“Do I really need to hire a make-up artist?   I do my own make up every day.”

This is a very common question/statement I get asked from clients.

Unless you’re a professional makeup artist yourself, the answer will…

ALWAYS.  BE.  YES. 

Let me be honest with you.  When I have professional hair and make-up artist contact me to do a boudoir session with them 90% of the time they hire someone else to do it for them. 

Why? …

..Because they understand the value in hiring a professional artist.

Today I’m going to give you 6 REAL reasons why you need to hire a professional makeup artist for your boudoir session.

1.) Investment

Your boudoir session is an investment.  There aren’t many things in this life that go up in value after purchase, but a boudoir is one of them.  You paid for an amazing photographer and purchased the perfect lingerie and outfits for your session.  However, you are now considering cutting cost a little bit with hair and make-up by doing it yourself... or letting your cousin, sister, aunt (whoever) do your makeup because they do such a great job on themselves.  Doing makeup on you is not the same as doing it on someone else.  Let me tell you that paying the additional $100-$150 (depending on the boudoir studio) is well worth the price tag.

Great makeup enhances your boudoir photos.  Do you really want to take the risk of doing a reverse smokey eye and ombre lip on yourself if you have never done one before?  The day of your boudoir session is NOT the day to try your hand at applying false lashes or a makeup technique you have never done before.

I really wish I could attach photos of my clients who did their own make-up versus my girls who hired a make-up artist.  However, I do not want to put anyone on blast so I won’t do that, but there is a night and day difference between the women. 

Most boudoir studios will have in-house or contracted hair and makeup artist they can recommend to you.  These professionals have typically worked with the photographer on a long term and ongoing basis and can anticipate the photographers shooting style and perfectly incorporate that with what you are wearing to the session. 

At Wonderland Boudoir our makeup artists typically stay with us the entire length of your session.  Unlike many boudoir studios our makeup artist touches you up throughout your session to make sure you look flawless in each frame.

The last thing you want to do is love EVERYTHING about the photo EXCEPT your make-up.  You don’t want to regret doing the makeup yourself (or resenting your family member for doing a poor job).  Boudoir sessions focus A LOT on the face.  Have complete confidence in your session by hiring a professional makeup artist.  The extra $100-$150 on a makeup artist will be a drop in the bucket when it comes to gorgeous photos and peace of mind.

2.) Quality

Makeup artist invest a lot of time and money into their craft.  They research different styles and know by heart the brands that will work best for not only your skin but for the overall photos.

Also, there is a quality to their work you will not find anywhere else.  Each makeup artist develops a style and skill that they call their own.  This is called passion.  The makeup they do for you is evidence of their skill and brand.   Essentially, you are a walking billboard for them.  If you are being photographed they NEVER want to do a bad job.  That’s why they put in so much time and effort to provide you with a quality result for your boudoir session. 

3.) Professional Grade Makeup

All of the makeup artists that I have ever worked with apply high quality HD makeup for boudoir sessions.  For session such as boudoir, engagements, and weddings they use makeup that is more heavy and not for everyday use.  We aren’t talking drug store brands here.  No.  There is nothing wrong with anything you may have purchased at CVS, but if you are looking for Grade A flawless make-up your makeup artist is going to have it. 

The brands makeup artist use for boudoir sessions is built to last for all day use and under hot lights.  Professional grade makeup takes real effort to remove.  You want something that will last the entirety of your session and even later into the day.

4.) Technique

Makeup artist are professionally trained and state certified. They know what they are doing.  They have techniques that we commoners can’t do.  Keep in mind that a photo a 2D image.  This means that everything is flat in a photo.  However, professional makeup artist know tricks to make your photo 3D.  They add color, highlights, and contouring to make our cheekbones, eye, and hair pop!  Let’s not forget the blending game!  There is nothing like a makeup artist that knows how to really blend!  Blending makeup is probably the most important technique that any artist can do and it’s the one that most people who aren’t makeup artist tend to forget.

5.) Photographers Hate Photoshop

Most photographers hate Photoshop.  They much prefer to get every last detail right in camera.   Yes, makeup is one of those details.  Many clients think that Photoshop is the be all end all, but Photoshop is a tool… not an answer.  In fact the photo of Toni to the right was one were the only two things I did was remove blemishes and make the color pop. That is all.  Before arriving to the boudoir studio Toni went to a celebrity MUA in Dallas to have her makeup done.  Let me tell you, the money she paid was well worth it because not only was the makeup perfect for her outfits, eyes, and face shape it also allowed her to receive her photos back much faster because I didn’t have to take the extra time to touch anything up on her face. Who doesn’t LOVE getting their photos back sooner than anticipated?

6.) Relieves Stress

Having a professional take care of your makeup alleviates the pressure of making sure you did it right.  While this is listed as the last reason it’s actually the number one reason you should hire a makeup artist to do your makeup for a boudoir session. 

You have so much going on already… work, planning for your boudoir session, buying lingerie, and let’s not forget your personal life.  When you hire a professional makeup artist all you need to do is show up. 

I always tell my clients to create a Pinterest board as inspiration for each look they want to do.  This helps you, me, and the makeup artist because it provides a visual idea of what you want your end result to be for your session.  Since a makeup artist can’t read your mind it’s important to send a visual idea of what you are looking to accomplish.

CONCLUSION

Hiring a professional makeup artist is an investment that you need for your boudoir session.  There is a quality and technique that professional makeup artist have that most people don’t because they haven’t studied the form.  Makeup artist use expensive high quality makeup that isn’t necessary for everday use but is necessary for your boudoir session. Photographers like to use as little Photoshop as possible for your session so it’s important to make sure your makeup is right in camera to help speed up the editing process which helps you get your photos back sooner.  The most important reason you need to hire a professional makeup artist is that it leaves you stress free.

In the comments below let me know if you have anymore questions about why you should hire a professional makeup artist for your session.