Anything with the word "Wedding" attached...

...will immediately cause its price, be it a service or a product, to double. This was the case for bridal make up and hair. I have been searching online for something reasonable - prices for bridal makeup and hair range from £65 to £200 (and with some of the make up artistes, the hair style was not included). On top of this, a bridal hair and make up trial usually cost half of the price of the actual day bridal make up and hair service! Essentially, you'd be paying £100 - £300.

The reason why I'm looking to get my make up and hair done quite cheaply is because I'm having a wedding registration this December, and a drinks receptions as well as a pre-wedding photo shoot in May next year. The idea of paying £100 - £300 each time is difficult to digest. Since the wedding registration is supposed to be low-key, perhaps I can get away with not looking too done up!

So I thought I'd try to do my own make up and hair. After all, I'm supposed to look "natural" on the day right? So technically, I shouldn't be wearing much make up! I looked on You Tube for some tutorials and inspiration, then settled on trying Michelle Phan's (my online make up Guru) Natural Bridal Look. Of course I ended up looking nothing like Michelle Phan but I thought it was a decent first stab at it. May consider learning how to put fake eyelashes too...may be a bit tricky as I'm always trying to even out my eyes.

Without Flash - I like the lip colour, it's a really old lipstick I have from Stila.

With Flash - Not sure if my make up is noticeable enough with flash photography!

I probably need a lot more practice to get it right. What do you think, dear Reader? Next, for my hair, I've decided the easiest would be to let it down and perhaps curl it a little. I intend to get a curling iron but I've done a test run using my flat iron (which I must admit, I've only used ONCE!). It was a rather uneven job; I found it easier to work on my left than on my right, and I'm sure that much is obvious from the photo below. Oh well, practice makes perfect!! Must remember to get some protective hairspray too, as heat from the curling iron/flat iron will damage my hair.

With Flash - Smile looks a bit forced, don't you think?

Hopefully a curling iron will be easier to use!

With Flash - Side-parting.

How about a fake plait for a more Grecian look?

Goodness, looking beautiful is very troublesome and a lot of effort if you're not Jessica Alba. Comments or suggestions are welcomed at this point. Meanwhile, it's back to the drawing board for me. Will continue to report my progress!