Welcome to our Vendor Spotlight series, where we shine a light on the talented professionals who help bring weddings to life. In this series, we’ll introduce you to some of the most creative and dedicated vendors in the industry. Our goal is to give you an inside look at their work, share their expert insights, answer all your frequently asked questions and help you find the perfect team to make your wedding day unforgettable.
In today’s blog, we’re excited to sit down with one of the industry’s most talented professional bridal make-up artists, Maria Schartova of Allure Makeup. Maria has been in the industry for over 10 years, so she is an expert at making brides look and feel beautiful on their big day. With her amazing talent and expert knowledge, she is an extremely popular choice. Let’s have a look at what Maria had to say to Soon2Be!
Tell me a bit about yourself – where are you based, how long have you been in the industry?
My name is Maria Schartova and I am a bridal makeup artist based in Cork city. I have been in the industry for 10 years now and counting!
Do you offer a bridal makeup trial before the big day? If so, how many looks do you do?
I definitely recommend booking a makeup trial. First of all it is a great opportunity to meet your supplier and connect with them. It puts your mind at ease rather than meeting them for the first time on the morning of the wedding. In most cases a bride books her suppliers after browsing through their work and liking what she sees.
That’s the first step. At the makeup trial I spend a good chunk of the time talking with the bride, trying to get to know her, her makeup taste, her likes and dislikes. I always ask them to bring a photo of their dress, hair inspo pictures, and a few pictures of makeup they like. This gives me a great idea of an overall style/theme she is going for which will indicate the makeup I will be creating.
What products do you use?
I use a broad variety of high end products from Charlotte Tilbury, Nars, Dior, Giorgio Armani etc.
What’s your favourite makeup product for brides?
This is a tricky question as there is not just one. Every single bride is different and also different with what bridal look they are looking to achieve.
Do you have any skincare advice for Brides leading up to their big day?
Yes – book me and I will help you with the skincare hahah . In all seriousness I am also a skin nerd and I love skincare. With many years and experience under my belt I have created structure for myself and my brides that works best for both. I work closely with each of my brides on 1-1 level and focus on how to help them achieve the best skin possible for the big day. With my knowledge not only in makeup but also in skincare each bride receives tailored skincare based on their skin needs and concerns. This starts around 1 year before the wedding and is accompanied with visits to skincare specialists – it’s guaranteed the skin will be the best it will ever be. I am also educating my brides on what certain skincare products can do for them, how to use them correctly etc and the aim is that they will continue great skincare habits even after their wedding.
Do you do mother of brides and bridesmaids as well?
Absolutely! Bridesmaids, mothers of the brides and I can see a slight change in the bridal parties as we know it and these days mothers of the grooms are often included or any relatives that are important to the bride and she wants them to be part of the morning prep.
Do you travel / Can you come to the venue?
I do offer call out service to the location on the morning of the wedding – either venue or their home and I travel up to 2 hrs from Cork city.
If you are able to travel, do you have any specific space requirements for the trial and for the wedding day?
Makeup artists love light – the more light the better haha and even tho we have more equipment with us than a movie production ( lights, chairs, other lights..) I like to set up in front of a window where I can get that natural lighting. All of our makeup does take up a bit of space so a nice big table is always great.
How long does a bridal look typically take?
For bridal makeup I always allocate 1hr-1hr15min. I like to take a little more time with the bride. This is the once in a lifetime morning she was planning for, for a long time and I want her to enjoy the pampering and extra attention she deserves.
Any top tips for getting bridal makeup to last all day and all night?
I will sound like a broken record but it all starts with good skin prep. Not just the skin prep on the morning of the wedding but the one you start 1 year ahead of the wedding. Makeup looks great, lasts longer on skin that’s been taken care of. And when it comes down to makeup – I have to analyse the skin to determine what are the best suitable products for each bride – oily skin, dry skin, skin with redness etc they all need different products and the aim is for skin to look as natural as possible and last as long as possible. Each of my brides receives a touch up kit that includes blotting paper, powder and lipstick.
How long does your bridal makeup last on the day? Do you recommend any specific touch ups at any specific time?
As far as my brides feedback goes my bridal makeup lasts until the night is finished in the early hours of the next morning haha. As mentioned above each of my brides receives a touch up kit that includes blotting paper, powder and lipstick and I recommend using these for the couples photos. These are the pictures where there will be close up shots and these photos most likely will be the one hanging on the wall or printed in the frame. So the bride wants to make sure she has her makeup touched up for these.
What is the ultimate lip combo for a bride?
Oh million dollar question! There are literally a million combinations possible but for a very long time I have been a fan of Charlotte Tilbury “dancefloor princess” lipstick + pillow talk lip pencil
How does a bride know that their makeup will be good for photographs?
This is a great question! My personal humble opinion is that you need to have a good makeup artist that knows the rules of different types of light ( daylight, night time, flash photography etc) and how certain products look and reflect in different lighting.
Will a fake tan affect makeup?
Fake tan will most certainly affect the whole makeup look. Something that will be created, let’s say on a natural porcelain skin will look completely different if that person then decides to wear fake tan and vica versa. If the bride is planning on wearing fake tan it’s a must that she will have the tan on for her makeup trial.
Do you have any pictures / videos of some of your favourite bridal looks that you’ve done?
I sure do – you can see my work on my website www.beallure.ie and even more up to date on my instagram “allure_makeup.artist”
Any last piece of advice for any brides whose big day is near?
Take the planning one step at a time. You will be on the high right after the engagement and will want to jump into it head first and understandably so! But Rome wasn’t built in a day and so isn’t going to be your dream wedding! Enjoy it and share the excitement with your nearest and dearest. And don’t forget to include your partners in the planning. They might not be much into picking flowers or colour schemes but they all like to choose a car that will drive ye!
Wow! What amazing insights from Maria, especially interesting to learn about all the importance of skincare. We hope you enjoyed getting to know Maria and learning more about her amazing work. Maria is the perfect person to choose if you are unsure where to start when looking for your bridal makeup artist. With her bubbly personality and expert knowledge, Maria is sure to keep you at ease both leading up to and the day of your wedding.
If you would like to get in touch with Maria, you can:
Email her at: info@beallure.ie
Visit her website:www.beallure.ie
Follow her on instagram: @allure_makeup.artist
Stay tuned for our next Vendor Spotlight, where we’ll introduce you to another incredible wedding professional. Until then, happy planning!