Gorgeous Couple, Gorgeous Day!

Back in August I had the pleasure of working with a beautiful bride named Lori.  I knew after the trial that I was definitely going to be hounding her for pictures after her wedding day!  And once I finally got the pics earlier this month I knew all my emailing was worth it!  Lori sent me the full gallery to look through which to me is always awesome b/c then I can pick and choose the pics I like most...brides don't always realize what I'm looking for in a picture or why I think a particular picture is good.

Let me just say there were SO MANY amazing pictures...seriously I'm going to show you a bunch in this post but I could have picked at least 10 more!  It's hard to pick even just a couple for my site! Well done Renaissance Studios Photography!  Lori mentioned possibly submitted the pics to some various places for publication and I really hope she does b/c they are gorgeous...of course the ones I'm going to show focus primarily on the makeup and hair but there were a ton of great pics!  It of course doesn't hurt that both Lori and her husband are super good looking lol!

For Lori's look we decided to do a gorgeous side updo w/ lots of curls and twirls for texture and it paired perfectly with her fascinator veil.  For the makeup Lori let me get a little bit dramatic on the eyes which I always enjoy.  I did a gold/bronze/brown smokey eye accented w/ a bit of black and full black liner (which is something she does every day anyway so she felt "naked" with out it).  Always important to ask brides if they have anything makeup wise they do every day...especially when it comes to eye liner!  Lori was super tanned so it paired beautifully w/ the more dramatic eye style and the airbrush foundation looked flawless on her.  All her bridesmaids were super pretty girls too making my day especially easy lol!

You know I love some good action shots ;)

Gorgeous Girls - Thanks Becca for your AWESOME hair work that day!

I kind of like when all the girls do the opposite of the bride for hair - Bride has updo/Girls where their hair done in various styles or vice versa

The Bride, Her Husband & Parents

Fall Flashback - Wedding Creative

I just realized I never shared with you guys the pics I did from a wedding creative shoot I did back in the Fall with Lisa Mark Photography.  Don't know how I missed that one b/c the pictures are gorgeous and the location was seriously stunning!

I had known about Lisa's wedding work for awhile now and had even assisted a few weddings where she was the photographer so this past Summer when I realized we'd be working together on a wedding I was super excited.  From that wedding I took it upon myself to introduce myself and let her know if she had and wedding creative shoots in the future I'd be more than game to do makeup and/or hair.

So when Lisa contacted me saying she was planning a Fall Wedding Creative I was more than excited to be a part of it.  I actually only did the makeup for the shoot which was actually a nice treat b/c it's so rare when I'm working that I only have to do makeup.

For the shoot Lisa used a former bride of hers - Stephanie who was a delight to work with.  Lisa also created the most amazing tulle skirt for the shoot which went so well with the magical, romantic feel of the shoot.

For the makeup I actually got to do a bit more intense look than a lot of my brides will let me do and you know what - it looked gorgeous!  I really wish I could convince more clients to do this level of makeup.  It wasn't insane by any means but it did have a bit of drama but still looked gorgeous in real life and was intense enough that it looked awesome in pics too!  I airbrushed her face for the foundation and I'm not going to lie the more I do airbrush and since I got my new Temptu airbrush compressor the more I'm loving it!  For the makeup I wanted to do something that had a sort of Fall feel to go w/ the season and the scenery - we were shooting on cliffs and in forests and highlighting the changing of the leaves in the Fall.  Therefore I wanted to do browns, golds and bronze types colours on the eyes, bronzed/rose cheeks and a deeper nude/peach sort of lip.

The weather that day was amazing!  We were a bit worried about rain but it held out and it was cool of course - it was Fall after all but not freezing so that was good for both crew and model...I'm not gonna lie I'm not a happy makeup artist when I'm cold on set outside lol.  The leaves were just changing and it all turned out beautifully!  As you can see from the gorgeous pics below!

Seriously how stunning is this location!

