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How to Get Perfect (and we mean Perfect) Brows

Do you ever wonder how people get those perfect, to die for brows? The Beauty Department shares an incredible tip to help get those brows looking beautiful! Use a wide-tooth comb to ensure clean lines that are even and symmetrical.

Hold the comb in place and use an eyebrow pencil to shape the brows at the inner and outer corners of the brow (see photo between steps 4 and 5.) Next, use a brow powder and an angled brush to fill in the brow, pressing the powder against the direction of hair growth. Lastly, comb the brows with a brow gel. 
And you’re done! You will have beautifully even, symmetrical and perfect brows. 
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Beautiful Bridal Headbands

We absolutely love when brides use hair accessories. We think they can be such a beautiful addition to a bridal hairstyle. From flowers, to beads and other embellishments – they are versatile and can be worn with your hair down, or in a beautiful updo.

Like what you see? Don’t forget to PIN IT! Would you wear a headband at your wedding? Let us know at the comments box below!

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Changing your Wedding Hairstyle Between the Ceremony and Reception

We love it when brides change their hairstyle between the ceremony and the reception! It is a great transition between the more formal events of the ceremony and the more laid-back events of the reception. Plus, it looks great in photos! 
Many brides will start with an updo for the ceremony. This means that before the reception the stylist will unpin, recurl (if necessary), touch up and put on some more hairspray – and you’re good to go!

Another option is to start with hair down for the ceremony and pin it up for the reception and the dancing.  We love the look of these loose, cascading curls. Hair pieces, twists and braids can transition easily, and look beautiful, whether the hair is up or down.

All of these photos are from our Pinterest page, if you are looking for more ideas and inspiration – check it out! 
Would you change your hairstyle on your wedding day? Would you start with your hair up or down – we would love to know! Let us know via Twitter, Facebook or the comments box below!

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MYD Shares some Pinterest Faves!

Today’s post is dedicated to some of our favorite hair pins on Pinterest. Pinterest is a great place to explore and find different hairstyles for your wedding. Here are some of our favorite pins.  
A very popular trend in wedding hairstyles is a twisted and pinned updo. These updos look incredible with embellished hair accessories. 

If you want a more laid-back look, we love these loose waves and this ombre hairstyle! This would look so stunning with an embellished hairpiece. 

Loose waves will always be a great option for a wedding hairstyle. To take it to the next level, consider pulling some pieces back into a twisted or braided crown. This gives your hair formal look while still maintaining the laid back look of wearing your hair in loose waves. 

We absolutely love this hairstyle. It is so unique and beautiful. This would be such an incredible wedding hairstyle. 

If you have straight bangs, this is a beautiful hairstyle. It is a great alternative to an updo, and looks so great with her veil and her earrings. 

We love braids. They give a unique look and texture to a loose hairstyle worn down, and they also look great in an updo.
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We love this loose, undone look with the viel. It is such a feminine and romantic look. If you are drawn to this sort of hairstyle, be sure to talk to your stylist about staying power, you want to ensure that your hair looks fabulous the whole night. 

The word updo means that your hair is pulled up away from your face and your neck, but we also love when hair is pulled low on the back of the neck. 

If you don’t yet follow us, or if you would like to see more of our pins, see our Pinterest boards here.

Do you have any questions about what products or tools to use to style your hair? How to keep it healthy? Let us know in the comments box below to be featured in our Reader Request Series.

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MYD Detangles the Pros and Cons of Hair Brushes

