I would just like to apologise to anyone who has sent me an email over the past 10 days and has not received a response. I was unaware that problems with my website hosting had prevented my emails coming through to me. It is resolved now and I have received all the emails this morning so I will respond to them all by the end of the day.

I am so sorry for the delay in replying to your enquiries, but I hope everyone has been enjoying the glorious sunshine!

Sarah x

I just want to say a massive thank you to the Hair Gallery in Rugby for hosting an amazing Wedding Open Day on Sunday. The day was a great success and it was lovely to meet the team at the Hair Gallery and all the brides that came to make the most of the advice and free booze that was on offer!
For more information about the Hair Gallery, please visit their website.

Don’t forget, I’ll also be exhibiting tomorrow evening (Thursday, 4th April) from 4pm until 10pm at the Granville @ Barford, Warwickshire. It will be the perfect opportunity to meet me for a chat about your wedding and your requirements if you’re thinking about booking me.

I might also treat you to some marshmallows if you show up

One of my brides has been featured in April 2008’s Wedding Ideas Magazine! Have a look at pages 172-175 for Joanne & Neil.

Joanne’s beauty tip;

“If you’re not used to wearing very much make-up day-to-day then I would definitely recommend having it done professionally on the day. Not only will it look better than you could have done yourself, but it will also take the strain away when you’re getting ready.”

I made it my New Year’s Resolution this year to start weeding out those products in my kit that aren’t cruelty free. And it’s proving to be harder than I thought it would be to create an Animal Friendly professional kit.

So many make-up companies still fund testing on animals, which seems incredible when, according to PETA, there are more reliable, alternative methods of testing available.

The following is taken from a PETA factsheet at Caring Consumer.

Besides saving countless animal lives, alternatives to animal tests are efficient and reliable. Unlike crude, archaic animal tests, non-animal methods usually take less time to complete, cost only a fraction of what the animal experiments they replace cost, and are not plagued with species differences that make extrapolation difficult or impossible. Effective, affordable, and humane research methods include studies of human populations, volunteers, and patients, as well as sophisticated in vitro, genomic, and computer-modeling techniques.

Forward-thinking companies are exploring modern alternatives. For example, Pharmagene Laboratories, based in Royston, England, is the first company to use only human tissues and sophisticated computer technologies in the process of drug development and testing. With tools from molecular biology, biochemistry, and analytical pharmacology, Pharmagene conducts extensive studies of human genes and how drugs affect those genes or the proteins they make. While some companies have used animal tissues for this purpose, Pharmagene scientists believe that the discovery process is much more efficient with human tissues. “If you have information on human genes, what’s the point of going back to animals?” says Pharmagene cofounder Gordon Baxter.

Fortunately I do have products from ’safe’ companies such as Urban Decay, Smashbox, Face Atelier and Make Up For Ever but there are so many other brands in my kit that make fantastic products but need to go.

I’m having the most trouble with mascaras. Waterproof mascaras cause enough trouble as it is, but trying to find a good cruelty free one seems impossible. If anyone has any ideas I’d love to know!

But I’ll keep going until I can eventually say my kit is Animal Friendly. It will take time, but I’ll get there and it will be worth it.

I would love to hear from anyone with advice or any other feedback on animal friendly products, so please feel welcome to leave a comment below.

Thanks,

Sarah

February was jam packed with make-up trials for weddings this year. It’s been fantastic to meet all the brides to be who I have previously only chatted to over the phone or on email. It has quietened now so I can finally catch up with my accounts, paper work… all the boring stuff

It was a brilliant start to March doing Kath’s wedding make-up at Dodmoor House near Weedon, Northants on Saturday. It’s such a beautiful venue, the sun was shining (again!) and Kath was looking gorgeous. Congratulations Kath!

Due to popular demand I have introduced two new wedding and special occasion services.

The first one being a complete personal assistant service on the wedding morning. After applying your make-up I will be available to help you get dressed, pack your hand bag, make phone calls, organise the bridal party, make drinks, help you and your dress into your car and lock up your house… whatever you need help with! This service will be available for an extra £25 (for upto 45 minutes) and will ensure that the morning runs smoothly and stress free.

The second new service is the Evening Make-up Service where I can return to you to create a different look for your party and/or provide a ‘freshen up’ service for you and your guests. Usually the freshen up service is offered in the ladies’ Powder Room or in a room provided by your venue. This service is calculated based on your individual requirements, so please get in touch if you would like a quote. It’s definitely a service that will impress your guests!

Sarah Collins Make-up Artist is now on Facebook! Inbetween poking people and petting your fluff friend why not become a fan of Sarah Collins!

The page includes a review feature so if you’ve used my services and would like to let everyone know what you thought, please go ahead and rate the service you received.

And I’d also like to take the opportunity to apologise to any Internet Explorer users who may have experienced difficulties viewing my website recently. The problems have hopefully been resolved now, but if you notice anything strange, please do let me know.

We have been working hard behind the scenes to upgrade the site and bring you new features, including a new flash gallery and also this blog. If you find anything wrong or anything that doesn’t work, please comment below.