Category: Beauty

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Stress Relief 101: At Home Spa Treatments

Before the relaxation of the holidays kicks in, there is some stress you will need to overcome; parking lots and malls are a tizzy with people and grocery stores are enough to cause panic attack. This is why day 7 in our countdown is all about at-home relaxation.

1. Face Mask.
          – Take 1/2 cup of hot (not boiling) water
          – 1/3 cup of Oatmeal (mix them and then let them sit for 2-3 minutes)
          – Add 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
          – Add 2 tablespoons of honey
Mix it all and then apply it to your face. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes before you wash it off with a warm cloth. To make it feel like a real spa experience, put two cucumber slices on your eyes and listen to some classical music while you wait. You deserve it!

2. Foot Soak
          – 1 cup of milk
          – 2 tablespoons of honey
          – 1 cup of epsom salts
          – (and if you really need some moisture) add 2TBS of an oil, such as coconut, oliveo r jojoba
Add all of these ingredients into a bowl. For a little extra spa sensation, put some stones or marbles at the bottom of the bowl and rub your feet on them for a massage.

3. Lip Scrub
          – 1 part brown sugar
          – 1 part honey
          – 1 part olive oil
Lips tend to get chapped when facing the colder weather. Keep them moisturized and exfoliated at the same time with this DIY spa treatment.

4. Bath Soak
          – 1 cup of powdered milk
          – 1/2 cup of corn starch
          – 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint oil
          – Mix with 2 cups of hot water and then pout into the tub
Baths are perfect in the winter, and the ultimate way to relax!

5. Hand and Body Scrub
         – 1 cup of brown sugar
         – 1 cup of olive oil
         – 1 teaspoon of honey
         – 1 tablespoon of coarse salt
         – Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil
It is important to exfoliate all year round, but it is important not to dry out your skin. This oil-based scrub will help you get rid of dead skins cells with the added benefit of simultaneously moisturizing.

If you have a few minutes, make up your at-home spa recipe tonight. Put it in a container for safe keeping until you have more time on the weekend. That way when you go to unwind, your spa will be waiting for you!

Tomorrow is Friday, check back for day 6 in our countdown to the holidays for some party hair and makeup inspiration!

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Fake It: How to Highlight and Contour your Face

Holiday Countdown – Day 9!

If done correctly, contouring and highlighting can look really natural and attractive. If done incorrectly, it can look really obvious and it won’t be very flattering. One of the most important things to pulling this off, besides the know-how, are the products. You want to make sure that you are equipped with the right products to make it look natural.

You will need a matte bronzer that is darker than your skin tone, but not too dark. You can use a powder or cream, and you will want it to be about 2 shades darker. This makes it dark enough so it is noticeable, but still light enough to be blended in to look natural.

For a highlighter, there are a variety of consistencies you can choose from. There are liquid highlighters, powder highlighters and cream highlighters. It doesn’t matter what you choose to use, as long as the pigments finely ground so that it is a subtle glow, not a glittery disaster.

Another thing to be aware of is if the highlighter has silver or golden undertones. Choose silver if your skin tone is on the cool side, and a gold highlighter if your skin is a warmer tone.

How-to:

Start your makeup routine as you usually would with a clean, moisturized face. Then apply your foundation and concealer as you usually would and set it with a powder.

Then take your bronzer and work it into the hollows of your cheeks. To find them, you can suck in your cheeks and do the “fish face.” Start by making a line from your hair line down to about 1 inch from the corner of your mouth. Blend in circular motions and bring the color up to your temples and down to your jawline.

Take your highlighter and apply it onto your brow bones, down the center of your nose and at the top of your cheek bones.

Then apply your blush and anything else as you normally would. And you will have your finished look with a highlighted and contoured face!

Check back tomorrow for day 8 of our countdown that will feature some holiday hair ideas.

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Why Palettes Make the Perfect Gift!

It is that time of year again when gift-giving begins. At times it can be overwhelming to think of something to buy for all of the people on your list. Great gifts for gal pals, family members and female co-workers alike are makeup palettes. There are lip palettes, eye shadow palettes, blush palettes and palettes that have a mix of items.

It is a great way to spice up the makeup routine and try some new colors and looks. Palettes usually include colors you wouldn’t normally try or buy, this allows people to experiment without being totally committed. Here are some holiday palettes that we love!

The Edward Bess Baby Pink Lip Palette

This is perfect for any friend that you know of that has more lipstick tubes than pairs of shoes. Baby pinks look great on a variety of skin tones and this palette allows for a little mix n’ match! It is great that it is small enough to carry around in a purse or bag. It includes a brush and a mirror for on-the-go applications.

