Bridal Makeup | June 27, 2015 | Diaz de Arce-Peeler Wedding

Last month, I had the honor of being the Makeup Artist for a group of gorgeous bridesmaids and the beautiful Bride that I did a trial on in my previous post. Here are some photos to recap the day. I love how everyone's makeup was a little bit different but all came together in the end. Girls, you don't have to make your bridesmaids look identical! A little bit of individuality in each girl's look is important and shines through in your wedding photos. It was a long day, but it's worth it when you enjoy what you do! 

Thank you again for letting me a part of your special day! Best wishes, Mrs. Peeler! 

TAKE SEVEN: WHY MAKEUP TRIALS ARE SO IMPORTANT BEFORE YOUR WEDDING DAY

One of the most common misconceptions I usually encounter when taking on a wedding job is that there is no need for a trial run because the bride knows exactly what she wants and "trusts" me to do my job. The last thing a bride wants to experience on her big day is her hair or makeup not looking like she has imagined it would in her head. I cannot stress enough the importance of a wedding trial run, not just in makeup but hair as well. It usually works out perfectly for you to have them both done on the same day so you can really get an idea of how you will look the day of. Foregoing a trial could always risk the possibility of the bride either not liking how her makeup turns out on her special day or surpassing the allocated amount of time planned for the makeup application.

As a professional, I've experienced things going wrong on the day of and I try to do anything in my power to prevent those things from happening on a normal basis. A trial is one of the best ways to avoid a bump in your special day, so trust the professional! Trial appointments are typically included in the price of the service on the wedding day. Take advantage of them! Never move forward with a Makeup Artist or Cosmetologist who would like you to opt out a trial run. 

With a booked wedding party last weekend, I recently did a makeup trial for the Bride to be and as expected, her makeup looked completely different on her actual wedding day, but in a good way! Originally she wanted a smoky eye and brownie nude lip. On the wedding day we decided to go for a softer eye, more of a Mauve-brown lip color, and we went for a more natural and glowy look on her skin. Taking pictures with flash photography is an extremely important final step in your trial appointment. It allows you to see how the makeup will photograph on the wedding day, as well as reference back to critique any little details, brush up on your skills or make changes to the final look.

Here's a picture to compare! I am super happy with how the finished look turned out.

Thank you, Dalita for trusting me as your Makeup Artist on your special day! 

TAKE SIX: HOW TO FIX A BROKEN COMPACT

We've all been there. You travel on a road trip or flight and while unpacking your makeup bag you discover your favorite compact is broken into smithereens. Initially, there are tears. Then, either two scenarios take place. 1) You run out to the nearest department store and buy a replacement. (But let's face it, that's expensive!)  Or 2) You put it back together! Yes, you read that right. There is a way to put your broken blushes, highlighters, face powders or eyeshadows back in one piece after they've suffered some devastating damage. Recently, this happened to my Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Nectar. Keep reading to find out how I fixed it! 

What you'll need:

Isopropyl Alcohol

Tissues

Q-tips or Spatula

Broken Compact

Steps: 

1. Pour broken pieces of powder into a tissue and set aside.

2. Clean up left over powder residue on/around compact.

2. Fold edges of the tissue containing product in half and slowly pour the 

broken pieces back into the compact. 

(If pieces are kept together in strips, place in compact by hand.)

3. Slowly start pouring alcohol into the compact and saturate the powder

until it is moldable.

4. Now start to smooth powder with a Q-tip or wooden spatula to make the

powder look as smooth as possible. 

5. Leave to dry and set over night or for at least 6-8 hours. 

Voila! 

DO YOU FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM?

Lately, I've been Instagram-ing up a storm. I love posting daily some of my favorite products, makeup of the day, food, my doggies...You name it, I insta it! Make sure you are following me for all the good stuff! 

Follow me here! 

TAKE FIVE: MY FIRST BH COSMETICS PURCHASES!

BH Cosmetics is very well known in the beauty blogging community for their awesome eyeshadow palettes. With so many popular Bloggers and YouTubers standing behind their products, I figured it was about time I try some things out. For my first order, I decided on the Contour & Blush 6 Color Palette and the Foundation and Concealer 10 Color Palette. I also ordered a brush set, which I will be reviewing further in it's own dedicated post.

Contour & Blush Palette 

There are two color options in the Contour & Blush Palette that you can choose from. Contour & Blush 1 is for more directed towards lighter complexions and Contour & Blush 2 is directed towards deeper complexions. I chose Contour & Blush 1 after reading reviews that it is very pigmented and actually works for medium skin tones as well. The price of this palette is $18.95.

Initially, I was surprised at how pigmented the shades were. The deep brown is EXTREMELY pigmented and if not careful can end up looking a little too ruddy on the skin. The pink blush colors are very pigmented too, so a little product goes a long way. My favorite colors are the middle, yellow toned shade and the peachy pink, flesh tone on the far left of the second row. The white shade is AMAZING for highlighting. It is very pigmented as well and has a soft sheen to it. I love adding this to my contour and highlight routine now. This palette could really work for med-deep skin tones too. In my opinion, this really wouldn't be the best choice for fair-light complexions, but light-medium to medium-deep are more ideal tones. I thought this palette would be great for my freelance work so that I have a more universal palette for contour, highlight and blush. 

