Why Is a Bridal Makeup Trial so Important?

You got engaged! You are over the moon and it is now time to plan your dream wedding!

You have the venue, the band, the dress... Now all that's left is the makeup. You find a makeup artist you like and her portfolio seems to match the vision you have for yourself on your special day.  You ask yourself if a trial is really necessary?  

The answer is a resounding YES!

But why?  Below is a list of answers to that question along with some helpful tips.  Enjoy!

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1.  Getting to know you.  The makeup artist is meeting you and your face for the first time.  The trial is the time for her to ask you the necessary questions about your skin type, allergies, likes and dislikes, etc.  There is generally no time on the wedding day to be having those discussions or for her to familiarize herself with your face.  This is also a time for her to get to know you as a person.  For the artist, this will help with the creation of the perfect look.

2.  Do you speak the same language? A person's makeup lingo is very different from a makeup artist's lingo.  Many times, I've had brides use adjectives such as "dramatic", "cat eye", "smokey eye", "light", "dark", "glam"... These words (and many others) can mean two completely different things to you vs your makeup artist.  It is during the trial that you will be able to determine if the words you gave the makeup artist really described the vision you had in your head.  Your makeup artist should be open to criticisms and tweaks you want to do to the makeup on the wedding day.  

3.  Will you like her? It is important to know whether or not you will get along with your vendors, especially your makeup artist.  More often than not, your makeup artist will be the first person you see on your big day and your relationship with her will set the tone for the rest of the day.  The time you spend with her at the trial will determine whether your personalities will gel nicely.

4.  Go out and enjoy.   Do your trial on a day when you have an event to go to.  One where your hair will be done and you're dressed to impress. This will give you a better visual of the makeup and how it actually looks when you're all done up.  If you do your makeup trial in sweats with your hair in a messy bun, the makeup will stand out and you may be taken aback by the intensity of it in comparison to how "regular" the rest of you looks.

5.  More is less.  It is important to remember that whatever look you are aiming to achieve, the makeup artist will be applying with the camera in mind.  What does that mean?  Let me explain...  Anytime you have a professional photographer and/or a videographer in the mix, the makeup artist knows that the makeup has to automatically be at least 40% more intense than usual.  The camera, the natural light, the flash... all of those will wash out the applied makeup in the pictures.  This means that the makeup artist will need to: a) use more makeup than usual, b) use brighter/darker tones than usual and c) intensify the products applied... more than you are used to.  The right amount of makeup will make you look flawless and natural in the photos with all the right parts of your face highlighted.

6.  Take it for a test run.  Testing out the makeup is as important as the makeup application itself.  You want to know that the makeup will last all day and all night.  Getting dressed up and going out after your trial serves a double purpose.  Will the makeup stay intact? Will your skin get oily?  Will you have any reactions to the products? Are you comfortable with the false lashes? Are you comfortable in your own skin with the makeup on? Was it too dark? Too light?  Was it perfect and everything you hoped it would be? By the end of the night, you will have enough information to give your makeup artist good feedback for her to work with on the wedding day.

7.  The details.  The trial is generally a good time to finalize (as much as possible) the details for the wedding day. A lot can be lost in translation when

communicating by phone or by text.  Take advantage of the face-to-face and discuss the pricing, the wedding day schedule and any other important details.

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I hope this is helpful to all you future brides out there 😊

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Am I a warm or a cool tone?

Makeup tip of the day: WARM VS COOL Foundation

Many of us have heard these terms when it comes to makeup, but when we're standing in front of a plethora of foundations, who has the time to think about it and figure it out? 

Here's a little trick: Don't look at the skin on your face. More often then not, our face has a different coloring than our body. 

Cools have have more red, pink-y, blue-y hues in their skin while Warms are more yellow, orange-y, peach-y. A neutral tone is an equal blend of the two tones.

Pull up your sleeves and take a look at the veins visible on inside of your forearms. Are you doing it? Good.

If your veins looks more blue, you've got cool undertones.

If your veins look more green, you've got warm undertones

Another cool trick is to think back to the type of jewelry you wear. Do you look best in silvers or golds? Generally, silvers are more flattering on cool tones, and golds look more radiant on warms.

So what does this all mean? ** You want to always match the tones in your body upward into your face to neutralize and blend.

So, for example, if your face has mostly cool undertones, but you have determined that the rest of you is a warm, then you will be choosing more golden-shade foundations, in order to neutralize the cool tones in your face. ** Always remember to blend down into the neck and decollete!

WHEN IN DOUBT and all of this is too confusing, stick to neutrals. 

Et voila! 

The assumptions of makeup trials

Wedding and event season is coming up, and that means that many ladies request a trial session to make sure that their makeup is 100% perfect on their special day.

Trials are an important part of the makeup process, there's no denying it... So I am a little confused as to why clients diminish the importance of a trial if its so important? (Confused yet? Join the club)

Let me explain:

On the day of the trial, your makeup artist  will spend more time with you communicating and creating a full makeup look (sometimes multiples) to make sure that you both have the same vision in mind, and until you see exactly what you envisioned in the mirror.  Your makeup artist will use all the same products (sometimes more) and in the case of those who want at-home service, will transport all her makeup and tools to your location (chair, light, heavy makeup bag, supply bag, etc...) to ensure a comfortable and complete experience for you.

So, now that we know the extent to which a makeup artist works for a client's  makeup trial, why-oh-why do clients expect to pay a fraction of the price or nothing at all for the makeup trial?  

We just established that the makeup artist is putting in more of his/her time, energy and products for the trial and yet, many are still under the impression that it isnt worth the compensation.

Its like saying that you will eat at a restaurant for your birthday and are eating the same meal at the same place a week before, but are not willing to pay the price of the food and service provides because it isn't actually your birthday....  

