Category: Wedding

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Ask the Experts with MYD’s Reader Request Series

At Makeup for Your Day we love everything hair and makeup, and we want to share what we know with you. We have a large team of talented artists and stylists with many years of experience. Our team has used a plethora of products, encountered many beauty blunders (and overcame them) and have picked up some industry secrets along the way!
As we gear up for wedding season to begin in May, we are going to dedicate the last week of April to posts that you want to read. Let us know product reviews, techniques, or tips and tricks that you want to know. Whether it is about makeup brushes, lip color, great hairsprays, our top recommendations for hair styling tools, what is in our bags – anything! 
We will collect any responses that we receive (from now until April 19) on Twitter, Facebook and the Comments box below and start crafting a week’s worth of responses that you request. 

We are extremely excited for our very first Reader Request Series! Be sure to let us know any beauty qualms or questions that you have and our amazing and knowledgable staff of artists and stylists can answer them for you.

We can’t wait to hear from you!
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The Right Hairstyle for Your Face Shape

There are so many articles and photos about finding the right hair cuts and hairstyles for your face shape. We found a great questionnaire from The Beauty Department that will help discern with certainty what your face shape is. Then we will give you some photos for inspiration!
If you have an oval face shape, you can look to Jessica Alba for inspiration. Arguably, an oval face shape can be the mos versatile. Jessica Alba has had a variety of hairstyles including short hair, long hair, side-swept bangs and straight bangs. 

For anyone with square shaped faces, you can look at Kiera Knightley. She looks stunning with an angled bob. It suits her square face shape perfectly and is slimming at her jawline.

For pear shaped faces, Kelly Osbourne is great inspiration because she takes risks and has tried a variety of hairstyles. We love how the deep part looks on her and think that the updos look so elegant on her.

For heart shaped faces, Reese Witherspoon has had some great hairstyles. She has tried straight, curly, side-swept bangs and straight bangs. She always looks so classy and feminine. 

If you have a diamond shaped face, Scarlett Johansson has tried interesting cuts, colors and styles throughout the years. We absolutely love the the wavy bob on her!

For an oblong face shape, Kate Beckinsale has some great looks. For long hair in general, Kate Beckinsale always has shiny healthy looking locks and amazing hairstyles. Although she doesn’t experiment with length much, the long tresses suit her longer face shape. 
Liv Tyler Has great options for people with rectangular face shapes. She has sported different updos, bang styles and hair lengths. We love her side swept bangs and prefer her with longer hair. 
If you have an inverted triangle face shape, look to style chameleon Ashlee Simpson for inspiration. She has tried a variety of lengths and colors that suit her face shape well. From ombre, to red, to straight bangs and side bangs, to a long bob, a short bob and a pixie cut. 
Ginnifer Goodwin is a great go-to if you are thinking of cutting your hair short. She has had shoulder length hair, long bobs and is currently featuring a totally cute pixie cut. The pixie cut looks amazing on her round face shape. It makes her features stand out much more than when she had long hair. 
Once you find your face shape it is easier to determine what sort of bangs, layers and updos will look good on you. For other photos, check out our Facebook page. We have such a talented team of stylists who have worked with a variety of face shapes and hair textures. 

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Our Top Picks: The 55th Grammy Awards

Last night the Grammys showcased the top talent on the music scene right now. Most celebrities were dressed to impress showcasing designer gowns, jewellery and shoes. Here are our top picks for hair and makeup at this year’s Grammy awards.

Canadian cutie Carly Rae Jepsen always has an edgier look about her, and this time was no different. As always, she wore her dark, straight bangs that were chopped unevenly to give her hair a rougher, messier look. Her gunmetal eyes mixed blues, greys and black that gave her an edgy smokey eye that matched her whole look, including her metallic dress!

Sean Paul showed up looking a little bit like a chia pet. We did not like his hair at all! If Sean Paul is looking for hair inspiration, he should look to JT. Justin Timberlake looked classic and handsome with longer, combed back hair.

Kimbra looked beautiful pale skin, red lips, black liner and dark brows. We thought her hair looked cute, but her bangs were a bit too short. 

Janelle Monae tends to be a risk-taker with her wardrobe, but her makeup was pretty subtle – and it looked great! Janelle had the most beautiful skin. This is a good example about how to highlight properly, we also loved her blush, her brows and how she wore red lips that were glossy and not matte.

