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Makeup Outside of the Box

When I saw the Bold Embellishments feature in the Fall 2008 issue of The Bride and Bloom, not only was I in awe of the flowers (some are by one of my favorite floral designers Asiel Design) but the makeup was so incredibly intriguing; art in and of itself.
I immediately looked to see who the makeup artist behind these extraordinary looks were, and saw the name Elizabeth Ulloa, a name unfamiliar to me until now.
Elizabeth is a true cutting edge makeup artist. Her looks are bold, stylish and truly amazing. Below is some of her work, however I urge you to not only check out her website, but go out and buy the Fall 2008 Bride and Bloom, or at least look at the Bold Embellishments feature on page 80. Besides stunning floral, the makeup is simply stunning.


I love how Elizabeth signs each little work of art she does, such as the one above and the beautiful color design below as well.









All pictures via Elizabeth Ulloa.

A Timeline for Your Hair

Via brides.com, here is a handy timeline checklist for your wedding day hair!

6 months
-Research hairstyles: Consider your personal style, your wedding dress and where your reception will take place.
-Interview stylists: Ask to see their portfolios, and discuss ideas for your style.
Determine a schedule with your new stylist for your pre-wedding cut, color and other treatments.
-For hair that’s shiny and healthy, start getting conditioning treatments six months before your wedding day.

3 months
-Choose your veil or headpiece.
-Bring all hair accessories with you to your next appointment.

1 month
-Get your hair trimmed. If you perm, straighten or color your hair, get these treatments done as well.
-Do a trial run of your big-day do. Bring a trustworthy friend to get her honest opinion. Don't be afraid to reject a style. Your stylist should be willing to experiment until you're satisfied.
-Ask your stylist to show you how to remove your headpiece without ruining your do; practice before you leave the salon.
-If you highlight your hair, now’s the time for a final touchup. Color looks better after the first couple of weeks—and if you don't like it, there’s enough time to get it fixed.
-Assemble a "hair repair" kit for the big day, stocked with extra pins and any styling products for last-minute touch-ups. Ask a bridesmaid to make sure it’s with you when you dress.

Your wedding day
-Wear a loose shirt that zips or buttons in the front so that you won't ruin your do when you change into your wedding dress.

Hot Hairstyles

Looking beautiful on your wedding day has not only to do with your makeup, but your hair as well. There are so many different options when it comes to hairstyles I know its always tough trying to figure out the perfect one.
If you are working with a stylist, they will be able to give you tips on what style will work best for you and your dress. Here are some different hairstyles found on Brides.com.


Up Do's


Half Up Do's


Down Do's

Makeup: Whats too much? part II

Welcome back for part II of "how much makeup it too much?".
I had the privilege to speak with Elizabeth Messina on this subject, and here is the information I got from her.

In speaking with Elizabeth she said you should really think about having a professional do your makeup on your wedding day. Not only will they be able to help you find the right amount of makeup to wear, its very relaxing to have your makeup professionally done, and something special you should consider for your special day.
Elizabeth went on to say that all brides are beautiful, no matter how much makeup they have on. She says she has photographed brides with minimal makeup and brides with heavy makeup and they are all beautiful.
However, when deciding on your makeup be sure that your makeup reflects your style and ALSO the style and decor of the wedding itself. For instance, you wouldn't wear dark heavy makeup for a casual light beach affair. When working with a professional, they will understand this.
The bottom line is that you as a bride should feel comfortable.

Here are some beauty shots from Elizabeth.

Makeup: Whats too much? part I

Continuing on with beauty week, we have a reader question that I am so excited to get to! It goes as follows:

Makeup, and the fine line between over doing it and not having enough. I recently saw a post on Weddingbee about how great dramatic makeup looks in your photos, but how un-natural it looks on the day of. I've thought about it a lot and would love to hear what both makeup artists and photographers think...

Makeup artist Nikol, from Fresh Beauty Studio, has been kind enough to lend us her thoughts on this subject. Stay tuned later today for photographer Elizabeth Messina's thoughts on this subject as well!

