Ilaria Mua

Ilaria is a makeup artist and hairstylist who trained at MUD in Rome and works almost entirely on brides. She does both halves of the morning herself — the face and the hair — which is the difference between one person who knows your dress and two who have never met. She comes to you, and where a wedding party needs more hands she brings her own.

The training is unusually deep for one person: a master in bridal makeup, two in bridal hair, and further ones in smokey eye and anti-age work, then an advanced course on top. In practice it means the look is built for your face rather than fitted to a template — hair up, half-up, braided, waved or curled, and skin prepared beforehand with a routine she sets for you. She stays reachable in the run-up, does a family member's hair or makeup on request, and leaves you a small pouch of your own products for touching up through the day. Tools are sterilised or single-use.