Gotta love a nice action shot ;)

Wedding Wire 2015 Couple's Choice Award

Just wanted to share with you all that my wedding company Toronto Beauty Group  has won a Wedding Wire Couple's Choice Award for the 4th straight year!  Just wanted to thank all my amazing clients for their beautiful reviews...seriously these things make me gush they are so thoughtful and heartwarming...and I'm not really the gushy type lol!  Also, thank you to my awesome staff as I truly believe you are only as strong as your weakest link which is why I chose to only surround myself with artists I know I can trust and rely on.

What a great way to start the year and the launch of Toronto Beauty Group.  Hopefully this is only the beginning of amazing things to come this year for the company!

2015 Goals & Resolutions

Well we are about a wk into the New Year and it's already looking to be a promising and busy year!  I'm feeling very optimistic about this year after ending last year on what I thought was a productive high note!  So just before the New Year I wrote about how I felt I did tackling last years goals and resolutions...now I'll talk about the plan for this year!

2015 Goals & Resolutions

Drink More Water - I know this is a pretty simple one but literally if I don't make a real effort to drink 6-8 glasses of water a day it won't happen.  It's kind of a pain in the butt for me sometimes b/c I then have to go to the washroom ALL THE TIME...and I feel like I already have to go to the washroom a ton lol!  But it's good for my skin, bloating and overall health so yeah really gonna try on this one.

Get Back In Shape - I'm still looking okay but I've put on about 10 pds w/ my trip and the holidays...it's time to kick it into high gear and get back on track.  Lose that weight and fit back into all my new "skinny" clothes...that are currently a bit tight I'll be honest lol.  Got a gym membership as it's way too cold for me to run outside right now so definitely hope to put that into use..the key for me is really to work out in the morning before other things start "getting in the way"...I always make excuses if I wait until later in the day.

Run Another Half Marathon - So I got through my last half marathon last year...want to do another this year and do it in under 2 hours!  That's my goal!

Stop Cyber Stalking So Much - Yeah we all do it...but I'll admit sometimes I get a little obsessed.  I need to leave certain things in the past and worry about my future.  This isn't just to do w/ exes it's about a lot of different ppl from all times of my life.  I need to stop concerning myself w/ other people and just worry about me and doing my thing!

Make Lists - I think this will really help me be more productive day to day b/c sometimes I think I don't have much to do and I end up wasting time when if I thought about it there's actually a lot of different projects I could tackle.  I think having lists and checking off stuff will make me feel and be more productive day to day

Practice and Revive Some of My Skills - Sometimes when we are busy we tend to just get in the habit of doing the hair and makeup styles that we know work and we can do quickly and well.  I need to keep up on some trends and learn some more tips and techniques.  As an artist it's important to always keep learning and practicing and I feel I've let this one fall away a bit in the last year.

Keep Better Track of Finances and Spending - I made more money this year than last year...my sales were definitely up but for some reason I also think I spent a lot more money too.  I want to keep better track of that and see where my spending it going and maybe adjust things accordingly.  And to go along w/ that I want to save more this year.  I definitely did a pretty good job this past year and I'm glad I know have a financial planner and I'm saving a certain amount every mth but of course I can always do better!

Expand the Wedding Business - Already talked about this one before and it's pretty much a goal every year but I don't really have a prob with that.  Now that I've changed everything to Toronto Beauty Group I really want the business to grow w/ my staff and my outsourcing of bookings.   I can only do so much so the only way it's really going to grow is with the staff!

Do Creatives & Network More - This is one that I openly said I failed at last year.  I've definitely put the "fashion" side of my career on the back burner b/c let's be real it's not the area I make much money with but I'm feeling way out of the Toronto fashion scene loop and I love doing creatives so in the coming mths I really want to reach out to photographers and stylists again start producing some creative and inspiring work!

Travel More - Yes...this is another one of those that I put down every year but every year I want to travel more so why not!  I do really want to work on maybe taking a couple of short get away trips a long with a nice vacation.  I really want to make a point to go to NYC at some point this year.  And I have no idea where I want my next big trip to be!

