Natural Bridal Makeup

The more weddings I do the more I start to develop my own little niche in the market.  That isn't to say that this is all I do but I do definitely find that there is a certain style of bride that tends to search me out and hire me.  What is my niche you ask...well I would definitely say it's the "Natural Bride".  This is a bride that probably typically doesn't wear a lot of makeup day to day but understands that on her wedding day she's going to need a little extra something to make her wedding day and her pictures stand out and look beautiful.

My personal philosophy when it comes to bridal makeup is to make a bride look like the best version of herself. I personally don't really believe that any bride wants to people to say "Wow, I barely recognize you" on her wedding day.  I think most would probably want people to say "Wow you look so gorgeous and glowing".  But it is important to remember that natural makeup doesn't mean NO MAKEUP...there is a BIG difference and it actually takes a very skilled artist to achieve a natural look that just enhances the bride's natural beauty and features.

I think it's also important to remember that yes, for those brides that never wear makeup it will of course feel like more than usual but that doesn't mean it needs to feel like it's caked on.  Often I hear ppl talk about the idea that you have to cake on the makeup for the pictures.  Yes, it is true that you do need a little more makeup for your features to stand out in pictures but that doesn't mean the bride can't look beautiful up close and in person as well.  I don't think any bride no matter what style of makeup she is wearing should ever feel like she's wearing a mask.  I often actually ask my brides throughout the trial if they are feeling comfortable or if it ever feels like too much makeup or too heavy on the face...most respond w/ no lol.

As I mentioned before natural doesn't mean that a bride can't wear makeup...and in some cases a good amount of makeup.  It just means the artist working on her has to understand what her face can carry off and what products/colours are best going to accent her natural beauty.  Different faces can carry off different levels of makeup and colours and it's always important to remember this when working on a client.  Also, a good artist can actually put on a good amount of makeup and still make it feel natural and like the bride is barely wearing anything...it's all w/ technique, blending and having a good understanding about the products you use and how much is really necessary to achieve the look you want.  IMO a lot of times what separates a BAD makeup job for a Passable to Good makeup job is literally just taking a fluffy squirrel brush and blending out the eye makeup for an additional 30 secs...seriously the wonders that will do to a face.

I know I keep referencing it but a great example (w/out sounding too vain lol) of a lot of makeup still being able to look natural was my post on Cover FX makeup.  It has Heavy Duty coverage...like it can cover scars, birthmarks, acne, tattoos etc. but w/ the right technique you can actually still make it look very natural and glowing.  Many people have commented on how natural I look in the end result pics when really I'm wearing A LOT of makeup!  If only I actually looked that "Natural" w/ no makeup lol...truth is NO ONE DOES!

I know woman often also say their fiances/boyfriends don't like makeup or don't want to see them w/ caked on makeup.  Again, truth is men LOVE makeup...they just don't realize they LOVE makeup (naive and stupid little creatures lol).  What they HATE is bad makeup or too much makeup...that's the only time they really notice makeup is when it's bad.  Truth is like a lot of things when it's good you won't even notice it but you'll definitely notice it when it's BAD and that's why we sort of take it for granted.  I have NEVER had a man say to me that I wear too much makeup...you know what I wear a lot of makeup if I'm going out they just can't tell b/c they don't know any better.  But I will tell you that I have had men/people ask me if I'm sick when I'm not wearing makeup lol. So again it all comes back to technique and that again is why even if a bride is looking for a natural look it is so important to hire a good professional that knows what she/he is doing.

I received a couple of pictures from my bride Karri just recently who just got married last mth.  To me Karri is a perfect example of a "Natural Bride" - glowing/clear skin, natural but still defined eyes, touch of colour on the lips.  Some of you might also be surprised to know that she is wearing false lashes in the picture.  Again, you can still wear false lashes and look "natural" it's all in the style of lashes and ALMOST ALL of my brides take me up on the offer for lashes (esp. since I don't charge extra for them).  To me it's important for my brides to look as beautiful as possible on their wedding day and to me that includes false lashes.

This is just a reminder of a quick snapshot I took of her the day of her wedding.

