Anabelle LaGuardia: What Every Aspiring Bridal Makeup Artist Should Know
We are launching a series of inspirational blogs about makeup artists from around the world. Their stories will show you that with hard work and dedication, all dreams can come true. Take this feedback in mind, and strive to achieve your goals - one day you will be able to share your success story?
Today we want to tell you a story of Anabelle LaGuardia — a professional wedding makeup artist.
She is a native New Yorker and has built a career over the past 21 plus years as a wedding and special event makeup artist. Her passion for makeup started at an early age with her mother as her inspiration.
Anabelle’s very first job as a makeup artist with the Laura Geller Makeup Studio in NYC catapulted her career. Here also was her first paid client — at that time, rates for makeup started at $75 for an in-studio application. Learning how to do makeup on different people and dealing with varying personalities was definitely a learning curve and unnerving at times but Anabelle’s boss and mentor, Laura Geller, always taught her to never let them see you sweat. Anabelle confessed that it took time to get comfortable working on different clients and managing different personalities. “I had to learn more than how to apply makeup. I had to learn how to read people, listen, what questions to ask, how to analyze and prep their skin, etc.” — she says.
However, Anabelle became one of the most-requested makeup artists for studio clientele, makeup lessons, weddings, and special events. In 2003, Anabelle formed her own makeup business, Anabelle LaGuardia Makeup Artistry to provide reliable on-location makeup concierge services to brides and clients in NYC, the Tri-State area, and to destinations beyond.
The most helpful and advantageous lessons in her career:
Clients want to feel listened to and understood.
Listening is the key to gaining trust.
Makeup is very personal but you cannot take their feedback personally.
Customer service is everything.
Being reliable, communicative, and friendly is essential.
Practicing the highest standards of sanitation is an absolute must.
How you present yourself is equally important. Show up polished, professional, and presentable. You are an advertisement for your business.
It is important to invest in your kit. Anabelle says that her kit has always been professional-grade, camera-ready products. When you are first starting out in the industry it can be hard to build a kit on a budget but professional brands do offer discount programs to students and professionals. Take advantage of this as the investment into professional brands will pay for themself over time. Clients also are very observant and they do look at what you work with and will ask you questions about what you use. If you want to be treated like a professional you must present yourself as one.
Photo credits: Nick Granito
On any path to the goal, we face difficulties and failures. Anabelle shared the mistakes she faced during her career:
Charging too low at the beginning of my career out of fear of not being hired.
Taking too low of a retainer when booking weddings.
Being afraid to raise rates out of fear of not being hired.
Letting a client's verbal abuse get the best of me.
Wasting money on paid advertising that did not yield any return on my investment. Word of mouth, SEO and social media marketing is the way to go.
“ My brides and clients trust and invest in me knowing I will help them bring out an elevated, modern, and timeless version of themself. My passion is connecting with women to help them look and feel radiant and special no matter what the occasion.”
Let's talk more about what Anabelle is a real pro in - wedding makeup. How she determines what exactly suits the bride in makeup? When Anabelle meets with a bride for her makeup trial she asks to see what her dress looks like, how she plans to wear her hair, what time of day are her photos and ceremony, colors of their flowers, and bridesmaids dresses. It is also important to ask what their day to day routine with makeup is so a makeup artist can get a sense of their personal style and comfort level. Most of Anabelle’s brides wear minimal makeup or none at all but know they need some for their wedding day. She also spends time assessing their skin so she can prepare it properly to receive a makeup application. She will make suggestions for them on daily skincare and a facial schedule prior to their wedding day. Many brides either aren't practicing good skincare or are using the wrong products. Skincare is the most important element of how makeup will look. Anabelle claims that it is her job to ensure they understand how to care for their skin and what they need makeup-wise to photograph well and feel like themselves.
How do you recommend aspiring artists begin when pursuing their dreams in the bridal industry?
“Take some bridal makeup classes. Apply for an assistant position with a seasoned bridal professional so you can learn what goes on during a wedding”.
Photo credits: Lina Jang, Agaton Strom
Goals for the future:
“Well, in late November 2020 I am turning 50, and being in the midst of a global pandemic has drastically altered the makeup and beauty industry. Being considered a non-essential business during COVID-19 I have had to do some soul searching and think outside the box. With the 2020 wedding season pretty much canceled as brides are moving to 2021, I will be exploring alternate avenues to expand my business such as virtual makeup lessons. It will take a while for our industry to recover from this Pandemic and many things will be changing in the industry”.
Here you can go and learn more about Anabelle:
Website: https://www.anabellemakeup.com
Instagram: @anabellemakeup
