YOUR MUA HIRING GUIDE

Even all-natural girls and classic beauties want to step it up on their wedding day. With so many eyes on you and photos galore, you want to look like the best version of yourself. 

“The first questions I ask a bride are, ‘What do you normally wear?’ and ‘What is your normal routine?’” said professional make-up artist Fawn McClintock, the owner of The Beauty Bar at Palette, which opened on Broadway in March. 

Your Place or Mine?

After 20 years of experience in the makeup business, Fawn has dedicated herself to beauty on the go and traveling wedding specialty services but her dazzling new salon is a fun destination for brides wanting to save on expenses. 

In this quaint brownstone, vintage is mixed with modern in a welcoming, warm, intimate space that is cozy and inviting. The 11 ft. bar has all the finishing touches, making it an excellent spot to set up coffee and food for entertaining. 

Sometimes a traveling makeup artist (MUA) will charge for services and both travel time and expenses (which can add quite a bit to a bride’s overall budget!) For onsite work, Fawn only bills for services and the standard state per diem rate ($0.58/mile rounded up to the nearest whole dollar). 

Would You Rather?

Once the location has been decided, Fawn needs to know the size of the wedding party, and the amount of time she’ll have. Will the bride need to be ready first? When will everyone else need to be ready by?  (Answers typically center around the photographer’s timeline). 

In 2022, the trend was to get married earlier in the day – say by noon, but an early start means no sleeping in for you party girls. To be ready by 3 p.m., Fawn typically gets things well underway by 8 a.m. 

What’s on the Menu? 

Once you’ve booked, Fawn recommends what services to do over the long haul. She’ll recommend hair stylists and estheticians for certain services. Standard among these will be scheduling a dermaplaning appointment a couple of weeks prior to the wedding to remove the top layer of rough skin and peach fuzz so makeup lays better on the face. 

Because they work together often, this beauty team communicates via group chat and may even carpool together to the wedding. And, they will bring absolutely everything with them – huge styling kits with everything imaginable, brushes, lights, even chairs.

All you need to bring is a clean face (make sure you have removed any makeup residue from the night before).

How Much?

With a simple list of services and straightforward pricing, Fawn doesn’t surprise brides with hidden costs. You’re not officially booked until you sign the contract and pay the deposit (of up to 50 percent of the total plus travel). The remainder of the bride’s balance is due before the wedding. Bridesmaids’ totals are due the day of. 

Tipping, while never mandatory, is customarily15-20%. 

Where’d you go?

Never hesitate when booking a date with your MUA, advises Fawn. Already booking into 2024, Fawn does still have a few dates available this year. 

“Brides don’t realize we book up very fast, especially for the prime dates in June, September, and October. We get so many last-minute requests when we have already been booked for a year. As soon as you have your venue, the next thing you need to do is book your make-up artist.”

Find The Beauty Bar at Palette, 493 Broadway, Saratoga Springs and online at www.fawn-mua.com