Cathryn Kerwin-Rawlinson here from Made up by Cathryn. I have worked as a Bridal Makeup Artist in North Wales and North West England for almost 17 years. My journey to becoming a Bridal Makeup Artist has been unconventional, and I aim to share the origins of my love and dedication for everything related to Bridal, Style, and Makeup in this blog post.
As I mentioned in the introduction, my journey into bridal makeup wasn't immediate. From the age of 18 to 36, I worked in the corporate world, primarily in sales and marketing roles. It's funny to look back now because while makeup is my full-time career, it wasn't always that way. For years, I balanced bridal makeup on the side while working full-time, squeezing in weddings on weekends and trials whenever I could fit them in. But with weddings now happening from Monday to Sunday, something had to give. At 36, I made the decision to leave the corporate life behind and focus solely on my passion for makeup. And honestly? It's one of the best decisions I've ever made.
Since I was very young, I have been aware of my uniqueness and creativity, with a strong inclination towards art, drawing, fashion, and design. Becoming a fashion designer has always been my ultimate dream, but I also had a deep love for makeup.
I didn't fall into corporate life by choice—it was largely influenced by my upbringing. My parents, from a working-class background in Liverpool, were born in the mid-40s, part of the lost generation. They were practical, hardworking people, and while they nurtured my creative side, they never felt I could realistically thrive in a creative industry, especially one like fashion. The reality is, most fashion jobs are in London, and even now, they're often taken by people from privileged backgrounds. In that world, it's not always about what you know, but who you know, and for a working-class kid like me, breaking into fashion would have been a real challenge.
So, I ended up studying in business studies, and it wasn't a bad fit for me. I was good at it, and I don't regret the path I took after 19 years in the the corporate world from 17 to 16, gave me invaluable skills, especially in sales and marketing, that have directly contributed to the success of my bridal business. But at 36, I knew it was time to take a leap of faith, and I'm so glad I did.
Weddings are full of personalities, excitement, and drama, which makes for some pretty amazing stories—many of which I love to share. But for now, that's a bit of background about how I transitioned from the corporate world to bridal makeup: a mix of practicality, creativity, and a dash of risk-taking.
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