FASHION : Beauty and the Bride

REMEMBER THAT old black-and-white wedding photograph of your mother touching up her lipstick in the mirror moments before she walked down the aisle? Well, in this age of videotaped weddings, that vignette is becoming more dated in every way. Many of today’s brides are hiring makeup artists such as Sally Van Swearingen to make them look magazine-cover perfect.

Since 1982, when Van Swearingen started her business in her Encino home, she has daubed blush and brushed mascara on more than 500 nervous brides in the Southern California area. Her business has more than doubled during the past two years, leading her to open studios in Sherman Oaks and Orange and to hire four more artists.

The $135 price includes an introductory visit to Van Swearingen’s studio several days before the wedding and a test application of the makeup. The day of the event Van Swearingen spends about 30 minutes applying makeup to the bride. Bridegrooms are groomed for free--usually all that is required is a little foundation to even out their skin.

Van Swearingen, who trained at Thousand Oaks Beauty College and has worked at the Long Beach Civic Light Opera and for television studios, stresses “the soft, natural look.” She points out that if a bride goes without any makeup, she risks getting washed out by the bright lights of the video camera or the electronic flash of standard wedding photography. “If you’ve got this gorgeous $2,000 dress and fantastic headpiece, then you should do your makeup right, too,” she says.

Sally Van Swearingen, (818) 708-7309.