Bulletproof Makeup For Your Wedding Day

Having makeup that will last all day is imperative for the wedding day. Your wedding day will be a long day filled with smiles, hugs, kisses, tears, and sweat from dancing the night away. You'll probably start your morning having your hair and makeup done, and you'll want for it to look amazing all day and night. So how do you get bulletproof makeup on your wedding day? Here are a few tips!

Skin Care Is Essential!

I always say that makeup is only as good as the skin its applied to. When you use great skin care, you create a perfect canvas for your makeup to adhere to. Applying makeup to healthy, well hydrated skin helps your makeup to not only look better, but also to last longer. Make sure that before your makeup is applied, you are doing a full skin care regimen that includes cleansing your skin, toning, applying a moisturizer that is appropriate for your skin type, using an eye cream, and applying SPF. You might want to check with your makeup artist to see if they have specific skin prep requests, or if your artist will prep your skin, but always be sure to start with clean skin, and make sure that you're prepping with excellent skin care.

Use A Primer

This is a step that you can either use or not. Primer helps makeup to have a base to adhere to. There are a lot of different kinds of primers - some are oil control, some help reduce redness, etc. I personally believe that when you focus on skin care, a primer might not be necessary, but if you want to feel more confident that your makeup will stay in place all day and into the night, use a primer.

Waterproof, Water-Resistant and Transfer Proof Makeup Is KEY!

We know that tears will fall at some point during the wedding day, so everything that I use around they eyes is always waterproof. Some of the items that I make sure are waterproof, water-resistant and transfer proof are concealer, mascara, eyelash glue and lip color. There are also some foundations that are long-wearing or water-resistant, too. You can also consider using airbrush makeup for a durable foundation.

Airbrush Foundation

If I'm being honest, I have a love/hate relationship with airbrush makeup. I love it because of the fact that most brands have formulas that are either waterproof or water resistant, making them very durable. My one gripe about airbrush is that if for some reason you DO need a touch up, its not as easy to do that as it would be if you were to use traditional foundation. Airbrush makeup, however, will give you a flawless complexion and it will definitely be durable.

Set Your Foundation

Setting powders are always necessary for bulletproof makeup. I love using transluscent setting powder, and applying it in thin layers over cream products such as foundation, concealer, and cream blush. This really helps to absorb any oil on the skin and lock your makeup in place.

Finish With Setting Spray

Setting spray is the final step in creating bulletproof bridal makeup. If you need your makeup to be super bulletproof, then you can spray a light layer in between each step of your application. No makeup application is complete without it.

I hope that these tips are helpful to you! Having long lasting makeup on the wedding day is very important, so whether you're doing your own makeup or paying a professional, definitely be sure to implement some or all of these tips to keep you looking gorgeous all day long!

xo,

Melissa

5 Reasons To Book Bridal Touch Ups

Having an artist stay on site for touch ups on your wedding day can sometimes sound a little unnecessary. But is it really? Touch ups on the wedding day can be exactly what a bride needs to ensure an amazing wedding day experience. Touch ups are not just an added expense, but can be a luxury that is well worth the investment. Here are 5 reasons why you might want to book an artist to stay on site for touch ups on your wedding day.

Hair and Makeup "Insurance Plan"

Having your artist stay on site to provide touch ups is somewhat like an insurance plan for your hair and makeup. While hair and makeup is initially done to provide long lasting results, its important to keep in mind that makeup and hair is not permanent. Your artist can be on site to be sure that if you cry any tears of joy, your makeup stays perfectly intact. Your artist can be on hand to insure that any fly-aways in your hair stay at bay. Having your artist stay with you to provide beauty touch ups can give you the security that you need in order to know that your hair and makeup will stay perfect and bullet proof through any weather conditions and a day full of photography, tears, hugs, kisses, and dancing. Your artist can also provide a final makeup touch up and carefully remove your veil before the reception without disturbing your hair.

Photo Session Assistance

After the wedding, the only thing that will remain are the memories and photographs. You're investing on great photography, so its important that you look phenomenal in every single image. Having an artist stay for touch ups is the perfect way to do that. During a touch up session, an artist can provide photo session assistance. What is this? Basically, your wedding photos will be treated just like an editorial photo shoot for a magazine. Your artist will be there to pay attention to the smallest details - like a visible clasp on your necklace or bracelet that is turned the wrong way. In addition to hair and makeup touch ups, your artist will be there to assist with carrying your train or cathedral veil, perfectly placing your train so that it looks amazing in your photos, lint rolling the grooms suit if necessary, and even helping the photographer get the ever popular wind-blown veil shot. Having a great photographer is key, and adding an artist for touch ups will only elevate your amazing photos.

