to beauty school, you’ve likely created a professional makeup case and stocked your kit with the essentials.


Becoming the best wedding makeup artist

Do you want to learn more about the tricks of the trade? You could finish training to become a makeup artist in as little as six months at Cortiva Institute. Reach out today to request more information about learning makeup artistry as a career.

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