Cincy airbrush bridal/Rebecca, by Penny

images, Jeff Schaefer

Covington makeup artist/Katie, married

images, Mark Garber

hair, Liz Carter

N KY makeup artistry/Ashley, married

Ashley has exquisite taste. From the headband, amaaazing cuff, and all the girls's jewelry she found on etsy, to her gorgeous home in Clifton overlooking the city. (Plus her dress kinda reminded me of my own wedding dress.)I actually spied that turquoise pickup truck as I was leaving her place and thought, "How gorgeous would that be for wedding photos?" Great minds!

images, Soda Fountain Photography

N Ky airbrush bridal makeup/Betsy, married

images, Nathan Peel

hair, Jen Nally

videography, Studio Z

florals, Courtenay Lambert

I am just in love with these shots. Betsy is so radiant!

Cincinnati makeup artists/Jenny,married

images, Neysa Ruhl

I always love the cameraderie of a gang of women watching the bride get dolled up; sharing memories, gossip, private jokes. It's like there's a whole ritual in primping together. Jenny's maids were a lot of fun and were so excited about getting made up. I love that!

ask Nancy; advice for dark circles

Former BRIDEface Jessica Skaggs asks from Facebook:

" I have dark circles (genetic) and I'm always looking for a way to camouflage them. What product and/or technique do you recommend?"

Firstly, please use an eye cream. so many women wait to see their first fine line, but dehydration can cause darkness under the eye. Eye cream will also help your concealer look more natural and blend better. Getting the right shade can be very tricky. On very dark circles I prefer Laura Mercier secret camouflage. My favorite shade for a medium to medium/tan skintone is #4, because it has a lot of orange in it to tone out the blueness in most olive-toned skins. If you are more fair, I love Makeup Forever lifting concealer in either #2 or 3. Always apply in very thin, stippling strokes with a synthetic brush. Fingers can overapply and cause a sloppy look. I always set with a bit of Laura Mercier brightening powder to set, prevent creasing, and add life to the skin under the eyes. It bounces away darkness. Genius product!!

concealer essentials by nannobanan on Polyvore.com

Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder
$22 - nordstrom.com

MAKE UP FOR EVER Lift Concealer Dark Beige 2
$22 - sephora.com

Bobbi Brown Concealer Brush
$25 - sephora.com

Secret Camouflage - # SC1 ( For Very Fair Skin Tones ) - LAURA MERCIER...
$36 - strawberrynet.com

N Ky bridal makeup/Jill, engaged!

images, Tracy Doyle

Jill is the sister of one of my favorite former brides. She loooooooves makeup and is so fun to paint because she literally wriggles with excitement. These pics make me smile!!

"ask Nancy" is back!

This question comes via our facebook page from one of my former brides, Jayne:

What kind of bronzer brush would you suggest? Nothing too pricey though :)

I personally don't care for a traditional bronzer brush-the dense, Kabuki style tends to pick up too much pigment and I don't feel it distributes it well-(which is probably why you see so many bronzer abusers out there!)

I prefer a fluffy tapered powder brush-even better if it has flat sides. This is because I like to use bronzer as contour-slim down a round face, define jawlines, shrink a larger forehead, shorten a longer face...

A good inexpensive pick is from Sonia Kashuk and runs in the twenty dollar range. it won't give you any harsh, obvious contour lines, just give you a healthy glow. Apply a number 3 shape from your forehead to your chin, as a general rule.