Brides this is also why a trial is so necessary to make sure both you and your artist are on the same page for everything.  If during the trial the artist does things a little more intense then you want speak up - you are hiring them at the end of the day and you need to feel comfortable (I'll be completely honest a lot of times what other artists call "natural makeup" is not at all what I would call natural makeup so don't worry).  A good artist will not be offended or insulted that you want to tweak things a bit.  In fact I welcome the bride's opinion - it's her face after all and I want her to leave feeling comfortable and happy.  Of course listen to your makeup artist and their suggestions too b/c they might know something you don't but at the end of it if you still leave feeling misunderstood or like they didn't quite get you or weren't receptive to your ideas or worse yet were rude to your suggestions and were insulted by the idea of changing anything don't completely lose hope and forgo hiring a makeup artist completely just understand they weren't the right makeup artist for you.  It might take a little more searching to find your right match...it's a lot like dating sometimes you have to go through some bad apples before you find a good one!

I LOVE My Laura Geller Makeup From Apothica!!!

As some of you know I'm sponsored by Apothica.  For those that don't know Apothica is this great cosmetics site (kind of like Sephora) that has a million different brands of makeup...a lot I've never even heard of + they also have two other sites connected w/ them Skin Care RX & Skin Botanica that you can also shop at.

The sponsorship is great b/c it allows me to experience, learn about and be partnered w/ cosmetic brands I might not have even known about otherwise.  Every 6 mths I get a credit to use towards products on their websites...great deal for me as I LOVE free stuff (I mean who doesn't).

So for my latest Apothica purchase I decided to try out some makeup from Laura Geller.  I had heard about the brand before but had never actually used any of it.  Unfortunately, Canadian Sephoras no longer carry the brand and to be honest I'm not quite sure if you can get it anywhere in Canada :(.  If this is the case then I'm going to be SUPER SAD when I run out of these products b/c I have to be honest I LOVE LOVE LOVE my choices...like I haven't LOVED something this much in a long time!

So what did I get you ask?  I got the Balance-n-Brighten Face Powder in Med. along w/ the Kiss & Bakeup Collection (I'm a sucker for a good makeup set...it's the deal finder in me lol).

First I'll talk about the Balance-n-Brighten Baked Colour Correcting Foundation.  It works like a light powder foundation and gives a light coverage.  Personally, I like a little more coverage so I layer on top of my other foundation but you can use it on it's own and it really just minimizes skin imperfections and balances the skin tone and brightens up your entire face.  Seriously, a lot of ppl lately have commented on how glowing my skin looks...but not in a shiny disco ball way don't worry.  I got the Med. b/c that was the only shade offered and I think it would be a little dark for me in the Winter but for Summer it's perfect.  In fact it actually really helps me b/c as I mentioned before my Cover FX powder foundation is actually a shade too light for me esp. in the Summer so if I layer this over top of it it just totally balances me out and gives me a nice golden glow!

The Kiss & Bakeup Collection is an AWESOME Set!  It includes:

Spackle Under Make-up Primer

Balance-n-Bronze 

Blush-n-Brighten - Apricot Berry

Eye Rimz - Bewitching Bronze

Dream Creams Lip Palette - Apricot Berry

Double-Ended Face and Cheek Brush

Eye Rimz Brush

Retractable Lip Brush

The Spackle Primer is nice.  I have no complaints about it.  It does leave my face smooth and soft and it's a great base for applying makeup on.  I have to admit though and I know this sounds crazy but I'm actually really in love w/ my ELF mineral primer right now...I know I know crazy eh...but so good and so cheap!  But this is great too and it comes in the set so no complaints here.

Balance-n-Bronze is gorgeous but be careful a little goes a long way.  All of these products are very pigmented which is great.  It goes on smooth and it does create a beautiful bronzed glow on my cheeks.

Blush-n-Brighten in Apricot Berry again is very pretty but I think this set would def. work better for med. skin tones...if you're fair skin just be careful b/c it might just all be a bit too much colour for you just a heads up.  But it's gorgeous on tanned skin.  I just love how bright and glowing everything leaves my skin looking!

Dream Cream Lip Palette in Apricot Berry has 4 great shades and I actually like to mix them together a bit esp. the brown neutral w/ some of the more coral colours just so they aren't too orange, although I don't mind them on their own either but I also don't mind bold lips.  They are all pretty frosty and def. work better for Summer than Winter looks...but then again that's kind of how the whole set works IMO.

Eye Rimz in Bewitching Bronze great neutral brown colour that you can use all over the lid lightly during the day or layer it for a more smokey bronzed look at night.  You can even use it wet for a more intense, metallic colour payoff.