Here is Nikol's answer:
To answer this brides question is simple. You should look in person and in pictures clean, fresh with a polished finish. You want to find a multi media makeup artist that has the experience to back up her work. There is a balance to having picture perfect wedding photos and looking like you in real life. Airbrush foundation is a great way to get amazing coverage that lasts up to 18 hours. All my brides have this foundation medium applied for their wedding day. It’s really all about finding the right artist. If your artist is heavy handed to begin with, you are not going to get a clean, fresh look for your wedding. If your artist is afraid to apply color you are not going to have enough on and will look washed out. The key here is to go to a professional makeup artist and find someone that clicks with your personality and vision.

Do your research and find an artist that has the style that you are looking for. Many people call themselves “Makeup Artists” but do not have the credentials or experience to back it up. You get what you pay for and your wedding pictures will be permanently printed in a wedding album for you to look at the rest of your life. Don’t be afraid to try different “looks” at your trial that is what a trial is all about. My studio Fresh Beauty Studio was created out of the need to have beautiful, fresh red carpet looking makeup and hair. We redefine what people typically think of when they hear wedding hair and makeup: no uptight hair, never heavy makeup. If you don’t wear makeup on a regular basis this process can be intimidating, but remember you do have to have polished put together makeup on to look amazing in your photos. It’s all about YOU, you as a person, not just a bride. Your personality, attitude, beauty from within should be reflected in your makeup on your wedding day. You have to communicate and have a very clear idea of what you want to create when you go for your trial. If you are unsure, wait until you have all the visuals to give to your artist so there is nothing that is lost in translation.

You don’t want to look like you just rolled out of bed nor do you want to look like you are going out on South Beach. You should look like yourself walking down the aisle. Your fiancée should know who it is he is marrying and you should feel like yourself just enhanced. If you remember 3 things for your trial remember these:

1. Know your style and who you are
2. Don’t settle for anything less then perfection
3. Relax, enjoy the process you might not “click” with your first artist but there is the perfect artist out there for you.

Be Fresh..Be You...

Here are some pictures from Nikol of recent brides they have worked with.









I love how these brides all look so fresh, without being overdone.
Thank you so much, Nikol, for the wonderful information, tips and pictures!
Stay tuned for part II later today!

Nail Designs

Now days there are so many different designs to put on your nails. Below are just a few I found on Creative Ten.


Flowers


Rhinestones


Unique embellishments. I love the animal print!

Your Wedding Day Nails

Welcome to beauty week with Zenadia Design! We thought we would kick off this fun filled week with nails!

In all the aspects of wedding day beauty, sometimes nails seem to be overlooked. While doing your nails on your own is an option, having them done professionally is so much more relaxing! Plus, you can plan a spa day with your bridesmaids and have a nice relaxing time together.
Here are some tips to get your nails "wedding ready":

- Start getting weekly manicures a few months before your wedding. If this isn't in the budget you can always do these yourself. See these tips from the knot on how to give yourself a manicure.
- Along the same lines, find a manicurist you like and stick with her!
- Test out your nails with your dress before the wedding day. If you have a certain shade of nail polish in mind, make sure it won't clash with the dress.
- Last but not least, don't forget about your toes! Even if your feet won't show during the celebration, you'll want to have pretty feet for your honeymoon!

For more great tips on wedding day nail prep, read these 10 steps via the knot. Stay tuned for a post on different nail designs later today!

Image via Creative Ten

Beauty Week

In a couple weeks we will be featuring "Beauty Week" at Zenadia Design. As I was trying to gather material for different beauty topics, I was having a hard time trying to figure out exactly what topics to cover. Then I thought, who better to tell me what topics to cover than my readers!
So, I want to know, what would you like to see during our week long beauty session? Hairstyles? Tips and tricks? Advice from make-up artist pros?
Let me know what you would like to see posts on that's beauty related and I'll try my best to fit it in during beauty week!
Leave me a comment or email requests to zenadiadesign@gmail.com

Photo via the knot, by Elizabeth Messina

Wedding Day Makeup Part II

Here are the last steps for your wedding day makeup featured on our preveious post.

