Distillery District Winter Wedding

Last week I wrote about the beautiful engagement shoot my former bride Kim had last Fall so I figured it only right to share with you some of her gorgeous wedding pics from her Winter Wedding in Distillery District this past December!

Distillery District is always a popular destination for Toronto brides as it's one of the few places in the city that captures a sort of old world feel w/ it's cobblestone paths and brick buildings while still being very centrally located in the city!

Christmas time can be an especially fun time in Distillery District as it's also when they host their very popular Christmas Market.  This can be good and bad of course for weddings.  It can make for some very crowded and difficult picture moments but I have to hand it to Caitlin Free she did an amazing job with that!  In fact to see more pictures from Kim's wedding check out Caitlin's blog where she features lots of outdoor shots.  I really love how Kim worked her love of nature into her bouquet and wedding decorations.  It all had a very earthy and woodsy feel which was perfect for a Winter Wedding!

As I mentioned before Kim was a very natural bride and I actually went even more natural on the wedding day (as per her request).  I kept the eye makeup very light using only soft pink shadows and smudged brown liner.  I was able to convince her in the end to go w/ a few false individual lashes...thankfully...didn't want her bridesmaids outshining her lol ;)  We stuck w/ the airbrush foundation which really did create a flawless, light and airy canvas and covered up all the natural redness in her skin.  I love the soft, flushed glow on her cheeks and natural nude/pink lip.

I didn't do the hair for Kim but I did handle all the bridesmaids' makeup and my team member Becca did the bridemaids' hair.  Really fun group and a great bunch to spend a nice Dec. Sat morning with.  I really love the pics Caitlin took...seriously check out her blogpost...I told her she should submit them somewhere lol!

Really Great Pics of the Bridesmaids!

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 Makeup Looks From Last Year!

I thought since I did blogs about some of my fav hairstyles I created for last year's brides it only right to do a blog post about some of my favourite makeup looks! Especially considering I am a makeup artist first, hairstylist second...although sometimes you wouldn't know that by the amount of brides I have contacting me to just do hair sometimes lol!

One thing that has always been a constant in my bridal business is brides hire me b/c they are looking for that "Natural, Soft, Glowing" look.  Very clean and very pretty!  For the most part my brides DO NOT want to wear or look like they are wearing a lot of makeup!  The thing is that to create those looks I often have to educate brides about the face that they do in fact STILL NEED TO WEAR MAKEUP!!! More makeup then they are probably use to lol...especially considering it seems like about 75% of my clientele were minimal to no makeup for the most part lol!  When I'm interviewing staff it's actually one of the things I have to stress to them is that my clientele for the most part wants a "NATURAL LOOK"...even if they are showing me Kim K. pictures I gotta ask them questions and determine what in fact they are actually looking for (99% of the time it's not Kim K let me tell you lol)!

It's actually funny/frustrating (depends on my mood lol) how much convincing I sometimes I have to do w/ clients to make them realize they are in fact not wearing that much makeup and it's not "too much".  My day look is often more than they will let me put on them for their wedding lol (and I don't get glam day to day fyi).  I actually don't know a bridal artist who has a lighter hand than I do when it comes to understanding the approach of  less is more...a lot of times I do actually think my clients could use a bit more "drama" but I do have to respect their wishes and comfort level of course.

With that said I do still get to create some beautiful makeup looks and I do really have some beautiful clients.  I think one of things that really helps when doing a natural look is that I pretty much insist on some sort of false lash whether it be strip or individual lashes.  I've mentioned this before but I include this not only for the bride but anyone getting makeup services (and my staff do too).  I think when you are doing a "natural look" it really is one of the best ways to make the eyes pop w/out the use of a lot of shadow and if I do get the chance to do a "glam look" it's of course necessary otherwise to me the look just seems unfinished!

I definitely see a rise in the amount of airbrush foundation I'm doing on brides this past season!  I got a new airbrush compressor/gun this year and I have to say I'm actually really loving airbrush a lot more than I use to!  I don't know if it's the new machine or just me getting more skilled but I'm loving the finish, the lightness on the skin and the coverage it provides...plus my makeup phobic brides are really loving the fact that it still feels like "there is nothing on the skin" even though it gives them that flawless finish!

