We sit down with Virginia Bridal Makeup Artist BlushTones!

Choosing your make-up artist for your wedding is a VERY important decision. Especially if you’re not used to wearing makeup and are new to the professional makeup world. Your makeup artist will be the one to complete your bridal look and you want to make sure you look GOOOOOOOD! So don’t worry because we got you! To help you answer some of those bridal makeup questions we sat down with one of our favorite badass Virginia Bridal Makeup Artist and her team of artists – BlushTones!

Want to know what a day with Cat DeLine Photography and BlushTones would be like? Check out our Cocktails with Cat featuring BlushTones!

Who is BlushTones

How did you become a Virginia Bridal Makeup Artist?

BlushTones was formed out of my strong friendship with Stephanie from FLAWLESS On Site. We both knew we wanted to work for ourselves and focus our business model on serving others. When we combined all of our passions, we ended up here: helping our brides feel their absolute best on one of the biggest days of their lives.

What makes BlushTones different from any other makeup services?

We truly are client focused! While we all have our own unique styles and techniques, we are not centering our styles around our own preferences. Our artists take into consideration a variety of factors before coming up with a bride’s look rather than just doing what the trendy styles of the time are. The looks we create are a blend of up to date techniques and our brides’ inspiration.

Bridal Advice from a Virginia Bridal Makeup Artist

What is a makeup timeline and what advice do you have for brides to follow it? 

One thing about BlushTones is we will be on time! We take our timelines very seriously because we set the tone for the rest of the day. In general, we plan for 45 minutes per bridesmaid/mother, 1 hour for the bride, and a built in 30-minute buffer. We also finish our timelines 1 hour before the party needs to be dressed. This gives us time for touchups, time for everyone to get dressed, and some buffer time just in case. The best advice I can give on timing is to trust us! I promise we don’t want to start any earlier than we have to! We truly want our brides to enjoy the day without rushing around and beginning the wedding day stressed out. Overall more time is needed than a bride might think!

What advice would you give to brides who are unsure about the makeup they want?

This is totally normal. My suggestion is to start where you’re at. Take the makeup that you normally would do when you get dressed up and step it up a few notches. This will ensure that you look like yourself but also like you belong in a wedding dress. I don’t suggest going in the complete opposite direction of the style that you’re used to. One of my favorite bridal looks for brides who aren’t sure about makeup and don’t go glam in their everyday lives is to do full glam skin with natural glam eyes. It’s a perfect bridal balance!

When should a bride think about doing her makeup trial? 

We suggest doing the trial about 3 months before the wedding. At this point, you’ll have the vast majority of your details set and you’ll be able to envision your look more clearly. 

How do you handle allergies and other possible skin concerns when it comes to creating someone’s makeup look?

Before the makeup trial, we’ll send a questionnaire and it’ll ask about any makeup related allergies. Sometimes there’s not much we can do if it’s a common ingredient, but most of the time as long as we have enough notice, we can plan to make adjustments! If it’s a severe allergy, the best thing to do is bring a product that you know works for you and we’ll be happy to use it.

What is one takeaway you hope brides keep in mind when it comes to their makeup or their wedding?

Keep in mind that the inspirational photos you see on sites like Pinterest are highly edited! Pores and texture are normal! You can have the most perfect skin, and you’ll still see slight imperfections. While you might see some texture up close, your wedding guests are not going to be as close to you as you might be holding the mirror. The best way to see your makeup how others will see it is to hold it at arm’s length!

Looking Ahead

You’re moving locations with FLAWLESS On Site, what can you tell us about it?

Our new studio is truly a love letter to our clients. We wanted a space that feels cozy but luxurious. There will be a champagne bar to welcome our clients into our space as well as a dedicated picture area to ensure we get the best photos of our clients. We want our clients to feel like we have invested as much into them as they have invested into us.

How can brides keep up to date with you as a Virginia Bridal Makeup Artist?

Our team posts our most recent work on Instagram! We’d love to connect with you on there! You can follow me on @blushtones.

Team Instagrams:

@blushtones
@blushtones_holly
@blushtones_lindsey
@blushtones_alex
@blushtones_margaret
@blushtones_emily
@blushtones_keni
@blushtones_victoria
@blushtones_nikita

Want more bridal advice? Check out the latest on our page!