6 Effective Ways to Test Your Wedding Makeup

You visit the venue, taste the catering and cake, and even listen and review the DJ’s playlist. You test so much before your wedding day—why should your makeup be any different? Most brides are familiar with the idea of a makeup trial. Whether you’re doing your own wedding makeup or hiring a makeup artist to do it, it’s important that you give it a test run. Testing your wedding makeup should go beyond what color palette or style you want, though. Your makeup will go through a lot on your wedding day. Here’s how to test for it all.

Photo Credit // What Em Sees Photography

Do I really need a wedding makeup trial?

We don’t subscribe to universal wedding planning rules. That said, most brides will agree: The first time you test your wedding makeup should not be the morning of your wedding. Testing your wedding makeup comes with a slew of benefits:

• You can nail down the perfect look. Chances are you won’t love every part of your wedding makeup the first time you get it done. Maybe you want a bolder lip or a softer eyeshadow color, for example. Your wedding makeup trial is your chance to work out the changes and make adjustments.
• You can get to know your makeup artist. Your engagement photoshoot gives you the opportunity to get to know your photographer and your makeup trial does the same for your makeup artist. You definitely want to find someone with a positive personality who also is open to feedback.
• You can test your makeup’s staying power. How your wedding makeup looks is only one part of the equation. It needs to stand the test of time from ceremony to afterparty and for all the pictures in between.

What am I looking for during the test?

Once you’ve wrapped up your wedding makeup trial, keep your look on for the same amount of time you estimate that you’ll wear it on your wedding day—or even a little longer. Then, ask yourself the following questions:

• Does the foundation match your skin tone? Does the foundation oxidize and change color on the skin throughout the day?
• Does the foundation have a smooth, flawless finish—or does it separate and/or settle into fine lines and wrinkles?
• Does the powder absorb into the skin—or does it have a thicker, cakey appearance?
• Does the foundation or powder wear off over the course of the day?
• Does the foundation or powder transfer when touched? (For example, onto hands or articles of clothing?)
• Does the mascara run when exposed to water (or tears)?
• Does the eyeliner smudge when touched—or even when not touched?
• Does the blush maintain pigment throughout the day or does it fade?
• If using fake lashes, do they stay in place throughout the day?
• How does the makeup feel on the skin throughout the day? Does it feel dry, itchy, uncomfortable, and/or cakey after a few hours of wear?

Pay attention to how your skin feels with the makeup on and, then, give it a critical once-over to see how it really looks at the end of the day.

Photo Credit // Cinder and Co.

How To Test Your Wedding Makeup

A lot goes on during a wedding. There’s eating, crying, drinking, dancing, hugging, and more. You want to make sure your wedding makeup stands up against it all. Try the following actions while wearing your wedding makeup to test its staying power.

• Taking photos. How your makeup looks in person isn’t always how your makeup looks on camera. Ask someone to snap photos of you in various lighting (interior, natural, and overhead) to see how your makeup translates in digital images.
• Kissing. The first kiss is one of the most exciting moments of a wedding ceremony—and the last thing you want is to pull away and see your lipstick smeared all of your new spouse’s face. Practice kissing your partner to make sure your makeup stays in place during the big kiss.
• Hugging. There will be hugging—a lot of it. Don’t let guests walk away with your foundation rubbed on their shoulders and collars. It’s, uh, not a great party favor. Hug people post-wedding makeup trial to make sure it stays on your face (and won’t end up on your guests).
• Dancing. If you’re going to dance the night away, you’re probably going to sweat—and you don’t want to sweat your face off. After your wedding makeup trial, turn on some tunes, dance up a sweat, and see how your makeup fares.
• Eating and drinking. Enjoy a few meals and beverages in your wedding makeup to make sure it will stand up through happy hour, dinner, and those many, many toasts. Cheers!
• Crying. Skip the muddy tears (a la LC in The Hills) and test that mascara. Even if you’re not a big crier, there’s a possibility you’ll shed a tear or two on your wedding day. End your day of wedding testing with your favorite sad movie and just … let it all out.

Test your wedding makeup before the big day and rest easy thanks to the knowledge that you’re going to look just as flawless from your walk down the aisle to your last dance.