Tag Archives: wedding

Here Comes The Bride: Tonya’s Wedding Hair & Makeup

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Sometimes dreams do come true. My very close friend Tonya found her prince, Ted, and they were set to marry the weekend of Cinco de Mayo. I was flattered when she asked me to do not only her wedding make-up but also her hair. Wait… yikes! You want me to do your hair?? Um, sure I do my own hair for events plenty, but I haven’t done a lot of updos on other people’s heads. However, Tonya has naturally curly hair, which I knew would make the updoing a lot easier. I told her she could count on me.

A few weeks before, Tonya came over for a run-through so we’d have a game plan the morning of the big day. We had already been pinning hair and make-up inspirations on Pinterest for months, so we had good starting points. Tonya and Ted’s wedding was Mexican-themed, and she wanted to wear big, colorful flowers in her hair. For the make-up, we would go classic but bold enough for the photographs.

large flowers in hair, wedding look

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Beauty on a Shoestring: Babe on a Budget

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Last Friday, I was a bridesmaid for the first time in my dear friend Katy’s wedding.  It was a BEAUTIFUL wedding, and I’m fairly certain we were the hottest bridal party ever.

Jessica Alba Revlon ad

During the course of bridesmaid-hood, fellow bridesmaid Lindsey A. (not to be confused with bridesmaid Lindsey H.) asked if I could help her with her wedding day make-up.  Like me, she was on a tight budget and looking to economize.  However, since I’d be doing my own hair and make-up, I knew I wouldn’t have time to also do her make-up day of.  What I did do was help her plan out a make-up strategy and aid in a make-up shopping extravaganza.

As with any event prep, I told Lindsey to start by pulling make-up looks for inspiration.  She tore out various magazine ads, and the one that emerged as the top candidate was this Revlon ad with Jessica Alba. We were all wearing floor-length gowns, so it was totally appropriate to wear a more evening make-up look.  Lindsey especially liked the eye make-up in this ad.  It was a great choice, because Lindsey has similar skin and hair coloring as Jessica.

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Make-up Styling for a Wedding, Part IV: Game Time!

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FRIDAY EVENING
I arrived in Seattle the Friday morning before the wedding on Saturday.  That evening, they hosted a fun barbecue at a park with the most spectacular view of the city.  Afterwards, we drove to Poulsbo out on the Olympic peninsula so that we could get an early start Saturday morning.  I had insisted that we do a make-up run-through sometime on Friday, so about 11 PM in our hotel room, we finally had our chance.

Texas Jenn and Oregon Jenn at the Rehearsal BBQ

Texas Jenn and Oregon Jenn at the Rehearsal BBQ

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Make-up Styling for a Wedding, Part III: Ingredients List

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Last time we talked, Jenn had responded to some make-up inspirations that I sent her. She was on board for a neutral palette of an overall peach overtone, with punched up eyes. Based on that information, I devised an “ingredients list” to cook-up Jenn’s perfect wedding make-up look. Some of the products she would buy, and some I would bring with me. To come up with this list, I mentally walked through her make-up application.

STEP 1: Creating an even canvas

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer and HD Concealer, Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer
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Make-up Styling for a Wedding, Part II: Finding Make-up Looks for Inspiration

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Now that I had some essential information about Jenn’s wedding, my next step was to find some make-up looks that would work for the bride. I wanted to go with a natural palette, since the wedding ceremony would be outdoors. Also, I know that one of the bride’s favorite colors is orange, and she would be wearing an orange orchid in her hair. I thought that shades of peach and brown would compliment her warm skin undertones, the orchid and the beautiful outdoor setting. Here are some looks I pulled for her:

Inspiration board of celebrities for wedding make-up looks

With the exception of Natalie Portman’s raspberry lips, the emphasis in each of the looks is the eyes. And each of the women are wearing peachy rose cheeks that I thought would work well to give Jenn that “blushing bride” look. I sent all the looks to Jenn for her feedback. Generally, she was on board for the direction I was going. The only look she wasn’t a fan of was Anne Hathaway’s dark under eyeliner and bottom lash mascara, conceding that may look so harsh due to Anne’s fair skin. If I haven’t already mentioned this, Jenn does not wear make-up on a daily basis, so it was a fair concern.

Now that I’ve got a solid direction to head towards, I need to create an “ingredient” list to cook up the perfect wedding look for my beautiful Jenn!

NEXT STEP: Putting together a shopping list of products.

Images: Anne Hathaway, Hilary Swank, Isla Fisher, Natalie Portman, Molly Sims