First International Feature ~ Hong Kong Cosmopolitan Bride

I was so excited to find out about my work being featured in the newest issue of Hong Kong Cosmopolitan Bride magazine.  The couple were from Hong Kong who came to San Francisco for their engagement shoot with the gifted Chung Li of Chung Li Photography. The bride, Connie, is a super amazing pianist who had won numerous awards including the prestigious Hong Kong Top 10 Outstanding Young Person's Award.  Connie is an extraordinary pianist and music educator.  Due to her congenital deficiency, she was born with only three full fingers and had undergone a series of orthopedic surgeries her entire childhood to correct her fingers' disfigurement.  It was only after she finished all the surgeries that Connie began her piano studies.  SHe graduated at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in Music, majoring in Piano Performance.  Then she earned her M.A. and Ph.D in Ethnomusicology from the University of California, Los Angeles.  Connie came to the makeup and hairstyling session knowing exactly what she wanted to achieve.  And a a spokesperson for the popular Korean cosmetic brand Mioggi, she has plenty of experiences being made up by a professional artist so she was able to inject many ideas to creating her looks.

Makeup News!

 I'm very excited about the new Two Faced Matte Eyeshadow Collection that will be in Sephora stores July 21st.  You can find them online for now. They are a great addition to the existing Two Faced Eyeshadow Sets.  I love the texture and pigment of these shadows and use them often on my brides.  But I'm so glad they finally have a matte palette for those who don't like shimmers or glitters. Other makeup to try, Guerlain launched 2 limited edition products for the summer.  If you've ever used Guerlain, you know the quality of their products.  The pigments are intense and glide on so smoothly.  YSL is also a brand that offers very high quality of makeup products.  Their new wet/dry shadow gives vibrant color when used wet and dries to a smooth powdery finish. Go to your nearest Sephora and try out all the new, fun products!!

Guerlain's Limited Edition Bronzer

YSL Pure Chromatics Wet/Dry Shadow

Guerlain's Limited Edition Terra Indigo Shadow

Two Faced Matte Shadow Palette

Trial Session ~ Fang Fang

My sweet bride from Indonesia will be getting married at Thomas Fogerty Winery next month.  She wanted a fresh glow and a low chignon to go with her romantic peach themed wedding.  I love her sweet smile and am looking forward to meeting her family traveling here from Indonesia for the wedding!

New Wedding Hairstyles & Makeup Trends

The two most requested wedding hairstyles from my brides are Eva Longoria's loose low chignon or Kim Kardashian's loose waves.  Below are some new makeup and hairstyles that will hopefully spark your interest to try something new. Higher up-dos are making a big comeback after many seasons of loose low chignons. And everywhere you look, the new trends point to color, color, color.  Of course we don't want to try bright yellow or electric blue shadows for our wedding day.  I always believe in choosing a timeless, classic look so that whenever you look back at your wedding album, you still love what you see.  

Pay attention to details, eyebrows should be within 2 shades of your hair color. Colored shadow as lower liner looks so fresh.

Try something new, go out of your comfort zone, the purple shadow below the bottom lashes enlarge the eyes without looking like a smudge.

Classic looks are timeless.

Braids and light makeup always have a youthful appearance. 

Fresh or faux flowers make a dramatic statement.

Loose & Romantic

Clean & Polished

Casual Boho feel but the rhinestones still make it dressy.

Classic look with a modern twist, colored eyeshadow as bottom liner.

Great styles for bride or bridal party.

Tiaras look best with a sleek up do. Red flowers make a big impact.

Higher up-dos are making a big come back after seasons of low chignons.
All photos courtesy of 25ans wedding hair & beauty Vol. 9

My favorite makeup tools!