The only thing that was kind of disappointing is the Double Ended Face & Cheek Brush.  It's just cheap and nothing I would probably use normally on  myself or on a client.  But it's coming in a set.  I never expect the brushes in sets to be that amazing so I'll let it go.  I mean I was buying the set for the makeup anyway, not the brush lol.  The lip brush is good and I like that it's retractable which is great for throwing in my cosmetic bag

on the go.

Another thing I loved about this set was that almost everything was Full Size Products..only the Primer wasn't.  A lot of times you get sets thinking it's going to be such a great deal but then it turns out the products inside are only mini versions of the real products...always disappointing.  This one really is a good deal!

If you get a chance I highly suggest you try out some of the Laura Geller Baked Cosmetics esp. the Balance-n-Brighten it is for sure my FAVOURITE out of all the items...a real WINNER!  Here's some pics of me wearing my Laura Gellar cosmetics - Lips, Blush, Powder & Bronzer!

  

Rapid Lash Review For Eyebrows!

You've heard me lament before about the unfortunate situation w/ my eyebrows.  When I was young I had full, bushy, unibrow eyebrows and then in my teenage years I started getting them waxed and the waxers that I went to obviously weren't that good (how was I to know I was 16) and they started waxing my brows further and further apart till at one point they were ridiculous little sad faces above my eyes (these were the uni years).  It wasn't until I got to makeup school that I learned how to shape and grow them in properly (or at least attempt to grow them in...still had/have to fill in the holes).  Before makeup school it wasn't that I didn't know my eyebrows were jacked I just didn't really know how to fix them.  Now I actually get complimented on them (when they are filled in) on a semi regular basis.

Anyway, obviously full brows are back and have been back for a VERY long time now so I have LONGED for the time when maybe my unholy holy brows would fill in. Unfortunately, my prayers had gone unanswered...that is until I started using Rapid Lash on my Brows.

I've heard about Rapid Lash for awhile now and I knew it worked on people's eyelashes but I wasn't too certain about brows (even though the box says it works on brows).  Plus the $60 price tag was kind of keeping me away (although it is one of the cheaper lash enhancing products out there) but you may remember about a mth ago I redeemed a bunch of Shoppers Optimum Points for over $200 in free stuff...well I took this as the perfect time to try this product b/c well I was getting it for free so what did I have to lose!

I've been using the product for about a mth now and it's really a very easy product to apply.  You apply it every night to your brows and where you want them to grow in.  It's a very fine little brush like a eyeliner brush for liquid liner.  I've been applying it religiously every night and I'll be honest I'm REALLY starting to notice a DIFFERENCE!  There are all sorts of little hairs just starting to pop up where there were none before.  I'm very curious about the results in 2 mths...I do still have some holes near the beginning of my brows but overall I am noticing that they are starting to definitely look fuller!

I have a Before Shot of my Brows & some After Shots so you can see the difference but I'll be honest the Before Shot is a bit blurry b/c I wasn't taken a close up of my brows so when I cropped in it went a bit blurry unfortunately (it's from my Cover FX review...only time I've ever taken a pic w/out my brows filled in).  Sorry I didn't think to take a close up right when I started I didn't really realize that the Cover FX ones would be so blurry when I cropped them but I think you can still see a difference and you can definitely see all the little hairs that are starting to pop up on the After Shots, can't wait to see those little hairs fill in over the next mth!  I should also note I HAVE NOT been using it on my eyelashes...the After Pic my eyelashes are a million times longer b/c I'm wearing mascara (L'Oreal Voluminious - My Fav for a LONG time now) and my lashes are curled that's it...thank God for eyelash curlers and mascara!

Before Rapid Lash

After Rapid Lash 1 Mth (if you click on the images you'll see them a lot bigger and in a lot more detail and see all the tiny hairs starting to sprout up!)

I'll post some more pics in a mth...I'm really curious to see the improvement after 2 mths since it says it takes minimum a mth for you to notice anything!  If it keeps working this well and my brows get fuller I'll definitely be buying it again!

You can visit the website to read all about the ingredients and benefits as well as a bunch of FAQs.

Cover FX - Full Coverage Without The Cakey, Heavy Feel!

Late one night after a particularly fun evening out (aka drunk night) I decided to do a little online shopping and I decided to FINALLY indulge my desire and satisfy my curiosity for some Cover FX makeup.  I've long had an interest in the brand and wanted to try their foundation and concealers that SO MANY ppl rave about but for some reason still hadn't...even though I had a 40% Pro Discount (yes pros sign up and get 40% off - AMAZING!).

