Tag: advice

Starting a skincare routine can be daunting as heck. What order do you do things, what things should I put on - is there anything I can realistically leave out? Do I have to spend all that money? Now I'm no skincare specialist, and I'll never claim to be one. If you've a thirst for knowledge about all things skincare then I wholly recommend Caroline Hiron's Skincare - The No Nonsense Guide - it has incredible advice in it and more knowledge than you could ever imagine! There's also two incredible skincare specialists I recommend in Nottingham if you're looking to get specific help. 

However, here are my tips for all skincare types!

If eyes are the windows to the soul, then the eyebrows are the window frames; and it's soon noticable when they are rotten!

Everyone should experience luxury when having their makeup done! After all, it's a special occasion and you deserve to feel truly fabulous, from a wedding day to a day out on the town! That said, I don't think that any animals should be harmed for us to feel this good.

It's why I've been a cruelty-free makeup artist now for over 10 years. That means I won't support brands that sell in countries where animal testing is required for their products to be sold. No products in my kit have been tested on animals, and a very large portion of it is vegan too - which means that there are no animal derived ingredients used either. 

Sadly there's a lot of brands out there that do still test on animals - Nars, MAC, Dior, Bobbi Brown, Benefit, L'Oreal, Estee Lauder, Elizabeth Arden, Elemis, Clinique, and Armarni, to name a few.

There's no need for animal testing in this day and age. You can absolutely have luxury products that are cruelty-free! I will always endeaver to go above and beyond to make sure the items in my kit will deliver impeccable results. 

So here's a few brands that I keep in my kit that you can be assured also have good ethics!

The most used things in my makeup kit are often not items of makeup, or even skincare. Here's a little run down of all the bits and pieces I keep in my travelling makeup kit for a wedding day. You never know when something might come in handy!

FAQ

Hey, I'm Sali! If you didn't know I'm a specialist wedding and events makeup-artist with well over 10 years of experience and pride myself on having really high standards of service.

If you're looking for a wedding makeup artist, here are some frequently asked questions (FAQs) that I often encounter that might help you when considering booking me!

Investing in the right kit as a makeup artist is so important; when you're working on a number of different faces, you want to be assured that the products in your makeup kit are going to have your back! But as a makeup wearer, noone wants to buy the wrong stuff either. Not in a cost of living crisis, and not when the price of makeup keeps increasing. So I've put together five of my kit essentials that I'll be recommending time and time again, to makeup artists and to makeup lovers alike. And at the bottom of the blog are my discount codes you can use for buying the below products, and 1000's more!

Vintage wedding makeup and pin up wedding makeup have been hotly requested styles of makeup requested of me in the 12+ years I've been doing weddings. For a good few years between 2010 and 2016, I was one half of Flashes and Lashes; a vintage-style makeover photoshoot collaboration between myself and Luna Photography. I didn't have any specific interest in vintage but I think because of this experience it's become almost one of my signature looks with wedding makeup. It's a timeless look that suits so many people, guaranteed to be elegant and sophisticated while still able to amp it up to be as glamourous as you want!

As a make-up artist, it's my job to ensure that your face is picture-perfect on your wedding day.

What you probably won't see on your wedding morning is me watching your face and your body language. I'll watch your expressions and what your face is saying when you're not speaking, see how you're breathing and if you're doing a panic. What you say, how you say it, and what you don't say are all really important to me to make sure that you're ok.

Apparently the three most stressful things that can happen in your life are moving house, having a child, and getting married. And yet some people do all three in 12-18 months which makes me quite dizzy. Buying my house last summer during peak wedding season was enough to make my head swim, and I didn't even have to move house!

No matter how exciting planning a wedding can be, and it really can be stressful, these stressful situations require some time off. It's a big life event, and you're already balance many things that come with life - work, relationships, running a house, trying to have down time. Don't let yourself be the one you put to the bottom of the pile.

