We got off to a bad start,

Sam Sham and I. I had been waiting faithfully in my study room since 11am for the front door buzzer to go off. A few phone calls later, I found out she was lost (some kind soul, who wanted to help, gave her the WRONG directions) wandering up Church Lane in the opposite direction of my housing development. We eventually met, half an hour later; Sam a little dishevelled from lugging her trolley bag full of cosmetic goodies around, me, still excited and nervous about my pre-wedding photo shoot makeup trial.

As we started chatting about the purpose of the photo shoot (I had to explain that my actual wedding ceremony will be back home in Malaysia), I found out that Sam is actually a Malaysian girl from Ipoh! She's been here in London for the past 10 years or so, carving out a great career in her industry, with a long list of celebs as clients: Michelle Yeoh (another Malaysian who hails from Ipoh), Zhang ZiYi and Shu Qi. I showed her a picture of my wedding dress as well as the short dress I wore for my registration. We then exchanged ideas about what sort of hairstyles and looks would be suitable. I also showed her all the magazine cut-outs (or tear-outs, as sometimes I can't be bothered to use a pair of scissors) I had in my folder; I alluded to looks that I didn't particularly fancy - for e.g. very tightly bound buns!

Anyway, we finally got down to business. My living room didn't have enough sunlight streaming in so I sat mostly with my face facing the kitchen, which has the most natural light. We also improvised with the chair, by piling two hard pillows and three beach towels so I could sit at a slightly elevated position to allow Sam easier access to my face. We spoke about skincare as well: my skin is still dehydrated (ARGH!) and dry. Sam recommended getting regular hydrating facials done and drinking more water. We both agreed that drinking at least 2 litres of water a day can be quite a challenge.

I had my hair in heated rollers whilst Sam applied the make up on. My head felt quite heavy with all the rollers in. It's also seriously surprising how much make up is required for a "natural" look! She applied one eye in a natural bronze-y brown colour and the other eye in a silver-grey colour. On the brown eye, I had fake eyelashes that dramatically fanned out, whilst on the other eye, fake eyelashes that were thick as well but with more consistent density. For the hair, Sam meticulously pinned my hair (she commented on how much I had!) into side-part, loose chignon, sitting a little off-centre.

Front shot of the off-centred, loose chignon hairstyle. Should go well with a flower or with a bird cage veil. As you can see the lower lash line was not defined, and I'm wearing a lighter blusher. Ooh, can you tell I have a zit on my chin??

Back shot of the off-centred loose chignon hairstyle.

Right side shot of the off-centred loose chignon hairstyle.

Left side shot of the off-centred loose chignon hairstyle.

Later, she shifted the loose chignon to the middle, which looked pretty as well. My Fiancé had trouble with the hairstyle as he wasn't used to seeing me with my hair up! What do you think, dear reader? I personally think this classic style does make me look more mature but it's quite a nice change from my usual hair-down, low maintenance look. Sam also tried on a heavier, pinkish blusher, which I liked better. And Sam initially didn't line my lower lash line. However, we both agreed that the make up looked more balanced after she lined my lower lash line.

Centred loose chignon, but actually, I think it was still a bit off-centered! You shouldn't be able to see the side of my chignon if you're standing dead-on in front of me.

Back shot of the centered loose chignon.

Spot the difference!

My left eye - bronze-y brown or...

...my right eye - silver grey?

If I choose to wear my hair down, curls will be more defined on the day itself. May wear this style with a flower. The make up - with a heavier pinkish blush and lower lash line defined.

We got along really well throughout the trial, talking about food and men in general. Sam's a really lovely, chatty person and although the trial lasted no less than 3.5 hours, the time just flew by! This was punctuated by my Fiancé, checking out my progress (he loves me mostly with my hair down, not so much with my hair up!). I voiced my concern that the make up may be a bit on the heavy side but Sam assured me that it'll look fab in the photos. All in all, it was an exciting day in!There's no way I can compare my noob attempts at my own make up to what Sam has professionally achieved with her deft techniques!

If you're interested in finding out more, do check out Sam's portfolio. Rest assured, I'll be posting up some photos of my photo shoot when the time comes. Oh and remember to let me know which hairstyle, eyelashes and eye colour you preferred!