Why Pay For a Pro When You Can DIY?

So your wedding budget is tight and you have to cut corners where you can. I totally get it. I charge $100-$150 for brides, plus a bridal trial and consult for $75, and an additional $25-50 for airbrushing. You can probably do it yourself for way less than $250, right? I mean, come on… you put on your own makeup all the time. Surely you can just splurge on a couple fancy products and come close to a professional job. Okay, hotshot. Let me help you with that. Here’s what you’ll need to do it just like I do.

Primer: $32

Liquid Foundation: $35

Medium-Full Coverage Foundation (we layer for a dewy yet flawless finish): $28

Waterproof Contour Cream: $16

Mineral Powder: $18

Blush/Bronzer/Highlighter/Concealer Palette (less pricey than buying them separately - I’m trying to keep your costs down!): $39

Eyeshadow Primer (Sure, you can skip it. If you want your shadow to look dull and creased five by the time the ceremony starts.): $20

Eyeshadow Palette: Mine range $30-$50… Let’s call it $40

Mascara: $35

Lashes: $10

Setting Spray: $32

Airbrush machine: $200

Airbrush guns: $25/ea (you’ll need one for each color)

Brushes & cleaner: I use a lot of disposables that run around $30, but you don’t have to do that, so you could spend anywhere from $30 to hundreds of dollars on a decent set of brushes.

Then there are the hair products…

Thermal Protection Spray: $25

Type Specific Hair Spray: $18-40/ea - we’ll conservatively say $25

Curling Iron/Straightener, bobby pins: Oh, what the hell. Let’s assume you already have these and not figure them in.

So where are we at? Oh, $635. But you’ll have all those full-sized products that you’ll be able to use way more than once, so it’s still cost-effective. Sort of. Right? Oh, but wait. I didn’t just teach myself to do this, and YouTube tutorials are no substitute for live instruction, so if you really want to do your makeup exactly like I would, you’ll have to go to cosmetology school. That’ll run you around $18k. That’s $400-500/mo in student loan payments, if you don’t have the cash lying around. But yeah. Cut those corners where you can!