Formal Shots from Mrs. Jessie Mae

Some formal shots from Mrs. Jessie Mae.

Roxie's Wedding Makeup: Natural, Simple and Perfectly Classic

Ms., soon to be Mrs., Roxie was the last Bride of the Summer/Early Fall season.  She chose a soft and simple look which enhanced her natural beauty.

Surrounded by family and friends the morning of her wedding, we had a spectacular time looking out onto the wetlands and wildlife from Bodega Bay Lodge in Bodega, CA.

Inspired: Fantasy Peacock Makeup and Costume

Even a bridal makeup artist likes to venture into the world of sci-fi occasionally....

Bridal Makeup Breakdown: Jessie's Napa Valley Wedding

 

Skin/Prep and Prime:

Embriolysse Moisturizer

MAC Fast Response Eye Cream

Nivea Chapstick

Benefit Porefessional Primer

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Face:

Cinema Secrets Foundation

Cinema Secrets Concealer

MAC Studio Fix Powder in N3 and N4

Cheeks:

MAC True Romantic and Tenderling on back of cheeks

MAC Pink Swoon as pop on apple of cheeks

Kevin Aucoin Candlelight highlighting powder

Contour with MUFE contour powder #2 and MAC contour powder in Bone Beige

Eyes:

MAC Omega shadow run through brows with an angled brush

MAC Vanilla and Shroom on lid

MAC Cork, Espresso, Down Brown and Mystery blended for contour

MAC Shroom on browbone as highlight

MAC Cork run lightly on lower lashline

Urban Decay Demolition liner, smudged into lashline, before false lashes applied

Bobbi Brown Chocolate Shimmer Gel Liner smudged into lashline, after false lashes applied

L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Waterproof Very Black

Miss Adoro 747s lashes

Lips:

MAC Soar lipliner

NARS Bangkok lipstick

Powder T-Zone lightly with Laura Mercier translucent powder

Set everything with Model in a Bottle Setting Spray, original formula

Jessie is a Mrs! See Her Napa Valley Country Wedding

Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE my job?

Nearly five years ago I started NoRulesJustBeauty Artistry.  After my own hair and makeup artist DID NOT SHOW UP on my wedding day (she had screwed up the date 5/4 instead of 4/5)  I made a vow that I would provide bridal makeup services which were 110% dependable and consistent, ensuring that MY brides never had to feel the disappointment and last minute scramble that I felt on my own wedding day.

Five years later I am grateful that the beauty industry has provided me a challenging and engaging career which capitalizes on my creativity, and allows me to provide support and services to brides on their most beautiful day.

This weekend I had the joy of providing services for Mrs. Jessie's Napa Valley County Wedding.

Jessie makes my job look easy being such a naturally beautiful girl.  Her light hair and porcelain skin was a stunning combination with her candlelight dress.

Oh and this dress!

You wouldn't know it to look at it in the picture above, but it's actually two dresses in one.  Once the ceremony and formal pictures are over, Jessie can remove the skirt portion of the gown and she has an adorable cocktail dress to dance the night away in!

Stay tuned for a full breakdown of the products used to create this look!

Oh the PERFECT red lip...

The perfect red lip is a seriously powerful thing.

While watching the movie Burlesque, with Cher and Christina Aguilera, I became overwhelmingly inspired by the striking red lips and glitter lids.  If you haven't seen Burlesque, you MUST check it out.  The makeup and costume alone overshadow the possibly corny plot lines.  And the music?  To die for.

Makeup Lighting:

 Daylight:

No lighting, flash only:

 

To create this lip look I used the following products:

MAC Lipliner in Cherry

MAC Lipliner in Auburn

Red Eyeshadow from any palette (I used a cheap 88 color palette)

I think the most surprising thing about this red lip is that it's a matte texture, using non-matte products.  For long wear lip looks, it's a great pro tip to use a powder product to really "set" the look for extended wear.

Face:

Urban Decay Naked Skin foundation in 1.0

MAC Studio Fix powder in N3

MUFE Contour in #2

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Lightscape (highlight)

Eyes:

MAC Reflects Gold pigment (lid)

Smashbox Linen (browbone)

Smashbox eyeshadow Dusk/Sable mixed (crease)

Smashbox brown cream liner

L'Oreal Full Definition Mascara in Very Black

Debbie's Rose Garden Wedding

I wanted to take this opportunity to post the formal wedding photos of my recent Bridal client, Debbie.

