Hair & Makeup Trial

So, to all you brides out there, don't be surprised on your wedding day!  I've seen it happen.  You give the stylist a picture of the hairstyle and makeup you want, but they can't make your hair and makeup look like the photo.  Get the hair trial done in advance so that you know that you will like your hair.

I say this as a warning.  Get your trial run in!  It is important.  You need to be happy with how you will look on your big day.  You will be immortalized in photos, which will then be posted all over Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and elsewhere.  Make sure you're going to be happy with your look.

Let's also not forget that weather and emotion can affect your look.  We're getting married in June, waterfront, in Eastern Carolina.  That means high temperatures and high humidity.  Since it is outdoors, we're talking potential for wind.  For me, this means updo and the majority of my hair in a non-moving style.  I've opted for a messy chignon.

Also, you might have heard that I'm a cryer.  This means that waterproofing is a must so that I don't end up looking like an insane person... Although, Hubs might like it if I look like Harley Quinn.

I've gotten off track here.  Back to the topic at hand.

I'm not joking.  I've seen it firsthand.  The picture looks fabulous but your hair is too short, or too long, or too thin, or too thick.  Maybe your hair doesn't hold a curl well enough.  Maybe your hair is too curly.  No matter what the reason, unless you are an identical twin of the person in the photo, chances are your hair will behave differently.

Let's talk about faces.  Eye shape, brow positioning, cheekbone structure, lip fullness, skin pigment... I could go on and on.  The point is that there are so many aspects of a person's face that affect how makeup will look on them.  No two people are identical and so eye shadow that looks good in the photo, may not work with your face shape.  Methods used on folks with thin lips are different than those with fuller lips.

Add in my Celiac Disease and the need to ensure the makeup and hair products don't contain gluten, and you're looking at a definite need for a trial run!

So, the lovely ladies at Magnolia Jane salon worked their magic.  With my lovely Wife standing by to provide feedback, things went very well.  The best part about Wife is her OCD.  She knows me well and her attention to detail is incredible.  I don't do my hair or wear makeup 99% of the time, so conversations at the salon went like this:

Stylist:  What products do you use when you're styling your hair?
Me: I don't style my hair.
Stylist:  What about when you're blow-drying it?
Me:  Let me put it this way... today, I stuck my head out the window while driving here.
Stylist: ... 😒

I know that Wife was concerned because for the first few steps in the hair process, I was looking like Cousin It.  I wasn't concerned because I know what it takes to style my mop.  I've been in weddings before and it is always a production to gather all of my hair into one location.

 

I think everything turned out well, but why don't you see for yourself.

 

Then it was time to move on to makeup.  On the big day, they'll do my makeup first, but we had to go on salon timing and availability, so makeup went second today.  Into the director's chair I went for my face paint to go on.

 

375 bobby pins and some war paint, and here's a little sneaky-peek at the finished product.  Wife gave some requests to the Aesthetician and she was able to do exactly what Wife suggested.  this is one of my favorite pictures.