11 Questions with... Natasha Davies of Something Blue Hair & Makeup

Natasha Davies and her team at Something Blue Hair and Makeup are all about making brides feel their very best on their wedding day. Specialising in everything from natural and glowy bridal makeup to curly and kinky textured hair, we asked Natasha to share her career tips and industry insights, as well as some of her gorgeous bridal looks. 

How Did You Get Started in the Wedding Industry?

When I first trained as a makeup artist I always knew that I would go into bridal makeup. It always seemed like such a wonderful job to do, helping add something to a bride's special day and making them feel amazing. After training, I went straight into bridal makeup, it was such a great industry to be a part of.

After a few years, I then went on to do commercial and fashion makeup for a few years in order to gain experience in other industries. I was lucky enough to assist some amazing makeup artists and work on projects like Tom Ford campaigns and Harpers Bazaar fashion editorials. I really learnt a lot in this time and got to work with some incredible talent. After doing that for a few years I set up Something Blue Hair and Makeup and here we are!

What Does Your Typical Working Day Involve?

The majority of my work is actually admin - doing hair and makeup probably takes up the smallest amount of my job. On a usual day I would be answering enquiries, drawing up quotes, booking in phone calls to brides who would like to chat through their wedding requirements and potentially book in. I would also be organising trial days and discussing with the bride on their ideas and general themes. Then after the trial, sending out product guides and advising on skincare routines.

Closer to the wedding day I would be drawing up wedding day schedules and final invoicing. I would also be organising my team of artists and booking them in jobs or organising assistants for myself.

The non-admin side consists of holding trial days with my brides - we have a morning to work out the best hair and makeup look for their day. The bride would have sent me a couple of pictures beforehand so we have a starting point. We usually get to try two hairstyles, then with makeup it's a case of building up the look to get it right. We chat through likes and dislikes as I create the look and in the end I'll tweak it to get it perfect. 

Alongside this I'll always be researching current trends in hair and makeup, buying products for my kit to make sure I have high-end/quality products. Most of the work is done before the wedding morning, then on the wedding day we will know exactly what the bride and bridal party are having done. It is quite straight forward from there! We have a lovely relaxed morning making up the bridal party and just enjoying the time. 

What Is It That You Love about Working in Weddings? 

There is nothing like a wedding morning, they are always such a wonderful day to be a part of. The bridal party are always in good spirits, it's just a really happy occasion. It is the best feeling when you have done someone's hair and makeup and they love it. You can see it written all over their face and how they hold themselves with confidence afterwards. It is really rewarding to see.

What Do You Find Most Challenging in Your Work?

At the moment, probably the amount of admin! With things changing so much due to the pandemic, juggling family and a business has been a big challenge. I have a team of artists who do jobs for me as well, juggling the ever changing calendar for everyone has been a major challenge. 

What Did the Coronavirus Pandemic Teach You about Your Business?

That the demand for hair and makeup will always be there, but in a pandemic there isn't really a lot you can do for work. It has given me the confidence to offer workshops on curly hair styling to other artists as I had the time and space to sit down and think it over in those quiet months. If you are able to pivot your business slightly this will always be a good idea; look at different areas and new services you can offer.

What's Your Advice for Someone Who Wants to Work in Your Field in the Wedding Industry? 

Once you've qualified, try and get to assist some well established makeup artists or hair stylists. You will learn a lot from being out there working, they will be able to teach you things like etiquette and the business side, which is just as important as being able to do beautiful makeup. Professionalism and reliability goes a long way, it will always get you rebooked and more work.  

Which Wedding Professionals Inspire You?

There are loads of wedding professionals who have work I absolutely love. For hair I would say Victoria Ralph's work is just so gorgeous; it's laid back and cool. The same for Zoe at Knot Your Average Bride, I love her vibe of natural looks which is the type of makeup that I like to bring my brides.

Newer to the industry is The Curly Bride; I am very aligned with their ethos of embracing natural hair texture and inclusion. I have been championing this for years now, I love that they are really bringing this to everyone's attention. Working with curly and coily hair textures is great, hopefully we will see more stylists embracing this. 

Which Current Wedding Trend Do You Want to See More of?

Always glowy, natural makeup. I just love this sort of makeup, it looks like you aren't wearing loads and it enhances your natural beauty but secretly a lot of work has gone into it! Along with this, brides who are naturally curly/coily embracing their texture on their wedding day. For my brides with straight hair and effortless texture, relaxed waves always looks really cool. 

What’s Your Favourite Wedding from a Film or TV Programme?

My favourite scene would have to be from Love Actually, it’s a classic!

What’s the One Wedding Tradition You Would Ditch and Why?

Not spending the night before with your partner, especially if you are a nervous bride!  

What’s Your Next Ambition for Your Business?

I would like to grow my team further. I have recently relocated to Shropshire and I am looking to grow my business in the north as well as continuing to grow in the south. Alongside this I want to start up my curly and textured hair workshops training hair stylists how to work with this hair type and give them the confidence and knowledge to offer this service. So, keep an eye out for these later in the year!

Check out Natasha and her team's gorgeous hair and makeup looks on Instagram @shhm_stylists.

Take a look at our directory of beauty, hair and makeup suppliers for even more inspiration.