Mobile makeup:

If I book you for my makeup, is it actually you who will do my makeup?  I originally booked with another makeup artist, but she has informed me that she or another person will be doing my makeup as she has another wedding on the same day.  I am not happy with this as I thought I was booking her. 

YES!  Due to the demand for quality wedding makeup, however, I am now offering other skilled makeup artists to brides on whose wedding dates I am already booked, but for everything else, and by default, you get me (Lillybeth).

BRIDES:  With weddings I often encounter more than one bride wanting to book me for a particular date and in the past I’ve reluctantly turned away brides, referring them to other local makeup artists whose work I cannot enthusiastically endorse.  But now I have a small team of Lillybeth-approved makeup artists to offer brides on whose date I’m already booked.  My team includes only experienced freelancers who I have worked alongside, seen in action and who have my full support, like Julie Eagle.

What time would you recommend we start on make up?  How long does it take to do a full face + lashes?

When scheduling in your booking, I allow 45 minutes for each person’s makeup, and an extra 15 mins for false lashes.  For example, four people with makeup and false lashes = 4 hours.  Or five people with makeup only = 3 hours 45 mins.    

Hair is best done before makeup.  Any extras needing professional makeup can be slotted into the schedule and I'll just arrive as early as needed.

Can we add in more people who might want their makeup done too on the day? 

It’s common for mothers or sisters to love what they see and wish to be included last-minute in the professional makeup on the day!  If you have mothers or family or friends who may be getting ready with you, ask them whether they’d like to be pampered with professional makeup now!  Yes we are often able to slot another person in, but having them decide in advance makes timing on the day much smoother and ensures I or your makeup artist can cater for everyone.

What would happen if for any reason you are unable to make it on the day?  Do you have a back-up person?

So far, I've been able to fulfill every booking.  If an emergency came up to make me unavailable, such as sickness or family death, my first choice would be to have either Julie or Kym from my small team of makeup artists step in for me!  With photos from the makeup trial-run and my notes on colours and products used, they would be able to take over quite easily. 

But if both of my Lillybeth-approved artists were also unavailable, I’d ask one of my other local makeup artist contacts, with whom I have a good relationship, to step in.

One season, I took over another makeup artist's wedding booking at her request, when her husband was about to have an operation after which he'd need her constant presence.  So with 2 week's notice I was happy to take that on, as I was available.  I met the bride for a makeup trial and it was a success.  The makeup artist was Julie, and she is now part of my team. :-)

Makeup & hair trial-runs

Is it possible for me to come to you for the make up/trial?

Yes!  Though I'm exclusively mobile, I have the use of a cute mini-salon in Mount Maunganui.  This is the home salon of mobile hairdresser, Brooke Duffy, from ‘Beautiful Hair‘. 

The mini-salon is not far from Bayfair Mall and suits out-of-town brides who don’t have a base in Tauranga to use for the trial-run or who prefer to keep their bridal look secret.

If you are also booking (of thinking of booking) Brook Duffy for your hair, then this is the perfect location to have your hair and makeup trials in one place.  Brooke is also mobile, but having it in her home salon makes the hair trial a little cheaper for you, and is ideal for giving you an idea of a full, bridal look.

When should I book a trial-run?  What’s the timeline for this?

It’s really up to your preference, rather than mine.  We take notes and photos of the final look/s, so it doesn’t have to be close to the wedding date if you want it earlier.

Anytime is fine if you have a choice.  Many brides book a trial very early, months before the wedding, as this gives them peace of mind that it is 'sorted' and they can tick it off their list with confidence.  But if you are an out-of-town or overseas bride and won’t be in the area until just a few weeks or days before the wedding, then we’ll do it then. 

If you live locally or will be visiting Tauranga to make arrangements months before your day, you have the option of an early trial and may wish to book now if you want to have met your makeup artist in person before you pay a deposit to confirm your booking - in case you’re still not fully confident after browsing this website.

At the trial, I record the look we create (on paper and in photos) but even if you change your mind or want some ‘tweaks’ made to the look before the day, that’s no problem.  We’ve met, I know what you look like and what will suit you, so if any details change like accessories, skin tone, hair colour, time of wedding etc - I just work with you on the day to make sure the makeup is current for you then.

Products used

Do you actually use Mary Kay makeup?

Lillybeth:  I like to say I use ‘what works’!  Every brand has its weaknesses and I am skeptical when I see a makeup artist use only one brand.  Most of my core products are from Mary Kay,  but depending on what’s needed I’ll also use Jane Iredale, NYX, CoverGirl, Bobbi Brown, Maybelline and you'll find individual products from many different brands and price points in my kit.    

Here’s how I know I’m using products that work: 

When looking for a new product for my makeup kit I first check it against www.beautypedia.com - an online database of over 45,000 products with reviews and ratings by the 'Cosmetics Cop' (Paula Begoun) and her dedicated team.  I trust their reviews over consumer reviews as they look at the ingredients of each product (not just the advertiser’s claims) to check for irritancy, problem ingredients, how well it lasts/wears, the product's finish etc, and aim to be unbiased.

For example, the powder I rely on most (Mary Kay Mineral Powder Foundation) is rated with a smiley face on beautypedia and gets a 'Paula's Pick' tick for being one of the best in the mineral powder category of all the product's they've reviewed.  So do the Mary Kay mineral eye colours, the Mary Kay lipsticks and the Jane Iredale pressed mineral powders.  I rely on science-based research when I choose skin and makeup products - you should too!

Julie uses mostly Wendy Hill makeup.

I have been told that the Napoleon has a camera finish compact which is amazing for photos?

The Napoleon compact is a powder which is called 'camera finish' because the SPF is not a mineral based sunscreen (which can reflect flash photography light, making the skin look white and ghostly, so this photograph the same as products without sunscreen) but...it's just a powder.  I wouldn't use it alone - it's designed for powdering over liquid or creme foundation.  

The powder I use most (Mary Kay Mineral Powder Foundation) is rated with a smiley face on Beautypedia and gets a 'Paula's Pick' tick for being one of the best in the mineral powder category of all the product's they've reviewed.  Plus, being a powder foundation it controls shine and adds coverage when applied as a foundation.  It also avoids the mineral sunscreen actives which can cause the white flashback from cameras, and the sunscreen I use under foundation avoids the same.  

You can read my responses in a discussion about sunscreens and what looks best under flash photography on a NZ wedding forum here.

If you wish to purchase the Napoleon product I'd be happy to use it on you but from what I see it's not something I'd personally feel to include in my professional kit, partly because it's overpriced ($63), doesn’t have any additional benefits to what I already have and the ones I use ($36) have a 90 day guarantee.

General:

Can I pay online?

Yes.  You can pay for any of Lillybeth’s services/products using internet banking/direct credit or branch deposit.  Please find the bank account details at the bottom of this page.  By previous arrangement, VISA and Mastercard may also be accepted.

Can’t find your answer?  Email me your question here.