Atlantis Pavilions Wedding

Back in February on Valentine's Day actually I had the chance to work w/ an amazing group of girls and I'm so excited I got pictures from this awesome day because Nicole (the bride) looked stunning! Seriously, gorgeous!  Totally website worthy lol!  The group was so laid back and fun and we had a great time getting them ready at the Radisson on Queens Quay before the big event at Atlantis.

With the wedding being on Valentine's Day it could have been super cheesy but thankfully it wasn't and Nicole kept everything really classy and sophisticated.  I loved how the bridesmaids dresses went together but didn't completely match each other and even the bridesmaids themselves chose makeup and hair styles that really complimented them.  Two of them went w/ bold lips and updos while the other two went w/ more neutral lips and down hair...totally not planned but kinda cool how it all worked out like that lol.

Nicole doesn't wear a lot of makeup (like so many of my brides) so I really tried to keep it soft and natural.  Very glowy pink flushed cheeks, soft eye w/ a small winged liner, nude pink lip and airbrush foundation.  Really I just wanted to accentuate and enhance her natural beauty.  For her hair we added additional clip-in extensions that really made all the difference in styling!  I set her hair in the beginning of the appt. and when I took it out and styled it we got that big gorgeous Victoria Secret hair that so many woman want on their wedding day.  The important thing to remember is that the hair will settle and go down...plus it photographs differently than you think it looks.  So often my brides freak out a bit about the volume b/c they aren't use to it but it does go down and it only seems big b/c it's different.  In fact a lot of times what I've done is actually not even as big as the reference pics they've show me lol.

Thank you again to Damion Rae Photography for the beautiful pictures!  You guys did an awesome job capturing the day!

See how much fun Toronto Beauty Group clients have w/ us ;)  Love this pic of Jen and Alexandra!

Great group shot of the girls!

How do I pick which pics to put on my site!  So many great shots!

What a pretty group!

Love this shot!

From Day To Night Workshop

A couple of wks ago I had the pleasure of doing the makeup and hair for Award Winning Wedding Photographer Lisa Mark's first workshop.  You may remember we worked together in the Fall on that beautiful styled shoot on the cliff that showcased the changing of the leaves. She put this workshop together to help newer photographers see and learn some of her tricks and techniques for lighting wedding shots during the day and night.

I thought this would also be a fun opportunity for me to do what I wanted with a "bride" (since normally I obviously have to do what they want lol).  The couple for the day was real life couple Andrea & Billy and they were really lovely and great sports b/c it was a REALLY long day and I'm sure tiring to be modeling for Lisa + 10 students for both the Day & Night Portion of the workshop (they agreed to do the whole day after the original night time couple cancelled).  It also was a great opportunity for them as Lisa was booked on their real wedding day so I guess getting these pictures is kind of like the next best thing lol!

For the day look I wanted to work w/ pinks and grays on the eyes.  I wanted to keep it soft and glowy b/c I knew I was going to go a lot more dramatic for the night portion.  The cooler tones worked beautiful w/ Andrea's pale skin and dark hair. Airbrush foundation was used to create her flawless complexion.  For the hair I wanted it loose w/ curls pulled to one side.  I never met Andrea before but I knew from the pics I saw she was going to need extensions to get the fullness and length I wanted.  And can I just say without meeting her I did an amazing job choosing the colour for the extensions lol!  They were a PERFECT match!  I got a couple of nice pics from Lisa and one of the other photographers at the shoot Johanne Guignard (who probably took my fav beauty shots that day).

For the night look I wanted something  much more dramatic as I knew the lighting was going to be very dark.  I think Andrea was a little scared at first by the intensity but once the lights went down in the studio she realized it all made sense...which is something I'm constantly trying to explain to clients when it comes to a more intense look at the reception lol!  I went w/ a sophisticated side updo. Bold grey/black smokey eye and a deep berry red lip.  I personally believe in dark lighting and w/ the right features/skin tone there is no reason a person can't rock both a bold lip and intense eye.  It's definitely not a look for the shy or meek but it's personally something I wear on the regular when going out.

So overall some nice additions for my website!

Photographer - Lisa Mark Photography

Photographer - Lisa Mark Photography

Photographer - Johanne Guignard

Photographer - Johanne Guignard

Photographer - Johanne Guignard

Photographer - Johanne Guignard

Photographer - Johanne Guignard

Little Behind The Scenes Action 

Photographer - Johanne Guignard

Fav Wedding Hair of 2014 - Down Hairstyles

Earlier this wk I shared w/ you some of my fav updos that I created for my wonderful clients this year.  So it only makes sense to share some of my fav half updo and down hairstyles of this past season.

In the past it was very much the norm and expected that brides wear their hair in updos on their wedding day.  Trends have definitely changed over the past few years and I for one am very happy about that.  For one hair for the most part is not about being stiff or "helmet" like.  Even with updos brides (at least mine) tend to want styles that are are a lot softer, more loose and romantic in style.

I think this soft, undone done hair trend has been part of the reason down hairstyles have gotten more popular in recent years.  No matter how it's styled there does tend to be a softer look when hair is left down.

Also, with the rise in popularity of clip-in hair extensions down hairstyles are becoming a lot more of a possibility for brides that may in the past have not been able to pull of the style.  Truth is when you see pictures of girls on Pinterest w/ big loose curls I'd say 90% of the time (especially if they are photo shoot/model/actor type pics) these women are wearing some sort of hair extensions.  It's very rare for a girl to be able to have really long, thick hair that holds amazing curl and style naturally...for those blessed few we call them hair models ;) ...for the rest of us hair extensions are the answer lol!