Personal Service

Having an artist stay for touch ups is also a treat for the other bridal party members, and allows them to be free to enjoy the event. Your touch up artist is on hand for beauty and photo assistance, but also to provide the bride with personal service. Do you need water? A glass of champagne? A plate from the charcuterie board? Your artist can grab that for you. I once was booked for touch ups for a bride who was wearing a leather jacket. The only problem was that she forgot her jacket at the hotel! Since she booked me for touch ups, I was able to run back to her hotel room and get her jacket so that she would have it for her photos and in case she got cold during the evening. This is the type of personal assistance that every bride should have.

Fashion Troubleshooting

While no bride wants to think about this, its true that fashion emergencies do happen. And having someone on hand for touch ups that is skilled to troubleshoot any fashion emergency is worth its weight in gold. I've seen a number of emergencies - from broken zippers, wedding gowns that need to be hemmed, brides who need to change their shoes in order to stay comfortable, to stains on the wedding gown that need to be removed. You never know what type of fashion emergency might come up, and its always a great idea to have someone who is able to take the pressure off of the bride and bridal party to take care of these situations. You can even have your artist stay for touch ups and bustle your dress prior to the reception.

Peace of Mind

Having peace of mind on your wedding day is priceless. There are so many things that could potentially go wrong, and so many things that are simply out of your control. But one thing you can do is make sure you have the right vendor on hand who can provide touch ups and assistance in order to give you the peace of mind that if any beauty or fashion emergency takes place, it will be handled.

Your day should be full of comfort and ease. Clearly, your entire vendor team will be working together to make this your wedding day reality, but adding a vendor who can provide beauty touch ups, photo assistance, personal assistance and fashion assistance truly helps all vendors to do be able to focus on their job. Including a touch up service in your budget allows the bride and bridal party to be able to enjoy the wedding and simply focus on having a good time. Having a vendor stay for touch ups is one of the best luxuries that a bride could have for the wedding day.

If this is a service that you're interested in learning more about or booking for your wedding, reach out. You never think you might need a service until you actually need it!

xo,

Melissa

Full Body Wedding Skin Care

We often talk about creating a pre-wedding skin care regimen, but what about full body skin care? Its important to remember that your skin doesn't end at your neck, so making sure that you have a full body wedding skin care regimen is important. After all, you want your skin to be soft, smooth and glowing from head to toe on your wedding day. Here are a few tips that I often recommend brides implement for their body care routine in order to have their skin in tip top shape for the wedding day.

Use A Detoxifying Body Mask

For brides who might suffer from acne or breakouts on their chest, back or other areas of the body, a detoxifying body mask can be added to your body care regimen. You'll want to do this 1-2 times per week leading up to your wedding. A mask containing gentle exfoliating acids such as Lactic, Salicylic, Phytic, Mandelic, or Azeliac can help to clarify and brighten the skin. This is my favorite detoxifying mask that can be used on the face or body.

Do A Body Scrub

I love a good body scrub. Using a body scrub can help polish away dead skin cells, excess oil, and buildup on the skin. You can use a body scrub in the bath or shower 2-3 times weekly on rough areas of the body such as your feet, knees, and elbows, or even all over. A body scrub containing oils such as Avocado Oil, Passion Fruit Seed Oil, and Vitamin E will help to lock moisture into the skin as well.

Use A Hydrating Body Oil

A hydrating body oil is a great item to add to your body care routine. Lighter than a heavy cream or lotion, a body oil will add lightweight radiance and hydration to your skin. I really love Arbonne's Rescue and Renew Detox Oil because it contains Dandelion Extract, Tumeric Extract and Ginger Root Extract to help with detoxification and collagen support. It also has oils like Vitamin E, Argan Oil, Grapeseed Oil, and Sesame Seed Oil for antioxidant properties and moisture.

Include A Body Serum

We think about using serums in our facial skin care routine, but you can also use a serum on the body. Serums are highly concentrated, and have small molecules that easily penetrate the skin. Arbonne's RE9 Advanced Retexturizing Serum in Lotion gives you the benefits of an exfoliating body serum and lotion in one step. This alpha hydroxy acid based serum includes Stabilized Vitamin C and Sea Buckthorn Ceramide for moisture, radiance, antioxidant properties, and collagen support.

Protect Your Neck

Let's not forget about the area between the chin and torso. Your jawline, neck and décolletage is an area of the body that is delicate and needs special care. Using a neck cream daily will help to address the signs of aging in that area. I love this neck cream because it contains Bakuchiol, which is a vegan alternative to retinol that is more tolerated by the skin. It also has Stabilized Vitamin C and Peptides for antioxidant properties and to support collagen.

As I said before, its so important to remember that skin care does not stop at the face. Our entire body needs special care in order for our skin to look its best for the big day. These are all steps that can easily be implemented at home, and require little time when incorporating them into your body care routine. Adding some or all of these body care rituals into your routine is also just a great way to pamper yourself and to treat the skin on your body well. I hope these tips and product recommendations are helpful! Let me know in the comments if you have added or plan to add any of these steps to your pre-wedding body care regimen.

xo,

Melissa