Louise Large graduated from the London College of Fashion with an HND in Design Fashion Styling for Hair and Make-up in 2000. She says she always knew she wanted to be a make-up artist and work in TV, media and fashion but at the time of starting out in her career she had a young baby, Matthew – now 21 – to look after so initially she found the industry pretty hard to earn a living from.
“I knew I needed to find a career where I could work nine to five, so after working for Bobbi Brown for a while, I ended up working in sales and recruitment for five years.”
But Louise, who is based in Crowborough and is also mother to 10 year old twins Erin and Harrison, never gave up on her dream to work in the hair and make-up arena and so kept her hand in doing the odd freelance jobs whenever she could. Eventually she decided to follow her passion and so she set up Louise Make-up and Hair in 2006. She says she hasn’t looked back since. So in our bridal special section we thought it was a good time to hear the rest of her story:
When I was planning my own wedding I struggled to find anyone to help with hair and make-up so I decided to do some wedding fairs and market to the brides who wanted someone to come to their house or venue and help get them and their bridal party ready for the big day. I began to get inundated with bookings and enquiries and at one stage I was doing over 60 weddings a year! I have met some great talents in the industry and always pass work on to them and vice versa. We all support each other, which is great.
I feel so privileged to be part of a bride’s special day, helping to transform herself into the best version of who she can be. I also love to see the final results especially when I have pushed someone out of their make-up comfort zone and see their reaction when they look and feel amazing and full of confidence. That’s exactly how we should all feel every day.
I have a consultation room at my home and welcome people for make-up and hair for special occasions, express hair styling, bridal/prom trials, or consultations or lessons
My brides all have ideas and themes for their special day so when they come to see me for trials we spend some time talking through ideas and then together find a look and hair style to suit them and compliment the overall look and feel of the wedding. I have seen some amazing themed weddings over the years, and there are always new ideas and trends. I recently worked with a bride to achieve a Game of Thrones inspired look – her photos were incredible!
I have been really lucky to do lots of diverse work such as various editorial and commercial shoots, TV and big films, but I would love to do more music and creative make-up jobs. Now my children are older I can be more flexible so I hope to do more film work. I am always updating and enhancing my skills and learning by attending masterclasses, brand training and working with other hair and make-up artists.
Louise’s top kit picks
My Airbrush: This gives high definition, camera ready, flawless, durable and long-lasting coverage, which allows the skin to breathe. It’s perfect for heat, oily T-zones, blemishes and rosacea
Cluster Lashes: These make a huge difference to the finished look simply by adding a little extra definition on the eyes, yet they are still natural-looking, gentle, durable and comfortable to wear
Gel liner: Long-wearing, smudge-proof eyeliner that frames the eyes and makes them pop
Bronzer/contour: They enhance the face’s structure and definition, warm the skin tone and draw attention to the eyes
Brow powder/gel: This adds definition and shape to the eyebrows and really frames the face. It’s a subtle difference that has a huge effect
Quick fix tricks
For a flawless base: moisturise well then use a primer and foundation followed by a soft cream blush and highlighters for
a really fresh feel
For eyes wide open: kohl eyeliner is your friend – even if it’s a tiny amount worked into the lash root. It just adds the definition needed to really make your eyes pop for the camera
