Today on Wedding Secrets Unveiled!, we have Jenna Hughes from Makeup by Jenna to answer all your makeup questions for your big day! With nearly 10 years of industry experience, Jenna is here to share her expertise. From tips on choosing your celebrity inspiration photos to why a makeup artist’s experience is crucial, this episode is packed with all things beauty! Don’t miss out!
Meet Jenna.
I’m happy to be here! My business is Makeup by Jenna and we’re a team of 10. I’m the lead makeup artist and then I have a lead hair specialist. We typically do more upscale weddings and professional photoshoots for people who are just starting their business or a million-dollar business! So, we definitely vary in the businesses that we serve! This is my 9th year in business and my big 10 year anniversary is in October.
I hope people follow along to see how you celebrate! I want to mention that you did Dan’s wedding (our producer).
Yeah! When he emailed me, I was so excited and honored that he asked. His now wife, Brittany is such a sweetheart. It was a good wedding to kick off the season.
It really was! Okay, for today’s interview, I want to just do some rapid-fire questions about makeup for your wedding day. So, talk to me about airbrushing. What’s going on with that?
Alright! I will preface this by saying that every artist has their own style and individual preferences. What I share today are mine. I’ve been doing this for nine years. I’ve had a lot of experience in corporate production and also with weddings. So that is where I come from and my personal preferences come from that.
So – airbrush versus traditional makeup… the only difference really is the medium in which you’re putting the foundation on someone’s face. With traditional foundation, you’re using a brush or sponge. With airbrushing, you’re using a gun/sprayer. Some people will say it’s just how the makeup is applied to the person’s face. I could take airbrush makeup and apply it to somebody’s face with a sponge or a brush. Some people might charge more for airbrush makeup. I mean, you need to be trained in airbrush makeup – it’s a skill. I don’t, personally. It’s just one set price. For me, it’s really about what the artist prefers. Neither really does anything different for the person having makeup done for them.
Interesting. I asked another makeup artist once and she said that everyone was doing airbrush for a while. Now I see a mix of traditional and airbrush – and it seems to be moving away from airbrush. At the time, she said it had something to do with COVID and at he makeup just not staying the same way. Are you seeing that, too?
There are different types of airbrush makeup – just like there’s different types of traditional foundation: water-based, oil-based, silicone-based… Now, depending on which one that artist used, they may have found it didn’t look as good. But, if you have enough experience, it shouldn’t really matter. Every face can be made perfect. Depending on the base being used, it may not look “perfect” enough with the lights or nerves or space you’re in. So, that could be part of it.
Got it! What is going on with mineral makeup?
Okay, so this is scientific – and it has to do with zinc. And off the top of my head, I might be a little incorrect about this, but it’s all about the chemical reactions of zinc. When you put Zinc and a couple other chemicals together, it causes flashback. I personally don’t use it – it’s not for me and I’ll tell someone if they bring it to me that we’re going to use a silicone-based makeup instead. But, basically it’s the chemical reaction of zinc and oxide, I think – that will cause a flashback on someone’s face. That’s super important to know as an artist. You don’t want the makeup you put on someone’s face to mess up their photos.
Ahhh. Alright, I’ve got another question for you: talk to me about lashes!
Lashes. So, lashes are definitely a yes – 100% for me. I’m Team Lash. If you don’t have lashes for a wedding, is it the end of the world? No. In my professional opinion, will your eyes stick out as well if you’re not wearing them? No, they won’t. Because when you have a professional production or anything that’s being filmed, I’m telling you that those actors or stars – they’re wearing false lashes. They need to have dimension come out on the camera. And if you don’t have the sculpted lashes, you’re just going to look one dimensional. And who wants to watch somebody that’s one dimensional? It’s boring.
Lashes go a long way aesthetically for the pictures. You’re doing makeup for two reasons: the way you look that day and for your photos. I hear that all the time: “I want my eyes to pop”. Well, if you want yoru eyes to pop in your photos, then you have to do what’s necessary to make them pop – and that’s lashes. Whether it’s strip lashes or individuals.
What about people that already have lash extensions?
Oh, my God, I’m so glad that you brought this up. So, there are people that are lash artists, and they do a wonderful job. Their goal is to make your eyes pop with lashes, and that’s it. No makeup, no nothing. Their goal is to give you beautiful lashes. They have their own ways of doing it – different styles. You might go to one lash artist because you like their wispy effect, or you might go to another one where they have really thick, heavy lashes.
So, if someone comes to me and already has lashes that are really thick and dense but wants natural makeup, we’re kinda already swimming upriver. I can’t do natural looks with big thick lashes.
Would it be best just to remove your lash extensions for your wedding day?
I have a prep document that I send to My Brides, and I explicitly say I would highly advise against getting lash extensions. If you do, then we really need to tailor your makeup around those lashes.
What kind of trends are you seeing in makeup right now? Like, I remember when the smokey eye was really popular.