At Makeup for Your Day we love hair as much as we love makeup! One question we come across a lot is about accomplishing a smooth, frizz-free hairstyle. We always say that it is a combination of hair spray, know-how and the right tools! Thanks to The Beauty Department, we have this awesome info graphic to share! 
#1 Is a standard paddle brush. This brush is great for detangling, scalp massaging and for a quick blow dry. If your paddle brush features rounded nylon pin-bristles with an air cushion, then it won’t cause static. A paddle brush is a definite must-have! – Featured Above: The Denman Paddle Brush
#2 The boar bristles on the wooden round brushes like this Ibiza Round Brush are perfect to create bounce and shine in any hairstyle. The bristles are coarse and dense which make it efficient in any hair type or texture.
#3 Metal round brushes are one of the most commonly used brushes for people styling their hair at home. This kind of brush acts as a curling iron when used with a blow dryer. The hollow brush allows hair to flow through the barrel which speeds up drying time. – Featured Above: Cricket Metal Round Brush
#4 This combo brush is the perfect combination of brush #2 and brush #3. Since this brush features boar bristles and nylon bristles, it allows more control than you would have with a regular metal core brush. The boar bristles provide some tension so you can really work with the hair to create a smooth, straight style, or hair with lots of body. – Featured Above: WarrenTricomi Metal Core Brush
#5 If you have ever had bangs, you will know that they tend to have a mind of their own. This Spornette G36 brush is an excellent tool that will help you style your fringe the way that you want . The size, as well as the combination of bristles makes it the perfect adversary for those misbehaving bangs!  
#6 The Mason Pearson Brush is the Queen of all brushes. This brush consistently gets amazing reviews and is featured on must-have lists. This brush carries a hefty price tag, but if you are serious about taming those fly aways then this is a must-have!
#7 For people who would rather not splurge $150 on a hair brush, the Denman Large Boar Bristle Brush is comparable. Although this brush doesn’t work as well, it can still get the job done. Along with taming the frizzies, this brush is great for soft teasing. 
We want to know what your favorite hair products and tools are! What are your must-haves and tips to tame your fly aways? Let us know via Facebook, Twitter or the comments box below! 

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A Fun MYD Training Session with lots of Photos and a Video!

At Makeup for Your Day we believe that learning is a consistent part of being a good stylist or artist. This is why we hold refreshers and training sessions multiple times a year. With a strong emphasis on learning, our artists and stylists can continue to grown and improve their skills. 
We have a behind-the-scenes look at the training, as well as some photos to share with you!
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We love our revamped studio in Raleigh! It works great for training and our bridal consultations. 

Jennifer H and Jennifer B ready for a fun day. 
Below are some of the awesome updos that our stylists did for our models. 

The staff are hard at work. 

A special thanks to our models and our stylists for an extremely fun and successful day!

To see more photos from training, photo shoots and weddings that we have done – check out our Facebook page. 
And if you missed it yesterday, check out the incredible styled shoot that we were a part of!

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MYD Shares Fave Beauty Tricks

It’s happened to all of us, the inevitable broken powder. That slow motion reel of the powder dropping to the ground and smashing everywhere. It’s probably your favorite, so you salvage as much of it as you can and continue to use the chunks. Sound familiar? Fret no more, there is a way to fix your broken powder!

To do this you will need.

– Your cracked powder in the pan.
– A clean, pointed object. (A cuticle pusher works well)
– Rubbing alcohol.
– Tissue.
– Q Tip.

First and foremost, it is important to emphasize that your eyes are really sensitive, so while doing this, be sure that your hands and your tools are clean to prevent dirt and bacteria from getting into your eyeshadow.

Take your pan of cracked powder, and with your tool start breaking up all of the pieces. You want to break down the pieces until the whole pan is filled with loose powder.

Then take a small amount of rubbing alcohol in the cap of the bottle and slowly pour it into the eyeshadow pan. If you pour too much, don’t worry – the great thing about rubbing alcohol is that it evaporates. If there is too much you will have to wait until some of it evaporates to continue, so pour slowly.

Take your tool again and spread the rubbing alcohol around, when you are finished your loose powder should be more of a paste.

Leave it to dry for a few hours.

When you come back use your fingers to gently test to see if the powder is dry. If it is, take your tissue and fold it in half and then use your fingers to gentle pat down the top of the powder. This will pack it down and flatten the top.

Use a damp Q Tip to clean the lid and the edges of your case.

We recommend that you leave it overnight before using it again to ensure that it is dry. It will look like a completely new eyeshadow when you are done!

Pro Tip: To help prevent your powder from breaking, put a cotton pad or cotton ball on top of the pressed powder before you close it. The cotton should absorb the shock of any traumatic events and leave it in tact.

