Bridal Makeup Pricing - A Controversial Topic.
If I’m honest I am not sure where to start here. Firstly I will say there are many different reasons makeup artists charge different pricing for a wedding compared to a normal makeup. I will break it down as much as possible and try to give you an idea on why it is usually a higher price! There are also plenty of opinions on this topic, so I’m just the middle man and this is my reasons having been in the industry for 8 years now.
Firstly, training. A bridal makeup artist has probably studied makeup, paid for a course, dedicated time and effort to learning their skill. Just like a builder, an electrician, even a lawyer has. The level of skill changes the price for each individual.
Secondly, the cost of your kit. As a makeup artist, my kit is filled (& I mean FILLED) with every single shade of foundation possible, so many different textures and formula’s for all skin types. I have endless eyeshadow palettes, lipsticks, eyelash brands, brushes the list goes on! My kit alone probably costs over £5000 including the Zuca carry case Ithat I use (highly recommend). Don’t forget replenishment of items too, once a foundation is opened its shelf life is around 6-8 months, they then need to be replaced no matter how much is left in the bottle! You will see on my website, I use products from brands such as Charlotte Tilbury, Bobbi Brown, Dior, Lancôme, Chanel, these brands are not cheap brands you’d find in a drug store. The average price for 1 bottle of foundation is £30.
Thirdly, experience. Makeup artists like myself, who prefer to specialise in bridal than the typical ‘going out makeup’ bookings spend a lot more time promoting our business, finding work, making websites (I made mine from scratch myself), buying business cards, researching new trends, the list goes on. In my opinion, the bridal service I personally give is bespoke to each bride. We will be in contact with each other on the lead up to your big day, you will have a trial, you can call me anytime for anything you need, and then of course your big day. I will have a timetable laid out for the day, so we know who’s going next, you’ll have a face chart as the bride so you know what I am using and just the general attitude of a bridal makeup artist. We are skilled in blending in, helping the morning run seamlessly with no stress.
Another thing to add to experience is literal experience in exposure, so things like the BBC Music Awards, Brides the Show, Wedding shows in general, all of which I have been booked for as a makeup artist
I’d just like to put some things into perspective too, kind of like a comparison so you may understand why bridal makeup is generally priced higher.
If you booked a venue for your engagement party, it would cost you a fair bit. If you booked the same venue for your wedding, it would probably cost you up to 4x the price of the engagement party. It is just how the world of weddings works.
Your wedding dress. ranging from £800 - £5000+, do you wonder why this is priced higher than if you went into F&F in Tesco and picked a £20 dress up of the rail? No, you don’t. Because you know the time and effort gone into making a wedding dress compared to one off a rail in Tesco. (Nothing against Tesco, I love their clothes!)
You have to think, your bridal makeup is completely bespoke to you. I will be with you every step of the way from your initial first contact with me, to when I’m waving you off to go and tie the knot. Personally, I keep my prices affordable (I am extremely affordable if you check out other prices compared to mine) as I’d prefer to get more bookings than less bookings for a higher price. I also do lashes on the side, so my time is taken up by this. I just don’t need to charge large amounts, but this doesn’t mean other makeup artists can’t.
We also pay public liability insurance, makeup artist insurance (I’m with Salon Gold, I would recommend to other MUA’s!), website fee’s, advertising fee’s, time spent cleaning our kit. I literally clean everything I’m a little OCD! Time spent travelling to locations, there are so many factors you probably haven’t thought of.
I hope this puts things into perspective for you, and if you still aren’t happy with paying a larger sum of money for your wedding makeup I’d advise you to take a trip to your local boots, selfridges, any store which has makeup concessions and ask around for the makeup artists who also offer freelance. You may find an MUA in training, who is amazing at makeup but also super affordable as they are still learning. Failing that - Bobbi Brown offer the most amazing bridal makeup lessons! This is a complimentary (with view to purchase products, don’t be mean walking away empty handed after the MUA has just spent 2 hours with you!) service, they will literally talk you through from skincare to lipstick and teach you what to do for your look & features. Spend £300 on a new makeup bag instead of a makeup artist for your big day! There are sooooo many amazing options out there for you.
I will leave it there, I hope this has helped you on your search for wedding makeup.