I will say that celebrities really dictate a lot of the trends. For a long time, Kim Kardashian was single handedly influencing everybody’s makeup. I would see Kim’s picture when people sat down in my chair. Now, Kim is very beautiful – and her makeup artist, Mario, is a wonderful artist. But the average bride and my clientele are not comfortable wearing that type of makeup when it’s actually on them. So, it’s very different when women want to look like themselves but also love the idea of being glamorous like Kim Kardashian.
So when you put the makeup on, it would just be too much for them?
Yeah, like for example – she had really dark eyeshadow on for a look. In the photos, there’s a lot of flash, too. So I would show someone the color on my hand and they’d realize how dark it actually was. Instead, we can build a look that’s inspired by the glam but is more natural. Will it be the exact same look? No, because I don’t think you’re actually going to feel comfortable.
I feel like I see a lot of people now who look like they’re not even wearing makeup.
Okay, 100% so that’s a full face no matter what. I know that you think looking like you’re wearing no makeup probably isn’t a big deal. But it still takes time.
Do you have any celebrities that you recommend people look to for makeup or style suggestions? Can you tell – just by seeing a photo – what their stylist has done for them?
Actually, this past weekend, I did a wedding where the mother of the groom handed me a photo of Demi Moore – from right now. And I loved it. The reason I loved it was because she had the same bone structure, hair color, and eye color as this photo – which is important.
This is fascinating! So, I don’t wear a lot of makeup but I do photograph people constantly. So you’re saying if I want to bring inspiration, look for someone who looks similar to me.
Yes! It’s funny that you bring it up because it’s something that I put in my wedding prep guide. I request inspiration photos of looks that have your same eye color, same similar skin tone, similar hair color, because hair color and eye color are so important when I’m building your makeup look. Like, if you have very dark eyes and brown hair but bring me photos of a young Britney Spears, there’s not much I can pull from to create your makeup look. We’re not dealing with the same tones.
Makes sense. Okay, so now going back to what you were saying. So, your mother of the groom brought you a photo of Demi Moore?
I looked at her, and I looked at the photo, and I said, I can 100% give you this look. It wasn’t because she looked like Demi Moore, but she had the same tones as her – which was really important. It’s really important that with inspiration photos, we set realistic expectations. That is going to really, really help your artist in building your makeup look.
So, going back to your question, am I seeing a celebrity that keeps coming up? I don’t. But, when I am your makeup artist for your wedding day, I am sending you documents to go over and kind of coach you for success for your wedding preview. So, the reason why I don’t see a lot of the same celebrities over and over again is because I’m advising my bride to bring in inspiration photos that have similar skin tone, same hair color, similar eye color, and those are the photos that I can build their makeup look off. It’s not just bringing in a celebrity picture because you like their makeup look No, this is your wedding day, and I take this extremely seriously, so I need to set you up for success and set myself up for success and have the best possible outcome when you’re bringing me the inspiration photos.
What I just learned from you is that there’s a little bit of homework they have to do to find people that their features mimic their own. And then it’s a recipe for success.
What are some “don’t”s when it comes to wedding makeup inspiration?
All right, so I’m going to once again preface my answer by saying by that I am a more polished, natural red carpet type of makeup artist. That’s just my style. You have Picasso. You have Monet. People love Picasso. People love Monet. Doesn’t make either one of them better than the other. If they’re looking for that style, that you tend to get people with that style, because that’s what you focus in on.
But… the don’ts. Don’t pick a picture of makeup because you like the way it looks on somebody else. You have to focus on you. Will I feel comfortable wearing that look? For example, if you like Kim Kardashian’s look but you don’t wear makeup daily, you won’t be comfortable all day. What is your comfort level? Because on your wedding day, you want to be 100% comfortable, because you if you’re not comfortable, then you’re not confident. If you’re not confident, then you’re not happy. And happy bride, happy life. So, we want you to be confident and comfortable. If you’re not comfortable taking it up a notch to get a certain makeup look, don’t do it.
Makes sense. Okay, so a bride has their look now. You’ve coached them through this. How do they show up the day of their wedding for you?
So, I want people showing up makeup free. Yes, I’m a professional makeup artist and I can take off the makeup you’re wearing. But if you show up with waterproof mascara on, I’m going to be chiseling away at that – which eats up the time I have to do your makeup. I want people to show up makeup free. Not a stitch of makeup on your face. I want to get right into the first I have to do, which is prepping your face. I’m going to clean your face regardless, because I want a perfect canvas.
How about hair?
You want clean freshly washed hair. It’s a myth that you should show up with dirty hair. It’s a little different when you’re dealing with someone with curls, but generally – clean hair is best.
Okay, so we have them in the chair, we have a look. We’ve talked about eyes some. Talk to me about lips! I’m always curious about this because I think a lip color can really set the tone of your look.
I would save the bright red lip colors for a red-carpet event.
That’s what I figured.
For wedding days, I’m getting the natural pinky-peaches. Very natural. That pink is what’s trending now.