At the People’s Choice Awards this year Taylor Swift went for a mature look with a more structured dress and plunging neckline. We were excited to see her Grammy look. We thought that she looked beautiful, but went back to her more youthful look that was predictable. She wore her hair with straight bangs with a braided crown that met at the back of her head. It was very piecey and undone, adding to her youthful, natural look.

Oh J.Lo. We mentioned after the Golden Globes that you might have too much glow. Tonight was no exception, under the lights and the flashes her skin looked oily. We love dewy skin, but not that dewy. She wore her hair slicked back into a tight topknot. This was to really draw attention to her cat eyes. Her eyes were extra feline-like with the eyeliner drawn to connect below the inner tear duct of the eye.

Florence Welch was Pantone head-to-toe with her Emerald getup. As she said in the interview on the red carpet, emerald looks really good with her hair color and her eye color. She wore an undone low bun that was very piecye in the front with cranberry lips and matte eyes. We love how she took a risk on the red carpet, we think it paid off.     

Besides Adele’s dress, she looked absolutely incredible. She is such a classic woman that exudes 50s elegance. We love how she can wear the beehive look and make it look stylish and not ridiculous. You want to know what we loved most about her look? Her lashes! Her lashes were absolutely incredible, the best of the night for sure!

Kat Dennings has such an interesting look about her. Such pale skin with big lips and big eyes. We like that she doesn’t shy away from the bold colors and drawing attention to her features. She had awesome black winged eyeliner with great matte plum lips.

We’re always looking for Rhianna on the red carpet. This look wasn’t as bold or risky as some of her other ones, but she looked stunning. We loved her red dress and how it matched her nails and her lips. Her lips were the perfect red lip. The lip liner was in a darker, but barely noticeable purple-red shade, and then the lips were filled in with a matte red color. We also loved Rhianna’s ombre hair. It looked incredible. 

We have to say that we love the mani cam! A trend prediction for 2013 is bejeweled nails and other forms of nail art and jewellery – we did see a lot of that. Another trend we noticed in the mani cam was a tendency for celebs to go for the long, pointed feline nails that looked fierce and fabulous.

Alright, it is time for our best dressed award. It is not only an award for best dressed, but it is the person who wins the best overall look. She had great hair, makeup, accessories and we loved the dress too. This award goes to Carrie Underwood. We loved her deep part with side bangs and her retro waves. We also loved her perfect glowing skin (take notes J.Lo) her blush, which wasn’t subtle, but wasn’t too much. And her eyes! They looked amazing. A+ all around for Carrie Underwood!

What were your favorite looks of the night? We would love to know! Let us know via Facebook, Twitter or in the comment box below!

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Blonde Ambition: Fresh Color for Your Wedding Day

When planning a wedding, everything revolves around a timeline. Meetings, fittings, tastings… there is a barrage of appointments up until the wedding day, including your pre-wedding cut and color.

Claire and Matthew had a gorgeous wedding at The Carolina Inn. This blonde bride had freshly colored hair for her wedding to ensure that there were no roots showing in photos. Book your hair cut and color 1-2 weeks before your wedding. Two weeks give that little extra time in case you need to go back and correct the color – this is especially important for blondes!

Photographer Cyn Kain was at The Carolina Inn taking these beautiful photos for Claire and Matthew while Makeup For Your Day‘s stylist Elizabeth and artist Thuy took care of the hair and makeup to ensure that everyone was looking and feeling beautiful.

Claire and Matthew were an amazing couple to work with. Claire was a stunning bride! Thank you for letting us be a part of your wedding day. We want to wish you all the best!

Have any questions about what to for your hair or skin to prep for your wedding day? Let us know via Twitter, Facebook or the comments box below!

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Prepping for the Super Bowl Half Time Show

The Super Bowl is a huge deal. The viewership of this event is astounding and because of this, all of the elements besides the actual game are very important. The commercials, that cost TONS to make and to get airtime are amazing and the half time show is also incredible. We are so excited that Beyonce is performing at this year’s Super Bowl half time show!

Today we want to go through good, the bad… and well, Beyonce is never ugly! She is such a natural beauty. To prep for her on stage performance on Sunday, we thought it would be fun to go through some of her looks and dissect them. She is such a beauty chameleon that takes chances and is fearless.

This picture is absolutely beautiful. Flawless skin, perfect brows and amazing hair. It just looks so effortless! Not comfortable baring all? Well, BB creams are the perfect solution that can even your skin tone and protect you with SPF for those vacation photos. Want to know more about BB creams, stay tuned for our post coming soon!

