Get the Most Out of Your Makeup Appointment: Prepping for Promptness!
Clients often ask me if I need the full two hours per person, or three for brides, especially when they’ve suddenly found out they need to get out the door earlier than expected. I don’t always need that much time and there are ways we can speed up the timing of your appointment whilst still achieving your desired look. Here’s how you can best prepare to make the most out of your time with an at-home styling session:
1. Ready by Time: The ready by time you quote to me should be approximately half an hour to 45 minutes before you need to leave the house. This gives you time to dress and collect your things and get your kids ready if they are also going to your event. If it is a bridal appointment, your ready by time should be when the photographer arrives or slightly before as they do not like to be kept waiting. They can always do faux getting ready shots of me holding a blush/lip brush to your face.
2. Choose a Suitable Location: Select a well-lit and spacious area in your home where we can set up comfortably. Natural light is ideal for makeup application, so if possible, choose a room with lots of daylight. It will save me five minutes going back out to the car and setting up my makeup ring light. I will need a large table space so usually the kitchen or dining area is best, rather than a bathroom or bedroom with limited table space. I do carry a mirror with me and often I will use a window/ cabinet reflection as a mirror when gauging positioning of hair.
3. Clear the Area: Remove clutter and ensure the area is cleared before I arrive. This is a big factor is ensuring that your hair and makeup is finished by your desired time. I generally arrive fifteen minutes before the appointment to set up and discuss your look with you. If I spend ten minutes clearing away clutter first before setting up and discussing the look with you, this will eat into the appointment time. Please remove toys from the floor of the area.
4. Wear Appropriate Clothing Ideally wear a button down shirt or cardigan which is easy to take off without disturbing your hair and makeup. Please don’t wear your event outfit for the appointment to avoid the risk of getting makeup/ hair products on it.
5. Communicate Your Desired Looks Earlier : This saves spending five to ten minutes discussing your look and dress with you before starting. Earlier in the week I check all the photos of dresses and looks that my clients have sent me and prepare accordingly . I quickly run by the photos you have sent to double-check and get started. Whereas if you have not decided on a look, it will take you some time to pick some from the inspiration photos I provide. With indecisive clients sometimes that can take up to fifteen minutes of extra time.
6. Prep Your Hair : I can’t emphasise this enough. When I confirm the booking I request the client to wash and blow dry their hair the night before. This gives the natural oils in your hair time to replenish and slightly ‘dirty’ hair styles much better than freshly washed hair. The blow dry also smooths down the cuticle if done correctly. If I arrive and you have wet hair, I will need at least an extra 15 to 20 minutes to run a blow dry through it. If it is freshly washed and dried just before the appointment, I still generally need an extra ten minutes to blow dry some texturizing product through it so that it is not too slippery and drops quickly. If you are planning to have me put in hair extensions please let me know as I will need an extra fifteen to twenty minutes to put in a full set.
7. Prepping the Skin：Please have a freshly cleaned face free of product including moisturiser. This is because some good quality moisturisers have sticky humectants which interfere with the makeup application. I do cleanse, hydrate and moisturise my clients skin before applying primer. What is helpful, however, is to exfoliate your skin lightly the day before, especially on the forehead and around the crevices of the nose. This will ensure that your makeup goes on a lot more smoothly and you will notice less texture.
8. Don’t Worry About the Tea/Coffee: Just a glass of tap water is thoughtful. The tea/coffee almost invariably goes cold as I can’t simply stop and sip it. That alone would add an extra five minutes. It can also eat into the appointment time if the client starts preparing it after I have set up. I do carry some tea bags with me and at the end of the appointment, if we both have time, then sometimes I will have one.
9. Keep talking to a minimum : When we talk, I tend to stop and explain things with my hands and it can also distract from the task at hand particularly if the topic is not related to the look. It’s a good idea to have some music playing when I arrive or if I find myself talking too much, I will often start an acoustic chill playlist from Apple Music. Going on your phone during hair is fine but please try to avoid it during makeup application as I often have to wait for you to send your texts/ finish talking before I can proceed. If visitors are coming in and out of the room to talk to you, this can also slow down the timing of the appointment as you will naturally be turning your head to talk to them and I need to wait until you turn it back.
10. Relax and Enjoy the Experience: With every look, in both makeup and hair, there is a half way stage. The teased up crown section of the hair or fallout from a smokey eye can be confronting. If you are checking in the mirror every two minutes, you can get panicky about the process and indecisive about the look which adds to the time. At the end, I do ask if you would like any changes to be made and we generally have time for this if everything else has gone smoothly.
By preparing your home and yourself thoughtfully, you can ensure a smooth and enjoyable hair and makeup appointment in the comfort of your own space. Enjoy the convenience and personalised attention that comes with an at-home styling session!