I had even been to Shoppers Drug Mart several times and played around w/ the products and even figured out what my colours were and yet I still for some reason hadn't ordered.   Anyway, maybe it was the fact that I was tipsy + the fact that I was running VERY LOW on my Yaby concealer and powder foundation + my skin was(is) a mess that I decided hey enough is enough I want to look decent and pretend I have good skin right now so let's give this stuff a try!  

So I ordered and waited patiently for a few days for the order to arrive (they were shipping from Canada so I expected it to be quick).  I'm not going to lie - I'm not sure if it's always the case but their shipping was EXTREMELY slow...it may have just been a one off but if their products weren't so FUCKING AMAZING I'd probably not order again...man you're lucky your products are GOOD Cover FX!  If you're just a reg. person w/out a discount just go to Shoppers or where ever and get the products...Pros I hope your shipping experience is better than mine that's all I can say (to get the discount you have to order online).  

Once my products FINALLY arrived I was SO EXCITED to finally try them and can I just say I was NOT disappointed!  I really do LOVE them!  I got a shit load of stuff: Camouflage Concealer (Light), Natural FX (Water Based Liquid Foundation) E20, Cover FX (Total Coverage Cream Foundation SPF 30) E20, Powder FX (Pressed Mineral Powder Foundation SPF 10) E20, Primers - SkinPrep FX & ClearPrep FX, Setting FX Translucent Powder and 3 Brushes - #160, #170 & #190.  The SkinPrep FX, Translucent Powder, Cream Foundation & Brush #160 came in the Maximum Coverage Kit which was already a discounted kit + I could use my 40% discount on it so it was an even BETTER deal!

I know a lot of ppl in the past have complained about the products being too heavy or cakey but I have to be honest I just don't think they are using them properly.  It really is about TECHNIQUE here...LESS is MORE w/ this stuff TRUST ME.  It is SUPER pigmented and FULL COVERAGE so A LITTLE  really does go A LONG WAY!  Even I was a bit worried which is probably why I had waited so long to try them out.  I mean I had seen different sales associates at Shoppers raving about the products only for me to look at them and think 1. You are wearing the wrong shade of foundation 2. You are wearing WAY too much of the wrong shade of foundation lol.  

Okay so back to me and my experience.  I'm going to do something VERY scary in this blog post just to illustrate how GREAT I think these products are.  I'm going to show you pictures of me w/ LITERALLY NO MAKEUP on - NONE.  Like I literally stepped out of the shower - you'll notice the wet hair - no moisturizer, no primer, no wrinkle creams - NOTHING!  I'm doing this to show you what a difference they can make...this is VERY scary for me b/c I'm not going to lie - I look like SHIT in these Before Pictures but I'm just doing it to illustrate an important point.  Right now my skin has been going through a bit of a prob phase for the past couple of mths.  I've mentioned before I have/had some skin issues and well it's not good right now...it was worse and has improved a lot in the past mth but I'm just getting over some side effects from a medication I was on and I guess it really messed up my hormones or whatever but anyway my skin has not been pretty lol...I'm talking lots of rock hard cystic pimples on my jaw, neck and chin area - really attractive...plus all the usual skin issues lol!

Okay here are a couple of BEFORE shots - notice the uneven blotchy skin, zits, freckles (I actually like the freckles), under eye circles...all of that!  In truth my skin was A LOT worse a couple of wks ago so I guess I should be happy lol! FYI if you didn't know this before you'll know now...I have really jacked up eyebrows from over waxing and tweezing in my teenage years.  Lesson to the girls out there DON'T OVER TWEEZE!  I use to have a unibrow - I would die to have a unibrow to tweeze again lol!

