+1 571 662 8717 info.zerothots@gmail.com 10370 Festival Ln, Suite 109, Manassas, VA 20109

Bridal makeup being applied at the Erothots beauty salon

Erothots Makeup Services

Bridal Makeup By Erothots, Trial And Wedding Day Looks

A trial four to six weeks out that ends with flash photographs, every product written down, and a day built for fourteen hours rather than for the first hour. The mirror is not the thing that has to be satisfied. The gallery is.

Check Your Date See Prices

$85 TrialFour To Six Weeks Out
$150 DayNinety Minutes
14 HoursBuilt For Longevity
Same ArtistTrial And Day

Two Things Worth Knowing Now

Book the date before you book anything else. Summer Saturdays go twelve to eighteen months ahead, and the trial can be arranged much later. Plenty of people do it the other way round and find the date has gone by the time they have decided on an artist.

The artist who does your trial does your day. Always, with no exception and no substitution. If we cannot guarantee that for your date, we will tell you when you enquire rather than discovering it six weeks out.

On This Page

Trial And Day Inside The Trial Twelve Month Plan Fourteen Hours For The Camera Touch Up Kit Prices Questions

Two Appointments, One Look

Section 01 / How It Works

Bridal is the only makeup service that comes in two parts, and the reason is straightforward. Nobody should find out on their wedding morning that they do not like something, and nobody should be relying on an artist to remember a face from six weeks ago.

Bridal makeup trial being photographed under flash at Erothots

The trial is ninety minutes and it is a working session rather than a preview. We build a full face, look at it in daylight, look at it again under flash, then change whatever needs changing while you are sitting there. Some brides need two attempts within the same appointment, and that is what the ninety minutes is for.

Everything is then written down. Every product, every shade, where the contour sits on your face, which lash shape suited your eye, how much lip color you were comfortable with. That record is what makes the wedding day a reproduction rather than a second attempt.

On the day itself the priorities change. The trial answers what it should look like. The day answers how it survives fourteen hours, tears, a hug from everybody you know, and a photographer's flash from every angle in the room.

Trial$85, ninety minutes, four to six weeks before
Day Of$150, ninety minutes, rebuilt from the record
IncludedLashes, touch up kit, flash test photographs
LocationAt the salon or on site, travel quoted
GuaranteedThe same artist for both, without substitution

Book A Trial All Makeup Services

Inside The Ninety Minutes

Section 02

Most brides have never had a trial before and have no idea what to expect from one, so here is the whole thing in order.

0 TO 15

Talking, Not Painting

Your dress, your venue, your lighting, your photographer, how much makeup you normally wear and what you have hated in the past. The last question is the useful one.

15 TO 25

Skin And Shade Matching

Skin assessed for type and condition, then foundation matched along the jaw and down onto the neck in daylight. If you plan to tan, we work a shade ahead and note it.

25 TO 70

Building The Look

The full face, in the order it will be done on the day. You are welcome to watch in the mirror or turn away and be surprised, and plenty of brides prefer the second.

70 TO 80

Daylight, Then Flash

Out to the window first, then photographed with flash. This is where a base that casts is caught, and it is the single most valuable ten minutes of the appointment.

80 TO 90

Adjusting And Recording

Anything you want changed gets changed now. Then every product, shade and placement is written down and photographed, and you go home wearing it to see how it wears.

What To Bring

Six Things

A photograph of your dress. Warm ivory and bright white sit completely differently against skin, and a strong dress color will fight a strong lip. The neckline matters too.
Two or three reference images. Not twenty. And ideally including one you dislike, because knowing what you want to avoid narrows things faster than knowing what you like.
Your own foundation, if you wear one. Even if it is wrong for you, it tells us where you are starting from and what you are used to seeing on your face.
Any product that has reacted before. Or a photograph of the ingredient list. This is the appointment to find out, not the wedding morning.
Your hair plans. Up, down, veil or no veil changes how much definition the eyes need. If your hair trial is the same day, even better.
Somebody whose opinion you actually want. One person. Bringing four means four opinions and a bride who leaves less certain than she arrived.