Boggles my mind.

The importance of cleansing your face before bed. JUST DO IT!

How many times have I heard someone say ``I was too tired/too lazy to wash my face before bed``... ``I shower in the mornings anayway``... ``I wasn`t wearing any makeup that needed washing off``...

Hearing someone tell me they don`t cleanse their face before bed is like nails on a chalkboard to me... cringe-worthy.

Anna Pursglove recently wrote an article for Dailymail UKrelating how she bravely decided to challenge herself to not cleanse her face before bed for one month.  After one month, her skin specialist announced that her skin had aged by a DECADE!!

So what happens to our skin while we sleep?
Skin regenerates itself while we sleep; dry skin sheds, creates collagen & elastin, elimintes toxins... And as we get older (inevitably every day), our skin needs all the help it can get!

Makeup and external pollutants create a barrier on the skin during the course of the day, and not washing off all the `guk` on a repeated long term basis can cause more damage than we may have thought:

• prevents the production of collagen and elastin (the stuff that makes your skin tight and youthful) therefore causing saggy and wrinkly skin
• prevents old skin shedding to make new for the new younger skin
• cloggs pores, therefore creating larger pores and acne
• irritants get locked in and can cause allergic reactions and redness
• uncleaned eyes can cause infections and lash dandruff 

Do I need to continue??

It is hard to offer a suggestion of cleansers, because every skin need is different, but I can tell you that my cleansing routine includes Ponds cold cream with a hot face towel followed by a quick wash with african black soap. 

So now that you will all start cleansing before bed, please take the extra 5 seconds to moisturize as well to help keep your face hydrated and healthy.  Your future self will thank you for it. :)

How to determine your face shape

This post will be helpful to both the men and women! It doesn't happen often! What is it?

How to determine your face shape.

Figuring out your face shape can help in MANY different ways: 

1) Applying makeup

2) Finding the style of glasses/sunglasses that will best suit you

3) Figuring out the most complementary eyebrow solution/shape 

4) Best haircut/hairstyle 

Here is a breakdown of the most common face shapes:

OVAL: Face is more long than wide, narrow but prominent cheekbones, face gradually tapers towards chin, generally symmetrical.

SQUARE: Face has strong features, as wide as it is long, wider jaw, square chin.

ROUND: Face is as wide as it is long, rounded features (forehead and chin), wider cheekbones.

HEART: Length of face is a little longer than wide, wider forehead tapering to a pointed chin, hairline is pointy in the middle and rounded on either side.

OBLONG: Face is more long than wide, outline roughly resembles a tall rectangle with rounded corners, may have prominent chin. 

TRIANGLE: Face is a little longer than wide, broader jawline, smaller forehead 

DIAMOND: Face is a little longer than wide, tapered hairline, pointed jawline, widest at temples/cheekbones. 

So how to figure out your face shape? One way is to stand in front of a mirror, pull your hair back and trace the outline of your face with a bar of soap onto the mirror. A second way is to find a photo of yourself and draw the outline of your face onto the picture. 

Xoxo Teny

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Guest Review: Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream

When my friend Teny saw me pull out a big white tube from my purse at the end of our breakfast date, she asked me what it was, as I was putting on my lips.

I was so excited to share it with her. Its not your conventional lip balm, but its a miracle cream I swear by and have so, since 1999. (pre Y2K! ha!)

When I was just a young fashion photography assistant, I would watch big make up artist put this product on the model's lips as a natural look and replacement for a gloss.

I asked them what it was...and I have since then used it and sworn by it. It is the very reason I have non-chapped lips and never worry about lipgloss.

The cream is called Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream. Its a 50 ml tube that goes for about 35$ and will last you YEARS.

A classic, and a woman's must have. It can shape brows, revitalize shine, soothe dry hands (although I find it too greasy for it), smooth cuticles. Helps prevent chapping, peeling, and windburn. I use it as a lip balm in the winter months and in the spring when wind is a big factor.

In cold winter days, when we're all looking grey, I add a touch of my Mac Beet lipliner and mix in a dab of my eight hour cream and i got myself luscious lips that are also protected with a hint of color.

The only downfall is that it has a faint medicated smell. It doesn't bother me but your significant other may be slightly bothered by your kisses. In which case, I suggest you wear it to bed at night and wake up with fresh lips. I've even also burned myself in the kitchen and used it! I'm telling you...you won't want to live without it!! Grab one at any The Bay store.

-Magnolia 💜

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Review: Sonia Kashuk Perlescence Long Wear Creme Shadow

While shopping at Target yesterday, I came across the Sonia Kashuk line of products.  I have been reading some good reviews about her stuff so I decided to give them a try.

I ended up purchasing the pearlescence long wear creme shadow in "Diamond-01" (an ivory-white color) and "Moonstone-03" (a bronzy-gold color)

swatches of diamond (above) and moonstone (below)

Once I got home, I decided to try the products right away.  I applied the colors on my lids - without prepping or priming - and went about my business.

My thoughts?

GREAT little product.  The packaging is sleek and appealing and very very easy to use. Application is simple with the sponge-tip wand, and the product gives you enough time to play around with it if you wish to blend it out, but once it sets, it's bulletproof!  The shadows stayed on my lids even after my shower, all the way to the next morning; after a night of sleeping with my face in the pillow.

For anyone looking for a good on-the-go product to give you a boost, this little gem is a definite must-have in anyone's makeup kit.  And the best part? It's affordable at just 8.99$ per tube.  (Canadian Targets have 30% off makeup products now)

Comes in 4 colors: Diamond, Moonstone, Quartz, Tiger's eye

For the full line of products, visit SoniaKashuk.com 

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