September 1st was a fairytale. As everyone’s wedding day should be…you are marrying the love of your life, after all!

While the wedding planning is over, I want to dedicate some time to share my experiences with different vendors in the next few posts. I researched like CRAZY before selecting my vendors and let’s be real, there are SO many to choose from. From venues to videographers and everything in between. 

But one thing that I didn’t find a whole lot? Actual articles describing the whole experience. Sure, reviews on WeddingWire and TheKnot are great. However, I would have LOVED to have any entire play by play! So if I can add just a *little* something of a value add to the Columbus wedding space, that’ll be worth it. 

Let’s start this series off with my experience with Columbus makeup artist, Nikki Jackson.

Please note: This is a true review and I was not asked to write this nor paid. I simply just want to share my experiences for fellow brides-to-be!

Nikki Jackson Artistry

I first found Nikki after doing extensive searches on Google, WeddingWire, and TheKnot. I found quite a few makeup artists that I thought I would be good bets but some of the prices were OUTRAGEOUS. I’m talking $200+ for wedding day makeup. And many charged an extra fee to travel.

I had originally thought that I wanted airbrush makeup but am actually very glad I went with traditional makeup. Will explain more on this later…

Once I decided on that, I realized going to a salon in Columbus wasn’t really an option as my girls and I would be getting ready at the hotel in Lancaster, OH.

And then fate hit, I found Nikki. Her prices were fair for Columbus, OH with a trial running $75 and day of wedding makeup at $110 (as of 2019.) 

Every MUA I checked, I thoroughly vetted their reviews since I read many vendors post fake reviews to get a higher score. (Unfortunately, I am a skeptic by nature.) After I did a lot of scouring on her instagram, gallery online, and reviews…I felt that Nikki was legit and the brides she tagged on Insta looked BEAUTIFUL.

I reached out and was booked after doing a small Venmo deposit to hold the day.

The Trial

When Nikki showed up for the trial, I knew we would hit it off. We were talking about her kittens (I mean, come on. I am a cat lady after all…) and she got to work.

I was pretty darned squirmy when she went to put on the false lashes, as that was legit the first time in my life that I ever wore them. They felt weird at first…but I slowly got used to them.

Within 45 minutes, she was done and I felt AMAZINGLY beautiful. 

For someone who doesn’t wear a whole lot of makeup, I started wondering for a hot minute why I don’t more often. Then I came back to the reality that I am not as talented as she is…and I hate mornings. I’ll just leave it to the professionals for special occasions. 

I enjoyed the rest of that night feeling pretty darned…well, pretty.

The only part that scared me was getting those damn lashes off. I wiped my makeup off at the end of the night and slowly peeled them. It didn’t hurt too much and looking at my bare eyes now made me feel like they were naked. 

I went on with my life back with minimal makeup until…

The Big Day

Nikki and I worked out the details on when she should arrive and we planned on her showing up at 9:45 since I didn’t need to leave for photos until 2:30. I recommend planning out when each of your girls gets their hair and makeup done to keep the morning running smoothly. Of course, last minute switches may need to happen dependent on how fast things are going but a plan is the best thing to do!

When Nikki arrived, she got all situated. All of my girls arrived and we made some mimosas to enjoy the morning! Two of my bridesmaids brought some chocolate covered strawberries over, which are my fave, so we were having a grand old time!

We worked my makeup in a bit later in the morning and had fun chatting while the rest of the girls enjoyed themselves hanging on the bed and in the hotel suite.

After about 45 minutes, I was beautified and off to get my hair done by my hairstylist, Tammy, who is a friend that traveled all the way out to Ohio to do my wedding hair. She is just amazeballs.

I, of course, had to snap a few pics with some of the gals before we headed off to the bridal suite at the venue!

Venue Timeeeeee!

Once we got to the venue, the fun began. My girls all got in their dresses, the videographer and my photographers (amazing folks who are friends from high school) started working their magic.

I got into my dress and when it was time for the mirror to come out and see myself all fancified in my wedding dress…I started crying. Then my ladies started crying, in turn, making me cry more. The circle of…love? Haha – nevertheless, I remembered the old “blotting” method that Nikki told me about in the trial and was a-okay.

Then Stace, my MOH, hands me a letter and a gift that Nick had for me. It was the sweetest letter and I couldn’t be more excited to get to marry this amazing man. I’M NOT CRYING, YOU’RE CRYING.

Okay – it was me. I was crying.

The makeup? Still in place. Blot to avoid clots! I just made that up but sounds legit, right?

Note: We had a separate ceremony for my grandmother in PA on 9/21/19, as she was unable to make it to Ohio due to being in a nursing home with health issues. Her dream was always to see that happen. Another post coming on that soon! 🙂 Nevertheless, I had airbrush makeup for that ceremony and while it was also beautiful…when I cried happy tears, it completely smudged and started running off. My photographer saved the day and made it look great again but that airbrush makeup did NOT enjoy tears. Womp womp.

Nikki To Save The Day…

What happened next…well, I can only say Nikki is da real MVP.

My eyelash glue was a bit wonky and I noticed that the eyeliner only went about 5/8 of the way to my inner lids. Everything looked fine at the hotel but it looked kind of weird now that we were in a different lighting. Enough to bother me and one of my other bridesmaids. She fixed hers on her own.

My MOH thought we could fix mine and I thought, ehh, what the heck. I like to live life on the edge. Sometimes. Not often but why the hell I decided this moment is beyond me.

“We can cover the little piece of glue and get the corners a bit better,” – said two overly optimistic besties.

Well, I was trying so hard to stay still and Stace’s hand slipped when I twitched. Like slipped to the point where I had a big black dot. I was like ehhhhhhh but was trying to stay as calm as possible. Everything would work out one way or another, which was the motto of the day.

And keeping calm and remembering what the day is all about is the best thing you can do. You are marrying the love of your life and that, my friends, is all that matters. If you don’t remember anything else from this post…please remember that. It will all work out. Promise.

Anyway, I decided to call Nikki and tell her my grandiose mistake…and pray she was somewhere nearby (I knew this was a long shot since emergency runs probably aren’t too common.) But…..she answered and said she was approximately 10 minutes away and SAVED THE DAY!

She was glad I called her versus going on with the day like I looked (big old glob on my eye) and a makeup wipe would NOT have done the trick. She took it all off….put all of the makeup back on that eye and everything looked perfect.

Tammy freshened up my hair and one of the gals caught this pretty neat photo highlighting my makeup with a neat cloud of hairspray!

Now, back to snapping some photos with my lovely ladies while we waited to head out for some photos! Nikki did a final check before leaving to be sure I was absolutely happy with my makeup.

I was. I had never felt so beautiful in my entire life. 

And that’s that.

If you are looking for an amazing makeup artist who will truly make you feel more beautiful than you ever have….look no further. Nikki is your gal.

She will go above and beyond to be sure you look and feel like the boss babe you are. 

Check out Nikki’s Facebook, Instagram, and other reviews on TheKnot.com.