Home | Makeup Matters - Award Winning Irish Makeup Artist

Gráinne - Crowned Makeup Artist of the Year 2025

Hi, I’m Gráinne, the artist behind *Make Up Matters, and I still can’t quite believe it—I’ve been *crowned Makeup Artist of the Year 2025 and *Overall Supplier of the Year at the WeddingsOnline Awards!

Winning these awards is an incredible honour, but what truly means the most to me is the journey that brought me here. Every early morning start, every excited chat about wedding plans, every final touch before a bride steps into her dress—these are the moments I cherish. And none of it would be possible without you—my amazing brides and clients. This win belongs to you just as much as it does to me.

Makeup is my passion, but more than that, it’s about how it makes you feel. My goal is always to enhance your natural beauty, creating a look that feels like you—just the most radiant, confident version of yourself. Whether you love soft, glowing elegance, timeless beauty, or full Hollywood glam, I personalise every detail to bring your vision to life. Your wedding day is one of the most special moments of your life, and I want you to feel incredible from the first look to the last dance.

While makeup is at the heart of what I do, we also create stunning bridal hairstyles to complete your look. From effortless waves to elegant updos, we work to ensure your hair enhances your dress, face shape, and wedding style while lasting beautifully throughout the day.

But beyond the makeup and hair, my job is about creating an experience. It’s about helping you feel relaxed, pampered, and truly special on your big day. It’s about the little moments—handing you a tissue when happy tears come, fixing your veil just before you walk down the aisle, sharing in the excitement as you get ready to say I do.

I feel incredibly lucky to do what I love and to be part of such unforgettable moments. Thank you for trusting me with your special day, for your support, and for allowing me to be part of your journey. I can’t wait to bring your vision to life.

With love,
Grainne xx

Testimonials

I could not be happier with my experience with Gráinne and of course Sharon -- they are both stars and I'm so grateful to have had them for my big day. From the very beginning Gráinne is just such a lovely person to deal with, making me feel totally at ease with the process. She and Sharon have a wealth of knowledge, not only are they experts in their craft but in weddings in general! This was unbelieveably helpful in the trial and on the morning of, as they gave such great tips from start to finish. Most importantly they made me look exactly like the most beautiful version of myself, which is everything I wanted on my wedding day. The morning of my wedding was one of the most fun parts of the weekend for me -- the bridesmaids, the mams and I had such a laugh with Gráinne and Sharon while they made us gorgeous, and they also helped me when the nerves started mounting up!! I could not recommend Make Up Matters highly enough, thank you so so much!

Grace Healy

Fantastic from start to finish! Me and my bridesmaids hair and makeup was gorgeous on the day. They made us laugh and feel very glam. Thanks!!

Samantha O'Callaghan

I got married on halloween and had the pleasure off having grainne and Sharon on the day. From the get go from the first day i contacted grainne it was amazing service. Nothing was to much for her. I didnt know what i wanted for hair and makeup and they asked questions on the trial and i looked amazing and for poor sharon i changed my hair on the day and she did even better then the trial i loved my hair even more the day off my wedding. On the day they both arrived and just slotted in. They were so friendly and professional They had a busy morning as there was myself and 6 others. We had the laughs and chats. We all looked amazing and everyone was commenting on our make-up and hair that day. I highly recommend grainne and Sharon for your wedding day. They have a way off making you feel so relaxed with them and grainne got loads off photos that day off me aswell. Thank you girls so much for that day we all looked amazing and had the best morning.

Hayley Dowling

Grainne and Sharon did hair and makeup for myself and 8 others on the morning of my wedding. I travelled home to Ireland from Canada for the wedding so I was naturally stressed organising a wedding from so far away. But Grainne and Sharon were so lovely, friendly and professional, more than I could ever ask for. They both went above and beyond for all of us, and gave so many tips and tricks for us. They were also so patient when emotions got high and helped fix our makeup after some happy tears. On the lead up to the wedding, I changed my bridal hair style a week beforehand to include hair extensions and Grainne gave so much advice and support in how to prepare the extensions for the wedding day. Thank you SO much Makeup Matters for allowing myself and the bridal party to feel beautiful!!