Blog More - Again another one I failed at miserably but as I mentioned these past few mths have sort of revived me so I'm feeling inspired again and I think that will lead into me blogging more as I won't think of it as so much of a chore or annoyance.

Decorate & De-clutter my Apt - Okay overall my apt. doesn't have a lot of clutter b/c I hate clutter but I do have a couple of pieces of furniture I need to get rid of...plus about 5 bags of clothes just sitting there lol!  Also, I'll admit one of my weaknesses is home decoration.  I moved a lot growing up and so I never decorated much...I've been in my place for almost 4 years now...I should at least put a freaking picture on the wall!!

I think that's a pretty good start for now lol!  I'm sure knowing me I'll add more as I think about it and the year progresses!

2014 - Reflections on the Past Year's Goals & Resolutions

Every year at this time I like to look back and reflect on the goals I set for myself for 2014.  I find it really interesting to look back and see if I overall achieved what I set out to do that year.  This is usually one of my fav blog posts every year and typically I find that I've done a pretty good job at nailing my goals.

Well I'll admit this year wasn't always an easy one for me in a lot of ways.  I actually kind of chuckled to myself at some of the goals I wrote for myself at the beginning of the year b/c I definitely know there's more work to be done lol!

First though I guess like any good teacher I should touch on the positive and talk about the Goals & Resolutions I do think I did "right"!

Exercise More - Although I've been a little off the bandwagon since my trip I'd definitely give myself a gold star for this one.  I ran a half marathon so right there I'm saying "Good Job, Jessica".  I may have kind of thrown the idea out there a bit before but I don't know if I ever thought I'd actually do it and I'm so happy I did.  Can't wait to beat my time next year!  And I can't believe I just started running a year ago pretty much!

Live a Healthier and More Balanced Lifestyle - Again overall I'm pretty happy with this one.  I did a juice cleanse back in March and since then I've reached a weight and size I don't know if I ever thought I'd see...again been a little off track since my trip but I'm confident I'll get back to that weight again - too many nice dresses and skinny jeans to fit into again ;)  This combined w/ the exercise has really been good for me this year!

Read More - I've definitely found the reading bug again and I'm happy about that.  Having my Kobo really does make a difference and it was great on my trip where I must have read at least 3 books.  I tend to go through phases where I read a ton and then go a couple of mths where I read nothing.  I really should try to read 1 book a month or something b/c truth is once I start reading a book I'll typically finish it in less than a wk.

 Travel More - Well even though I didn't do any small trips like I was hoping I did do a big 3 wk adventure to Central America and did 5 countries while there so I guess I'll give myself a pass on this one. Although I was definitely cutting it close since I only did the trip in late Nov/early Dec.

Network More Within The Bridal Industry - Well I didn't hit the 80 wedding mark like I was hoping for...only came in at 76 but I can tell from my sales that the weddings I was doing were definitely bigger than years past.  Plus I grew my team a little bit more and had more weddings for said team.  And as I mentioned yesterday I've been working on rebranding my wedding business to make it grow even bigger for everyone involved.  I've even networked a bit more w/ some of the other sections/industries in my biz and did a wedding creative so that's good.

So next I'll touch on some of the things I did okay on but definitely could have done better with.

Be More Productive - Most ppl who know me don't believe me when I say this...and maybe I am being too hard on myself but I think I'm actually incredibly lazy and waste a huge amount of time.  I definitely think I've been getting better at being productive.  Especially these past few mths since I got rid of a couple of the toxic things that were holding me back and stopping me from concentrating.  I really need to make lists for myself on a daily basis b/c I think that would help me do more and be more productive.

Stop Concerning Myself So Much With Other People - Not gonna lie this is still something I struggle with.  I've definitely found it helpful to actually just delete or block the feed of certain ppl on my facebook or instagram if I found them to be doing more harm than good to my well being. Although it may not be the most mature thing sometimes the best way for me to not get jealous or compare myself is just to delete and forget about them...although I do need to work on just living w/ it and being happy for everyone else and their success.  Typically I am happy for others success just sometimes when I'm in a down mood it's a bit much for me.