The Bobbi Brown Bellini Lips and Eye Palette

As if the name Bellini isn’t appetizing enough, this palette features the most beautiful lip and eye shades. We love Bobbi Brown because they make good quality products. Any opportunity to try a few shades at once is one that we don’t want to miss out on!
The Too Faced Natural Face Natural Radiance Palette

Face palettes are such a blessing. We love it when our bronzers, blushes and highlighters are all in one place! Palettes like this usually choose colors that will flatter a variety of skin tones so that they can cater to as many people as possible. Do you have friends going on vacation? This is compact and perfect to take travelling!
The Lorac Eye Candy Full Face Collection

This is an adorable holiday gift to give. The box resembles a box of chocolates and the mini palettes inside look like chocolate bars! Although there may be a half second of disappointment when the person realizes that the gift is not edible, it will be replaced with pure joy when they see the range of colors in this palette. As it says, it is a full face palette and includes colors for the eyes, face and lips – and it is completely adorable!
The Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

We couldn’t write a blog about great makeup palettes without including either the Naked or Naked 2 palette from Urban Decay. These palettes are best-sellers and have rave reviews all over the web. They feature both matte and shimmer colors that can make a plethora of beautiful eye shadow looks that can range from neutral to dramatic. 
The Sephora Collection Color Daze Blockbuster

This gift is for your friends that are beauty junkies. Packed neatly in a black and white striped box, it unfolds a multitude of amazing colors that any beauty-obsessed friend would love to experiment with. This palette features 64 waterproof eye shadows, cream eyeliner, eye and lip top coats, 48 lip glosses, 3 blushes, 6 multi-purpose shades for eyes, cheeks and lips – plus 3 luminizers and 3 makeup brushes. Can you say speechless?
All palettes that were listed are available at Sephora. To avoid the hustle and bustle of malls during the holiday season, you can always order online. 
Stay tuned (via Facebook & Twitter) for our artists and stylist must-haves, our holiday faves and many more! 

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Thanks To The Amazing Vendors!

Our post today is all about how thankful we are for our fellow wedding vendors. When we work on weddings, we have the privilege of working with a number of other industry professionals. They recognize the level of service our team delivers and the quality of work that we provide.

Swank Photo Studio
It is so incredible to have the ability to work alongside such a variety of accomplished and professional people. We love fellow vendors that believe in outstanding quality and customer service as much as we do. This ensures that the bride, groom, family and friends enjoy the perfect day that they deserve.

One Shot Photography
It is the same with photo shoots. They are not all wedding vendors, but the models, magazine staff, photographers and venues are all vendors that are equally important to us. It is a great industry to be a part of and we are so fortunate to be surrounded by a number of outstanding individuals and businesses. 
The Shultzes

So thank you to the vendors who work hard and strive to always give their very best. It is an honor and a pleasure to work along side you. We are excited to build new relationships and strengthen existing ones. 

EW Photography

Happy holidays!

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We Are So Thankful For Our Clients!

Today, and every day, we are thankful for our clients. We have the opportunity to work with the most amazing people! We love getting to know them, exchanging stories and experiences, while making them look and feel incredible.

Photo courtesy of Mark Schueler

We work with a variety of clients, doing hair and makeup for corporate headshots, maternity photos, photo shoots as well as brides and bridal parties. 

Corporate headshots are what is presented to the business world. Sometimes it is difficult to discern what makeup is appropriate to enhance your features, but not look overdone or unprofessional. Luckily we have experience, and enjoy helping our clients look great for their head shots so that they can feel confident with them. 

Megapixie Photography

Maternity photos are so special to be involved with, expecting mothers have such a glow and we love being a part of capturing those feelings and emotions for our clients that are mothers-to-be. 

Magazine photo shoots are so much fun to be a part of! It is a great way to be creative and capture a story in photos. To see our post on a recent photo shoot that we were a part of, click here. 

Dara Blakeley Photography

Of course, we always love being a part of a wedding. We are so honored to be a part of such a monumental and memorable day. The pre-wedding bridal party buzz is always a fun atmosphere, and the moment when the bride is ready to put on her dress and see herself put together still gives us butterflies! 

To our past clients of all varieties and to potential/ future clients. We want to say thank you! Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your life and important moments, thank you for allowing us to do what we love and thank you for being so amazing!

Check back tomorrow to see what else we are thankful for this week.
Don’t forget to stay connected by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter!


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Today we are thankful for: Our Talented Team!