Book the trial and a hair trial on the same day. They inform each other, you see the complete picture rather than two halves, and it saves a second trip. If you are having both here we will schedule them back to back.

See Bridal Hair Styling

The Twelve Month Plan

Section 03 / Timeline

Everything that touches your face, in the order it should happen. Most of these are not our appointments, and we would rather you got the sequence right than booked more with us.

12 MONTHS

Secure The Date

Before the dress, before the trial, before you have decided on a look. Summer Saturdays go twelve to eighteen months out and everything else can be arranged around a held date.

6 MONTHS

Start Skin Treatments

If you want facials, start monthly now. Six months gives real change in texture and congestion, and it leaves plenty of room for anything that reacts to settle completely.

3 MONTHS

Decide On Lashes

If you are considering a lash lift instead of strips, try one now so you know how you look with it. It lasts six to eight weeks, so this is the trial run rather than the real one.

6 WEEKS

Trial, And Last Facial

Both in the same window. Never book a first ever facial closer than this, because extraction can bring congestion to the surface for several days afterward.

4 WEEKS

Freeze Your Routine

Whatever you are using is now fixed. No new cleanser, no first retinol, nothing a friend has recommended. Reactions take time to appear and time to settle.

2 WEEKS

No Peels Or Injectables

Anything that resurfaces or swells needs a fortnight. Freshly treated skin also takes base differently, so the look from your trial will not reproduce over it reliably.

1 WEEK

Brows, Then Nails

Brow shaping five to seven days out so any pinkness has gone and the shape has settled. Nails two to three days before, since gel is set the moment you stand up.

2 DAYS

Tan, And Lip Care

Any tan at the latest now, and tell us the shade. Exfoliate lips gently, then balm twice a day. Dry lips limit what a lip color can do more than anything else.

THE MORNING

Clean Face, Moisturizer Only

No makeup, no SPF from your own products, no heavy oils. Moisturize and let it absorb fully. Base applied over unabsorbed cream slides within the hour.

How A Fourteen Hour Face Is Built

Section 04 / Longevity

Bridal makeup is not event makeup applied more carefully. It is built differently, in layers, with setting time between them, and that is why it takes ninety minutes rather than sixty.

Hydration, Fully Absorbed

Moisturizer goes on first and then we wait. Base applied over cream that has not sunk in will slide and separate within an hour, and no amount of setting powder later will rescue it.

Primer Chosen, Not Assumed

Grip primer for oily skin, hydrating for dry, blurring only where texture needs it. A single primer used on every face is the commonest reason a base behaves differently than it did at the trial.

Thin Layers, Each Set

Two or three light passes of base, set between them, rather than one heavy layer. Thin layers bond to each other. A thick layer sits on the surface and cracks around the nose by lunchtime.

Powder Where It Moves

Under the eyes, around the nose and through the centre panel, which is where a face creases and shines. High points of the cheek are left alone, because completely flat skin photographs lifeless.

Waterproof Only Where Tears Go

Mascara, liner and brows are waterproof. The base deliberately is not, because a waterproof base cannot be touched up during the day without lifting what is underneath it.

Lip Built To Be Rebuilt

Liner across the whole lip, color, blot, second coat. It fades evenly instead of leaving a ring, and it can be topped up in thirty seconds by somebody who is not a makeup artist.

What we deliberately do not do. No heavy gloss, because it catches hair, veils and everything else. No dramatic under eye work, because heavy concealer creases over fourteen hours no matter how well it goes on. And nothing so matte that the skin stops reading as skin in photographs.

Bridal makeup checked in natural light before the wedding day

Checked In Daylight, Then Under Flash

Five Different Lighting Situations

Section 05 / The Camera

A wedding day puts your face through five completely different lighting conditions, and a base that flatters in one can fail badly in another. This is what we are balancing.