I was just curious because that red lip is really nice when you have the proper skin tone and everything. But I don’t see a lot on the wedding day.
Honestly, if you see a red lip on a wedding day, that’s someone who wears that every day and it’s their thing. Or maybe during a winter wedding. I could see how a red lip would be more appropriate, because obviously you have different seasons. With a lot of greenery, you might be able to tie a red lip into that.
I got a question for you: what about touch ups on the day of? Do brides ever do one look for their ceremony and another for their reception?
Okay, so it is actually quite common to go from a natural lip for their ceremony and then into something fun for their reception. Maybe they’re doing a berry or red even – something more exciting. We’d go over that second look at their wedding preview. For the second look, you would typically change the vibe of your eye makeup and change your lip – so it can be more dramatic. You could even change your hair into pretty much anything else.
How does that work from a financial standpoint? Do you have people who ask you to stay all day to help with touchups or do most people say they’re good after the first application?
In reality: will your makeup last all day? Yes, it will. But will it be good enough that your photographer can walk up to you and have super high resolution perfect picture of you by the beginning of your reception? It might not be perfect by then. So, if you’re looking for perfection, then that’s when I would suggest you think about touch ups. Now, touch ups can vary from beauty business based on the extent of what they’re doing and the level of service.
For me, I’m giving you my production professional self. I’m not just showing up powdering you. I am making sure that everything on your face is not moving. I’m looking for shine and fixing it right away. I’m making sure your eyebrows are full so that no matter what angle someone takes a photo of you, you look perfect. You need to be making sure that that person has dimension every single way that they turn their head.
Tell me, why does experience matter?
We all start somewhere. I was once an inexperienced makeup artist. I didn’t know all these tips and tricks to make makeup look flawless. But, cameras have grown with leaps and bounds in terms of how well they’re picking up everything on someone’s skin. You really have to be aware of how close someone is to you with a camera. If I have a photographer and I haven’t worked with them before, I will go on to their page and see their style because it determines the type of makeup that will look best on someone. That’s definitely something I picked up with more experience.
If you put a model’s face in front of a makeup artist with 100% no blemishes, no discoloration – literally a perfect face, and you put makeup on them – in a perfect world, it’s going to look great. But what really happens is that people have freckles, and dark circles, and eye lash extensions. And the makeup artist has to be aware of how to create that perfect look with a real person and their real skin. They have to pinpoint how to create the look in real life.
Same thing with photography. You can have all of the perfect components but one little thing changes, and it’s not so easy anymore.
Yes, it’s important, because that’s when experience comes in. The couple is counting on their vendors to know what to do, because they’re the professional.
That’s what I mean. It’s not so much like things go awry because of our lack of planning. There’s, there’s acts of God that could happen or things out of our control.
Right? And if you are not aware of all the things that can change in a moment’s notice, then an inexperienced person would be shivering in the boots – they wouldn’t know what to do. And on your wedding day, you can sense that. You can sense when somebody is confident as a vendor, and that’s why I feel a lot of my brides feel carefree and relaxed. We’ve already shown them that I know what to do and no matter what happens, I can minimize the outcome of anything stressful.
Wrap-Up Question
What are some key points that couples should be asking their beauty and makeup artist companies when they’re inquiring to make sure that they’re actually going to be working with a professional company and to ensure that their wedding day is going to be an absolutely perfect event?
Right of the bat, you want to know if this is their actual profession. One easy way to find out is if they have a contract. I don’t know about anybody else, but if somebody doesn’t have a contract, they’re promising anything. That’s it. You need to have someone legally bound to deliver on your wedding day.
Don’t follow somebody or inquire with somebody just because someone else said that they were great. A referral is always awesome, but you want to love the looks that you see on their website or social media. If not, move on. There’s a lot of wonderful makeup artists out there who are putting out beautiful work. But, is it beautiful to you?
Do you have anything in common with that person? For example, do you both like animals? I bring that up because not every artist uses cruelty-free products. You need to be on the same page in terms of things like that. I’m all about being close with my clients – you need someone who’s going to understand all aspects of a wedding day and possible stressors. This is somebody that’s going to show up on your wedding day. They’re the first people that arrive. They set the tone for your wedding day. We are the ones that are coming in and making sure you’re set up for success. Once we leave, the photographers and the videographers come that’s it’s no longer my show. It’s somebody else’s.
What We Discussed
Meet Jenna (2:16)
Airbrush v. traditional makeup (4:03)
Wedding makeup trends (6:29)
Inspiration photos for your makeup (20:40)
Makeup artist experience and why it matters (37:48)
Wrap up question (48:43)
Links Mentioned in the Episode
Find Makeup by Jenna at Website | Instagram | Facebook | Tik Tok
You can subscribe to this podcast from wherever you’re listening so you never miss an episode. And, we would so appreciate it if you left a fabulous review for our show on Apple podcast! Even better, share it with a friend. It’s a great way to show your support and let us know what you think. Thank you so much for listening!