Our fabulous team at Kett Airbrush Training


Today we are extremely thankful for our talented team at Makeup for Your Day. Our team is completely dedicated to our clients, keeping us ranked the best in the business for customer service, amazing artistry and hair styling delivery.

Equipped with the most current training, our staff strives to always go above-and-beyond to make our clients happy. Our team’s dedication, passion, enthusiasm, creativity and attention to detail creates a great atmosphere for our clients and an amazing overall experience.

Kristin, Regan, our glowing bride Dorie, Jennifer B and Nikki

Without our talented team leaving a great impression on our brides, we could not continually win various industry awards such as Wedding Wire’s Bride’s Choice Awards or The Best of Weddings award from The Knot. We appreciate how hard our team works to make us a sought after business in the industry for our potential clients.

Our phenomenal team for the Pink Fashion Walk in Wilmington
Jennifer H, Lara, Jen, Sarah, Kristin and Jennifer B

All of our staff are highly trained and experienced, ensuring that all of our clients are completely taken care of… or in other words, they are in good hands!  {Not everyone is pictured so we’d like to send a special “thank you” to everyone on board with us and we’re wishing them a very happy Thanksgiving!}

To read what past brides and clients have to say, click here.

Check back tomorrow to see what else we are thankful for!

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MYD Spends A Week Giving Thanks!

Welcome to Makeup for Your Day’s Thanksgiving countdown, where we will have daily posts to let you know what we are thankful for!

Today we are thankful for artistry and design. We are so lucky to be in such a creative field where boundaries are constantly being tested and redefined. There are so many innovative new products and techniques that are so incredible, it keeps us constantly on our feet and excited about what will come next. 
One such innovative product that we are thankful for is our Kett Airbrush Machine! For those of you who haven’t read our blog before, check out our rave review of the Kett Airbrush Machine and why it is amazing for brides here, and check out our amazing and extensive staff training day blog post here. Any product that gives us the ability to make our clients look completely flawless we are definitely thankful for!
Other makeup products that we are thankful for are lip stains. When it is done right (not drying or flakey with good color payoff and the ability to last for hours) they are amazing products. When they aren’t done well it is a huge disappointment.  This is why we are thankful for the Chanel Lip Stains. These are truly heaven-sent to make sure that everyone can have beautifully colored and moisturized lips!
Another makeup innovation that we are thankful for is eyelash extensions. From enhancing your natural lashes, to a darker, thicker and more defined lash look – the possibilities are endless. Click here to read more about the training, procedure and payoff of amazing eyelash extensions. We love that they can last 4-5 weeks. Beach vacation, holiday party, get togethers, weddings… you name it, they are perfect for that little extra something. Plus, not having to apply mascara in the morning does lend more time for beauty sleep with the added bonus of waking up and looking incredible!
We can’t forget the hair products that we are thankful for! We love Kenra hair products. One of the best products is their Volume Hairspray. It is the 8-time winner for Best Hairspray at the Stylist Choice Awards, including 2012. You cannot go wrong with this hairspray!

We are also thankful for Biolage products because they cater to a diverse range of hair issues and are top quality products. They have great products for colored hair, dry hair, dull hair and they also have a line specifically for scalp care. Whatever hair need you have, Biolage will have a product that will help. 

Our last product that we are thankful for today is a hair tool. Marcel curling irons are amazing. They come in a variety of barrel sizes and create the perfect curl! Curls will never go out of style. They are a completely feminine and sexy look perfect for all hair types and lengths.

Stay tuned for our daily Thanksgiving posts this week where you will get more product recommendations and some info on our talented team of artists and stylists!
To ensure that you are always in the loop, be sure to LIKE us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

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MYD on the scene at a Southern-Inspired Photoshoot

This past Thursday, Southern Weddings had their V5 launch party. Their new issue, now on newsstands, looks incredible! We are so excited to have been a part of a beautiful photo shoot that is featured in their new issue.

It is always great to collaborate on photo shoots. We love the team at Southern Weddings and other industry professionals that come together the day-of. This shoot included Eric Kelley Photography, Lora Elaine styling, dresses from Bella Bridesmaid and it was located at the beautiful Fearrington House.

This Southern-Inspired shoot pulled their inspiration from family traditions and home-grown food, which in this case was the heirloom tomato. They set out to incorporate their inspiration in all elements of the shoot. They accomplished this by bringing to life the colors and the family atmosphere that they envisioned.

