Getting married? Here are some bridal beauty costs you might not have thought of.

by Kahla Preston April 30, 2015

Image: iStock.

The average Australian wedding will set a pair of lovebirds back about $36,200. Of that, more than $2500 will be funnelled into things like accommodation, stationery, cars, and the really fun part: your bridal makeup.

Unless you do your own wedding makeup, you happen to have a friend or relative who’s particularly adept with a brush, or you forgo makeup altogether, you’re probably going to enlist the help of a professional to give that lovely face of yours a nuptial glow.

And, unless you’re a recent lottery winner or are marrying into the Packer empire, you’ve probably got a budget in the works to ensure your big day doesn’t totally annihilate your bank account.

Of course, a good makeup artist won’t come cheap, but there are several factors that can determine the final cost of your wedding makeup — and you mightn’t know about them. (Post continues after gallery.)

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“I wasn’t aware that some makeup artists charge extra to travel to your destination – even if it’s in [the same city]. One makeup artist wanted to charge an extra $200 to travel to Palm Beach in Sydney. You could probably get a taxi there for cheaper,” a former bride in The Glow‘s office says.

“I was surprised by how quickly it all added up. My makeup artist was almost $1000 including my bridesmaids — but I didn’t factor in a hair trial, which cost an extra $100,” another added.

These tales suggest that when it comes to wedding makeup, there can be a whole lot of surprises in store — and not all of them are going to please your bank account. I asked hair and makeup artist Rose Mossman, who owns Sydney-based mobile makeup service My Addiction Makeup, about some of the factors brides-to-be need to consider while on the hunt for their bridal beauty wizard.

Price factors

Heart set on false lashes? That could cost you more.

You've probably figured a makeup artist's industry experience and popularity has a big influence on their prices. However, Rose says there are a number of other factors brides-to-be need to know about:

Travel to the location: "As a mobile makeup artist we are constantly driving. The costs that come into effect are petrol, car maintenance and road tolls," Rose explains. Parking costs can also contribute.

Supply of stock: "We have to have a very wide range of brands and types of makeup to suit different types of skin, including skin colour. Also, makeup expires so it's extremely important your makeup artist is constantly updating their kit to ensure that none of their products are out of date or have expired," Rose explains.

Most makeup artists will also maintain a collection of skincare products to prep your skin before the makeup goes on, so there's another cost that can add up for them.

False lashes: "Most makeup artist will include the false lashes price in their pricing structure, but others will also charge extra for lashes," Rose explains. "This can be priced anywhere from $10-$20 per person on top."

Big bridal parties might require an assistant.

Bridal party size: "Most makeup artists can easily do up to seven people by themselves if a big enough timeframe is given to them. If there is a restricted time frame an assistant is required for the day, that will then incur an assistant fee."

Touchups: It's one thing to get that beautiful makeup on your face, but it's quite another to make it stay put. Some brides request a makeup touchup between their wedding ceremony and the reception; in this instance, Rose says they're generally charged with a set rate to cover the makeup artist's travel costs to the reception location.

Otherwise, it's common for brides to buy the lipstick colour they've chosen for the day so they can reapply it themselves, although some artists will provide them with a small touchup kit.

"Most makeup artists will recommend that all of the bridesmaids have their own lipstick so that they aren't sharing the same lipstick and cross contaminating," Rose adds. "Sharing a lipstick is not a safe idea and is not hygienic." (Post continues after gallery.)

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