Audrey

Thank you Grainne so so much for doing a fantastic job on my make up for my wedding day. Your attention to detail and calm manner made me feel so relaxed. My wedding party were delighted with the airbrush finish and individual eyelashes. Grainne you went above and beyond when you stepped in last minute to do my bride to be Anne's makeup after she heard her own makeup artist had fallen ill that morning. As one can imagine it was very stressful but you did not hesitate to pack up your cases and go to her. Your impeccable timing allowed you to do Anne's make up and be back in time to see us say I do! Grainne this act of pure selflessness and utter kindness meant so much to us, we are eternally grateful. Yet again you put not only your client first but another too. Thank you Grainne, you not only made our day, you saved it 💞 Ruth & Anne

Anne Mooney

Grainne did my Make Up for my wedding in August, and it was absolutely fab. Stayed put all day (even through some tears!) And really looked so flawless in the photos. I was complimented on it all day, and would definitally reccomend the airbrushing. Grainne herself was so lovely, nothing was too much hassle and her calm and cheerful attitude was a godsend to me on the day - she even gave me a great tip on how to stop myself from crying if i felt the tears coming (again!). Great service from beginning to end!

Fainche O'Connell

I hired Grainne in October for a group of wedding guests. She came to our hotel bright and early and never left until the last touches were done just before we left for the ceremony. She is an amazing makeup artist, extremely professional and really knows her stuff. She was a great addition to the craic and calming us all when we needed it. I couldn't recommend her highly enough and her pricing is extremely affordable. Don't hesitate in booking her, she won't disappoint. 10 out of 10

Caroline Kelly-Dunne

What can i say about this gem of a lady!! She is without a doubt one of the most amazing, talented & skillful MUA’s u will ever meet. I came across grainne on fb soon 2 yrs ago & she came highly recommended to me by 2 friends of mine who also had grainne as their mua for their wedding days. I had a trial for my hen do & i was so happy with it, perfection is all i can say so i knew my wedding day make up would be flawless & that i would look & feel a million dollars. It lasted all day, night & following morning, & i can tell u i cried, laughed & danced a hell of a lot on my wedding day!! My bridal party all looked fab as did mam too. Grainne really is unreal at what she does. She listens to u, does exactly what u want & on top of all that she is a lovely friendly person who i regard as a friend of mine now. Thanks again Grainne Love Mrs Duffy Kelly Xxxx 💗Xxxx

Eva Duffy Kelly

I would recommend Grainne to everyone who is looking for their wedding make up. She was such a pleasure and fun to work with and is the most talented person, is absolutely lovely, helpful and really brings out the best in everyone. We couldn’t have been happier to have you there for my wedding on Saturday. Thank you so much for making this day so special!

Stefanie Maher

I love Grainne!!! Grainne and I connected via social media and email, thanks to social media that allows us to connect with amazing people thousands of miles away, and I am so glad we did. I am a wedding planner/coordinator from Miami, I came across her profile and contacted her, as I was in need of an amazing makeup artist/ stylist for a beautiful elopement in Ireland; which I was coordinating, and my husband was photographing; and Grainne was nothing short of that. She is so talented, I had sent her pictures of exactly what my bride was looking for, and she not only met, but exceeded our expectations. She made our beautiful bride look like a queen. I absolutely loved the bride’s hairdo, and she has an amazing talent for eyes, she made the bride’s eyes standout and look gorgeous. Working with her was fun and just such a breeze, I loved her charisma and her genuine nature to help. Contacting her was so easy and she always responded quickly. Her passion for her work shows in everything she does. I cannot wait to have the opportunity to work with her again soon and I will 100% recommend her to anyone. Thanks Grainne for everything we were extremely happy.

Anette Leiton / Leiton and Co.

Gráinne - Crowned Makeup Artist of the Year 2025

Testimonials​

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Testimonials