Stop Living In The Past - In some ways I've definitely been a lot better about this and than in other aspects of my life, specifically my last relationship I constantly keep running through "what if" scenarios in my head and that doesn't help anyone...especially me because it played out the way it did and I have to remind myself even if certain things didn't go down there would have probably been other issues at other points anyway.  Although, I'm not going to lie this one has been a hard one...especially during the holidays.

Cut Out Toxic Influences or People - Well even though I would have never put my ex into the "toxic people" category at this time last year b/c we were still together I guess how everything played out he kind of would be there now so I guess it's good we're not together.  Like I've said before I wish things had worked out differently in a lot of ways but they didn't and he was making me miserable, lonely, isolated and sad...and I didn't even realize it until everything was done.  I probably should have realized it sooner so there was definitely some toxicity in my life for several mths this year. And I know for a fact that toxicity definitely affected my productivity in every part of my life unfortunately.

The rest of the list is honestly things I think I failed at achieving pretty miserably lol.

Blog More - Yeah well I blogged less this year than any other year....like A LOT less...so yeah definitely failed at that one.  I think I was just going through so much I just didn't feel I had anything interesting to write about or share.  Hopefully that will change this year and I'll be re-inspired and reinvigorated!

Get More Commercial Work & Do More Creatives - Yeah was definitely not focusing on these things enough last year.  I think I only did 1 creative that got published.  It was a beautiful story but seriously I use to be doing that stuff all the time.  I did also do a wedding creative but I wasn't counting that one.  Commercial work...did a bit but again I really need to focus on this!  I was so busy in the Spring/Summer w/ the wedding stuff that it all got kind of sidetracked.  This is why I really want to start making lists so that I can check things off and be more productive!

Overall I guess I did okay.  Unlike last year I think I didn't necessarily start that strong but I definitely finished strong by time September hit...hopefully I can carry that momentum into next year!

Tomorrow I'll write my Goals & Resolutions for 2015!  Hope Everyone has a Wonderful New Year!

Toronto Beauty Group

As 2014 closes out and 2015 is literally just a couple of days away I thought this would be a good time to share with everyone the changes I have in store for my wedding business!  Which in just a few short years has really taken off and I couldn't be happier or more proud about that fact.  It's so funny to think that originally I started doing weddings as a "side thing" to my fashion and commercial work and it just sort of took off and ended up becoming more my focus..especially these past couple of years.

I think one of my strengths and a big reason I've seen such growth in a few short years is b/c of my anal, organizational, business personality when it comes to things like emailing, scheduling, following up on things etc.  A lot of artists just don't have this as a strength and I'll openly admit I'm a bit crazy about it all lol.

So being that this is a strength of mine and with me getting solidly booked every weekend it only made sense to expand my business and develop a team to work with me and that I can outsource on weddings on their own.  I've been doing this for a couple of years now under Jessica Jean Myers & Associates and overall I've seen growth but like usual I want more lol!

I realized the only way to make "my team" busier was actually to take my name out of the mix...had to put my ego aside on this one but the thing is people of course only wanted to hire me so getting them to use my team has not always been the easiest even though I know I only bring on artists that I feel do work that is comparable to quality and talent as my own.

With that idea and a A LOT of brainstorming of names I came up with Toronto Beauty Group - I actually came up with the name during a bus ride in Nicaragua during my Central America backpacking adventure!  I wanted something that wasn't too fluffy or frilly b/c that's not my clientele or me but I wanted it to be self explanatory as to what it was but still sound professional and classy. Such a simple name really but I think it's strong and I'm surprised actually it wasn't taken lol!


With the name decided I've taken the past couple of weeks to change up my site a bit, buy new domains and email addresses and add Bios for my team.  I even got new business cards and made a new Instagram Account just for the Wedding Business.  I really want to separate it from myself and really build something that is it's own entity so that I can outsource weddings to my team more and build the business that way.

