Looking For Online Inspiration - Tips, Tricks and What To Avoid!
We all love a bit of Instagram browsing or a Pinterest board, but if you're looking for inspiration for your next night out look or even your wedding day, read on to make sure you're getting the best of your online browsing!
Know Your Colours
Whether you're looking at makeup or hair, things are going to look different on different skin tones, eye colours and hair colours, so try to find pictures on people with similar colouring to yourself. You'll notice with bridal hair pictures in particular a lot of professional shots are done on blonde or highlighted hair, because it tends to show up detail and texture better, whereas sleeker styles are often done on brunette hair because it shows off shine better. When you're doing an image search instead of just looking for 'bridal up do' or 'smoky eye', include your details to get back pictures that are more suited to you 'bridal up do on short hair' or 'smoky makeup for brown eyes' will get you much better hits to look through!
Be Realistic
A bit like knowing your colours, know your features too. Will that cat eye look the same on your rounded eye as on the almond eyed model? Does that model with the cascading curls have hair down to her waist, whereas yours is shoulder length? That's not to say that looks aren't adaptable - I will always do my best to recreate a style that a client is looking for but in a way that makes it suit you, so be prepared that a final look might not be exactly the same. Try to remember that when we look at a picture online we are only seeing the final image, not what goes into it - something that looks like a simple hair do online might actually become a lot of work if your hair is much longer or thicker than the model's, and that flawless 'no makeup makeup look' probably still took the same amount of products and time as a soft glam, just using natural colours and textures. It's also worth bearing in mind that a lot of celebrity images or pictures from magazine also take literally hours to create, not only in hair and makeup but also in that sneaky photoshop, so in which case it's always best to..
Be Adaptable
I love to make hair and make that suits you and makes you feel amazing, so if you've shown me a picture of Kim K with a full beat base but told me you don't like heavy makeup I'm not going to say 'no'. What I will probably say is 'the skin here looks really flawless and glowy, but Kim has a really heavy base here so let's get the same kind of look in a way you're going to feel comfortable wearing'. A great artist never wants to say no but we do want you to have a look that you'll love so if you're open to suggestions or making tweaks to an image you'll probably end up with a style that you'll adore even more than the original.
Be Inspired
Sometimes it's better to look at images online as a jumping off point than a set look you want to recreate, so look more broadly at what it is you really like, and collect a series of images that inspire you rather than one specific look. Is it that you really want your eye makeup to have warm copper tones, or your hair to have braids? This is so much easier than trying to find a picture of 'the one', and gives your hair or makeup artist ideas to create a look that is really 'you'.
If In Doubt - Ask!
Your hair or make up artist is always going to want to create a look that you love, so don't be afraid to ask their advice. Whether it's 'I like this look but will it work for me?', 'Can you do this kind of thing but not as heavy?' or even just 'I don't know what I want, can you help?!' I love being shown images as a jumping off point but I'm always just as happy to suggest styles and colours based on what you've told me about your style, outfit or event. So if image searching has left you with an Insta-headache, or Pinterest just makes you want to stick pins in your eyes, don't worry! We'll come up with a look together and you'll never have to type 'search by image' again.