Cincinnati bridal makeup/Tracy married!!

What an amazing team of vendors, and a wonderful family!

photography: KortneeKate

florals: Courtenay Lambert

hair: Jennifer Nally

Cincinnati engagement pictures/Robin, by Jasmine!

such sexy images from Tine Hofmann

How sultry is this bride; wowza. and that dress is my absolute favorite color. Coveting, big time. I know Jasmine can't wait for Robin's Big Day!

Makeup Bag Monday: Ryan

Another of my former brides, AND the sis of one of my besties, Ryan emailed me her goods all the way from Scotland. The new mom of adorable Calum, she adores makeup. But I am betting maybe she does not have as much time for it lately-?

I spy one of my absolute faves up to the left; Benefit creaseless creme shadow in Birthday Suit. Perfect neutral, perfect amount of shimmer. LOVE. Absolutely essential basic.

She could definitely stand to invest in a few decent eyeshadow brushes and pitch the teeny sponge applicators.I adore the new limited edition set by Sonia Kashuk with natural wooden handles, and the little cork clutch is to die for. And a very reasonable price for this quality brush.

Cheers on the lash curler, of course. Looks like she is using the black eyeshadow as a liner-good choice.

I also own the "some kind of gorgeous" in Benefit-I very rarely reach for it though. It is super sheer so doesn't give enough coverage for me; I think it might be best on a naked skin that is basically perfect but needs a touch of evening up. Which would be Ryan, unless she is having post-partum skin trouble, in which case I have precribed Kat Von D concealer for any little spots that could crop up and the inevitable dark circles from late nights with the bebe. You can't go wrong with the cult classic YSL Touche Eclat pen that Ryan already has, but it doesn't give much coverage; it's more of a highlighter pen.

Like her mom and sister, Rye is an aficionado of Fiberwig mascara.

I did not see any cheek color so I added in a cool cream/powder cheek duo from Laura Mercier.

To streamline Ryan's routine, I added in a palette from Mercier as well; this will save time over all those bits and bobs of shadows she has collected, and the spring colors will be great on her. It also has some sheer lip shades as well.

Lastly, I added in a great cream liner set from Stila so that Rye can dabble in her sooty black liner days again. The cobalt color is also really fun, as is the "kitten" color; another of my favorites-more sparkly and champagne than the Benefit one.

Thanks for your patience during my little hiatus from Makeup Bag Monday. I am ready for more submissions, so bring 'em on!

Ryan's bag by nannobanan on Polyvore.com

Items in this set:
Kat Von D Tattoo Concealer Cocoa, $25
Stila Smudge Pot Collection ($95 value) Smudge Pot Collection, $22
Sonia Kashuk Out of the Woods 6 Piece Brush Set : Target, $20
Zen Face Palette Laura Mercier
Blush Laura Mercier

Launching our very first referral program!

I am sure you have noticed a rash of engagements on your facebook news feed; the holidays are prime time for popping the question.

We live off your referrals and want to make sure you know how much we appreciate them!

Whether you are one of our former brides or a fellow wedding vendor, we wanna show you some love.

We are excited to announce our new Ambassador Program.

Refer a friend to BRIDEface (make sure they mention your name!) and rewards go up and up, the more clients you send our way. And don't forget, the referral does not have to be a wedding; we do private lessons, special event makeups,makeup for headshots or family pictures, and masterclasses as well.

Here is the breakdown, people.

-send us a client who books a lesson or special event: get a complimentary brow session, which includes shaping and instruction on how to fill in and enhance your arches.(on Wednesdays only)

-send us a client who books a wedding party: get a 45 minute "mini lesson"(on Wednesdays only)

-send us two clients who book a wedding; get a full set of temporary lash enhancements

-send us three clients who book a wedding; get a full session for a photoshoot or special event (a gift certificate to use at your convenience and upon our availability)

Once we get into four or more referrals, you can win a makeup party for you and some friends!

In addition, we will draw from our referrers every few weeks to win a very groovy BRIDEface tee. You know you need to wear that when you're up in the gym just workin' on your fitness.

Cincinnati engagement session makeup/Patrice!

Thanks Tine Hofmann for these beautiful images!
Jennifer Nally came to the studio that day to do Patrice's hair and the three of us had such fun.
(It doesn't hurt that Patrice brought cupcakes;smart girl. always bribe your beauty team!)Patrice was sporting some color after a recent trip to Hawaii with her sisters, so I played up her skin with pinks, giving her a very sunkissed, feminine glow.

Cincinnati headshot makeup/Tiesha, by Jasmine

I was suddenly called away on a family emergency last week and had to reassign a couple of my jobs. Jasmine stepped up to do makeup for wedding planner Tiesha Frazier; isn't she beautiful? Images courtesy of JMM Photography; thanks Jacalyn! Remember us next time you need to look fab for work headshots or family photos...

Cincinnati bridal makeup/more Yeyin!

So once I saw these gorgeous images from my new BFF Amanda (thanks again for all the referrals you have been sending my way; I still owe you that makeup session!!) I just knew I had to share a little more of the beautiful Yeyin!
This bride was very blessed to have two fabulous photographers!!

Cincinnati wedding makeup/more of Jen

I posted some teasers awhile back by Geri Ciulla and just spied a few more gems on Geri's blog -just had to share the gorgeosity and glam of this girl.
Love the shots of me spraying model in a bottle!

Cincinnati makeup artistry/Yeyin married!

