Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Skindinavia - Great Products from Beginning To End!

A few mths back I heard about Skindinavia on a makeup artist forum.  Many artists were raving about their setting spray and w/ wedding season right there I thought why not give them a try!

Often times one of the biggest compliments I can get as an artist is when a bride comes back to me and says my makeup looked amazing even at the end of the night!  In fact some of my favourite pictures are the ones where I see the bride at the reception dancing it up looking as flawless and beautiful as she did 10 or 12 hrs earlier when I first applied the makeup.  Having the makeup last through the heat, tears and kisses of a wedding is also one of the biggest concerns for brides so having a good setting spray to give it that extra bit of hold is always a good thing.  I always tell brides - It's like hairspray for the face (except a lot less sticky) ;) and in fact sometimes I think just the idea of using a setting spray at the end of the makeup applications helps the bride feel more secure and confident that her makeup is going to last...and when I'm doing it it always does ;)

But Skindinavia doesn't just have a setting spray - they also have a Primer too!  Basically, they are hitting your face w/ their Temperature Control Technology in the beginning and end of the makeup application. For those that are wondering what exactly "Temperature Control Technology" is and how it works follow this link.

The benefits of this technology include:  Oil Control, Diminished Shine, Skin retains moisture longer, Keeps makeup fresh throughout the day and prevents colour loss.  Plus all of their products are formulated w/out Parabens and they are Hypoallergenic, Non-Comedogenic, Oil-Free, Breathable and Lightweight on the skin.  Pretty much every person I use the primer and setting spray on comments on how refreshing and nice the mist feels on their skin at the beginning and end of the makeup appt.

The Primer is their newest product and I should also mention it's silicone free which is a major bonus for a lot of people and I know personally I sometimes find silicone primers have too much slip or can ball up on the skin.  It also helps to minimize redness, uneven skin and large pores.

One of my favourite things about Skindinavia has got to be their Pro Program!  Not only do they often have awesome Deals and Makeup Artist Kits but if you are a Pro and sign up for their Pro program and email them after you've made your order they will DOUBLE your order for FREE - YES you read that correct!!! Even if you aren't a Pro you can take advantage of their Makeup Artist Kits and great shipping rates for both USA and Canada!  I love when companies don't charge an arm and a leg to ship to Canada - I've literally not ordered from some companies b/c their shipping was ridiculous!

Another great plus is the little travel size bottles of the setting spray and/or primer that come w/ the order. I'm all about condensing my kit so I just refill those little bottles from the big bottle!

So w/ all these great benefits and the hot weather upon us I definitely think Skindinavia is a company worth checking out!


Sunday, July 27, 2014

Hart House Wedding


We are officially right in the thick of wedding season right now which is of course exciting and busy!  But this also means I'm starting to get some photos from brides from weddings in May!  As you all know there's pretty much nothing I love more than receiving photos from my brides after the wedding!  I'm always trying to update my wedding site and keep it current and fresh...and it's even surprising to me sometimes just how far my work has come in the past few seasons!

Back in May I got to work w/ Jasmine and her wonderful group of family and friends at Hart House which is located at the University of Toronto.  What's funny is the weekend before I actually had a wedding job there too!  It's a gorgeous location and I love doing weddings there not only b/c I love old historic building but also b/c it's literally walking distance from my apt. lol!  Love any job I can walk to and from ;)

I met Jasmine a few mths before her wedding when I did her makeup trial.  Originally I was only going to do makeup at the wedding but when we started discussing logistics w/ her traveling to and from her hair salon to the wedding venue we agreed it might be a bit of unnecessary stress so at another date we did a hair trial. I'm so glad I got to do both Jasmine's makeup and hair b/c I really loved the updo I created for her!  It's funny actually b/c there have been multiple occasions in the past couple of years where I've actually received more credit or praise for my hair work than makeup lol!  Who ever would have thought that would have happened!!

In fact after the wedding Jasmine's wedding coordinator Events by Bridal Solutions actually contacted me a couple of wks later about another client they had b/c they loved the hair work I did so much w/ Jasmine. Even funnier we realized once we were talking that we also shared another client already who's wedding was in June :)  Wedding business is always such a small world!

Here are some photos from Jasmine's wedding courtesy of  We Do Photography







Also thought I'd share the really kind words Jasmine wrote on Wedding Wire for me after the wedding :)

I had such a wonderful experience with Jessica and her team. In addition to doing my wedding hair and make-up, she also did my two bridesmaids and my mom. The fact that Jessica will travel to you is a HUGE advantage and saved so much time for the morning prep. I would also highly recommend doing a trial. At the trial, Jessica was able read through my nervousness (because I have very thin hair) and knew what hairstyle I actually wanted, but didn't think I could get and was able to do it. On the morning of the wedding, Jessica was on time, prepared and her easy going attitude helped calm any morning jitters. Overall, Jessica is professional and talented and my hair and make-up were absolutely perfect for my wedding and it lasted from 8 am to the wee hours of the morning the next day.