Setting Your Wedding Day Beauty Schedule

Molly Peach Photography

As your wedding day gets closer, you’re going to need to start locking in the timeline for all your vendors. There is so much to think about - what time will the flowers arrive? Will you be available to meet the florist at the door or will you be busy in hair and makeup? What about First Looks? When does the caterer need to start setting up? What about if the venue has limitations on what time you can get into the premises?

Wow. I’m overwhelmed just writing that. Y’all, planning a wedding is not easy, so I have some tips for scheduling your hair and makeup timeline on the Big Day!

First things first - ask your beauty vendors how much time they need to allot per person. Then, decide whether you’ll be doing photos before the ceremony. Will you be doing First Looks? What about photos of the family and wedding party?

Taylor Kern Photography

Here’s a few scenarios that will help dictate the timeline:

If you’re only doing First Looks but saving the wedding party photos for after the ceremony, ask your photographer what time they would like you and your fiance(e) ready for photos. Your beauty vendors can finish up your wedding party while you’re off taking pictures.

If you’re doing the wedding party photos pre-ceremony as well as First Looks, check and see what time your photographer wants everyone to be ready. Your beauty team can still finish up your wedding party while you and your fiance(e) are off doing First Looks, as long as everyone else is completed by the time the group photos will start.

If you’re not doing First Looks but you are doing group photos before the ceremony, then obviously everyone needs to be ready at a certain time, and your photographer can help you navigate what time that should be.

If you’re not doing photos before the ceremony at all, I suggest having everyone completely ready an hour before the ceremony is set to begin. This gives everybody time to change into their wedding outfits, find their shoes and jewelry (the Getting Ready suites can get messy very quickly with so many things going on!), and allows time for the beauty vendors to do touch ups if needed.

If there’s travel time involved between where you’re getting ready and the ceremony, make sure you allow for at least an hour in between. Trying to corral so many people from one place to the next can be very chaotic - someone forgets a bouquet, someone lost a shoe, etc. You want to have plenty of time so you’re not stressing if something goes awry. And remember: if something does go amiss, it’s good to be prepared, but it will be okay. Breathe. Guests will probably have no idea that something went wrong.

Kaitlyn Blake Photography

Something else you need to consider is the actual timeline of who’s getting hair and makeup done at what specific times. This is where having a separate hair and makeup person comes in handy, especially if you have more than two or three people in your wedding party who are receiving beauty services. Another advantage to having two (or more) artists working at once is that it shortens the timeline for the Big Day, so you’re not all up at the crack of dawn to make sure there’s plenty of time to get everyone done with hair and makeup. It’s a good idea to communicate a schedule between both artists, or even CC them on one email chain so everyone is on the same page. And hey, some artists will go out of their way to communicate with the other beauty vendors and coordinate a schedule without you having to put in any effort! You want to make sure the schedule is set so that someone is not supposed to be in the hair stylist’s chair and the makeup artists’s chair at the same time. Although, should this happen, it’s not the end of the world - we typically know how to work around each other as long as the space allows for it.

Another question that pops up a lot is: What time should the Soonlywed get hair and makeup done? I try to get the Soonlywed in my makeup chair either second-to-last, or third-to-last if they’re doing hair after makeup. This allows time for him/her/them to relax before changing into the wedding outfit, grab a bite to eat, let the makeup settle a bit, and then I can provide any lipstick or powder touch ups if needed.

I know this is a lot to take in, but if you’ve hired seasoned wedding vendors, they can definitely help guide you through the process. Don’t be afraid to ask for help! That’s what we’re here for (within reason) and this coordinated effort is part of what you’re paying for when you hire us.

Good luck, and congratulations!

Planning a wedding? Reach out to inquire about professional makeup services for you and your wedding party!

Using Oil to Wash Your FACE?

Using oil to wash your face? Um... sounds counterproductive, right? But yes, you can absolutely use oil to cleanse your face.

"But I have oily skin! Why would I want to put more oil on it?!"

For some people, overproduction of oil is caused by dehydration. If your skin is being thrown off balance by harsh cleansers or other improper care, the natural surface oils may be stripped, so throughout the day your skin tries to overcompensate. Ever notice you get shinier throughout the day? If you get super oily, your skin may be overproducing to try and balance itself out.

And did you know that oil also disintegrates oil? So all those pesky clogged pores and congestion you feel underneath the skin can be dissolved by massaging the areas with oil. It will loosen up and begin to disintegrate the oil and dirt that is trapped in the skin. The oil also leaves your skin soft and helps protect against further water loss. So while you're getting rid of the dirt and clogged sebum (a.k.a. your skin's natural oil), you're still leaving behind the moisturizing effects of the cleansing oil - so your skin won't feel like it has to produce a ton throughout the day.

Mind blown, yet? 

Now, before we get into how to do oil cleansing, I want to make the disclaimer that since not everyone's skin reacts the same, you may find the oil cleansing method doesn't work for you. Or, you might find that your skin hates rosehip oil (like mine does), but loves jojoba oil. And while coconut oil is super comedogenic (which means it very easily clogs pores), it works like a charm for some people. Always patch test to check for reactions.

Anyway, let's get to the good stuff: How the heck do you do it?

To make it easy, I buy pre-mixed cleansing oils. The one I use on my clients is this one. I use this one on myself since I tend to save the luxury items for my freelance kit. 

On totally dry skin (not "dry" as in skin type, but literally dry), rub one or two pumps of oil gently all over your face. Massage and really work it into the skin. If you feel little bumps on or under your skin, pay extra attention to those to allow the oil to work its magic and break up those clogs. They won't all break up in one go, but you might feel little gritty pieces and see specks of grey or black on your fingers. These are hardened, clogged oil that have been released. 

If you use the pre-mixed cleansing oils, they will easily rinse away. And if you wear makeup, cleanse twice (and dry your face in between). The first time, you're getting most of the makeup off, and the second time is for getting a deeper clean. Pat dry.

Note: You can also use plain ol' oils (such as jojoba or mineral oil), but those are more of a pain to rinse. You will really need to take those off with a warm, wet microfiber towel since they don't rinse off easily.

Then continue with the rest of your routine if you have one (such as applying toner and moisturizer). I will do another blog post detailing the various steps that are possible in a skin care routine, but it'll be hella long so for now we're just focusing on the cleansing portion.

So there's the lowdown on oil cleansing! I love it. It's done wonders for my skin and I hope it works for you, too!

I'm always available for lesson, consultations or makeup applications, so email me if you want some hands-on help.