Next week is International Women's Day (it's 8th March) and I'm here to celebrate all the incredible women in my area of the wedding industry who drive forward and lift others up. With the theme of #EmbraceEquity here's some of the my personal favourites within my industry that I want to sing about, and are doing things that should be shouted about.

With Valentine's Day looming ahead, all I've noticed on TV recently is red lipsticks so I figured I'd write about some of my favourites! 

I've had a lovely response to some of these Wedding Make Up Interviews, so today's is with Becca! She married in September 2021 at Hazel Gap Barn. 

New year, new me! Hahaha! If you're anything like me then that phrase will make you laugh hard. I'm still the same old Sali who can't be bothered to wear makeup on a daily basis haha!

But it's the new year, and if you're looking to take up something new (or give up something) then I'd wholly recommend a new skincare regime where you promise to look after your skin. Here's some tips to get you going.

Having now been in business well over a decade, I've seen the trends come, go, and change but the one that's stuck around and if anything, grown in its power, is that of ethics and sustainability.

I wrote at length about being cruelty-free and using vegan makeup where possible here, but I wanted to go further than that so you can know what efforts I'm making and changing to be a sustainable and ethically responsible business. I want you to know that behind the scenes I'm doing what I can to make sure you're beautiful and the planet isn't hurt by my practices.

I've been doing wedding makeup for twelve years now (I surprised myself when I looked back at my diaries for it!) and have seen so many different weddings with so many different traditions. More and more of my couples are looking to set their own traditions for their weddings, and I'm 100% here for it! I'm particularly looking forward to celebrants being able to legally marry people, and all of my couples based in England being able to get married outdoors without restrictions. Those in Wales and Scotland can get married wherever they want; how cool is that!

Wedding makeup doesn't have to be anything other than unique to you. There are no rules to follow, but I do like to impart such guidance as below. But remember, you're the boss and you get to choose what you take away from them.

I've been providing a vegan bridal service for over five years now, and it's been so great to hear from clients that they've booked me specifically because of this service. I've always been staunchly cruelty-free in my makeup kit for nearly 10 years, and I won't use brands that test on animals.

So what does it mean, cruelty-free or vegan?

Let's be frank here; if your skincare game isn't on point, then your makeup won't be. You could have half the beauty counter in your makeup bag, but you need a 10/10 skincare regime! So here are some top tips for the winter to get your skin through it in one (gloriously moisturised) piece...

It's just a flick... one little, tiny eyeliner flick... 

SO WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO MAKE THEM EVEN AND POINT THE SAME WAY?!

(photo by Ed Godden Photography, one of my recommended suppliers)

Today's blog is an interview with Andy from Saywell HQ Photography. I've only met Andy once, but with the type of person he is, we clicked straight away! He's a good human and you can get his personality from this interview. He's one of my recommended suppliers, and I'm super pleased I've got more weddings with him this year :)

"Nottinghamshire-based photographer; stealthy! Passionate about photography, professional and takes really lovely non-intrusive photos and captures really lovely moments without you ever knowing he was there. Apart from his epic beard ;)"

Summertime, the weather is free and easy... and our faces are at risk of slipping around like they are on a slide at a waterpark!

(by Ed Godden Photography, one of my recommended suppliers)

Being in the business for over a decade, I've picked up so many tips from weddings about beauty preparations before the big day that I'd love to pass on to my brides to be!

Primers are a great part of my makeup kit, and I love telling people in my 1-2-1 lessons how they work and what they are all for. I have a range of my primers in my kit because I need to be prepared for all skin eventualities so you certainly won't need all of these.

Social Media Links

Cleaning brushes is a make-up artists never-ending task. It just goes on and on and on – and when you’ve got weddings back to back, it sometimes feels like you’re in a never-ending cycle of cleaning them. I’ve often dreamt about cleaning them or having not cleaned them and then panicking, and then I’ve woken up exhausted!

Someone asked me at a make-up lesson recently what my favourite budget product was. In my make-up kit, I have got a whole range of products and brands and I'll always try to find a high street version of a premium brand. Not always easy but I do try! However, here's 5 products that are all £10.00 or under that I wholly recommend you get for your kit.

