Make-up Express di Lisa Sommella

Lisa Sommella starts a bridal look from a color analysis, the tones that flatter you, and builds make-up, hair and nail art on top of it, so the parts of the look agree with each other. She has accompanied brides for over 15 years from her studio, Make-up Express, in Lugano. For a couple marrying in Ticino, the studio is worth a visit: one studio, one plan, from the first conversation to the wedding morning.

Color first, then everything else

The color analysis comes first because it shows which tones flatter you, and every later choice, from lip to nail, can follow from that. Make-up, hair and nails then come as one service from one studio. On the wedding day Lisa stays with the bride through the preparation itself. Every package opens with a getting-to-know-you consultation of about 30 minutes, so the color work and the trials start from a conversation about you rather than from a template.

Five packages, from Last Minute to Diamond

There are five tiers. No prices are published for any of them, so you ask for a quote.

• Last Minute. Wedding make-up and wedding hairstyle after the introductory consultation, with no trial listed. It suits a date that came together quickly.
• Basic. Adds a make-up trial and a hair trial before the wedding-day make-up and hairstyle.
• Silver. Adds a color analysis consultation (armocromia) to both trials and the wedding-day styling.
• Gold. Both trials and the wedding-day styling, plus lash-cluster application, brow cleaning, and a cosmetic manicure and pedicure.
• Diamond. Color analysis, both trials, the wedding-day styling, lash clusters, brow cleaning, and semi-permanent polish on hands and feet.

Silver and Diamond are the two tiers that include the armocromia consultation. Gold and Diamond are the two that add lashes, brows and nails to the hair and make-up. If you only want the day itself, Last Minute keeps it simple.

Booking six months to a year ahead

The terms below were read in November 2026. Getting in touch between a year and six months before the wedding is the recommended window. A deposit of CHF 50 holds the date and is deducted on the wedding day. For the bridal packages, the balance is split, half paid at the trial and half at the wedding. The service can take in a group of 6 to 8 people, the bride included, so your mother and bridesmaids can be done at the same time. Travel carries a surcharge of CHF 1 per kilometer. The languages Lisa works in are not stated, so if you are planning from abroad, ask about English when you first write.

At the venue, at home or in Via Maggio

You can be prepared at the wedding location, at home, or at the studio at Via Maggio 43, 6900 Lugano. The studio receives clients by appointment only, Monday to Saturday, with holidays on request. For a villa on the lake or a hotel terrace, having the preparation happen where you already are keeps the morning unhurried.

Nails, accessories and the rest of the studio

Two companion offers extend the bridal service. For the wedding day there are eight nail finishes: nude, milky, babyboomer (a soft gradient), classic French, pearl chrome, lace, glitter and crystals. Custom hair accessories complete the hairstyle, though types and prices are not set out in advance. Beyond weddings, the studio covers events and experiences, image and style, a make-up academy, beauty services and ZAO, an organic make-up line.

Training and a sponsored press note

Lisa Sommella began in the beauty trade in 2009 and earned the Federal Professional Certificate as a make-up artist in 2019. She teaches at make-up academies, on short and year-long courses, and privately in her own Make-up Academy, and she works with many wedding professionals. That background comes from a February 2023 article on fashionchannel.ch, republished by a second Ticino news site and labeled sponsored content, so it reads as the studio's own account rather than an independent review.

The same article reports a Wedding Award 2023 in the beauty and wellness category, the second year in a row, with 24 reviews and a score of 4.9 out of 5 from couples at the time (read November 2026). These awards are based on reviews from married couples. Award badges for 2022, 2023 and 2025 appear on the studio's home page.

Published prices elsewhere in the category

Other studios publish their figures. Estetica Romy shows a trial at CHF 120 and bridal make-up at CHF 160, or CHF 260 at the bride's home (November 2026). Trucchiamoci gives CHF 320 for make-up with a trial, done at home or where the bride gets ready (November 2026). Make-up Express shows the content of each tier and the color-analysis starting point, and gives the price on request. Knowing exactly what each tier contains is a real help when you compare, and a quote for Silver or Diamond is the next step once you know your date.