Ali and Brent's Fort Worth Wedding Featured in Brides of North Texas

As much as we all like seeing imaginative styled shoots and wedding "inspiration", I think it's just as awesome to see real weddings in magazines and blogs!  The connection, the intimacy, the uniquely personal elements chosen by that particular couple.....what could be more inspiring than that?  Since I do makeup well before the ceremony starts, I especially love to see all the images of how the entire event comes together...as in Ali and Brent's wedding in August!  A beautiful bride, handsome groom, stunning dress and venue.....all perfect.  Know what's my favorite thing?  These two have known each other since grade school....yep, childhood sweethearts!  They have a deep loving bond that's really evident when they're together.....now THAT'S what makes for the perfect wedding.  Add to that a rockstar vendor team teeming with talent, a super sweet bride and bridal party....it's an understatement to say that I was so happy to have a small part in it, and to see it featured in Brides of North Texas in their "Vows that Wow" Series!

Brides of North Texas - "Vows that Wow" - Ali and Brent

Vendor Team

 Lip Service Makeup

 Renn Traylor

Bliss Bridal

Robert Carr Chapel, TCU

The Fort Worth Club

Tami Winn Events

Beyond Lighting

Lynn Films

 Celebration Event Rentals

Suite 206 Rentals

Tracy Autem Photography

5 Elements of a GREAT Makeover....and this one is TWICE as nice!

I was filing some digital images from recent weeks and couldn't stop staring at these two transformations...stunning 17 year old bridesmaids who are twins!  I love before and afters as much as you do, and we all know we love the after...but why?  What elements make an "after" so eye catching?  Check out the before/afters, and then I'll give you a breakdown of what you're seeing and why it works:

 

In my opinion, here's why these makeovers work...

 

1. The Makeup is age/occasion/personal style appropriate.  They're 17, so they want to look pretty for their friend's wedding, but a super heavy (shall we say, tarty?) look just wouldn't be right on either girl.  The style of makeup you choose should fit your age, your coloring, your style, the occasion....all of the above.  This makeup does!  Incidentally, this look would work on nearly any age....it's a classically pretty look and that never goes out of style.

 

2. Skin still looks like skin! Breakouts and discoloration are minimized without creating a heavy look.  I used highly pigmented products applied in sheer layers to cover what needed to be covered without it looking like a coat of paint!  It's smoother and perfected, but it still looks like skin...not plastic or like they are covered in 3 inches of makeup.  It doesn't feel heavy either, which is important too. You can still see their freckles poking through!  Love that....

 

3. The colors are right/ no harsh lines - Soft pinks and plums look heavenly on brown eyed brunettes!  Everything is blended down well, the lip and cheek color emulates a natural flush and the eye makeup makes their brown eyes really stand out.  Black liner and black mascara (plus false lashes for pop!) work on everyone...everything else is in muted shades with nothing harsh and no unblended lines.

 

4. Brows!  These girls both have really thick strong brows!  I tweezed to clean up the shape, brushed them up and filled in a bit with brow pomade to highlight them.  Notice I didn't tweeze them down or change their shape too much?  Their natural strong brows work beautifully to frame their faces, it just needed a bit of polishing to look perfect.  Totally reshaping them into a different shape would look unnatural and unbalanced. (That's a whole 'nother topic, I could go on all day about brows!)

 

5. They still look like THEMSELVES.  Unless it's an artistic and stylized shoot, that's always my goal!  I want to bring out your natural good looks and polish them up...not make you look like you're dressed as a Halloween character or celeb wannabe.  The comfortable, warm smiles and sparkle in their eyes says it all...the LOVED how they looked!  Pretty, polished, perfect.

 

Here's a pic of them dressed and ready to go, along with another set of twins (different family) who served as adorable flower girls!