This year the company closed out at just under 100 weddings (98 to be exact) and next year I'm really hoping to smash that and do at least 100 weddings!  I did notice this year the weddings were definitely bigger than previous years which is also a good thing!

I'm always looking for new and talented Makeup & Hair artists or assistants to add to my roster so any artists that have experience in Bridal and have a style they would classify as "Soft, Romantic, Natural" should definitely reach out to me.

With engagement season in full effect I'm really excited to see what this year has in store for the business...I'm already starting to book into 2016 so that's exciting!

Why I'm Okay With Getting Older

A couple of wks ago I turned 33...for a lot of people (especially women...even more so single unmarried women lol) I think this could be considered a pretty scary time.  I mean I think this is officially the last year I can claim to be in my "early 30s"...after this I think I enter mid 30s...(who knows next year how I'm going to feel about that one lol).

A lot of people have told me I look young for my age which of course I'll take as a compliment.  I believe this in part is due to good genetics and a healthy lifestyle...but I can't deny being a makeup artist doesn't hurt the cause ;)  I've even had a lot of guys tell me I should start lying about my age because I'm going to start limiting my dating options...I personally think this is fucking bullshit for a couple of reasons.  1. Why is being 33 a detractor - I'm established in my career, have a good sense of myself and a good amount of life experience to make me a valuable partner among other things 2. I'm way more confident and comfortable in my skin than I have been at any age in my life so why would I lie about my age 3. I'd really rather look like a smoking hot, young 33 year old than a "27 yr old" who looks her age lol!

I'm actually okay w/ the fact that I turned 33.  I've pretty much always been okay every year w/ getting a little bit older.  I've realized I think a lot of this comes down to where I am in my life at that point in time.  Am I happy w/ my life? Do I feel like I'm moving forward, achieving my goals, making the most of things?...if the answers to these questions are overall positive then I guess I'm okay w/ adding another year on to things.

I've also realized it's better to not look at "what you thought your life would be like"...I can definitely tell you that no part of my life is "what I thought it would be" if you would have asked me when I was a teenager...hell I don't think I thought my life would be like this 10 years ago...or even 5 years ago so who knows lol!  That's not to say my ideas of my future were better or worse...they were just different.  I mean in high school if someone had told me I'd moved to Shanghai, China and work as a makeup artist there for 8 mths I probably would have laughed or backpacked through India or done have half the things I've done...and that's what's so cool.  As we get older we keep experiencing new things and using those experiences to enrich and enlighten our lives now.  I know for a fact my 18 yr old self would not recognize my 33 yr old self...but I'd like to think she'd think she's pretty fucking cool lol!

Now it's not always been sunshine and rainbows with regards to getting older for me.  I remember one birthday in particular I was not happy....when I turned 28.  This to me was when I officially entered my "late 20s" and to be perfectly honest I was not at all happy w/ the direction my life was taking at that point.  I was broke, gathering debt, in a relationship I wasn't very happy to be in and my career was not going in the direction I wanted it to go...I think when I was younger I just imagined my life would be so different at 28...I'm pretty sure I thought I'd at least have my shit together enough to have a decent job or be married or something lol.  When in fact in that particular year I think I felt like I was regressing more than any other point in my life and actually felt pretty trapped to be perfectly honest...and it was pretty scary b/c I didn't know how I was going to get myself out of it.

Thankfully I did get out of it and I think a big turning point was leaving the relationship I was in at that time b/c after that everything seemed to get a little more possible and I started to see things in a different light.  It's so funny how relationships have a way of doing that to us.  I mean they really don't just affect our personal lives they infiltrate every part of our lives whether we want them to or not!

This past year I sort of had a situation like that w/ another relationship I was in.  It was NOTHING like that other relationship and I loved and cared for this person a lot but it was just not working for various reasons no matter how much I tried or how many nice things I tried to do I couldn't overcome this person's issues and it was actually making me miserable (I didn't even realize how miserable until after).  It was holding me back in life and I wasn't doing anything I wanted to do because I was living my life for them and making every decision w/ them in mind, trying to make them happy and change their mind/opinion about certain situations.  You'd think by 32 (almost 33 lol) I'd have learned better but matters of the heart are tricky lol.