Adrianna is a classic example of "Pretty & Soft" Wedding Makeup! I used airbrush foundation on her and I'm still obsessed w/ her updo lol!  Photos courtesy of Azure Blue Photography

I did a return visit for Adrianna which is getting more popular with brides.  I changed up her lip to a bold red lip and smoked out the eyes a bit more!  It was the perfect addition for the evening look.  Making it a bit more "glam" but not over the top or "too much"

 Of course I have to mention Brittany when I'm talking about some of my fav makeup looks for last season!  She actually let me do a bronzy/brown/black smokey eye on her and give her a little drama.  The funny thing is that I'm always trying to explain to brides is it doesn't look that much in the pictures at all!  In fact it looks like the perfect amount...in person it didn't look "too much" either btw...but it's all about comfort level.

Airbrush foundation was used.

Diane was fun to work with!  She sent me dramatic pictures and she actually wanted dramatic makeup!  We did a full smokey eye and deep berry lip for her.  She was getting married in Nov. so it definitely worked w/ her Fall/Winter wedding.  Photos courtesy of Jennifer Moher

I love how glowy and soft Jasmine's makeup looks!  She's Eurasian and I loved working with her unique features and look.

Kadie was one of those girls that actually surprised me when I put the makeup on her!  She's a baker by trade and doesn't wear any makeup day to day but wow just a little bit of makeup on those blue eyes and porcelain skin and wow do her eyes ever pop!  I  kept commenting how she looked like a doll w/ her big blue eyes lol!

Katie and her entire group were so awesome to work with!  I knew I had to get pictures from Katie b/c I not only loved the hair I created for her but she's so pretty and I loved her makeup too!  Airbrush foundation was used.  Photographer Jennifer Ballard

Really loved the soft pink eyes, lips and cheek combo for Kyla's wedding.  Really suited her complexion and style well.

Lori was another one that let me put a bit more makeup on her!  You really can tell in the photos when everything just seems to "pop" a bit more!  Her and her entire group were so pretty!  So many great pictures from this wedding.  Renaissance Studios did a great job here! Airbrush foundation used.

Martha was so pretty!  A natural beauty, so of course we kept the makeup natural too!  Glowing cheek, soft pink lip and a neutral smokey eye!  I loved the textured updo for her so much!  Photo courtesy of Reid Lampshead

There probably isn't a bride I was more happy w/ how the makeup turned out on than Melanie.Though the look is natural Melanie had a lot of skin concerns and issues in the form of acne, scarring, redness and dry patches.As someone who has/still does suffer from acne and other skin issues I understand the stress and confidence issues it can cause.  I'm so happy I was able to create such a beautiful canvas for her so that her beautiful features and blue eyes could be the focus that day!  Her wedding photographer - Yuki Noda actually said it was some of the best wedding makeup she had seen - Big compliment indeed!  Airbrush foundation used! 

Of course I have to include my friend Sophia on the list!  She's gorgeous this was an easy one lol!  Her brother kept saying how beautiful her makeup was all night!  I took that as a huge compliment as he's in the fashion industry so he knows makeup!  Photo courtesy of Diane at DNA Phtography.  Airbrush Foundation used.

Okay well this wasn't actually a wedding I did but it was for a mock wedding photo shoot.  What was great about this is both I and the photographer understand the level of makeup necessary to create a good photo so of course I got to up it a bit more than a lot of my brides will let me do.  The results are gorgeous and I really love this copper/bronze/brown smokey eye!  Airbrush foundation used.  Photos courtesy of Lisa Mark Photography

 Tammy was such a pleasure to work with! We did a soft grey smokey eye and with a lot of Asian brides less is more and the real drama comes from the lashes and creating a nice brow to shape the eye.  Photo courtesy of Avenue Photography

To close it out here's a couple of brides I never did get photos from but I still REALLY love their makeup looks...sad I don't I have good pics of them :(  I'm thinking of adding a section on my website for snapshots b/c I don't like to mix non professional pics w/ the professional pics but it's disappointing to not share work you love or if the photographer didn't take any beauty shots of the bride (gasp...NEVER understand this one!!!)

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!