There is a difference between wearing makeup and wearing makeup to get married in. The first lasts an evening. The second has to survive the church, the afternoon heat, your mother crying, four hundred photographs and the last song of the night, and still look like you. That second kind is what I do as a makeup artist in Porto.
I have worked with brides since my first year in the profession. They are the reason I learned that technique alone is not enough: you have to understand the person, the dress, the light of the venue and the hour everything happens. That combination is what decides how the makeup gets built.
It starts with a trial, weeks before
The trial is not a decorative rehearsal. It is where the hard work happens, unhurried: I learn how your skin behaves, test shades against the real colour of the dress, design the eye, and see what photography gives back.
I always ask you to bring references: the ones you love and, above all, the ones you hate. Knowing what you don't want saves us more time than knowing what you do. If you have already chosen hair accessories, earrings or a veil, bring those too: gold and silver ask for different undertones in the skin.
We leave the trial with a decision made and written down. Nothing is improvised on the wedding day: we repeat something we already know works.
The bridal makeup trial takes place at the studio in Vila Nova de Gaia, four to eight weeks before the wedding, and takes about two hours. You leave wearing the makeup and can keep it on for the rest of the day: it is the best way to see how it behaves after several hours. For brides coming from abroad who cannot travel earlier, we do the trial the day before or two days before.
Sealed skin: what that actually means
The Brazilian sealed-skin technique has a bad reputation because of people who do it badly. Done well it is not a mask: it is the opposite. Very thin layers, each one set before the next, instead of one thick coat of product that settles into lines and slides off with perspiration.
Preparation is half the result. Before any foundation there is cleansing, hydration chosen for your skin type, and waiting time. Yes, sitting still, letting the product settle. It is the most boring part of the process and it is the part that decides whether the makeup is still there at two in the morning.
Then I work zone by zone: what needs more coverage gets more, what doesn't stays light. A bride with beautiful skin across her cheek does not need foundation across her cheek. Covering everything equally is the most common mistake and the one that ages a face fastest.
The day: timings and order
A wedding day has a choreography. We agree in advance what time I start, who goes first and how long I have, and then I keep to it, because every minute I am late is a minute late at the church.
Bridesmaids and the mother of the bride are usually done first, so the bride is last and reaches the photographs with her makeup at its best. Your makeup takes around ninety minutes, and the start time is worked out backwards from the ceremony. I always keep a margin at the end for touch-ups once the dress is on, because getting into a wedding dress is not a delicate operation.
And I do not leave when the makeup is finished. I stay from the moment I arrive until the bride leaves for the ceremony, checking her makeup right up to the moment she walks in.
What the camera sees and the eye does not
Wedding photography happens under flash, window light, church light and party light. Four different colour temperatures in one day. Products with certain sunscreen filters throw back a white cast under flash that nobody sees in person. Powder that is too light around the eyes does the same.
That is why I always photograph the trial. What matters is not how it looks in the studio mirror: it is how it looks in the images you will be looking at for the rest of your life.
Travel, bridesmaids and the rest of the group
I come to wherever you are getting ready: at home, in a hotel, or at the venue itself. I am based in Porto but I travel to wherever your day happens: in Portugal or abroad. It is simply a matter of arranging it in advance.
Within Greater Porto the trip from the studio is short: about 20 minutes without traffic to Foz do Douro, Matosinhos or Maia. Outside Porto, travel is included in the quote according to distance and start time.
If there are bridesmaids, family or guests to make up, tell me how many when we speak. With my team of four, we can do up to 20 to 25 people in one morning; if hair is included too, that number changes. That is what sets our start time.
When to book
In Portugal the wedding season runs from May to October, and Saturdays in June, July and September are the first to go. Some dates are booked a year ahead. Outside the season, three to six months is usually enough.
I explain the reasoning in the article on how far in advance to book a bridal makeup artist. And if your wedding is two months away, write to me anyway: I will tell you straight away whether the date is free.
Frequently asked questions
Is the trial included in the bridal makeup?
Yes. The trial is part of the bridal service: it takes place at the studio in Vila Nova de Gaia, four to eight weeks before the wedding, and takes about two hours.
How long does bridal makeup take on the day?
Around ninety minutes for the bride alone, plus a margin at the end for touch-ups once the dress is on. Bridesmaids and the mother of the bride are done first.
Does the makeup artist stay until the ceremony?
I do. I stay from the moment I arrive until the bride leaves for the ceremony, checking her makeup right up to the moment she walks in.
Do you come to my home, hotel or venue?
Yes, across Greater Porto, the rest of Portugal and abroad. Travel is included in the quote according to distance and start time.
How many people can you do in one morning?
With my team of four, we can do up to 20 to 25 people in one morning. If hair is included too, that number changes.
How far in advance should I book?
For Saturdays in June, July and September, the earlier the better: some dates are booked a year ahead. Outside the season, which runs from May to October, three to six months is usually enough.
Will the makeup survive tears and heat?
It will, when water resistance and wear are decided at the trial. I use the sealed-skin technique, in thin layers set one at a time, and test every product before the day.
I am coming from abroad. Can I still have a trial?
Yes. If you cannot travel earlier, we do the trial the day before or two days before the wedding. I work in Portuguese and English.
How much does bridal makeup cost?
It depends on the working time: start time, location, number of people and travel. Tell me the date, the venue, the ceremony time and how many people need makeup, and I will send you a written quote, usually the same day.
Talking to me
Tell me the date, the venue and roughly what you have in mind. I usually reply the same day and walk you through everything (what is included, how long it takes, what needs deciding and when), with no obligation.
Nothing is improvised on the wedding day. We repeat what we already know works: that is exactly what the trial was for.
Larissa Wendler, bridal makeup artist in Porto
References
- Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009: the European regime for cosmetic products: composition, labelling and safety assessment of everything applied to the skin.
- INFARMED: the national competent authority for cosmetic products in Portugal.
