Clients come to us as their professional makeup artists with different skin types and conditions wanting the same outcome for their makeup – beautiful and flawless. You can invest in the best products for makeup; however, the process for a great complexion starts with the proper skin care and skin prep. There are certain tips you can share with your makeup clients, so they can properly prepare their skin for their makeup appointment. There are also preparation steps you can take the day of your clients makeup application, so your client’s makeup is successful regardless of their skin condition and type.
General Skin Preparations
Clients usually book their makeup application weeks or even months in advance. Communication is key. I like to have a consistent process of providing information and tips by giving myself a checklist of items to send to clients at the time of booking, the week of their makeup application, and the day before their application. I even recently made graphics to send to clients. For instance, I’ll send a booking reminder graphic at the time of booking with helpful tips, which include skin care prep suggestions.
I advise clients not to switch up their skin care close to their appointment time. In fact, I ask them to keep their same skin care routine the month leading up their makeup application, especially if it is for a wedding or special occasion. This helps avoid any potential breakouts someone may experience when switching up their skin care routine. I also ask they avoid anything abrasive such as professional exfoliation one to two weeks before the makeup application. No one wants a breakout right before their big day.
Lastly, I always recommend that they hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Applying moisturizer and drinking plenty of water before the makeup application will help the skin not appear flaky or dry for the wedding. Supple skin will also make the foundation look so much better than a dull, dehydrated complexion. These tips are for all skin types and conditions. Now, let’s take into consideration specific concerns the day of the makeup application.
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Day Of Preparations
I always ask clients to come to their makeup appointment with cleansed skin that has been prepped with their normal skin care routine. I then will evaluate the skin by looking and feeling the texture of it. This helps to see if there is anything visible that we will need to remedy and prepare for prior to applying makeup. We want to look at the skin and prep it according to how it is that day. For instance, a client may be normally oily, but experiencing dryness. It is important that we improve the texture of the dryness before moving forward. This is sometimes a challenge for us as professionals because we want to jump in with active ingredients to correct the actual skin condition. We have to remember that active ingredients are for their normal routine, and their skin prep products are all about how they will affect the skin and makeup throughout the day.
The goal is for the skin texture to be as smooth as possible, hydrated, color-corrected, and ready for the products to effectively adhere and stay on the skin. From experience, and a trial and error process, I have compiled tips and tricks to share with you for common skin conditions that you may see on clients on the day of their makeup appointment.
Continue reading the best skin prep methods for makeup application in the June Digital Magazine...
Brittney Waugh is a licensed esthetician and makeup artist. She is the owner of Blushed by Brittney Waugh and co-owner of Willow Spa Suites. She has been a licensed instructor since 2012, and she recently earned her Master’s degree in educational leadership. She was voted Best Esthetician of OKC in 2011 by Oklahoma Magazine and Best Makeup Artist of OKC in 2019 by So6ix Magazine. Contact her at [email protected].