Thank you Varland Photography for the beautiful images! Yeyin's sister booked me as a wedding gift (so much better than another crockpot, am I right?) and I so enjoyed learning more about the culture of Asian beauty from them that I almost forgot I was doing a wedding. I definitely find it fascinating; how tastes in certain aesthetics vary by era, race, and culture. But I digress; that's another topic!

Yeyin wanted a very natural look but wanted definition to her eyes, so I used plenty of liner and individual lashes.I also did some very strategic brow shaping, as she tends to have very straight brows with little arch. I love those glowy cheeks. I also love seeing reception photos and how beautiful the makeup looks hours later.

Makeup Bag Monday; Jessica

Jessica has rosacea and has found that Aveeno's ultra-calming line works best for her, so I am not going to mess with that; once you find what works, stick with it!
I am impressed with all the lash curlers I am seeing (is it because you all know by now you are getting a smackdown if you don't include them?)
I would love to see an upgrade in Jessica's eye brushes; the shapes don't look terribly useful. I would recommend a good overall eye color brush and a crease color brush to start. And they don't have to be expensive; I happen to think POSH makes pretty nice brushes.
I love Lash Blast mascara.

I am very curious about the new Cover Girl double ended "smoky eye" pencils; she must like them because she has three of them already and they are fairly new to the market. The ads claim that you schmear one shade all around the eye and lid and follow with the second shade and voila-"no makeup artist needed". But clearly the print ad with Drew Barrymore has at least five different colors/products on her eyes. (Just as the mascara ads are employing false lashes, but that's another topic!)But having said that, they do look fun and I adore a creamy shadow.

Jessica admits to being a bit lazy with lip color; she hates the feel of gloss and rarely wears anything. I recommended the Cover Girl lip marker-I have about five of these in my purse and they wear like iron. They leave no discernable texture on your lip but leave a great stain of color on your lips.
Jessica says she often feels washed out. It is very common for people with ruddiness/rosacea to feel very pale once they tone out the redness. But I would recommend setting her foundation and then using a very light bronzer on top. Then follow with a warm, coral-y blush; avoid pinks, because then you are going back and adding that blue based tone.

I also added in a new pressed powder from Laura Mercier. It has a very faint green tint-don't worry; you won't look like an alien!-and this will tone out redness and control shine throughout the day.

I also added in "steely by L'oreal HIP because I know Jessica adores drama on the eyes and this will be so fun for her on the weekends all over her lid, or for day as a liner. It is one of my personal favorites and performs like a $25 cream shadow.






Jessica's bag by nannobanan on Polyvore.com

Items in this set:
NARS Laguna Bronzer by NARS Cosmetics Bronzer, $30
Illamasqua Powder Blusher Tweak, $23
Customer Ratings and Reviews - Terms & Conditions
Laura Mercier Smooth Focus Pressed Setting Powder - Shine Control, $32
POSH 5 Piece Mini Brush Kit with Zip Purse

Cincinnati makeup lessons/mini makeover with Julie

Wedding Vendor friends, take note; come see me on Wednesdays and you will most definitely snag some tips, tricks and maybe even a few eyelashes.

Julie popped in this week to pick up the girl scout cookies she ordered from my daughter, to have some lunch, and to catch up before her new baby arrives in about two and a half weeks.

Because I have never done her makeup all these years (??) I gave a fresh clean eye look. Julie rarely does much on her eyes-her makeup bag revealed that she loves to purchase pretty eye colors, but not so much to actually use them. She has absolutely gorgeous eyes though and they are just begging for a lil' love.I used black ebony tite liner, and showed her how to properly apply her mascara; wiggle the wand deep into the roots before puling out toward the tips. This is especially crucial if you have blonde lashes. It lifts them and gives you extra definition at the lashline. I used a peachy cream shadow from lash to brow, and smudged a little mahogany Smashbox jetset into her upper lashline. I also did a little brow shaping and filled them lightly with a blonde pencil.

Julie dislikes the pinkness to her skin,so I evened her out with a teensy bit of airbrush foundation, and used a warm peachy blush and gloss instead of pink. Thinking I was going to feature her on Makeup Bag Monday, I discovered that Julie has a pink lip gloss obsession-eight glosses that are essentially the same shade. A warmer tone will do wonders on not pulling that ruddiness out in her skintone. I used MAC dazzleglass in "bare necessity"(One of my addictions!)

And because Courtenay had just gotten her hair done, I made her get in the pic too.

Teaching the Tarte girls a few tricks

Audrey and Jen are the powerhouses behind Tarte Advertising and you have probably seen that name just about everywhere.

I invited them in to the studio for a little makeup lesson/photo shoot with moi and April Rentz
and we had such a fabulous time, as all four us possess a similar sick sense of humor. Jen insisted she had no cheekbones, but sure enough, I taught her how to find them! Audrey was surprised what a little brow shaping did to open up her eyes; many women with lighter brows think they don't make a big impact so they tend to neglect the, Just a little pruning and filling in really wakes her up!

If you can't already tell, the first pic is the "before" and the last two are the "after". (None of the morose-looking, crappy lighting, bad posture "before' shots for us!) They were pretty darn cute to begin with; I just brought out their best features, cleaned up the old brows, schooled them on some eyeliner secrets-oh-and since they were going out after, LASHES of course! It's all about bringing more definition and spark to your face with just a very few steps.

If you and your work partners- or friends- or sisters- want to come play with us and learn how to amp up your look, please let me know; we absolutely adore masterclasses. You are bound to learn more in a smaller group, but we can accomodate as many as six at a time. A great idea for a girls' night out, a significant birthday, a shower, or a bachelorette outing!