Light 01

Getting Ready

Soft window light, shot close and often in black and white. Skin texture is fully visible here, which is why the base has to be light enough to look like skin.

Light 02

The Ceremony

Frequently outdoors or in a dim room with bright windows. Cameras flatten features in flat light, which is why definition is built slightly further than feels right in the mirror.

Light 03

Golden Hour

Warm, low and forgiving, and it pushes everything warmer. A blush that reads soft indoors can read considerably stronger here, so we choose with that in mind.

Light 04

Reception Flash

Direct flash against warm string lights and tungsten. This is where a reflective base shows itself as a pale mask, and it is the reason the trial ends with a flash test.

Light 05

Video

Continuous light and constant movement, with no chance to pick a good frame afterward. Video is far less forgiving of visible product edges than stills are.

Ask Them

Your Photographer

Ask what they shoot with and whether they use flash at the reception. Tell us the answer and we plan the base around the condition that matters most to you.

The mirror gets one opinion. The gallery gets the rest of your life.

The Touch Up Kit

Section 06 / Included

Every bridal booking includes a kit made up for you from the exact products on your face, not a generic pouch. It goes to whoever is carrying your things, and we show that person how to use it before we leave.

Blotting papers, used before powder. The mistake everyone makes is adding powder to a shiny face. Blot first, then powder only if it still needs it, or the base goes cakey by the speeches.
Pressed powder in your shade. A small amount, for the centre panel only. Never the cheeks, which is where the light needs to stay.
Your lip color and liner. The actual ones used on your face. Liner first if it has worn to a ring, then color. Thirty seconds and it looks freshly done.
Cotton buds and a folded tissue. For lifting a smudge from under the eye without taking the base with it, which is what a finger does.
A written note. Three lines telling whoever is helping exactly what to fix and in what order. It is written for a person who has never done this before, because usually they have not.

Who should carry it. Not the bride, because a bride has nowhere to put it. Give it to a bridesmaid or your mother, and make sure it is the same person who was shown how to use it rather than whoever is nearest at the time.

Bridal touch up kit prepared at the Erothots beauty salon

Made Up From The Products On Your Face

If you would rather we stayed. An artist can remain on site for touch ups through the ceremony and into photographs at $60 an hour. Worth it for very hot days, outdoor ceremonies and anyone who knows they will cry.

Your Party, Second Looks And Weather

Section 07 / The Rest Of It

Three things that come up in almost every bridal enquiry and rarely get answered properly anywhere else.

Bridal party makeup being done at the Erothots beauty salon

Party$65

Cohesive, Not Identical

Bridesmaids get a shared palette and finish rather than the same face. Different skin tones and features need different placement to look like they belong together, which is the opposite of copying.

Party$30

Juniors And Flower Girls

A light tinted balm and a little blush, nothing more. Fifteen minutes, thirty dollars, and it photographs far better than a full face on a young face ever does.

Second Look$60

Reception Change

A stronger lip, a deeper eye or a full change for a second outfit. Booked in advance so an artist is on site at the right moment rather than being asked on the day.

Weather

Heat And Humidity

Lighter base, more setting, waterproof throughout the eyes and no cream blush, which slides in heat. Tell us the venue and the month and we plan for it.

Weather

Outdoors And Wind

Lashes secured properly, no gloss at all, and hair out of the face for the photographs. Beach and clifftop venues also mean salt in the air, which we account for.

Weather

Winter And Cold

More hydration, cream products that would slide in July, and considerably less blotting needed. The base can be dewier because nothing is fighting it.

Bridal Prices

Section 08 / Price Guide

Starting prices including consultation, undertone matching, lashes and a touch up kit where listed. Travel and any on site hours are quoted in writing before you commit to anything.