Makeup for Your Day had a talented team of artists and stylists there to do the hair and makeup for the shoot. Kristin, Regan, Kerri, Jennifer B, N’Zinga and Kathy all worked so hard and everyone looked incredible! With so many people to do hair and makeup for, there was a great variety of face shapes, skin tones and hair textures which is always a fun and creative challenge!

We absolutely loved being a part of this amazing shoot. Be sure to check out the full thing by picking up a copy on newsstands! 

*Watch the behind-the-scenes footage of this beautiful Southern photo shoot here!*
For more updates of photos of weddings and photo shoots that we have worked on, check out our Facebook Page!
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Gift Yourself some Lash Extensions this Holiday Season

The holiday season is coming up quickly, and soon it will be in full swing with Thanksgiving, company Christmas parties and family get-togethers. Why not give yourself an early gift with lash extensions?
Lash extensions are a semi-permanent procedure that applies false lashes to your existing ones. They are single-strand synthetic lashes that are tapered at the tip with a thick base and a curl to replicate natural lashes. If you like the idea but don’t want it to be obvious, you can choose to do fewer lashes to enhance your look, but still have it look natural. If you would like it to be more noticeable, you can choose to put on more lashes for a more dense and dramatic look.
If you are considering getting lash extensions, check what training, certifications and qualifications your stylist has. Many people practice this without formal training or certifications. This can lead to serious mistakes such as gluing your eye shut for up to 3 days!
At Make Up For Your Day, our team of artists and stylists are certified through NovaLash and XtremeLashes. These are the top 2 lash extension companies in the country. In 2011 XtremeLashes won the Professional Choice Award for Best Lash Extensions and NovaLash uses a medical-grade lash extension adhesive and has the reputation of being the “healthiest” lash extensions. Both are the leading comapies in the industry with high-quality products.

Our certified staff members have gone through extensive training to become certified and have performed this treatment on a number of clients.  

For Brides – We suggest that you get the lash extensions at least a month before the big day. The first time you put lashes on, they tend to fall out faster as you learn to accommodate certain parts of your routine, like washing and drying your face, in such a way that doesn’t cause them to fall out. Two weeks before, you will get your lashes filled again, and these will last for 4-5weeks. This means that after an amazing wedding, you can enjoy them on your honeymoon as well. It doesn’t matter if it’s a beach retreat or a backpacking adventure, there is no need for mascara and there is the added perk of looking great in photos!

For Moms – Whether you have smaller children and are sleeping less during the night, or older children that you are driving all over the place, we know that your life and your schedule can be a little hectic. Lash extensions are great because there is no need for mascara, it’s a get-up-and-go sort of look if you have no time. With kids, sometimes you don’t have time to think about yourself, but this is a small thing that you can do for yourself to look and feel great.

For Everyone – Lash extensions are for anyone who wants them. If you just want to perk up your natural lashes, or experiment with red carpet-worthy lashes, this service can take the fuss out of your morning routine and give you that little boost during the sluggish winter months.

Interested? Contact us to schedule your appointment!

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The Importance of a Hair and Makeup Trial: Brittany’s Bridal Portraits

Hair and makeup trials are a great way to gauge if you want to change anything in regards to your hair or makeup before the big day. You may find that you want your eyes to be more defined in photos, that you want your lips lighter or that you want to change your blush color. These are all good things to know before the wedding.   
Recently engaged? Before you take bridal portraits or even engagement photos, book a hair and makeup trial. Brittany had her bridal portraits done (courtesy of Matt McGraw Photography) after having her makeup trial with Make Up For Your Day. Your hair and makeup trial will help you see how your makeup will look under flash and natural lighting and how it will hold up during the day. The last thing you want is to find out that there are changes to be made after you get your otherwise gorgeous bridal portraits back!  Make sure every time you’re photographed for your wedding {engagement photos, bridal portraits, rehearsal dinner and day of your wedding} that your hair and makeup are just perfect by having your trial run before any of those take place.
The talented Jennifer House did all of the makeup for Brittany, including airbrushing. Airbrushing is a way to ensure that you will look flawless on your big day. If you haven’t considered it, check out our exclusive, cutting-edge training here.  

Everything is completely personalized and catered to your wants and needs. Each product will be hand-picked to suit your undertones, face shape and eye color. Somebody from our talented team of artists and stylists will construct your unique face chart that will break down all of the colors and products that will be used the day of your wedding. 
Congrats to the newlyweds who got married this past weekend at Shell Island Resort in Wrightsville Beach! Thank you for letting us be a part of your big day. 
To see our other hair and makeup trials we have done, as well as wedding albums, check out our Facebook page. 
http://www.facebook.com/makeupforyourday
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