Written by Mimi Nikolova, a professional makeup artist and beauty educator based in Buffalo, NY.
Brides skip the trial more than they should. It feels optional when the budget’s tight or the calendar’s packed. But a trial isn’t a preview of your wedding day, it’s the appointment where I actually figure out what your skin can handle, whether a look survives an outdoor ceremony, and if the photo you saved from Pinterest works on your actual face instead of someone else’s. Here’s what mine looks like, start to finish.
A good trial isn’t “let’s see how blush looks on you” for twenty minutes. We go through your wedding date, your venue, your dress neckline, how long you’ll actually be wearing the look. Waterfront ceremony? Indoor reception with an outfit change? That changes what I plan for. I build the full face the same way I would on your wedding morning, same products, so the mirror shows you the real thing. Bring photos if you already have opinions about soft glam versus something with more definition around the eyes. Eye definition is coming back into bridal makeup this year after a few years of the barely-there look, so it’s worth knowing which side of that you’re on before we start.
Book it four to eight weeks out. Early enough that if the foundation shade’s off, or the lip’s too soft, or it just doesn’t hold up the way you want, there’s time to try again. Late enough that your tan, your hair color, your skin haven’t shifted since. Book it wedding week instead, and you’re stuck with whatever we land on the first try.
Plan on 90 minutes to two hours. We start with skin prep, since half the point of a trial is seeing how your skin actually reacts to the products, not just how the color looks. Then base, eyes, cheeks, lips, in that order, and I check in with you along the way instead of doing one big reveal at the end. This is also where we settle the long-lasting plan: the primers, the setting technique, the touch-up kit I’ll actually use on your wedding morning. I go into more of the reasoning behind that plan in my guide to long-lasting wedding makeup. If you're curious why I reach for a wedding-specific setting spray in particular, here's the one I use and why.
Don’t just glance in good lighting and call it decided. Take photos in daylight and under whatever indoor lighting you’ll actually be under, since your ceremony and reception won’t match. I go into exactly why lighting changes everything in how wedding makeup should look in photos. Wear it for a few hours if you can. Run an errand, grab lunch, see how it holds up on real skin doing real things. If something feels off once you’ve lived in it a bit, say so. That’s what the trial is for. We fix it now, not on your wedding morning.
A trial runs $175, whether we do it in my studio or you bring me to you. It’s booked separately from your wedding-day service, so you can lock one in even if you haven’t fully decided who’s doing your makeup on the day itself. For the full rundown of trial, day-of, and bridal party pricing, see my Buffalo bridal makeup pricing guide.
If you’re planning a Buffalo wedding and haven’t booked a trial yet, now’s a good time. Browse my bridal makeup services, check the FAQ, or just reach out and I’ll get you on the calendar.
Pricing above reflects rates at the time of publishing and is for general reference only. Rates can change. For current pricing, visit the menu on my services page.