Bridal Makeup Price Guide
Service	From	Time	Notes
Junior Or Flower Girl	$30	15 minutes	Tinted balm and blush
Reception Second Look	$60	30 minutes	Book in advance
Artist Stays On Site	$60	Per hour	Touch ups through the day
Bridal Party, Per Person	$65	45 minutes each	Run sheet included
Mother Of The Bride Or Groom	$65	45 minutes	Run sheet included
Additional Trial	$70	60 minutes	If you want a second look tested
Bridal Trial	$85	90 minutes	Flash test and written record
Bridal Makeup, Day Of	$150	90 minutes	Lashes and kit included
Travel To Venue	Quoted	By distance	Confirmed in writing

A typical booking. Trial at $85 plus the day at $150 is $235 for the bride. Add three bridesmaids and a mother of the bride at $65 each and the total is $495 for five faces, with lashes, run sheet and touch up kit included. We put the whole thing in writing before anything is confirmed, so there is nothing to discover later.

Request A Written Quote Add Bridal Hair

What Usually Goes Wrong Elsewhere

Section 09 / Six Complaints

Six things brides tell us about a previous wedding, their own or somebody else's. Every one of them is preventable and none of them can be fixed afterward.

A Different Artist On The Day

The trial is done by one person and the wedding morning by whoever the agency sent. The record, if there was one, means nothing to somebody who has never seen the face.

Here InsteadThe artist who does your trial does your day. If we cannot guarantee it, we tell you when you enquire.

Nothing Written Down

A trial with no record, so the day becomes a second attempt from memory. The bride can tell it is not quite the same and cannot say what changed.

Here InsteadEvery product, shade and placement written down and photographed at the trial.

The Flashback Discovered Later

Reflective mineral filters in the base or powder. Perfect all day, then a face that reads pale and gray against the neck in every flash photograph in the gallery.

Here InsteadFlash photographs at every trial, six weeks out, while there is still time to change the product.

Built For Hour One

A beautiful face at nine in the morning that has slid, creased and separated by the time the speeches start, because it was applied rather than constructed.

Here InsteadThin layers set between passes, waterproof only where tears go, and powder only where a face actually moves.

No Buffer In The Morning

Slots booked back to back to the ceremony. One late arrival and the bride is finished in a hurry while photographs are already happening around her.

Here InsteadA written run sheet with a deliberate empty half hour before the dress goes on.

Somebody Else's Face

A reference reproduced exactly, on features it was never designed for. The bride does not recognize herself and cannot explain why the photographs feel wrong.

Here InsteadReferences are adapted to your features, and we say plainly at the trial when something will not translate.

Things To Consider

Section 10 / Honest Trade Offs

Longevity Costs Dewiness

A face built for fourteen hours cannot be as glowing as one built for three. We will show you both at the trial and let you choose, but you cannot have all of each.

The Trial Is Separate

Priced and booked on its own at $85, deliberately, so you are never committed to the day before you have seen the work. That does mean two payments rather than one.

Dates Go Early

Summer Saturdays are taken twelve to eighteen months ahead. If your date is close and we are already booked, we will say so immediately rather than holding you.

Mornings Take Longer Than You Think

Five faces is around four hours before hair, food or photographs. If your ceremony is early, an artist may need to start before seven, and that has to be planned for.

Who Will Do Your Makeup

Section 11 / The Team

Whoever does your trial does your wedding day. No substitutions, no agency cover, and if we cannot honor that for your date we will tell you before you book rather than afterward.

Lead Makeup Artist

Nadia Okonkwo

Nadia does all the bridal work here. She introduced the flash test after one too many brides came back upset about photographs that could no longer be fixed, and she is the reason every trial now ends with a camera rather than a mirror. She is also completely direct about when a saved reference will not translate onto your face, which is uncomfortable for about ten seconds and saves the entire wedding.

Bridal
Editorial
Undertone Matching
Flash Testing

Founder And CEO

Tia McNamara

Tia founded Erothots seven years ago and is fully qualified and insured. She does not do makeup herself, but she set the rules on this page: the same artist for trial and day, every product written down, a flash test before anyone leaves the trial, and a written run sheet for every wedding morning. If something is not right, she wants to hear it directly.