The perfect makeup application requires the right tools. Just like painting and drawing, having the right brushes and medium can help an artist create better artwork.  In this post, I want to share some of my favorite tools and why I like them.  Starting with my favorites, Trish McEvoy brushes and Sonia Kashuk Blending Sponge.  I love Trish McEvoy brushes for the simple reason that they work, they make applying shadow quick and easy.  Most eyeshadow brushes are flat, which takes repetitive application before you can start blending.  Trish McEvoy brushes are round and fluffy, and fit most eye shapes perfectly.  Their #29 blending brush works well because it is much shorter and slightly firmer than most blending brushes, it really concentrates on blending an area instead of pushing away the shadow.  #41 is great for applying shadow liner on the bottom of the eye.  I like using #55 for overall base color on the entire lid and for applying liquid illuminator on the cheekbones.  But my most  favorite brush is Trish McEvoy #45, it's the perfect shadow brush! Another reason why I love these brushes are because they are short, which makes them fit easily into cosmetic pouches. Next, I want to share with you the best sponge I've found, Sonia Kashuk Blending Sponge. You may find this little magical puff online or at Target in the cosmetics section. It doesn't come with any directions on the packaging, which might be a little frustrating for non professional ladies who likes to wear makeup daily.  But here's how to use it. This sponge must be used damp.  Don't try to use it dry, it'll absorb all your makeup.  It's a magical sponge because you can use it for liquid foundation, then set your foundation with powder using the same sponge, you can even apply blush and shadow with it! Don't apply with a wiping downward motion like most people do with sponges.  Instead, this sponge is to be used in a stippling motion. Use the pointed side for nose and eyes area.  If you love makeup and all things related, you must've also seen or heard of the Beauty Blender.  It's a pink egg shaped sponge.  I've also tried the beauty blender but came back to Sonia Kashuk sponge because I like the shape of this sponge better, it's much easier to hold. When it comes to tools, I always suggest to splurge a little.  Take good care of them and they will last a long time.  

My favorite brushes! From left: Trish McEvoy Brushes #29, #45, #41 & #55

Sonia Kashuk Blending Sponge, Bobbi Brown Ultra Fine Eyeliner Brush, MAC Eyeliner Brush #11 & Stila Duo Shadow Brush #15

LEFT: Stila Blending Brush # 9, MAC Blending Brush #224 & Trish McEvoy Tapered Blending #29
RIGHT: Stila Shadow # 5, Makeup Forever Professional Fan Brush, MF Professional Eyebrow, MF Professional 14S & Shu Uemura 6 OB Eyebrow Brush

Face Brushes: MAC #187, Stila #8,  MAC #129, MAC # 130

Very Merry Mary

I had the pleasure of styling my dear friend Mary, who is the event designer, planner and owner of Very Merry Events for a web TV interview.  She had just moved into a new office space and setting it up as a darling studio.  It was a great morning as we chatted and laughed while I was styling Mary.  Big thanks to Chung Li of Chung Li Photography for capturing these fun preparation shots for us.

A Rose Garden Wedding~Sheryl & Norm

Sheryl and Norm have been dating for 10+ years and finally decided to tie the knot after Norm's mother passed away last year.  They are the sweetest and most fun loving couple I've met.  Super down to earth and kind, they decided to host an intimate wedding for their immediate family in honor of Norm's mother and the union of two families.  I had the honor of styling Sheryl at the charming La Rose Hotel in Santa Rosa and attending their wedding at the Santa Rosa Rose Garden.  Sheryl performed a lovely hula dance for Norm which was so touching and brought tears to my eyes.  Here are some gorgeous photos by Chung Li.
Photography Chung Li Photography
Hotel Hotel La Rose
Beauty JBeautique

Thomas Fogarty Winery Wedding~Teresa & Brian

It was a super stormy day at the Thomas Fogarty Winery when Teresa & Brian got married.  I remember driving there and both sides of highway 35 was covered with snow.  The bad weather had prompted a closure on highway 84 and Teresa patiently called her guests one by one to inform them to take an alternate route as I was styling her hair and putting on her makeup.  Teresa was most concerned about her look being natural.  She and Brian had attended a wedding before where Brian couldn't recognize the bride because of her dark smoky makeup.  And he'd jokingly told her not to wear makeup for their wedding day.  Brian kept saying how beautiful she was when he saw Teresa for the first time when they did their "first look" photos.  It goes to show again that makeup and hairstyling is necessary for such a special occasion!  I was most impressed by how well Teresa's hairstyle defied against the stormy weather. Congrats again, Teresa & Brian.

Photography Janae Shields Photography

Wedding Planning Nicole Lisanne Weddings & Events by Design

Floral www.amyburkedesigns.com

Venue www.fogartywinery.com

Beauty www.jbeautique.com