Hello my friends! Well, just a few days past 6 months married I am coming back to this little corner of the world to share our wedding fun with you. This has been on my never ending list for a while now! I feel like these past 6 months have been some of the busiest of my life. But could they be busier then planning a wedding? Then someone working part time and going to school or living between 2 provinces? I am not sure. But what I am realizing is the importance of now. Never waiting too long to do the things just because something else gets in the way! So let's go back. About a month ago, I woke up at 3 a.m. to 3 wonderful heart filling texts from my dear friend and photographer sisters in love Christina & Allie of Made You Look Studio. "WEDDING PHOTO LINK". Gasp!!!!!!! (Insert millions of stories of how I wake up like this all the time because I am an unpredictable, talkative and sometimes aggressive?! sleeper...) Jake wake up, JAKE WAKE UP!!!!!! (Jake wakes ready to meet his match) and I am lights on, get dressed, time to WAKE UP, downloading thousands of pretty, special, one of a kind over the top special, special, SPECIAL images by the beauty queens behind the lenses. Speechless, and bright eyed in the wee hours of the morning, we looked at every image, 3 times. All before a days work! Then again with our families. Overjoyed, in love all over again with the special moments from that day. I am overwhelmed with the details the girls captured. I have seen it done to 3 of my bestest friends that introduced me to the "California Girls". It is just the most surreal feeling to look back at the day and see it the way you saw it then. What a wonderful gift!
What I am wanting to do on these next few posts is speak to some of the wonderful vendors and friends that helped make our day what it was! Starting with a fellow Wildcat Alumni, turned Makeup Artist Extraordinaire.
Let me start off by saying that Carolyn Hickey is a true professional. She did not make me feel like I was crazy or demanding although I did ask her to do some "unique" things... like come to my house to my makeup at 5:00 a.m. for a sunrise engagement photo shoot... And she is also, hilarious with a capital H. Which is something I would say is an asset for someone thrown into the mix of a nervous group of women getting all dolled up for such a big event! She helped take the edge off and she also taught me a lot about makeup and, well, looking pretty!
I was very honest with Carolyn early on. I said things to her like...
"I like the idea of makeup, but I don't really know what I am doing"... "I am wearing Clinique Even Better foundation which is what I wore to prom 10 years ago so should I keep buying it?!?"... "What are some good skin care routines I should get into?"
I also told her that I was very obedient and will do whatever she said haha. I told her "I feel like I am supposed to be doing stuff but I don't know what..." Guys, I didn't even moisturize daily because I didn't know?!!! I mean I guess I did, butI didn't know how it would drastically change my skin. Anyways, Carolyn laughed with me and gave me some great professional advice. Now, without further adieu, pleased to introduce this guest post by Carolyn Hickey of @makeup_by.Carolyn.
(Not to mention totally beautiful!!!)
Hey everyone! I’m super excited that Mackenzie invited me to write a little something for her fabulous blog! It was such a pleasure to work with Mackenzie, her friends and her family, for her wedding this past summer. It really was the wedding of the century! She was extremely organized, very down to earth and ready to have a good time, which made my job so much easier!
Doing bridal makeup is such a lovely treat because I get to help someone feel their absolute BEST! My favourite part is witnessing their reaction when they see themselves all glammed up! Mackenzie had the best reaction (as you can see) and I was lovin’ every minute of it!
I thought I would share some advice that I tell all my bridal clients in preparation for their big day!
Here is my …
TOP THREE PRE-WEDDING GLAM TIPS & TRICKS:
(que Beyoncé – Upgrade U ft. Jay Z)
(que hair flip)
1. SKINCARE! Good skincare is key for flawless makeup on your big day! I know that some skincare regimens are quite daunting or overwhelming but it really does not have to be confusing or expensive. It’s really all about finding a few (2-3) simple products that work for your skin type.
First things first, you have to MOISTURIZE! Regardless if you have dry/combination/oily skin, you gotta moisturize gurl! For clients looking for a good fair priced moisturizer, I normally recommend the Aveeno Daily Moisturizer with SPF 15. This product is simple, effective and great to apply right after you wash your face.
Next, I always recommend that brides EXFOLIATE. Now, I don’t just mean exfoliating the day before your wedding, but make it apart of your regular routine! I recommend the Aveeno Daily Scrub. This light product has very tiny exfoliating balls and works wonders for removing the dead skin that sits on top of your face. Exfoliating and moisturizing allows for the makeup to work with your skin rather than sitting on top of dry textured skin. If you feel like you are getting too dry, just exfoliate once or twice a week and always moisturize daily!
2.LASHES! Weather they are extensions or strip lashes, amping up your eyelash game for your wedding day is a great idea! Both products really attract attention to your eyes, but the best part is that you won’t have any teary mascara smudging…HALLELUJAH!
If you choose to get eyelash extensions, which I highly recommend, get a full set 3-4 weeks before your wedding. Then, 2-3 days before the wedding you can get a touch up. This way you can have the full set for a few weeks, take time to decide if you want more or less and then go back and customize your look with your lash technician. If you are in the Simcoe County area, I recommend my clients go to Glow Day Spa. They do really natural work at a great price!
When clients don’t get eyelash extensions, I normally pop on a fabulous strip lash. For strip lashes, I tend to believe that less is more. Most clients don’t wear lashes on a regular daily basis so I always recommend going with smaller natural strip-lashes. All of these decisions can be discussed in the makeup trial months before your wedding!
3. SPRAY TANS! As a spray tan enthusiast, I feel like they just provide that extra little bit of glamour and give you an extra boost of confidence for your big day. Similar to the eyelash extensions, I recommend going to get a ‘practice spray tan’ before your actual wedding spray tan. So, 3-4 weeks book a spray tan, see if you like the shade and observe how it fades and then 2-3 days before the wedding go back for another. This way you are better able to customize exactly what you want!
I recommend going to your local Fabutan to try the Mystic tan booth. The tan normally lasts 7-10 days and there are 3 different shades. Don’t worry, you won’t end up like Ross from Friends where he gets sprayed a bunch on one side “I’M AN EIGHT?!?!?”
... I told you. She is hilarious! Carolyn is a very humble and talented Makeup Artist. These photos really say it all. My expression the first chance that I held a mirror after makeup application. Stunned! Happy! Excited to get married! Thank you Carolyn! xxoo