7 Years In Business
Fully Qualified
Fully Insured

Bridal Makeup Questions

Section 12 / Twelve Answers

How Much Is Bridal Makeup

The trial is $85 and the wedding day is $150, so $235 for the bride. Bridal party and mothers are $65 each, juniors are $30, a reception second look is $60 and an artist staying on site is $60 an hour. Lashes, the touch up kit and the run sheet are included in every bridal booking.

Do I Really Need A Trial

We will not take a wedding day booking without one. It is not about upselling an extra appointment. It is that a wedding morning is the worst possible time to discover you dislike something, and without a trial there is no written record for the artist to work from on the day.

When Should I Book

As early as you can, and before the trial. Summer Saturdays are taken twelve to eighteen months ahead. The date is the scarce thing. The trial can be arranged whenever suits you, four to six weeks before the wedding.

When Should The Trial Be

Four to six weeks before the wedding. Close enough that your skin, hair and brows are in their final state, and far enough out that there is time to change a product if the flash test shows a problem or to book a second trial if you want a different direction.

What Should I Bring To The Trial

A photograph of your dress, two or three reference images including ideally one you dislike, your own foundation if you wear one, any product that has reacted before, your hair plans, and one person whose opinion you actually want. One, not four.

Will It Really Last All Day

It is built for fourteen hours, which is why the day takes ninety minutes rather than sixty. Thin layers set between passes, powder only where the face moves, waterproof through the eyes and a lip designed to be topped up in thirty seconds by somebody who is not a makeup artist.

What Happens If I Cry

Assume you will, because most people do. Mascara, liner and brows are waterproof for exactly this reason. The base deliberately is not, because a waterproof base cannot be touched up during the day without lifting what is underneath. Blot with a tissue rather than wiping, and the kit handles the rest.

Will My Makeup Look White In The Photographs

Not if it has been tested, which is why every trial ends with flash photographs. Mineral sunscreen filters such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide reflect flash straight back and make the face read pale and gray against the neck. We use flash safe products and prove it six weeks out.

Do You Travel To The Venue

Yes, and most brides prefer it, because getting ready where you are staying removes a car journey from the most compressed part of the morning. Travel is quoted in writing when you book so the full figure is agreed before anything is confirmed.

Can You Do My Bridesmaids As Well

Yes, at $65 each for forty five minutes. They get a shared palette and finish rather than an identical face, because different features need different placement to look like they belong together. We write you a run sheet with real names and times, bridesmaids before the bride, and an empty half hour before the dress.

Can I Have A Different Look For The Reception

Yes, at $60 for thirty minutes, and it needs booking in advance so an artist is on site at the right moment. Most second looks are a stronger lip and a deeper eye rather than a full change, which takes minutes and photographs as a genuine shift.

What If I Do Not Like The Trial

Say so during it. That is the entire purpose of the ninety minutes, and changing direction halfway through is completely normal. If you leave and decide we are not the right fit, the trial stands on its own and you are under no obligation to book the day, which is exactly why the two are priced separately.

Get In Touch

Check Your Wedding Date

Send us the date, the venue, the ceremony time and how many faces. We will confirm availability, send a written quote and draft you a run sheet before you commit to anything.

Request An Appointment Call +1 571 662 8717

Salon10370 Festival Ln, Suite 109, Manassas, VA 20109
Phone+1 571 662 8717
Emailinfo.zerothots@gmail.com

Monday9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
TuesdayClosed
WednesdayClosed
Thursday9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Friday8:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Saturday7:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Sunday1:30 PM to 6:00 PM

Plan The Rest Of The Day

All Makeup Services Bridal Hair Styling Lash Lift Eyebrow Shaping Facial And Skincare Gel Manicure All Beauty Services