Autumn Brides

In my opinion fall is the most romantic time to get married.  With the crisp air, the leaves changing colors and Indian summers…

I have to say this past weekend was such a pleasure to makeup up Courtney, her sisters, mom and maid of honor.  I will share some pics and tips of the makeup used.  Also, all hair is styled by one of my partners at Groom the Bride, Amber H.

The Bride wanted to look natural, she rarely uses makeup so we went with natural yet elegant look. On her eyes I used a cream taupe color, topped it with loose powder beige/gold and blended them so the look was fresh yet polished.  Now she still needed some definition which was achieved by individual lashes and waterproof black mascara and applying brow powder.  Cheeks are a pink-gold and the lips are stained pink to enhance her natural pigment, lastly a layer of gloss.

The Maid of Honor’s makeup was also simple yet more bold in the choice of color, due to her amazing Sienna colored dress..I used all Sienna colors on her eyes in addition to gold, a warm peach on her cheeks and lips.

Bride’s Older Sister wore a chocolate brown dress and the brunette beauty was also easy to enhance.  Her eye shadow colors were peach, camel and of course chocolate brown to sculpt and define.  The cheeks color was a warm shade of pink/brown and I used a natural stain on her lips also.

Bride’s Younger Sister looked like a china doll when she was done, light skin and dark curly hair added to that fact.  Also, a lover of makeup we played her eyes up with gold and bronze shadows and lined her eyes with teal and stained her lips a plum shade.

Mother of the Bride, well she may as well have been a sister with her looks!  Her makeup palette was chosen to match her champagne dress and amethyst earrings.  A matte champagne on the entire eye, chocolate in crease to define and a beautiful purple liner, plus individual lashes and mascara.  Cheek color was a warm peach and the lips stained with a shear burgundy color.

All in all the wedding party was flawless, elegant and beautiful.  The sun broke through the clouds just as they were leaving for the ceremony.  A perfect fall day.

Pictures below of the the ladies in order of descriptions, click on thumbnail to enlarge the pictures.

Keeping Brides beautiful on hot humid days.

Try not to work against the weather but use products that will wear long and keep the bride and bridesmaids gorgeous until the sun goes down!

First, know what you are working with.  If outdoor wedding, outdoor reception or non air-conditioned building is on the venue and, it just happens to be the hottest day of the summer, be prepared.  You and the bride hopefully have done a trial run and know what colors and products you are using, however because of the weather, you need to think ahead.  Moreover, pack your kit wisely.  Here is an example of makeup for an outdoor wedding on a very hot and humid day.

Just recently, I had the pleasure of working on Nikki a very pretty girl already who I transformed into an even more stunning bride.  Now, since it was a July wedding and the ceremony & reception was an outdoor affair, I knew we needed to work with the weather, not against it.

We began with prepping her skin.  A quick sprits of Arbonne’s RE9 vitamin C toner, Bare Essentials lotion and Body Shop’s Vitamin E eye cream.  Then once that had absorbed I used Smashbox’s primer and evened out her skin with Yonka tinted moisturizer with SPF.  Lastly, concealer under eyes and where needed.

Next we moved onto the eyes.  Of course I used a primer specific for the eyes to keep shadow in place.  I worked with Mary Kay’s which is one of my favorites.  While that was setting I began applying individual false lashes.  1st curl lashes and apply a coat of waterproof mascara, then go in and apply the lashes (false lashes really give extra glamour and make the eyes larger and you don’t need to use too much mascara, a plus considering the elements and maybe some tears).  After lashes dried I used Smashbox’s gel liner in brown layered over that was a burgundy powder shadow that had been dipped into Bare Minerals “Weather Anything”, a great liner sealer.  Shadow colors used were vanilla over entire lid, gold in the inner corners of the eye and the brow bone, and contour was the same shadow used for liner.

Then it was onto cheeks and lips.  Now you may have noticed I didn’t use powder to set the face yet.  That is because I used a stain both for her cheeks and lips.  I love stains for lips all year but in the summer it is necessary.  I used Vincent Longo lip & cheek stain in Cupid.  I also used a highlighter on her cheekbones.  And, a tinted gloss from Estee Lauder on her lips.  In addition, for extra reassurance I lined the lips with a clear lip liner.

Lastly, a very light dusting of Ben Nye translucent powder and then, the best product in my professional opinion, Skindivina Makeup set spray.  It literally cools down the face so the makeup won’t melt and it works so well, I highly recommend this as a staple for mua’s.

A quick picture of the bride before she is off….

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Happy New Year!

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Merry Christmas!

This blog will focus on tutorials, products, and events hosted by premiere makeup artist and esthetician, Jaime Stetler Grow. New content and services will be coming in 2008!