Picture-Perfect Hair & Makeup on your Wedding Day in Spain’s Mallorca | Q&A with Expert Wedding Stylist in Spain

Looking for picture-perfect hair & makeup on your wedding day? It’s time to swap the wedding planning for some wedding pampering!

Today Sunshine Weddings Spain is talking all things wedding hair and makeup with accomplished stylist, Laura Gisbert.

Hi Laura, welcome and thanks for taking a moment out of your busy schedule to be with us today. Tell us a bit about your journey in becoming a wedding hair & makeup expert, how did it all start?

I’m originally from Cadiz, but I’ve lived in Mallorca for over 20 years now. When I was in my early 20s my sister moved out to Mallorca and I followed her there a few years later, mainly for work reasons, there always seemed to be more work opportunities in Mallorca, especially in the hospitality sector where I worked for many years as a bartendress and hotel receptionist.

After about a decade in the service industry I decided to change profession and studied hairdressing, but I never actually worked for a hairdresser or set up my own salon. As soon as I finished my diploma in hairdressing I started working for modelling agencies, doing bookings and from there I started specialising in bridal hair.

Bridal preparations by Laura Gisbert.

I believe you also do makeup? What made you take the decision to expand your skills?

After two years of doing bridal hair, I found that many clients also asked if I did makeup, so I decided to broaden my skills and add makeup to my repertoire.

I studied in Barcelona, in Stick Up Studio, which is the name behind the makeup brand “makeup forever”—my favourite makeup brand.

Being able to offer both hair and makeup, things really took off and I work with many high profile clients.

What sparks your creativity more, hair or makeup? Do you have a preference?

I started off in hair and it was my original preference, but over the years I actually prefer makeup.

The satisfaction of bringing out the natural beauty of my clients is greater with makeup. Each person’s features are different and everyone has something that makes them special and truly beautiful, it can be their eyes, lips… etc. I find that feature and enhance it in the most natural way possible.

How do you respond to a wedding lead or enquiry about your services?

Most potential clients contact me through an email or phone call and 80% of them come from word of mouth, which just goes to show how fundamental it is to do a good, professional job with each and every client.

After that first contact, I send a breakdown of my services. I have social media too, so people can check my work and my style—which tends to be natural and romantic.

We then arrange a trial, if possible, so I can see what skin type and features I’ll be working with, that said, a trial isn’t always possible, especially if the bride-to-be is coming from abroad, if this is the case, we arrange a skype call or the bride sends photos so I can see her skin tone and facial structure.

I then suggest they send images of what they are looking for and ask for a basic breakdown of the wedding, ie; if it will be indoors, outdoors, day, night etc, so that I can achieve the look the bride wants because depending on location and the time of day of the wedding, one type of style works better than others.

What about pre-wedding pampering, what are your tips to get a bridal beauty routine in order?

A daily facial regime is fundamental, especially the night hydration part. Most people skip this, but it’s very important. Exfoliating once a week and always removing makeup is also a must.

I also recommend a soft peeling or deep cleansing facial a month before the wedding.

Any tips for the bride on the day of the wedding, even though they will be in your expert hands?

Yes, just wash the face and that is it, don’t apply any flash lift serums or anything similar, as sometimes these cosmetics react to the specialised products I use and can make the skin look lumpy.

I use special, professional makeup and products to cover the day, and nothing else is necessary but a clean, washed face.

Sometimes the bride has very sensitive skin, and so its obviously OK for her to use her own special products, which we would have discussed before the big day and we both know which are the ones that will work for her.

Any unusual hair or makeup requests?

Though my style is romantic and natural, I will of course adapt to my clients requests and offer advice to achieve the bride’s picture perfect wedding day look.

Bridal makeup, in general, tends to be natural, but some brides use lots of makeup on a daily basis and so without it they feel strange and opt for more aggressive makeup with marked eyebrows, big false eyelashes and of course this is always respected.

How many people can you style on a wedding morning?

Three to four people plus the bride, but only one thing, either hair or makeup as I dedicate about 30-40 minutes per person/ style, so it would take too long to do both hair and makeup for four people in one morning.

That said, I have a team that comes with me and if it’s needed then my team steps in. I don’t want anyone to feel rushed or stressed, and especially not the bride.

Any special moments that you can share with us about your experience working behind the scenes on a wedding morning?

Of course, in fact I have a very special memory of a mother of the bride, a Japanese lady who had cancer, and because of the chemotherapy treatment she had no hair, eyelashes or eyebrows.

I’m usually forewarned if someone has any special requirements, so I can bring some extra accessories, on this occasion I hadn’t, luckily as I always have lots of extra bits and pieces, I was able to use false eyelashes and mark her eyebrows and the make-over was so spectacular that we were all in tears by the end of the session.

I then had to get the mother and bride to stop crying by joking that all the hard work would have been in vain if they kept shedding tears—even if they were of joy.

Over the years I’ve found that when you work as a bridal hair and makeup artist, you are also a phycologist, you are there to make the bride look beautiful, but you are also key in calming and reassuring the bride, making sure she is happy and relaxed is a fundamental part of the job and bridal preparations.

Thanks for sharing that lovely story with us Laura, and finally, what do you like doing in your spare time?

I like to relax at the beach, I say relax but what I really love is surfing and losing myself in the mountains.

Sometimes I need to disconnect, I love my job but there is a great amount of responsibility and there are times I need to be on my own and reconnect. I find that a bit of solitude, surrounded by nature, gives me the peace I need to recharge.

On behalf of Sunshine Weddings Spain, a huge thank you for sharing your insight of what goes on behind the scenes on a wedding morning and also for all the glam photos, we hope to see you very soon in the upcoming wedding season.