Esther Bucher Make-up Artist

A mobile makeup artist from Baar

Esther Bucher is a makeup artist and hairstylist who describes herself on her homepage as a mobile makeup artist (Visagistin / Make-up Artist) from central Switzerland. The same line names the places she covers: Baar, Zug, Luzern, Schwyz and Aargau. Her contact details give 6340 Baar, and her about page says she grew up in the canton of Lucerne and lives in Baar in the canton of Zug. She trained as a makeup artist (Visagistin / Beauty Make-up Artist) at Marguerites Make-up School in Lucerne.

For a couple planning a wedding from abroad, the site does two useful things. It says she is mobile, so she comes to the bride, and it publishes a detailed price list for bridal makeup, hair and extras. The site is in German.

Her homepage carries three short lines in her own words: "Make-up ist wie Magie es verzaubert Menschen" (makeup is like magic, it enchants people), "Ich liebe es Menschen mit Make-up glücklich zu machen!" (I love making people happy with makeup) and "Ich freue mich auf Verschiedene Menschen und Gesichter!" (I look forward to different people and faces). On the about page she writes that pampering people and creating a beautiful makeup that brings out their best features gives her great pleasure, that it is a wonderful feeling to help others feel beautiful and strengthen their self-confidence, and that beauty is not only outward appearance but also an expression of inner wellbeing. She ends by inviting clients to work on their look together with her and let their natural beauty shine.

Bridal prices

The price page begins with the bride. The Braut Paket for makeup and hair, including a trial appointment, costs CHF 450.00, with a maximum of 3 hours for each appointment. The same package including the civil ceremony at the registry office (inkl. Trauung Standesamt, in the price list's words) costs CHF 600.00. The page does not spell out what the extra covers beyond that label, so a couple whose civil ceremony falls on a different day from the wedding celebration should ask.

Bridal makeup alone, including a trial makeup and artificial lashes, costs CHF 300.00, again with a maximum of 2 hours per appointment. A single appointment, either the bridal makeup on the day without a trial or the trial on its own, costs CHF 160.00 for up to 2 hours, also with artificial lashes.

For everyone else in the bridal party, an additional person's makeup costs CHF 80.00 for up to 1 hour. Hair starts at CHF 40.00. Refreshing an existing makeup costs CHF 50.00, and the bridal section of the price list notes a small touch-up kit included ("Inkl. kleines Touch-up Kit").

Hair

The hair section lists waves or straightening at CHF 50.00, curls at CHF 65.00, braided styles from CHF 50.00, half-up styles with waves or curls at CHF 80.00 to CHF 160.00 (up to 2 hours), and updos at CHF 65.00 to CHF 160.00 depending on the work involved (up to 2 hours). That range makes it possible to price a mother's or bridesmaid's hair as well as the bride's.

Other makeup and nails

For guests and for occasions before the wedding, the price page lists evening, gala or party makeup at CHF 100.00 with individual artificial lashes (up to 1.5 hours) and day makeup at CHF 80.00 (up to 1 hour). A makeup lesson or consultation (Schminkkurs/Beratung) costs CHF 160.00 for up to 2.5 hours, or CHF 80.00 per person for a group of up to 3 people. Makeup for men or the groom ("Herren/Bräutigam Make-up") costs CHF 40.00 for up to half an hour.

She also offers Shellac (CND) polish only, as a mini manicure or pedicure, at CHF 40.00 for hands or feet and CHF 60.00 for both.

For businesses and photographers the rates are CHF 80.00 per hour, CHF 300.00 for a half day of up to 4 hours and CHF 600.00 for a full day of up to 8 hours. Her menu shows portfolio sections for brides, hairstyles, shoots, events, makeup looks and business work.

She names the brands she works with: FACEatelier, MAC, Danessa Myricks, KRYOLAN, NYX and others.

Vouchers, payment and contact

Gift vouchers are available for any chosen amount or for a makeup of your choice, ordered through the contact form, which could suit a friend who wants to give a bride her makeup or a styling before the wedding. Payment is by TWINT or cash; the page lists no other method, which matters for a couple from abroad who may not have TWINT.

Contact runs through the phone number 079 406 33 87, the email address kontakt@ebmua.ch and a contact form on the homepage, which asks for name, address, phone number, email and a free-text remark. For a wedding inquiry, that remark field is the place to give the date, the place where the bride will get ready and the number of people who need makeup or hair.

What the site does not settle

The site does not say how far she travels beyond the places named on the homepage, or whether travel costs are added to the listed prices. It does not say how many people she can make up and style on one wedding morning, or whether she works with a second artist for a large bridal party. It gives no lead time for booking, no deposit and no cancellation rule. It does not state which languages she works in. And it does not say where the trial takes place, since she describes herself as mobile and names no studio.

Who it suits

Esther Bucher suits a bride marrying in Zug, Lucerne, Schwyz or Aargau who wants one person for hair and makeup, coming to her, at a price she can see in advance. The CHF 450 package with trial, the CHF 80 rate for each additional person's makeup and the itemized hair prices make it straightforward to budget for a bride, her mother and a few bridesmaids. The separate price that includes the registry office is useful for a couple who want the civil ceremony covered as well.

The caveats are the German-only site, the payment methods limited to TWINT and cash, and the unanswered questions about travel costs and group size. A couple from abroad should confirm those three points, and the language, before booking.