Okay to start w/ I put on all my daily eye creams, serums, moisturizers and primers (btw I LOVE E.L.F's Mineral Face Primer from their studio line...CHEAP but SO GOOD!).  Speaking of Primers I've tried the Cover FX CleanPrep FX which is a Primer for Acne skin and I gotta say so far it's the only thing I'm NOT a fan of.  Maybe I need to give it another try or use less I don't know but I had a prob w/ it rolling on my skin once I put the concealer or foundation over it...not good! After I applied all my usual skin prep stuff I started w/ the Cover FX Camouflage Concealer in Light.  I bought a full size version of this stuff and they also sent me a small little sample of it.  I've been using the sample EVERY day for like 3 wks and I'm still NOT out of it.  That's how little you need and how pigmented it is!  I find it similar to Keromask Concealer which is another Full Coverage Concealer and I find both run dark.  They do have an X-Light below the Light.  I'm definitely a Light and I imagine a Medium would actually be pretty dark but I guess this is good b/c that means  the X-Deep would probably cover even the darkest skin tone which is great for all those dark skin beauties out there that have trouble finding concealers and foundations for themselves.  

Here's me after JUST the Camouflage Concealer.  See what a huge difference just the concealer made!

 That's the sample I've been using for 3 wks!  Imagine how long the actual tube will last - no the stuff isn't cheap but it will last FOREVER!

As you may notice I really wanted to focus in on concealing around the chin/around the mouth area b/c that's where a lot of my probs right now are.  I would also like to point out that I left my freckles across my nose and on the top of my cheeks still visible.  I like them b/c I think they are fresh and cute therefore I don't think there is any need to cover them up w/ too much concealer.  I also mentioned that I bought some brushes and I have to say I have a new FAVOURITE brush now.  For years I've LOVED the MAC skunk brush for buffing liquid foundation and cream blushes into the skin and I still love it but you know what there is a new brush in town that I love for my liquid products - Brush #160 - it's a cream foundation brush and I really think it has made all the difference in my application of the product and helped it from looking cakey or heavy.  I use the brush to buff the product into my skin and in areas where I need more coverage like right on a zit I use it to sort of tap the product on to the problem spot and not just spread it around.  I LOVE this brush.  I also love my #170 Pointed Foundation Brush which is great for around the nose and under the eyes!  

After the concealer I used the Natural FX Liquid Foundation in E20...if my skin was better I might just use this as it does give very good coverage as well.  Also I have skipped the concealer and just used the Cover FX Cream Foundation which is also very good and has a very good coverage...works very well w/ brush #160.

After Natural FX E20

I finished it all off w/ the Powder FX in E20...my only complaint w/ this is unlike the concealer which I think runs dark I think this runs a bit light.  It goes from E20 to E40 and I really kind of wish they had an E30...esp. w/ Summer coming up.  I have to be careful not to over apply this and I don't think I could use it alone b/c it would be too light for me but I do think it helps brighten up my under eye area!

Okay so now I've laid all the foundation work down and it's on to the stuff that actually brings out my features.  I think my skin looks really fresh and even but after you take away all the imperfections things can look a bit flat so it's important to bring them back w/ your other makeup.

The following pics and also the first pic I posted at the top of the blog are after I completed my clean, basic makeup look for the day (as you can see my hair is still wet lol).  Btw if I wasn't taking pics in between all these steps this all literally takes me 10 mins (at most).  Also it should be noted that many ppl have already mentioned to me that the "After" pics look really fresh like I just stepped out of the shower and have NO makeup on lol!  It's like on TV or the movies when a girl steps out of the shower or pool and still looks fresh and beautiful lol!  Which is great but I can tell you and I'm going to steal and slightly modify Calvin Klein's famous quote - The best thing is to look Natural, but tt takes A LOT of FUCKING makeup to look Natural lol!

Just for reference in these After Pics besides the moisturizer, primer, concealer, foundation & powder I'm also wearing: Contour, Highlight, Bronzer, Blush, Lipstick, Lip Gloss, Eyebrow Pencil, Mascara & Translucent Powder...Very Natural lol!  Isn't amazing what a little mascara, eyebrow filler and lip gloss can do!

Okay so after all this I went out for coffee w/ a couple of friends and I was gone a couple of hours and it was pretty hot out yesterday.  This is me after coming back from coffee - no touch ups!  I still think it looks good!

Couple of more hours later meeting a friend for drinks.  Curled my hair, added a little eye shadow, touched up the bronzer and blush but not really the foundation or anything - might have touched up the powder foundation just a touch to control the shine!

Sorry this blog post is SO LONG and detailed but I hope it was at least informative!  And I think we ALL learned there really is no such things as Natural Beauty just Manufactured Natural Beauty (at least for me) lol!

Also Cover FX if you're reading this and you want to send me some free stuff to try b/c of the GLOWING review I wrote I'm totally open to it ;)