Do I need a makeup trial? When it is worth it, and what we do at one

This one arrives in my inbox most weeks, and the short answer is: not always. A trial is not a required step before every occasion. For some, though, it is a lovely way to give yourself peace of mind — and peace of mind on the day is worth more than it sounds.

A trial lets us talk through the details, try different versions, and see how you feel in the look we land on. For a wedding especially, it is the moment where everything gets settled in advance, so you know what to expect on the big day.

When it is genuinely worth it

• A wedding. The day is long, the photographs stay, and you will be looking at yourself in them for years. This is where a trial earns its place.
• We have not worked together before and the occasion matters. A trial is how we get to know each other before there is a clock running.
• The look is far from your usual. If you normally wear very little and you want something fuller for the day, it is better to see your face like that in advance than two hours before you leave.
• Your skin is sensitive or reacts unpredictably. A trial shows how it takes the look after a few hours, not just in the first five minutes.
• It would simply calm you down. That is a complete reason on its own, and you do not have to justify it.

When you can happily skip it

For a birthday, a dinner, a party or a shoot, you usually do not need one. The same goes if we have already worked together and I know what you like — then it is more useful to write to me about what you want to be different this time.

If you are undecided, the clearest sign you do not need one is being able to describe the look in a single sentence, and having worn it before.

What we actually do

It is not a rehearsal where I work and you sit quietly and watch. We do it together:

1. We talk — about the occasion, the dress, the hair, and what you do not want. That last one is always the most useful.
2. We do the look and see how it sits on your face, rather than on the photograph we started from.
3. We check it in different light — by a window and in the room. The same makeup reads as two different things in those two places.
4. We photograph it on a phone. The camera sees something else, and it is better to find out now.
5. We adjust. A fuller lip, a softer line, more glow or less — this is the moment to say so.

Afterwards I write down the products and the shades, so we are not starting from scratch on the day.

How to prepare

• Come with clean skin and no makeup, and not straight after a peel or a treatment.
• Bring two or three photographs — one you like, and one you definitely do not want.
• Wear something in the colour of the dress, or at least something neutral. A bright top changes what you see in the mirror.
• If you already know the hair, come with it, or close to it. A look reads differently with hair up and hair down.
• Book it on a day when you have somewhere to go afterwards. The most honest test is how you feel about the makeup six hours into being out in it.

When to schedule it before a wedding

Usually one to two months before the day — early enough that there is room for a second attempt if we decide something is off, and late enough that the dress and the hair are settled. Much earlier than that and we tend to change our minds anyway.

What if I do not like it?

That is exactly why we do it. A trial cannot fail — it either confirms the direction or tells us where the mistake is while there is still time to fix it. Say so directly if something is not right; I will not take it badly, and it is far more useful to me than a polite “it’s nice”.

If you decide to skip it

Then write me more in your message — the occasion, the light, how much you will be photographed, and what you normally wear. Send photographs too. The more I know beforehand, the fewer decisions are left for the day.

It may also help to read how to prep your skin in the week before, and how to choose between soft glam and full glam.

And when you are ready — book a date, and tell me whether you would like a trial before it.