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Friday Night Lights: Party Looks

It is finally Friday! Maybe you have a date night, a holiday party or a night with the girls planned, or maybe you are just resting up until next weekend. Either way, check out some of our party looks that you can try this holiday season. 
Emma Watson looks chic with her pixie cut. It looks great with her strong brows that are balanced with nude lips. The eyes are fully lined and feature a light shadow. The look is classic and simple and would look great for any occasion.
This is a simple hairstyle for the holidays. For this hairstyle you will really want to turn on the shine. Before you take a large barrel curling iron to your hair, be sure to spray it with heat protectant. Take your hair in large sections and curl it away from your face. For some extra shine, when you are finished you can put some shine serum on your hands and run them through your hair. Then, finish with a setting spray that has some shine. 
Our talented stylist Camille recommends Chi Total Protect before any hot tools and then Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Shine Spray to finish. 

We love Oliva Wilde’s soft smokey eye. Her eyes are fully lined with a black eyeliner. Then there is a goldish brown color used in her inner lid that meets a matte brown shadow in her crease and outter-corner of her lid. This look is paired with a nude lip and a simple cheek. 

Alexis Bledel pulls of this simple, but bold look flawlessly. There is black liner on her top lid only. She does not wear this look with winged liner, but that is an option to take this look to the next level. The boldness of this look is her matte hot pink lips, but we can’t stop staring at her lashes! For this look be sure to amp up the lashes! 
Pressed for time? Try a chic, simple top knot. Pull your hair back into a high ponytail. Then twist the ponytail as you wrap it around. Secure it with an elastic. This style looks great slicked back, or sort of piecey and undone like Jessica Lowndes has it. This hairstyle works great with a dramatic eye or lip. It makes the focus on the face. 
We hope that you enjoyed some of these party looks. Have a great weekend and we will see you Monday for day 5 in our Holiday Countdown!

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Manic Monday — Make Up For Ever Aqua Shadows

So we’re jumping on the “something-a-day” bandwagon posts for all those makeup and wedding junkies out there!  How could we resist with so many amazing products out there to try and gush over?  We want to hear your thoughts, too so please leave comments on your likes, dislikes and more products to recommend to our readers.  Thanks in advance!!

Today we’re coming off an over-100 degree weather weekend and thinking about all you ladies that are ready to clock out from the daily grind and go jump in the pool!  What better way to kick-start our Manic Monday product recommendation than the amazing and beautiful Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencils from Make Up For Ever.  And…they’re WATERPROOF!  You can even take a skinny brush to them and use them just for eyeliner if you want a cool, bright pop of color that won’t budge even in the steamiest Southern heat.

Have any of you makeup enthusiasts tried these yet?  Any other tips that we should try?!

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Thank you to all our Brides that voted!

{Raleigh,NC} – January 24, 2012 – WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding Marketplace, is excited to announce makeupforyourday has been selected to receive the prestigious WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2012 for Beauty & Health!

The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top local wedding vendors from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism within the wedding industry. While many industry awards are selected by the organization, makeupforyourday was selected based on its stellar reviews from past newlywed clients.

makeupforyourday is recognized as part of the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire local vendor community, comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout the United States and Canada. The Bride’s Choice Award recognizes  the best local wedding vendors across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on their overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is thrilled to honor the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Since the launch of the Bride’s Choice Awards™ program four years ago, thousands of outstanding wedding professionals have been recognized by the bridal community for their supreme service and dedication to the wedding industry. It is with great pleasure that we congratulate makeupforyourday for their continued professionalism and commitment to enriching the wedding planning experience for engaged couples.”

We are happy to announce that makeupforyourday is one of the very best Beauty & Health within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Project Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for taking the time to review our business on WeddingWire. Thanks to their positive feedback we were able  to receive the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ for 2012.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/makeupforyourday-raleigh/ba45c8b90ba30068.html.

To learn more about the Bride’s Choice Awards™, please visit http://www.WeddingWire.com.

About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire™, the nation’s leading marketplace serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 reviewed wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers. WeddingWire also offers a comprehensive suite of online planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire is the only all-in-one marketing platform for businesses online and on-the-go. WeddingWire offers one simple solution to build a professional network, improve search visibility, manage social media and reach mobile consumers. Businesses that advertise with WeddingWire appear on WeddingWire.com, ProjectWedding.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), Brides.com and Weddingbee.com.
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