u/Zestyclose-Wind-8905

Having serious sticker shock looking at bridal makeup artists in the New England area...

Is there something significantly different about "bridal glam" compared to getting a nice, professionally done soft glam look? I've always envisioned looking like myself but elevated on my wedding day w/ makeup that enhances my natural features rather than completely transforming my face bc I don't wear makeup regularly..

I understand that bridal makeup needs to last many hours, photograph well, and that there's skill involved in making that happen. I'm also happy to pay for someone's time, expertise, and travel to my hotel. But I'm struggling to understand why adding the word "wedding" seems to automatically turn makeup into a $700–$1,000+ "luxury experience."

I just don't have that kind of budget and need help finding affordable recs. Getting married at The Avenir in Walpole, MA so if any recs in that area please lmk 🙏🏽

US MD student at T30 school applying general surgery. Scored 241 on step 2 despite practice NBMEs consistently in 245-255 range. Disappointing but it is what it is at this point. Have strong LOR and MSPE. 'Scholarly work' is a mix of clinical projects, medical illustration, and curriculum design. Long term goal is a pediatric and/or burn fellowship, so I know landing at a university-based program with a solid research infrastructure matters a lot.

I've been using Residency Explorer to build a program list based on Step 2 alone, but unsure how much weight to put on that vs the rest of my application and haven't heard much from school advising on the matter. Realistically, does a 241 take academic programs off the table for someone with these fellowship goals?