Reecia Salon & Spa

destination wedding. First, a warning from me to future brides: if you don’t work in the beauty industry, you don’t always know exactly how to explain what you want. So maybe don’t joke around and say, “ya know, a little rosacea look, that flushed blush look,” because apparently your makeup artist might FULL SEND IT.I was trying to describe a natural flushed look. Instead, about two hours before walking down the aisle, I looked in the mirror and felt like I had a literal skin condition painted onto my face. So seriously: DO THE TRIAL. Do the trial until you’re happy. Make sure you vibe with your artist. Make sure you love their work AND how they make you feel, because this person is going to be inches from your face for a good portion of one of the most emotional mornings of your life. I did not do a trial, and I regret that tremendously.The energy in the room was completely different from what I expected based on Instagram and our messages leading up to the wedding. She seemed uninterested and like she genuinely did not want to be there. She barely sparked conversation with me or my bridal party, and I became increasingly uncomfortable and anxious as the morning went on. At one point she kept telling me, “I don’t care, it’s your wedding.” And I understand the sentiment of wanting the bride to choose what she likes, but that wasn’t what I needed from the professional I hired. Look at my face. Get inspired. Tell me what you think would bring out my features. Hype me up. Make me feel taken care of. Help guide me when I clearly don’t know the technical language to describe exactly what I want. Instead, I felt like she genuinely did not care how I felt or how I looked. When I said I didn’t like the blush, she started removing it. I told her I was worried about looking cakey, and by that point I was getting visibly upset. In my opinion, when a bride is sitting in your chair on her wedding morning saying she feels cakey and clearly isn’t happy with her face, that should be the moment to stop, regroup, wipe it off if necessary, and start with a fresh canvas. I had also sent an inspiration photo about two months beforehand, but on the wedding day I had to find and show her the photo again.My sister asked for a light purple eyeshadow and was told, “I don’t do costume makeup, only bridal makeup.” The interaction came across incredibly rude and made her feel small. By the end of the appointment, I could not wait for her to leave the bridal suite. I ended up doing my own makeup for my wedding. What honestly hurts me more than the makeup itself is how much that morning still lives in my memory of my wedding day. I had to shove the whole experience into the back of my mind because I was about to get married and refused to let it ruin the rest of my day. The next morning, everything I had pushed down came flooding back and I cried. That’s why I’m finally writing this. Instagram does not always show you the person who is actually going to walk into your bridal suite. My advice to other brides: do the trial. Pay attention to personality and energy just as much as the portfolio. You should feel comfortable speaking up. You should feel cared for. And if something feels wrong in that chair, say something early. Your wedding morning deserves to feel safe, exciting and supportive.