Me, Myself and I.

Hi. I’m Bryony.

Today I thought I would do a chatty post all about me, no mentions of the professional stats and qualifications found in my current “About Me” on this site that while they are of course a vital part of how I ended up here, successfully making up hundreds of lovely faces each year and lucky enough to call this my full time profession, they don’t really say anything about me, Bryony, the human behind it all. So here’s a little insight into me and my world.

So what does being a make up artist mean to me? Funnily enough, so much more than just making up someones face.

I get asked so often, even still as I am lucky enough to be highly regarded within the bridal make up world in these parts if “I do this full time”, how I keep myself busy during the week and what my husband does for a living which is I know asked mostly out of intrigue because being a make up artist, even now isn’t really considered a “proper job” and I get that, it doesn’t offend me whatsoever and I kind of love being a part of a profession that while it’s getting more widely recognised, is one I have been a part of before it was a known “thing”.

Amazingly this industry and especially where I now specialise in the wedding world is bigger than ever. It’s an ever changing, trend led, party industry centred around you having the best day ever that reflects you and your husband to be in the most accurate way and I am obsessed with it.

I genuinely could and do talk weddings all day everyday and am forever amazed at how each of my many brides make their days totally different.

Conversation- a huge part of my job and an area I personally crave. I am a people person, I love human interaction and take so much joy in getting to know my clients, their weddings and their life. I love natural, fun conversation and can promise you i’ll never fill a silence by asking you “where you’re going on your holidays this year!” (…unless we are talking honeymoons, which is a whole other kettle of fish obviously!).

Chatter while it may seem trivial is in my eyes crucial in successfully creating your ultimate make up look, a look that reflects you completely, feels comfortable yet with enough magic you feel utter perfection- a lot of my brides word it “me, but really really good” and that says it all really. To achieve this, in the short time from our first meeting I have to quickly know and understand you. Conversation and listening is key, see it’s so much more than “just make up”!

I’ll most probably greet you (professionally but) as if we have met before. It’s just the way I am.

I laugh often. I never take myself too seriously- I mean how could I, I’m not cool and have so many times in my life been a real life walking Bridget Jones, or dare I say it the GC- falling through a platform on stage or face planting ice has me written all over it. My friends have often met my embarrassing stories with “that could only happen to you Bryony!”. I once walked out of a underwear store unaware a red, lacy thong had somehow attached itself to my handbag, set off the alarms and had a shop assistant have to untangle it from my bag while I stood red faced wondering if anyone would believe this actually happened outside of the pages of the cringe section in Sugar Magazine (throwback!).

If theirs ice, i’ll fall on it. Waterslides, I’ll lose my cozzie on it. I first caught my husbands eye, many years ago when I had lapped up the opportunity for a complimentary spray tan at a department store I worked at while I was at college training to be a make up artist. The tanner totally screwed me over and used a dark tan and I looked nothing short of ridiculous. I definitely caught his eye but as he pointed out during his speech on our wedding day it wasn’t quite love at first sight.

You get the idea. In this world of make up, an industry that strives for perfection I am most definitely not the usual fit. No intimidatingly edgy, super fashionable, contoured gal here and while theres nothing wrong with being any of that- I am happy with who I am and all of my clients seem to love it too.

A huge part of me is all of the wonderful friends and family I have surrounding me. I have a lovely man I am now, as of last September (’18) lucky enough to call my husband who has been in my life for almost 10 whole years. Incredible family. Amazing friends. The cutest three year old nephew who I post so many photos of on my personal social media pages that often clients understandably think he’s my child (embarrassing Auntie alert!).

I’m obsessed with interiors and so in my spare time I am always working on some decor project around the house or cleaning (self confessed Mrs Hinch junkie right here!) which I am not ashamed to say brings me great satisfaction.

I am incredibly organised. A total paperwork nerd. I love a system and pride myself on having cracked the whole admin side of this business which I totally hadn’t thought and prepared myself for when I started along this path of becoming a make up artist. Don’t get me wrong I prefer to be playing with make up and chatting weddings face to face but having been a bride myself recently I get more than ever the importance and security of knowing a supplier has your date firmly in their diary, trusting them completely and knowing that if you drop them an email their response is just around the corner to set your mind at ease.

I really love my job and genuinely do have to stop myself every now and then and remember while I am constantly thinking of how I want to push my business next, my mind one guilty of having a zillion tabs open at all times, how far I have come. I have big dreams for this little business of mine but if I'm honest with myself, I never really believed it was something that I could do full time. I remember thinking of the possibility of a time where I would have one client every week during the days of working on beauty counters and having a handful of freelance clients a year, now I am lucky to make up multiple faces every day of the week. Cheese alert but it is a dream.

What would I be doing if a career in make up hadn’t worked out? most likely writing in some form, I am as you can most probably tell a fan of words. In fact moving into a career of beauty journalism is something I haven't yet ruled out as a potential career path in the future.

I am, obviously obsessed with beauty products. I worked for years in beauty retail alongside my freelance work and spent hours on quiet days reading blurbs and ingredients on the back of products. I take great satisfaction in using up a make up or skincare item as I always have the next item lined up ready to go. I am always researching whats new and the best for both my own make up bag/skincare cupboard and of course my coveted professional kit.

I love the motions of removing your make up at the end of each day. As a child my mum always used to run me a deep bath on a bad day and say we’d wash the day down the plug hole-figuratively and metaphorically. It stuck with me and now on all days, good or tough- taking the day off to me is a ritual so satisfying.

Make up is so powerful. It always has been and being in this industry right now is so exciting. There is a bigger buzz than ever around the make up world thanks to bloggers and YouTube sensations putting make up on the map again. It is, as I said before so much more than just looking pretty. It’s your war paint. What I know myself and most women need for added confidence and that’s ok. You can say so much about yourself and how you are feeling with your make up. It’s never just about vanity. I love empowering women by sitting them in my chair and making them feel their most beautiful. I have had ladies arrive at my studio over the years with their shoulders down, visibly uncomfortable and leave smiling with their heads held high. Again, so much more than make up and this for me, is what it’s all about. That’s why I am here in this industry 8 years on, still loving what I do and feeling like I make a difference no matter how small.

“I believe all women are pretty without make up, but with the right make up can be pretty powerful”

Bobbi Brown

Portraits by Jessica Raphael- www.jessicaraphaelphotography.com

See you in the next one!

Bryony x