This look is a little bit of a beauty blunder for Beyonce. Once you are finished squinting and asking “are those hair sparkles?” you will realize that the thick, black shadow as liner on the upper lid paired with the silver liner on the bottom is not a good look for Beyonce!

We adore this photo! Beyonce looks amazing with her piecey, textured front bangs. And we can’t stop staring at those eyes! Not many people can pull off full, thick, black eyeliner without looking like a raccoon, but Beyonce does it SO well! 

Compared to the last photo, we aren’t loving this look or this eyeliner on her. Her skin is looking a little washed out and her lip color looks a little messy. This look was close, but not quite for Beyonce. 

We’re digging this retro-glam look for Beyonce. Her hair reminds us of many of the retro hairstyles we have done at weddings and photo shoots. You can never go wrong with this look! We love the subtle, yet noticeable contour and how the lips and eyes were minimal. 

This picture looks like a much younger Beyonce. Perhaps her Destiny’s Child days? Her teased, half-up hairstyle along with her pink cheeks and overly highlighted face looks like a version of Beyonce that we haven’t seen in years! We love the more mature look she has now. 
That’s more like it! We love how this new mom can leave the house and go to a basketball game with TV cameras and paperazzi without looking so overdone. The bangs look great on her. And her face is clean and matte with little, to no eye makeup or lip color. 

Beyonce with brown hair! We much prefer the honey-blonde hue that she normally wears, but this brown still looks good on this diva. Her fushia lips looks great and it is paired with a smokey eye. The fushia was picked up in the eye shadow used on her crease which has a pinkish hue. This reminds us of a recent bride who asked for pink eye shadow on her wedding day!

The side-braid! We love how chic, yet undone and laid back braids look. She glams up the braid by wearing silver shadow with a hint of sparkle and darker cheek color than usual. Oh yeah, and the navy sequin outfit glams it up as well!

Here is Beyonce accenting her gorgeous diamond earrings with her eyeliner- or is it the other way around? We love when people push the boundaries and we think Beyonce pulled this look off. The hint of silver at the outer corner of her eye between her bottom and top liner is obvious, but not obnoxious. 

Speaking of matching earrings with eye makeup. We spy some incredible navy shadow that goes splendidly with Beyonce’s amazing earrings. Want to know the secret to pulling off navy eyeshadow without looking like a clown? Go matte! Blending with the black, the navy gives enough pop to the eye without going overboard with shimmer. We love this look!

We are all about taking beauty risks, but we don’t think that this one paid off for Beyonce. Yellow shadow has made a come back and can look quite stunning if done correctly. The shadow color looked great as a contrast against the emerald earrings and outfit. To take this look from OK to amazing, we would pull the hair back into a chic high pony and add some extra liner to the upper lid at the outer corners. Like the navy eyeshadow she also wore, we want it to pop, but not to be too overwhelming!

This is the only “no, no, no – what were you thinking” look on our list. We love the hair, earrings, skin and lips, but the eyes throw it all off. She looks like a frost queen. We are used to Beyonce having incredible, smouldering eyes and this shadow and liner choice washes her out. 

Beyonce can never go wrong au naturale. We love that her eye makeup is minimal and that her skin is fresh and clean. There is a hint of apricot blush and an amazing highlight job down the center of the nose and on the cheeks. It’s a flawless and youthful look. 
For Beyonce’s performance we hope that she turns on the glam and comes out looking incredible as always. We are excited to be entertained. The dancing, singing and showmanship that she has is always so amazing. 
Are you excited to see Beyonce perform this Sunday? Which song do you hope she performs?

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Asheville, North Carolina Wedding Makeup

Justin and Bernie had a beautiful fall wedding in the mountains of North Carolina outside Asheville at Castle Ladyhawke. The scenery and the ceremony were beautiful. All of the leaves were changing to gorgeous browns and golds, but a fall wedding doesn’t mean you have to use fall colors for your makeup.

The talented Jennifer B headed to Asheville and Tuckasegee as the artist and stylist on scene for Bernie and her bridal party. She started the day with the Kett airbrush for flawless skin and tattoo coverage. If you haven’t had a chance to see what the Kett airbrush can accomplish for coverup and flawless skin, check out our post here.

Bernie was such a fun bride to work with. She requested hot pink eyeshadow for her wedding day. We used purple for depth in the crease with the hot pink lid, and then finished off with some loose pink pigment from Inglot. 

