Weddings - Love When Everything Goes According to Plan!

Nothing really fancy here.  Just thought I'd share some pics I took of a wedding I did recently in Markham.  First time this season I was hired to just do Makeup and not Hair or Makeup & Hair...kind of refreshing...and so easy!

I think the thing that actually made me most stressed about this job was the fact that I had to drive out there myself.  I know this might sound weird to you all but most of the time when I have weddings outside the city I always have a second person w/ me b/c they happen to be big jobs.  If I don't have a second person that means I have to use Zipcar which is this great hourly rental car service for those that don't know.  I do btw have a full license but I almost never drive.  Before this wedding the last time I drove was Sept...yeah like 10 mths prior lol (If I actually went over my limited driving history it might scare you that I have a license but knock on wood I've actually never been in an accident so don't get too scared lol)!  Thankfully, for weddings I'm usually on the road pretty early which means almost no traffic.  The following week I actually had to drive again for a job btw...all the way past Muskoka like 2.5 hrs outside the city (fyi I woke up at 3:45 am for this job - that's inhumane).  On the positive side actually starting to feel pretty good about this driving stuff lol!

Anyway, back to the wedding.  The bride Anna was so lovely (she looks like Olivia Wilde to me) and her entire bridal party was such a pleasure to work w/.  Anna was so on top of things that I actually ended up finishing early!  It's always nice on wedding days when everything goes really smoothly and there isn't a lot of drama or commotion while everyone is getting ready.  Before the wedding I got a lot of emails from Anna about a lot of details and at first I'll admit it was a bit annoying but I realized she's actually a lot like me - always needs to be in control of all the details and planning.  This also made me realize I'm going to be a nightmare if I ever get married lol!  Seriously, if you didn't know this about me I'm a bit of a control freak and don't really trust many ppl to do jobs I could do myself b/c usually I feel I can do them better lol!  I'm sure I was a nightmare to work w/ on school projects!  Also just want to clarify Anna was by no means a bridezilla or anything like that lol...she was very lovely always...just VERY on top of things lol!  I'll probably be a bridezilla :P

Anyway, here's some pics of Anna and her bridal party...really hopes she sends me pics she was so lovely!

Anna (Doesn't she look like Olivia Wilde)

 Bridesmaid & Cousin

Another Bridesmaid - She has the prettiest smile!

Anna's Sister and Maid of Honour

Raw Beauty

Well Adamo de Pax has done it again!  Less than a wk after I put up the last story from him he already finished the next story we did that epic photo shoot day!  I LOVE how much variety we are getting all out of one shoot day...seriously it's insane!  Every story is so completely different from the other you wouldn't even know they were all shot on the same day and it's so exciting waiting to see what Adamo is going to do next!   I should probably stop bragging about him so much...soon everyone is going to want to shoot w/ him and I won't even get a chance lol ;)

I really wish I could show you the one story that we are still trying to shop around to get picked up by a magazine b/c it's seriously gorgeous...and like I said before so different from everything else!  It really is amazing how much range and variety you can get out of 4 models that all started w/ the exact same look.  Yes, I know I keep repeating it but seriously it's crazy lol!

The last story w/ Sarah was very clean and fresh and this one w/ Bea is so different from that in every way.  It's raw and edgy and I really really like it!  Bea was really great at emoting that raw sexuality and vulnerability we were looking for w/ this one and she's barely recognizable from the clean face original pic.  Yes the makeup is still really clean here but it's amazing what just changing the lighting, switching a pic to B&W and messing w/ one's hair can do to an image.  Hope you like!

Clean Beauty With A Pop of Colour!

Remember that amazing shoot I did a couple of mths back w/ that amazing, hot, new photographer Adamo de Pax.  Yes, the one where we did 5 Beauty Stories w/ 4 girls and it was the most productive shoot EVER!  Well I now have in my possession the next series of pics from this shoot!  I've shown you guys the complete Clean Beauty pics w/ all 4 models...I've also seen another set of pics from the series that I can't release yet b/c we're hoping they get picked up somewhere.  So now this is the 3rd series of 5 from the shoot...seriously it's like the gift that keeps on giving mths after it's done lol!

This was actually the first model of the day Sarah (Elite).  Sarah is So Fresh and So Young!  Really energetic and enthusiastic about everything.  Sometimes it's fun to work w/ new models b/c everything just makes them so happy b/c they haven't gotten jaded or bored of the industry yet lol.  Sarah had beautiful, soft features...very young and very innocent looking.  She also had very full, pillowy lips that I knew would be fun to play around w/.  For her "story" I wanted to keep the basic clean face look w/ the same high bun and just play around w/ her lips b/c they were so perfect and just calling out for pops of colour!  I pretty much exclusively used my OCC Lip Tars for this one...I just thought why not - they give great colour and in all honesty I don't actually use them that much.

I think this story is also a great example of the fact that you can still keep something really clean but still play around w/ it a bit and have fun!  Just b/c I'm giving her a strong lip doesn't mean I have to suddenly go in and start doing more to the rest of her face.  It looks really fresh and clean and a little more interesting to just give that one little tweak in every picture.  IMO this is still pretty much clean beauty...just clean beauty w/ an "edge" ;)

So here's the rest of the Sarah story - hope you Enjoy!

This pic and the 3rd pic are my FAVS from this story!

 LOVE This One! 

The Importance of a Good Brow!

I don't know if you guys have realized this about me but I'm a bit brow obsessed...partially b/c I don't naturally have the best brows in the world anymore (women PLEASE I beg you DO NOT over tweeze!) and partially b/c they really do frame the eye and are such an important but often overlooked feature on the face.

