I Had a Virtual Bridal Makeup Trial—and Was Pleasantly Surprised

An essential part of wedding planning is choosing your hair and makeup artists. But before you can commit to your day-of beauty team, many brides do a trial with them first. However, as a 2021 bride, I was at a complete loss. How was I supposed to book arguably one of the most important aspects of my wedding day when I couldn't even make it to Step One?

Blushington, a beauty lounge that offers services from hairstyling to wedding day makeup, reached out at the perfect time with the ultimate solution for brides: virtual makeup trials. The journey begins with a consultation where a senior artist works with you to plan and customize your desired wedding makeup and hair look. They discuss your vision, and you create a bespoke look together, including everything from skin prep to a step-by-step makeup application.

Having to do a makeup trial over Zoom was somewhat of a tough pill to swallow, but my makeup artist, Brittany Scott, completely changed my outlook. Despite being a total novice when it comes to doing my own glam, she empowered me by educating me and being patient with me. She gave me the tools I needed to execute a full makeup look on my own, and the result was pleasantly surprising.

We had an initial Zoom call to discuss my skincare routine and makeup preferences. After walking her through my sparse vanity and Stoney Clover Lane makeup bag (which, by the way, I hadn't touched since quarantine began), she began filling in the gaps. She recommended new products to help get my skin wedding-ready and compiled a list of products I was missing. Blushington hand-selects every product in its shop, and once it sent me Britt's suggestions, my arsenal was complete.

Our second Zoom call was the actual trial, which took a little over an hour. I prepped and moisturized my skin prior to dialing in, and we began by cleaning our hands. Throughout the trial, I was to mirror Britt by following her instructions. "I'm going to walk you through it and teach you where products go and what they're made for so you have a better idea of placement," she prefaced. "Placement and blending—those are the most important things."

The first order of business was the eyes. My approach to makeup tends to be a bit understated, but Britt reminded me that on your wedding day, your beauty looks is not only meant to be noticed but to translate in photos as well. She taught me techniques like applying liner to my waterline and blending liner on the eyelid to create a smoky shadow. Then we did what I thought was impossible: affix lash extensions. After a few fumbles with the glue, I finally nailed it.

Once my eyes were finished, it was time to move on to the face. Britt explained the importance of color correcting before instructing me to whip out my Beautyblender—which I'd never used before. At this point, I had already exceeded my own expectations, so I was eager to do more. Then I learned the joys of contouring, something I always thought I'd only see on Instagram but never achieve.

Next came the brows (Britt's specialty) and my whole appearance completely transformed. Before I knew it, it was time for the final steps. Normally, I would've slapped on my go-to Laura Mercier gloss and called it a day, but today, I added highlighter to my Cupid's bow and learned the proper way to use a lip liner. It's so simple; I had just never been shown how simple. We topped the look off with mascara et voilà:

While these skills might seem like a walk in the park for some, they were new to me. I truly couldn't believe the final outcome, and it gave me a sense of hope in such a time of uncertainty. This virtual makeup trial made me feel like I had accomplished more than just a line item on my wedding planning checklist. It made me feel like nothing could stop me from achieving whatever I set out to.