For more details on Debbie's wedding, as well as before and after photos, click here

A Rose By Any Other Name...Debbie's Wedding Before/After

It isn't often that I find myself completely speechless upon arrival to a wedding location; this wedding was the exception to that rule.

Held at the historical Garden Valley Ranch in Petaluma, CA this venue was truly a sight to behold.  Acres upon acres of roses in all different colors and varieties assured that you smelled this beautiful garden before you ever left your car.

Each detail of this wedding  provided a feeling of elegance and sophistication.  Vintage inspired details included the bride's beaded, bias cut, gown  accompanied by antique family heirloom jewelery to complete the look.  Finishing touches such as white bridesmaid dresses, all differing in style, and peach toned flowers ensured a classic and timeless color palette which played beautifully against the natural elegance of the venue.

Soft toned makeup was applied to emphasize the natural beauty of the bride's fair complexion and captivating eyes.  Brown false lashes were applied, instead of black, to ensured that the look remained soft and approachable while still opening up the eyes and providing the appropriate emphasis for photography. 

Before

After, Eyes Open

After, Eyes Closed

Detox Market San Francisco (Photo Heavy)

During a recent venture into San Francisco, I sought out a new addition to the Mission District: The Detox Market.  

The Detox Market's flagship location on Beverly Blvd in West Hollywood has had a cult following since their opening in 2010.  With a goal of seeking out high quality, eco-coscious beauty and food brands, a trip to The Detox Market is bound to introduce you to a handful of brands you may have never heard of before. 

Their mission statement is simple:

"We believe...We believe in pure, natural products that work.  We believe in living simply without sacrificing quality. We believe in conscious consumption. We believe in the passionate people behind each of our products. We believe in feeling good from the products we use"

Their new location at 969 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94110 is a breath of fresh air among the heavy concentration of thrift stores, indie coffee shops and bookstores in the area.  Using white crates as display counters, the store provides an airy approach to product display, imparting a relaxed and clean feeling to the consumer. 

In a world where a single Nordstrom may carry over 500 brand options in their beauty department alone, the edited product selection at The Detox Market was a welcome surprise.

A definite perk of visiting this location was being introduced to a number of brands which I have either never heard of, or never had the chance to play with in person.  For example:

Each brand was accompanied by a chalkboard providing information about the brand and product line; a perfect accompaniment to The Detox Market's clean and approachable aesthetic.  Key features of the brand's offering, such as cruelty free and organic ingredients, were provided with a handwritten presentation which provided a feeling of personal connection to The Detox Market.



The Detox Market also offers a handful of carefully chosen food products to their customers.

AND one of my all time favorite brands of tea, with a HUGE selection!

The Detox Market is a wonderful gem offered to the City of San Francisco; a city that offers you a little bit of everything.  I am anxious to see what new offerings The Detox Market introduces as their product selection changes and evolves to suit the needs of their San Francisco clientele. 


Final Verdict: I'll be back!

The Perfect Summer Wedding...

Memorial Day weekend held a special moment in my heart this year.  One of my dearest friends, Christine, was getting married *sniff* in what amounted to the perfect summer wedding.

The bride, Christine, and I go waaaay back to my first days as a transfer student at Sonoma State University.  At the time, Sonoma State (SSU) had just opened a new set of "apartment-style" dormitories which housed four people in a four bedroom/four bath apartment with shared kitchen/living space.  By luck, I was placed in the same dormitory as this gorgeous girl here:

Halloween 2003

Little did I know that in the coming months Christine and I would become incredibly close bonding over late night sing-alongs to Rent and Moulin Rouge soundtracks (Christine majored in Theater).

Who knew that months later Christine would introduce me to her high school friend, David, who is now my husband!

3 month dating anniversary 2004

Ren Faire Turkey Legs - YUM!

In short, I adore this girl to her very core...

Christine's wedding was held at the American River Resort in Coloma, California on a perfect May summer day. 

The location backed directly up to the American River providing a feeling of serenity and nature. 

Choosing a color palette inspired by the sunset, her bridesmaids wore pale yellow and carried a variety of sunflowers.

The bride imparted a vintage feel to her look by styling soft pin curled hair with a single flower, finishing the look with black winged eyeliner, corner lashes and a rich plum lip color (L'Oreal Infallible Le Rouge in Everlasting Plum).

The day was a perfect collection of everything wonderful: Good Food, Good Friends, and Love...so much love.

Many congratulations to the bride and groom!