It's like I was saying before w/ guys and makeup when something is good and done well like a good shaped brow you don't even really notice it you just notice that that person has great features but when someone has messed up brows (we've ALL seen them) you notice right away and you realize how much it messes up the balance and aesthetic of the over all face.

For me it's even more so...like I'm seriously brow obsessed when working on clients and looking at ppl in general.  I ALWAYS notice the brows!  Whenever I have someone w/ good brows sitting in my chair I make sure to tell them and say DON'T ruin your brows they are AMAZING!  Whenever I have someone w/ sad little over plucked brows I don't hold back either and I will politely suggest that they might want to try growing them in a bit b/c it would help shape their eye better.

On a side note one of the biggest ways to see how good a makeup artist is IMO is check out their work w/ brows in their portfolio.  Newbies often forget about them or neglect them but will still do a very strong smokey eye and w/out the brows filled in a bit it just looks unfinished or they will go the opposite way and shade them in too dark or just not understand what needs to be filled in and what needs to be left alone to make a nice, balanced shape on the face.

There's also a lot of different products on the market for filling in brows and really it does come down to a matter of preference.  It's funny b/c on my own brows I often use a brow pencil but on clients I NEVER use a pencil and pretty much stick to brow powders...this is also b/c I don't like to carry around a lot of loose pencils in my kit...I almost never use lip liner either believe it or not.   There are also various waxes and brow gels that can also be used to fill in the brows.

So anyway, getting down to business.  Anyone who knows anything about brows has probably heard of Anastasia - the brow guru of Hollywood and beyond...if you haven't heard of her what rock have you been living under lol!  Seriously, her reputation is intense and her client list includes ppl like Oprah, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez just to name a few...umm that's some pretty big names w/ even BIGGER standards!

I got an email yesterday asking me if I wanted to review Anastasia's Beauty Brow Express Kit and of course being the brow freak I am I jumped at that opportunity.  So in the next couple of wks look out for my review on the Beauty Brow Express Kit and until then enjoy this little tutorial from Anastasia herself on what you need to do a great brow!

"Beauty Express" brow-kit instructional video from Anastasia Beverly Hills on Vimeo.

Romantic Bridal Hair

As I mentioned the other day I've really started to develop a niche when it comes to wedding makeup - Natural and Glowing.  I've also noticed a trend for w/ the ppl that hire me for hair as well.  Many of them want very soft, romantic hair either down or up.  I think it does sort of go w/ the soft, natural makeup so it all makes sense and I think it is a very modern approach to bridal looks in general which again makes sense why the go w/ me...I am after all a very modern girl lol!

I def. would say if someone was looking for more of the old school, very stiff, perfect curled updo they probably wouldn't be looking at me or my work.  That is not to say I couldn't do that sort of thing but it is to say it's probably not my specialty...and in a way I think it for the most part is a bit dated anyway.  Nowadays, I find brides want to be a lot softer and looser w/ their hair.  They want the hair to still move and have life and not be crunchy or stiff.  No one (at least the ppl that hire me) wants to seem "too done".  I think this also goes w/ why they tend to like the more natural makeup as well.  They want to look done up and beautiful but in an effortless, soft, romantic way.

Another reason I love these sorts of soft, romantic styles for hair is they wear well throughout the night.  If a hair falls out of place it's not going to ruin the pictures and look obvious...b/c sometimes there are a few loose hairs in this sort of style and it just makes it look all the more organic and natural.  I also love this style b/c everyone will look slightly different b/c there are basic rules but then everyone's hair is different so you could do the same style on two different girls but it will look different on both of them depending on their hair texture, length etc.

I just got a couple of pictures on a wedding I did back in May where I ONLY did Hair for the wedding and you may recall I was actually really really happy w/ what I did that day!  The bride, Beatrice probably ended up having one of my favourite updos ever!  She had beautiful thick hair and it was just shoulder length which was the perfect length for this sort of style.  Often girls think they need to have super long hair for updos but that is actually not the case at all and often times makes the hair harder to work w/ b/c there is just so much hair to deal w/ and place.  Often shoulder length or just past the shoulders is perfect.

I want to thank Scott McQuarrie at Re:Action Photography for sharing w/ me these beautiful pictures of Beatrice...really gorgeous hair shots and a great addition to my portfolio!  Thanks again to Beatrice for being such and awesome and beautiful bride...her whole bridal party was really a pleasure that day - such great girls!

Wanderlust - Another Video Editorial for Lilogi.com

You'll remember about a wk and a half ago I brought you some amazing behind the scenes pics of my latest venture w/ the AMAZING people at Lilogi for their Gypset Themed Week on their site.  Well the latest video editorial is out and I LOVE IT!  I really think we are hitting our groove as a team and our work is only going to get better and better (hopefully I still get brought back for videos as they are so much fun to work on).

I just LOVE how quick the turn around time is for these videos...it's always SO PAINFUL waiting mths for an editorial to come out when you're just so pumped about it and want to share it w/ the world right away! Also can I just say I actually wish the video was longer b/c I just enjoy watching it so much...it's like a little pretty moving piece of art.  Plus it's a great song choice to go along w/ the whole thing!

So anyway, I'm not going to keep you guys waiting either...w/out further adieu here's WANDERLUST!

Wanderlust from Renee Rodenkirchen on Vimeo.

Credits:

Directed by Renée Rodenkirchen

Produced by Lilogi Inc.

Styled by Alexandra Loeb

Model: Émilie at Elite Model Management

Hair & Makeup by Jessica Jean Myers

Production Assistant: Blair McGregor

Music by Skybox – Slipping

Photographs by Renée Rodenkirchen

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!