Meet Heather Snowie, Wedding Makeup Artist Specialising in Natural Bridal Makeup

In the sixteen + years I’ve been running Love My Dress, I’ve met some absolutely brilliant people, but there are some I’ve discovered an instant, warm and authentic connection to and Canadian born, Scottish based professional makeup artist, Heather Snowie is one of them.

Heather specialises in natural makeup, ‘no makeup makeup’ and soft glam style, working with brides who want to recognise themselves when they look in the mirror.

Heather works with brides who want to recognise themselves on the day, to look beautiful and natural and still feel like themselves when they see their reflection. She refines what is already there and uses makeup that works on real skin and will hold up beautifully throughout your wedding day.

Heather’s makeup trials are genuinely lovely and enjoyable, collaborative experiences from the start. For brides who feel unsure about professional makeup or worry about losing control of how they look, all decisions are made together, calmly and clearly, and there is always space to step back if something doesn’t feel right.

On the wedding morning, Heather is calm, organised and reassuring to have with you. She works steadily, pays attention to what you need and keeps everything straightforward, which is exactly what most brides want in those hours.

I absolutely loved getting time to chat with Heather very recently and hope you enjoy this short interview. Whilst based in Scotland, Heather will of course travel for her brides. Visit her website to make an enquiry.

Hi, I’m Heather Snowy. I am a freelance makeup artist of 25 years and I live in Fife, Scotland.

I’ve always had a love for makeup, as a teenager, I was really interested in it, more on the fashion side of things, personal makeup. And when I graduated from high school, I genuinely had no idea what it was that I wanted to do. And makeup seemed like somewhere I could start off and I absolutely fell in love with it. And actually over twenty five years later, I’m still doing it.

Heather: My makeup style is definitely more natural, maybe even leaning no makeup makeup at times. So very, very light, very you. But at the same time, if you’re looking for a soft glam look, I can definitely provide that as well. But my soft glam looks probably are still more on the natural side.

So a no makeup makeup is where there is so little makeup, the person is meant to look as though they’re not wearing any makeup. though it’s not something I often get asked for with brides, but I do often have people saying they just want to look like themselves and that maybe they don’t wear very much makeup through the day. So they’re not used to having product on their skin and they just want to look like a more polished version of themselves. So it is just minimal everything.

when, and that’s not just in pictures, but in person to look at the person in, you know, in front of them rather than through the camera, they still look very much like themselves, not a formed version for the camera.

I’m very hands-on, sorry, I’m very hands-on with my makeup trials. I hand people a mirror, even on the day, I will still hand them a mirror because I want people to know if there’s anything happening that they’re not comfortable with in that moment. Let me know right then and there. It’s easier to take one step back than to get to the end or further down the line and have things need to be removed. But ultimately, during a trial, I will hand person a mirror.

I ask them questions about what they normally would put on if they were going for a night out to understand what their version of dramatic makeup actually is or where their comfort level is. And step by step, I keep getting reassurance as we go that they’re happy with the direction that the makeup’s going in, from foundation all the way to the lipstick at the very end. And if anything isn’t feeling comfortable, we take that step back.

You know, whether it be removing it entirely or just buffing it down and we try again. And I find by doing that, we’re able to get to the look much more easily. It can be trickier if somebody has no idea what it is that they’re looking to have, but it does also help break it down because, you know, if they’re not sure, well, let’s try this out. Does that feel comfortable? No? Okay. We know you don’t want that. Let’s try this instead.

And it just makes for a much smoother and I think clearer bridal trial.

I try to make sure my own energy is calm and that, you know, I’ll match the energy of the room for the most part. If everybody’s being bubbly and having a laugh, then I’m there to be bubbly and have a laugh as well.

But if there is any feeling of stress, it is keeping my tone a little bit softer, being reassuring, maybe complimentary, maybe a little bit more than or so not false compliments, of course, but you know, just reassuring and allowing the bride to talk if they want to talk or if they want silence, then I don’t talk at all. I will just crack on with what I’m doing, ask the questions I need to ask. I really just try to style step and understand what’s happening in the room and match my energy to it.

Well, number one is going to be your skincare. Making sure that your skin is in the best condition possible will always allow makeup to sit better on it. So I would recommend minimum three months before, ideally six months to a year before, get on a good skincare regime. If you can afford to go see a facialist, get an understanding of what your skin needs and get the best products you can afford.

That doesn’t mean that you have to spend hundreds and hundreds of pounds on your products, but definitely you want to take some care and pay attention to what you’re using on your skin and not just using, you know, X brand moisturiser all over your entire face and body and then that’s it. Your skin is not going to enjoy that and your makeup will not sit in the same way and last as long as it could. So that’s number one, making sure the skincare is in line and that’s something I can also help with on the day.

I’ve got products that might be better suited to the makeup. Also communicating what skincare products you use, maybe in your trial. Using oils on the day, maybe not your best bet because oils like to break things down. But communicating that so we can make sure that we get the best base possible for everything to go on to. From there, I’m using foundations that I know have a good longevity to them. One misconception that in my experience anyways.

More does not mean longer. Just because you have more product on, it does not mean that it’s going to last longer through the day. It’s the type of foundation. You can use a long wear foundation that really lightly applied that’ll still last all day in the same way. And maybe sometimes even better because I also find if you put a lot of product on, it becomes more obvious if it’s wearing off, where if you just put the amount that you need.

Then it’s not gonna be as obvious that it’s coming off, scratching the face and leaving a line down it, not a good look. And then from there, other products, bases, primers, things like that will get put on. And last but not least, I would say a setting spray. A good setting spray really does make a difference. And then you could even use a touch of powder on top of the setting spray if it’s created more shine than you’d like. Because bear in mind, even in the moment,

That shine that the setting spray may give might be beautiful at that moment, but you have natural oils in your skin. So a couple hours on, by the end of the day, it might actually be a lot shinier than you intended it to be. So just something to consider. And if you don’t want to use a setting spray, then definitely a powder will help set everything into place.

I have a couple in my kit that I really like. I like the Urban Decay, it stays really, really well. But Mac Cosmetics has come out with a setting spray that has a really fine mist to it. It works very well also, but I also love how gentle it sprays onto the skin.

So between, I usually go between those two depending on if I want more of a matte finish or a bit of a dewy-er finish.

I think the most important thing for brides to remember when they’re choosing their makeup artist and their makeup for their wedding day, for the makeup itself, is to make sure that you’re not going super far outside of your comfort zone.

If you’re a fashion forward person and you’re regularly changing up your look, then absolutely go for something trend based. know, have fun with it. It’ll scream the decade you got married in or who you were at that point and that’s great.

But if that’s not you and you’re definitely more somebody who, you know, just has a, a, you know, maybe plays around with trends, but you have your look, you’re comfortable in it. Don’t do anything drastically different than what you would normally do. Go maybe one step outside of your normal, maximum two, but I would stick to what you’re comfortable with. Your wedding day is not a day for trying new things. That’s the hen party.

And as far as choosing your makeup artist, know, not everybody can have a trial in advance, but you know, maybe it’s a quick phone call, a bit of back and forth email exchange, nothing crazy, of course. But you know, just get a feel for the person and make sure that you are comfortable with things that they’re saying. This is your wedding day.

You need to be 100 % happy. It is not our show. It is not our event. It’s yours. So make sure that you are 100 % happy and don’t be afraid to express any concerns. Everybody be polite, but you know, definitely speak up.