 

Every makeover is different and brings different goals with it....sometimes it's about covering skin issues, sometimes it's about making eyes pop, softening a strong jaw line.  When I'm doing editorial work or photo shoots, all bets are off and I might be totally packing on product, changing your face shape, and indeed making you look like a totally different person...but that's a whole different scenario, and not the way to go for weddings, special occasions and everyday situations.  Trends come and go, but classic, fresh and pretty NEVER go out of style and that's what these two examples are all about!  To me, these 5 elements are what make the ultimate makeover, because in the end, the before/after is about looking like the very best version of yourself. Or, in this case, looking a bit like your gorgeous twin sister....; )

 

 

(Makeup by Jennifer Trotter of Lip Service Makeup, Hair by Renn Traylor and Nikki Lasley)

 

 



Hire a Professional Makeup Artist? DIY? Tips for Both - (Featured on Tami Winn Events Blog)

When Tami Winn Events contacted me and asked for a blog interview, I was more than happy to help!  I LOVE tips and tricks myself, and I'm pretty sure most people love to learn a lil' something new themselves.  In case you're not familiar, Tami Winn and her staff are well known wedding and event specialists here in Fort Worth, TX....they create fantasy environments and lush florals for many exclusive weddings in the area!  They ROCK.  Attention to detail, amazing taste...these girls know what they're doing.  I have worked with Jamie and Tami on weddings, of course and I actually did Tami's own makeup for the 360West "Planners" Photo shoot for the Spring issue.The girl's got GREAT skin and a fabulous smile! (See pic at right....Photo courtesy of Tracy

Autem Photography...check out the article for full list of credits from this incredible "Vanity Fair" style shoot!)

For the interview, they wanted to share with their followers a discussion about hiring a professional vs. DIY makeup, and tips for both.  Wedding planners know all too well how great makeup can make....or break...your otherwise perfect wedding, that's for sure!

RULE #1 - BOOK A PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP ARTIST FOR YOUR WEDDING!
TWE agrees with me on this one...you should hire a professional makeup artist for your wedding!  Once we covered that topic, they wanted to know for brides who don't hire a professional, what are some basic tips (we'll get back to that in a minute).  Obviously, I'm pretty biased...I think professional makeup is crucial for weddings and special events!  Just ask someone who didn't hire a professional who wishes she had....and then ask your wedding professionals who can back this up.

Only a professional knows how to truly highlight your features to their best advantage, while applying makeup what will photograph well AND last. We know how to make you look like the most gorgeous version of yourself that you've ever seen....it's just not the same as everyday makeup, and it's worth it.  Period. As one bride recently told me "My friend who got married last didn't think makeup was important...her wedding makeup didn't look good and she doesn't like her photos...she really regrets skipping it.  I don't want that to happen, plus it's my wedding day...I want to look AMAZING in front of my new husband and all my friends and family!" That bride knew what she wanted and what was important, and on wedding day, she had zero concerns about how she'd look or if her makeup would last.  Beauty plus peace of mind!  Budget in professional hair and makeup, you won't regret it.

For total DIY brides who simply don't have the budget or insist upon doing their own?  Well, I've got advice for you as well.  First off, consider booking a LESSON with a local professional.  Not all artists teach lessons, but many do...I personally love to teach!  I am happy to book a session to go step by step with you through your makeup routine, what works, what doesn't and then show you how to do your own makeup.  Find a local artist who's work you really admire and is recommended by your other wedding professionals and start there.  Many destination brides will book me for this service if their budget doesn't allow them to take me with them.  (Insert frowny face...I'd rather go with you to Belize, but hey, we've got to be realistic...not everyone can swing that!)  Also, many, many brides will book a lesson in the months following their wedding so they can learn how to create a fab look anytime.

 If for some reason you must do your own makeup on wedding day, booking a lesson beforehand could make all the difference! If you're doing total DIY, invest in quality makeup and decent brushes....stick to rosy cheeks and lips (look good on everyone), and a classic overall look.  Learn how to apply lashes, and blend EVERYTHING.

Great products and tools are a must, plus PRACTICE.  Your makeup won't look good if you don't do run throughs to test your look.  Final tip?  Wear plenty of blush!  Blush never shows up well in photos, you need more than real life.

To read the full blog post from the interview I gave with even more tips and tricks, click here.....

Thanks again to Tami Winn Events for featuring me on their blog this week!