Luckily for my brides I also make clip-in extensions so they never have to worry about the hassle of matching and buying their own extensions b/c if they don't know what they are looking for or where to go it can all be a little overwhelming...and the last things brides need is another thing to worry about ;)

So here's some of my fav half up or down hairstyles from this past wedding season!

Of course if I'm talking about beautiful hair I gotta include my "Barbie" bride Brittany.  We did add extensions to her hair..not so much for length but more for volume and thickness.  Photos courtesy of Stephanie Amoroso

This is probably one of my fav accessories to date.  It was so unique and it just accentuated and worked w/ the style so well!  Crazy thing was she borrowed it!

This was all Chantal's hair...girl had A LOT of hair!  Photo courtesy of Heidi Ram

Personally I've found it to be a bit of a wive's tale that Asian hair doesn't curl.  Yes, naturally a lot of times it is naturally straight but I've also found b/c it's often very thick and coarse it can create some gorgeous down hairstyles that hold VERY well.  Diane was a perfect example of this.  Her hair held beautifully and was gorgeous, long and thick!  Photos courtesy of Jennifer Moher

Rasha was another bride I made extensions for.  Funny thing was we did her trial like a year in advance so on the wedding day she was having some doubts about the style we did at the trial.  I ended up taking the half updo style down and just leaving it all down and it looked gorgeous and full!

Amie was another bride w/ gorgeous thick hair.  We did a classic half updo w/ loose curls.  Her hair held so well I actually felt comfortable running my fingers through the curls to loosen them...there's a lot of brides I wouldn't dare try that with for fear that their curls would fall right out lol!

I'm so sad I don't have professional shots from Gabby's wedding.  Seriously, the nicest set of extensions I've ever made for a bride.  Love how seamlessly they blended in and the colour matched..even all the highlights!

 Eva was probably my "nicest" and "sweetest" bride last year.  Seriously the girl was just so sweet...like genuinely sweet!

Stephanie was another bride I made extensions for.  Blonde hair w/ all it's highlights always photographs so nicely and choosing the right colour extensions w/ the right highlights is especially important!  Wish I had professional pics of her...so pretty!

Fav Wedding Hair of 2014 - Updo Edition

Last year I did a post where I looked back at some of my fav. hairstyles/make up looks from the previous wedding season.  I really liked the post and thought it was a great way to share w/ my readers some of the creative and beautiful hairstyles I got a chance to create last year.

One thing for sure I'm really loving the fact that a lot of bride's are now incorporating extensions into updos as well...not just down hairstyles (where it's often necessary to create volume and length). When using extensions in updos it's often not length that we need more of it's the volume.  To create a lot of those big bun or elaborate updos you just need a lot of hair...and let's be real not everyone has it naturally lol!

Can't wait to see what new and awesome hairstyles I'll get the chance to create on this year's crop of brides and bridesmaids!

LOVED LOVED LOVED this updo I created for Adrianna - we did add additional clip in extensions to get the volume and fullness for the style.  Photos courtesy Azure Blue Photography

Erin changed her hairstyle right at the last minute as her original hair idea was a lot more smooth and sleek.  I'm so glad she did b/c this style was so much better for her features and dress!  Loved the few loose pieces we left around the face and her hair piece.  Photos courtesy of Avenue Photography

Kadie had so much hair to work with!  It was wonderful for this full curly updo!  Loved the addition of the headband.

Lanette naturally has very thin, fine hair so I was really happy w/ the amount of volume and fullness I was able to achieve in this curly side updo style.  Photos courtesy of Taylor Roades

I worked with Laurel on another wedding a few years prior to hers so I was so happy when she contacted me for her wedding.  Loved this smooth, layered low bun we created for the day.  Photos courtesy of Jer Wilcocks

I'm really into creating soft, romantic, textured updos and I think this updo for Lori really captured exactly what my style is all about.  So pretty!  Photos courtesy of Renaissance Studios

Loved Bailey's soft curly, messy bun!  Her hair wasn't super long but sometimes brides are surprised w/ how much we can achieve even w/ shorter hair.  Her hair was thick though so that definitely helped! Photos courtesy of Meghan Andrews

Martha had thinner, finer hair but doing doing a tighter curl and then running the fingers through the hair to create the tousled, textured and fuller look really worked great.  Plus I loved her headband so much!  And the fact that that she left some pieces out around her face.  Photos courtesy of Reid Lampshead.

Sophia's hair was another updo where I added extensions.  Her hair wasn't that long and it's super baby fine so extensions were definitely necessary!  Photos courtesy of Diane at DNA Weddings

With finer hair adding this flower was a great idea to create the illusion of bigger, fuller updo.

I love working a braid into an updo sometimes.

Again this was another updo where the bride had shorter hair but I was still able to create a really nice full updo.  Photos courtesy of Little Blue Lemon

Just a great shot of me working lol! Photos courtesy of Avenue Photo

Another updo where we added extensions for length and thickness.  Her updo is also actually the lead picture at the top of the blog.  Photos courtesy of Jennifer Ballard

The rest of the updos are just snapshots I took w/ my phone...really love some of these looks though!