It really sucks when I look back b/c I think it was literally paralyzing me and my ability to get shit done.  I couldn't concentrate, move forward, do things for my business etc.  That's not to say my business was failing but I wasn't taking the necessary steps to move it forward like I had wanted b/c all of my attention was on this person and our relationship.  I also wasn't going out, being social or doing things hoping to prove my devotion, accountability and trustworthiness.  I wasn't taking trips b/c I was waiting for them to go on trips with me...I also felt like me taking a trip alone or w/ a friend would be some sort of violation or example of how I wasn't trying anymore to make it work....yes...this all sounds pretty stupid and pathetic to me now as it's not really the person I aspire to be but it's funny how you don't really see it all going on until you're outside of the situation. I just kept thinking if I tried a little more and gave it a bit more time it would go back to the way it was...but eventually I realized that wasn't true.

It's been a couple mths since that realization and even though I'll admit 32 might not have been the best of years for me (although it started out pretty awesome w/ a lot of optimism, love and hope) I'm definitely trying to make the most of these last couple of mths of 2014!

The last couple of mths I feel like I've actually made up a lot of ground for the year!  I've been getting

in shape and I'd have to say I'm probably in the best shape I've been in since Shanghai, China (if not better)...and yes you know what I might be a little vain and boastful and put a few too many selfies on instagram but you know what FUCK IT..I'm proud of my accomplishments so why can't I share them w/ others.  I've not always been proud or happy w/ the way I've looked...for years in fact I've usually had a lot of self doubt and been pretty uncomfortable or unhappy w/ things so to be happy now why shouldn't I celebrate Goddammit!  And yes, maybe I am looking for attention and adoration from others but really is that the worst thing in the world...doesn't everyone like a bit of attention or to be told good job?I actually found a picture of myself from my 24th b-day on Facebook and I was just so thrilled w/ the fact that I looked BETTER now than then...trust me there are a lot of 33 year olds that cannot claim this to be true.  I am in fact getting better with age ;)

But it's not just about looks of course.  I actually just accomplished another one of my goals a couple of wks ago too!  I ran a half marathon!  It's crazy to think that my first run ever was literally my 32 b-day - it was 5 km and I thought I was going to die lol!  Literally a year later I was running a half marathon.  I wanted to be under 2 hours but came in at 2:02 which isn't bad of course and there's always next year ;)  I've been having some bad knee issues and I would have been under 2 hrs but at 17 k my knee just couldn't take any more and I had to slow down a lot unfortunately.  But still at 31 if you had told me I'd run a half marathon at one point I'd probably have laughed!

Plus I've booked another trip - 3 wks backpacking in Central America!  It's been way too long since my last trip - Singapore/Malaysia in Feb/Mar 2013 so I'm very excited to get out there and start experiencing and seeing the world again!  I'm excited too to be taking back my life and
not waiting anymore for the "right person" to travel with.  Would I love to actually travel with someone - yes, of course...but I can't just keep waiting on someone.  I feel in a lot of ways women tend to do this sort of thing a lot more than men and it's really a shame.

And even though I might not have felt like I was pushing my career enough this year (I totally could have done more).  I'm happy to say that it is surpassing last years goals.  I've booked more weddings this year than last and my sales are up from last year too...I've actually already surpassed last years sales so it's all gravy now lol...well not really...I am kind of wondering where a lot of that gravy has gone this year lol!

It's funny I've had it in my mind to do this blog post for a couple of wks now and like many things I kept putting it off...I really do need to work on my procrastination.  But it's actually rewarding and somewhat uplifting to see things written done in front of me and to really realize even if it's not everything I wanted I have made progress this year and I should be proud to be another year older b/c it's allowed me to gain another year of experiences and therefore be another year wiser...and I am optimistic as to what this next year will bring!