6. To accent your cheekbones, apply a little bronzer below cheekbones (don’t go crazy! Check it in natural light), like Cargo bronzer in Medium. Then take a shimmery baby pink blush—I use Bourjois wet/dry shadow in Rose Tentation—and brush it on cheekbones to highlight them. You might need to play with this technique a little. You could also try Benefit’s Perfect 10 palette, which helps you do this same thing with one sweep of a brush. There is always the ever-popular, universally flattering Nars blush in Orgasm (Good luck for the honeymoon?).

7. Dust a translucent powder all over your face (try my favorite, Bare Esentuals Mineral Veil) to help your makeup stay better.

8. Fill in lips with a nude lip pencil (to help lipstick stay) and top with your favorite lip stick or lip gloss (try several to see which looks best with the rest of you makeup). Blend a tiny bit of white pencil into the bow of your lips to make your lips look fuller.

9. Spray entire face lightly with Makeup Forever Mist and Fix, which will help all your makeup stay all day and all night.

Remember, if you play up your eyes, stick with a more natural lip color. If you go for dramatic lips, don’t go crazy with eyeliner and eyeshadow. It’s all about balance. Have a cute little clutch handy with concealer, lipstick, blush, and anything else you would need for touch-ups. Congratulations! You are a gorgeous bride!

Thanks Karina for such helpful tips for wedding day makeup. Karina will be guest blogging again soon so if you have a beauty question for her, email me at zenadiadesign@gmail.com.

Wedding Day Makeup Part I

I am so excited to introduce our first guest blogger, Karina Miller! Karina is a self proclaimed "beauty product addict" and will be informing us of all the wonderful products and how to tips out there. In our first session with Karina, she will go over how to do your make-up for you wedding day, along with her product recommendations. This segment will be featured in two parts so make sure to check back later today for part two. So without further ado, I give you Karina!


When doing your own makeup for your big day, remember to practice doing your makeup several times before your wedding day so you get the perfect look down.

1. Start with a washed, exfoliated, and moisturized face (I like good ol’ St Ives Apricot Facial Scrub).

2. Apply makeup primer. It really will help makeup go on smoother and stay on longer. I LOVE Smashbox Photofinish Primer—it’s so silky! If your skin tends to be oily, they have a lighter version, too).

3. Dot concealer where needed. To eliminate dark circles, apply dots of concealer under each eye and gently pat with your ring finger to blend. For really dark circles, try a yellow cream under concealer. My favorite concealers are Benefit Boi-ing or Benefit It Stick (I feel like they stay better than liquid formulas) and a tiny bit of Bare Escentuals Summer Bisque powder on top.

4. Choose a foundation that matches your skin tone well. If you choose a liquid foundation, apply it with a damp makeup sponge for a more natural, dewy look (You don’t want your face to scream, “HEY! I’m wearing foundation!”). I personally like Bare Escentuals mineral powder foundation applied with the handy Kabuki Brush. Don’t forget to blend onto the neck.

5. Time for my favorite: eyes! Start by curling your eyelashes (you can’t beat Shu Uemura eyelash curler) by squeezing at the tip, middle, then base of your eyelashes. I can’t tell you what color shadow to choose, but purple shadows look good on green eyes, bronze shadows bring out blue eyes, and green shadows make hazel eyes stand out. I put MAC Shadestick in Shimmersand under almost all my eye shadows because it does not budge—perfect for your long day! Stay in the same color family and start by putting the lightest color from lash line to brow. Put the medium shade on the whole eyelid. Then, blend the darkest color into the crease. Apply a soft pencil eyeliner (I use brown—black) by making a dotted line as close to your eyelashes as possible and then lightly smudging it with smudge brush (or your finger). If you really want liquid eyeliner, I can’t stop you…Just make sure you are not Eyeliner Lady instead of the Natural Beauty Bride you should be. Take a white or light shimmery shadow and brush on the brown bone, just under the eyebrow, to make your face look brighter and eyebrows more lifted. Dab a bit of the same shimmery shadow on the inner corners of your eyes; it will really open up your eyes (you can also use white eyeliner pencil for this)! Finish with a couple coats (make sure you get every lash!) of black mascara on your top lashes; I am currently obsessed with Cover Girl Lash Blast and Volume Exact mascara.

Thanks so much Karina for all the great tips and product recommendations!
Be sure to check back for part II later today!