Weddings are a big experience as well as a big expense; you’re in a place you probably won't know that well, wearing a dress and some crazy supportive/restrictive underwear! You probably won’t see your partner until you’re at the aisle, your family may cry, you’ll worry about the flowers/catering/table decorations. Being the centre of attention, everyone is watching you while you’re dancing, eating, crying and speaking. It’s one hell of an experience and can be a stressful one at that!

I shared this Beyonce retouch photo on my Facebook a couple of weeks ago. I've felt this blog post brewing for a little while, so decided to get my thoughts out after having spoken about it with other industry professionals.

So how is everyone's skin holding up this summer? Between dodging rain showers and the baking heat, I think I’ve just sweat a lot!
The sun might be sporadic but we need to be prepared for it. Following on from my other summer skincare post, as today is the first day of August let's make the effort to look after our skin. Here are some super easy things you can start doing every day!

I've known Nickie through the alt online scene for a fair few years now (Facebook says 5 years, but I reckon longer with the age of Myspace!) she is the owner and founder of Devolution Magazine and The Alt Collective, a fashion and art charity event that started in 2009. She's a one-woman machine with a dedicated contributing team working on the only alternative independent print magazine out there covering fashion, music, art, tattoos, lifestyle culture and photography; Devolution recently released Issue 40 of the magazine signifying 10 years of actual print! A decade of independent publishing is an incredible feat.

I recently wrote up this list for BODY, the Body Dysmorphia (BDD) charity I volunteer for. Lauren the CEO asked me to write a quick list of things that are cheap/easy to do that will help you feel better about you. So if you have 5 minutes for self-care or 50 minutes, there's something in here for you.

Man, I have so many brushes. I bought a few single ones when I started getting into makeup then my lovely friends bought me a whole roll of makeup brushes and I didn’t know what many of them did; so many new and exciting things, I was gobsmacked! I now have two brush 'kits' (my personal one and my professional one), and I’ve changed many around when I’ve found better quality ones. That said, I don't spend loads on my brushes; there are a few specialist brushes that I've splurged on and some have been fabulous, some have been atrocious but it's one of my mid-range brushes that's my favourite make-up brush.

I apply SPF to my face each day; so much so that I probably remember to do it more than I do brush my hair!

Wedding make-up is about making you look the very best version of yourself possible. Getting to know each other will help us come up with an absolutely perfect plan for your wedding make-up, ensuring you look and feel the very best you can on your big day. When you come for your bridal trial with me, it's our time to get to know each other; you can ask me all your questions about make-up as you'd like! I get a lot of questions about what to bring to a trial, so here are a few pointers.

I've had the privilege of being at flippin' loads of wedding mornings; here's the expert advice I've picked up over time which may help you on your big day...

After my little rant a few weeks ago about mascara shelf life, I figured I'd do a little guide on the shelf life of other products that are likely to be in your make-up bag.

There are a bazillion (yes, that's a word!) of articles for the shelf life of make-up but I don't think people really realise why it's so important.

Here's my list of year-round goodies that you absolutely MUST have in your make-up bag or on your dressing table.

Vaseline is one of those things ingrained in us that it's moisturising and good for dry lips. In reality, it doesn't moisturise dry lips at all; it causes a barrier over your lips and gives a sense of false hydration :/ Even on their site, they say that it's absorbed into the skin but another question says that it provides a protective barrier; which is it?!

Hope you've all had a cracking Christmas! If you're anything like me, I'm full to the brim with amazing food (roast duck, wow!) and too many bottles of prosecco to count...! Did you get any skincare goodies under your tree for Christmas? This lucky Sali got no7's Ultimate Collection gift set; yay! It's got the no7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Day AND Night Cream, oodles of bath goodies and both the Beautiful Skin Cleansing Lotion and Beautiful Skin Dry Skin Rescue; both staples in my kit at work and at home.