For her hair, Bernie had a sequin flower hair accessory that looked beautiful. Along with the makeup and the stunning dress, all of the elements came together to give her that “Wow”look. {Photos courtesy Kevin Milz Photography}

Congratulations to Bernie and Justin, thank you for letting us be a part of your wedding day! To see photos of other brides we have worked with, check out our Facebook page. To be in the loop about where we are and what we are doing, follow us on Twitter!

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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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Bridal Hairstyles: Bangs

Choosing a hairstyle is a big decision for any bride. It needs to be something that will look good in pictures and will work well with your hair texture and hair accessories. Our beautiful bride Alicia had straight bangs and they looked great in all the pictures (courtesy of the talented Dara Blakeley Photography) and with her veil. 

Are you still contemplating what hairstyle you might choose? Here are some pictures with different styles and how they can be worn formally. 
Jennifer Love-Hewitt has neatly side-parted bangs with her hair worn down in an elegant side ponytail. The styling of her bangs would work well with a variety of other hairstyles, including a classic updo, and would look great with a veil or any other bridal accessory. 

A recently married Jessica Biel has a middle part with face-framing bangs. The layers fall in a way that flatters her features and they don’t look heavy or overbearing. This hairstyle looks great paired with statement earrings.

Modern Family actress Sarah Hyland has her hair styled with lots of volume. Another great look for a straight fringe is to have them really heavy and blow dried with a round brush so they don’t lay flat. Pairing this with a volumized crown and pulled into a neat low bun finishes off this very polished look. 

Melissa George has her hair pulled back into a chignon with a thick side-bang that is curled. This is a vintage-inspired look that will work well for the ladies that have longer hair. 
Be sure to book a hair appointment 1-4 weeks before the wedding so your hair is healthy, the ends are fresh and everything is the right length for your chosen hairstyle. 
To see photos of previous brides that our talented team of stylists and artists have had the pleasure of working with, check out our Facebook page!

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Classic Hair and Makeup: Bridget’s Wedding Look

Bridget looked stunning on her wedding day in Raleigh, North Carolina. Stylist and artist Kerri did an amazing job on her hair and makeup. We love that she paired her beautiful hair and makeup with a pearl necklace and earrings. This is a completely classic bridal look and Bridget looks incredible!

We would love to see this same look dress up a more laid back outfit, or to compliment a dressier one. It can add sophistication and style when dressing for everyday, and it can also be the finishing touch on a more elegant evening look.

TIP: To take this look seamlessly from day to night, add a punch of color to the lips. Try one of these bold colors that Rooney Mara pulls off effortlessly. 
Congratulations Bridget, and thank you for for letting Make Up For Your Day be a part of your big day. 
To see more work done by our talented team of hair and makeup artists and stylists check out our Facebook page!
www.facebook.com/makeupforyourday

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Kett Cosmetics Airbrush Makeup Training at MFD!

A couple Sunday’s ago, the makeup artistry team of Make Up For Your Day gathered in the studio for some Bruegger’s bagels and coffee before kicking off a comprehensive 8-hour airbrush makeup training session. Our team had the amazing opportunity to train with a Kett Cosmetics Representative from Toronto, Canada. If you have never heard of Kett Cosmetics, check out our first post on it here. ( The Magic of Kett Cosmetics ).

With over 9 years in the industry, Joanne Parks demonstrated many useful airbrush techniques for the makeup artistry team such as flawless foundation for all skin tones, flattering blush and contouring for all face shapes, eyeshadow application for all eye types and also tattoo coverage techniques. The team then got to practice under Joanne’s watchful and instructive eye.

We were soaking in all of the knowledge we could, asking a multitude of questions throughout the day and the various demonstrations. We learned that patience and practice is key in perfecting these newly learned techniques – and that the experience and expertise of this Kett Cosmetics makeup artist was priceless!

Tattoos take time…but eventually they’re all gone and completely WATERPROOF!

Thank you to Joanne Parks for flying in from Toronto, Canada for our training session. We all learned so much and we really appreciate your time and sharing your insider tips and tricks!  Our entire makeup artistry team is looking forward to sharing our new techniques and using them to continually make our brides look flawless, photo-ready and gorgeous on their wedding day!

Leg tattoo before
Leg tattoo after!

This is a dramatic, editorial style airbrushed eye.

Joanne is demonstrating a bridal eye airbrushed look.

To see photos of brides who have had airbrushing done on their wedding day, check out our Facebook page.

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