Foundation & Concealer Palette

There are so many foundation and concealer palettes out there so I was really curious to see the quality of the BH Cosmetics Foundation & Concealer 10 Color Palette. At the price of $16.95, was it really to good to be true? Like the Contour & Blush palette, there are two different shade ranges to choose from; one being for light-medium complexions and the other being for medium-deep complexions. I chose the Foundation & Concealer Palette 1 for light-medium skin tones. 

My initial reaction when I opened this palette was, "Where's all the product?" There's very little amount of product in each shade. Which is surprising to me since this is considered a "foundation" AND concealer palette. While they do give off a dense amount of color, they feel a little too oily for normal-oily skin types. The BH Cosmetics site lists them as oil-free and for all skin types, but I would really only recommend them for more normal-dry or very dry skin types. They have to be set with powder but once they are, they don't blend very evenly on the skin. I originally bought this palette for my freelance kit, but I am afraid to use it on clients with oily skin. So, I think this will be more of a product I use on dry skin clients or just play around with on myself. 

Final Thoughts:

In review, I think these are two palettes that would really work well for beginners who are looking to spend their money wisely and get more variety of product in a convenient location at a good price. But quality wise, if you are a professional makeup artist or have higher end products that you prefer and are interested in these palettes as an alternative, save your money and splurge on something a little more high end or high quality. 

Four Years, a Letter to My Husband.

Reese,

I can't believe that 4 years ago I became your wife. Never did I imagine on that day, that 4 years would feel like a lifetime spent with you. You, all on your very own, are capable of making me the happiest woman on Earth. You are always there to pick me up when I am down and reassure me that I am enough when others tell me otherwise. You, Reese David, are my very best friend. Of course I would be lying if I said we haven't had our downs along with the ups. Everyday is not sunshine and rainbows and we are just as easily capable of driving each other crazy, but I wouldn't want to do that with anyone else. It might not define everyone's marriage, but it is ours. Our own to decide how it grows and no one else's. All that simply matters is that it does. 4 years ago today, I made a promise that I would love you forever. That I would love you in all your forms. I have seen you at your best and I have seen you at your worst. I choose to love them both everyday until my last day on this Earth and then for eternity in Heaven after that. So, in the big screen version of our life together, 4 years doesn't actually seem that long. While I can't wait for 4 years to turn into 40+, I'm enjoying living life with you one day at a time. Soon we will be embarking on new adventures and experience changes together that neither of us have ever faced before. I promise that I will never leave you, no matter what we face. No matter how hard the work is or how long it takes. Being your wife is a job I will never get tired of doing everyday. I will stand by your side until I can no longer stand. And even then, I will be sitting by you through thick and thin, until the very end. Thank you for being my husband. Thank you for accepting me in all of my forms. You are kind and hard working and the definition of a loving man. There is no one I could picture my forever with other than you.

Remember this, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1. ❤️

I love you and I will always love you. 

Until forever, 

Jessica

TAKE THREE: COSMETIC COMPANY OUTLET HAUL

If you are an old follower of my blogs then you may remember the Estée Lauder Double Matte foundation that I used to claim as my HOLY GRAIL foundation. Today I took a trip to the Premium Outlets in my area and was surprised to find one (yes, ONE) left in my shade! Estée Lauder discontinued it for good over a year ago and it has been extremely difficult for me to find so my alternative is the original Double Wear foundation. But, Double Matte doesn't budge a bit on me and is perfect for summer! Can I just mention, I also loved the price tag of 25 bucks! Cha-Ching!
For an old, in depth review on this foundation head on over to FTLOB, here!

Along with the foundation, I scored a gorgeous mineralized blush from MAC in Petal Power. It's a golden, peachy pink with a glow that is TO. DIE. FOR. Believe it or not, this is my first MAC blush of all time and it was a steal of a deal for $19.

Last but not least, the Estée Lauder Double Wear BB Brush-On Glow Highlighter is one of my favorite ways to highlight the skin without looking too shiny or pasty. It's a brush-on liquid concealer with a beautiful sheen and medium amount of coverage. Great for brushing in the inner corner of the eyes, down the bridge of the nose, cupid's bow and top of the cheek bones for a natural highlight and glow. Only $20 too!

They were having a promotion in store; Spend $60 and receive one free item of your choice. The options were between two Estée Lauder lipsticks, Modern Muse body lotion or Estée's Pleasures travel size perfume. I decided to go with the a Pure Color lipstick in the shade Bois de Rose. Basically, it's all in the name. It's a beautiful deep rose color that really works with a multitude of complexions! I probably won't wear this myself very much, but I love adding these kinds of colors to my freelance kit because you never know when you will need them! 

xo,
Jessica