Tag: behind the scenes

I'll tell everyone and anyone in earshot how much I love my job.

I get to spend wedding mornings with wonderful clients and get to make them feel and look amazing on one of the best days of their lives! I get to soothe them when they are anxious, tell stupid jokes, give helpful advice, and be a hands-on practical person when it comes to putting on buttonholes, lacing up dresses etc.

Then you're off to get married, I wave you away and often won't see you again! A hug and a kiss and best wishes for the day and poof! You're off to the biggest and best party of your life with all your nearest and dearest, and I'm off for a nap.

But I'd love to keep in touch with you! I don't want to be a one-time fling, so let's stay in touch!

This blog is about how we can keep in touch, and how you can continue to support your wedding makeup artist (or any other supplier that you've clicked with!) after your wedding day.

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.

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)

I've brought back my interview series! I did them a few years ago, but I'm going to bring them back and let you all find out for yourselves about some of my favourite wedding suppliers. First up in the list is Rosie, from Everyone's Looking Rosie. 

August 2018 went by in a bit of a blur as I did more weddings that month than I'd ever done before. During the lockdown, it's been great going back through my photo archives to find weddings to blog, and I came across Ruth and Tim's big day. I spoke with Emily And Katy Photography who captured the day at The Walled Garden in Beeston and browsed their beautiful images. I've also included Ruth's review of hiring me which truly made me cry!

Back in August 2018, I did a promo shoot for alternative wedding fair Tying the Nott - the next one is on 25 October 2020! It was a fabulous collaborative shoot with wedding suppliers from all over the East Midlands that were wonderful to meet and a joy to work with. Louise was one of the models for the day, despite having never modelled before and did a great job!

Louise mentioned she was planning her own wedding for 2019, and it was lovely when she got in touch to book me for her big day.

(Louise by Dave Fuller Photography for Tying the Nott)

In September 2020 I'll have been full-time self-employed for three years, and what a rollercoaster it's been!

I've done more one-to-one makeup lessons than ever, been a part of many more wedding mornings that I can remember, and done makeup for lots of exciting projects. I also won an award (Freelance Make Up Specialist of the Year 2018 at the English Hair and Beauty Awards!), and have JUST last week found out I'm a finalist for Bridal Makeup Specialist of the Year 2020 and the Make Up Awards.

I'll have been doing weddings for a decade this year, and 2020 has been shaping up so beautifully.

Wollaton Hall needs no introduction; if you live in or around Nottingham, you'll know it! For those who aren't from Nottingham, it's a Grade II listed Elizabethan house within the Nottingham City boundaries and is a little slice of calm. It's home to Nottingham Natural History Museum, two different types of endangered Japanese deer and most famously known for being 'Wayne Manor' from Batman's A Dark Knight Rises.

Oh, my poor blog; how I’ve neglected you!

I made a resolution to blog every week back in 2016 and I kept to it! I achieved 52 blogs in 52 weeks… and then I trickled into 2017 and hardly blogged at all. Six times in fact!

I first worked with GG's Pin-up Couture back in 2012 with burlesque starlet Anna Fur Laxis, known for her knife-throwing and heart-stopping acts.

I've known Rachael since September 1999 when I moved high school to Rhiwabon in Wrexham. We sang in choirs together, did school plays together, carol concerts, played sports, did Maths, and got in trouble! We fell out of touch upon changing schools for sixth form/college but got back in touch about 6 years ago through the brilliant medium of Facebook!

She asked me to do her wedding make-up back home in Wales as soon as she got engaged to Jason; of course, my answer was yes! Her wedding morning was super relaxed, and it was lovely to catch up with her family; mum Elaine and sister Charlotte. She got married in the same church we sang in as kids.

I'm working with KH Hair again this week. I flippin' love working with them each year, and their art team are wonderfully creative. They set up an inter-salon competition last year; here are some behind-the-scenes photos I took and final look photos by the super talented Marcus Holdsworth.

Becky contacted me through a mutual friend, hairdresser extraordinaire QueenB's Hair. She'd been nervous about booking a make-up artist, and told me deciding on someone to do her make up was a very scary prospect, as she'd been having the most nightmares about her make-up going wrong for some reason!

Zoe emailed us to say; "I have been struggling with my weight since forever and have decided enough is enough. I'm going to stop abusing my body, and celebrate it! To mark my change in attitude, I want a new fun-loving, burlesque-inspired look and was wondering if you would help me? :)"

You can bet your butt we can help!

So I’m Sali, I’m 29 and I’ve lived in Nottingham for about ten years. I hail from Wrexham in Wales and have been a make-up artist for around 8 years now. My nickname on moving to Nottingham was Salimoo and when I needed to decide on a business name, Ms Moo Make Up was just a natural choice.