Skincare Saviours

Often brides ask me what they can do at home to help look after their skin in the run up to the wedding day. As well as following a regular and consistent cleanse, tone and moisturise skincare routine, these added extras are perfect if you feel like your skin needs a little pick me up. It’s important that you use a product that best suits your skin needs. Take a minute to think about what it is you need. Do you get a lot of dry skin? Then maybe you need to help by adding some moisture. Maybe you have a really oily T-zone? Or are prone to breakouts? Whatever your concern, take a look at some of my product suggestions below:

Luxury

Charlotte Tilbury Instant Magic Facial Dry Sheet Mask

This product is as magic as it says on the tin! The burst release effect of the mask can last for up to 8 hours. It’s not the cheapest option at around £18 but it’s clinically proven ‘5 skin solution’ that will feed the skin exactly what it needs is more than worth the investment! It reduced wrinkles, brightens, tightens, lifts, and hydrates – what more could you want!?

Glow

GLAMGLOW Youthmud Glow Stimulating Treatment

If you’re after than envious ‘Instagram worthy’ glow then make sure you check out this one. Dubbed the ‘facial in a jar’ it exfoliates gently, leaving you with brighter, smoother skin. The same brand offers a variety of alternative options too including their best selling ‘supermud clearing’ treatment for acne-prone skin.

Oily

The Body Shop Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask

At just £6 for 15ml, this 100% vegan mask is infused with green tea leaves and tea tree oil. It draws out impurities and refines the appearance of pores, absorbing excess oil and revealing a healthy, youthful glow

I’m always looking for new suggestions so if you have a favorite of your own then be sure to let me know! Good skincare is the key to a good makeup application, so if you want any more advice as to how best look after your skin in preparation for your wedding make up then don’t hesitate to ask!

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Choosing the perfect bridal lipstick

One of the most popular questions brides ask me is what lipstick they should be wearing for their wedding day. At the preview session, we have the chance to try out a few different colours and I can offer guidance as to what looks best with your skin tone and makeup colours. Lipstick really is a personal preference, some people like to go bold whilst others want a hint of shine but nothing much when it comes to colour.

I always advise brides to wear some type of colour on their lips for the wedding day as it’s important for the photographs. A good lip colour can really complete the entire makeup look and bring everything together. It doesn’t always have to be a lipstick though, especially if you’re not used to wearing one.

Lip product alternatives

Gloss – Many people have a bit of a love/ hate relationship when it comes to gloss. It can add the most amazing shine but if you’re wearing your hair down and it’s a windy day then you might find that you spend more time trying to remove your hair from being stuck to your lips!

Stain – Not as heavy as a full-on lipstick and perfect for the bride wanting a totally natural ‘no product’ look. A stain does just that, stains the lip with a tone and gives that ‘just bitten’ type of colour.

Tinted lip balm – Brides that don’t like the feel of a lip product might be better with a tinted balm. This helps keeps the lips moisturised which is really important too. There’s nothing worse that cracked, flaky lips on the wedding pictures! You can check out one of my previous posts with a recipe for a DIY lip scrub here.

How to choose

There are a million different lipsticks and a billion different brand and tones so often it simply comes down to personal preference. I advise my brides if they have a favourite lip product to bring it with them to their preview session. If they’re not sure we can try a few and photograph them so they can look back at the pictures and this can help make a decision. I also advise my brides to buy a lipstick they can keep in their handbag to top up later in the wedding day. After hours eating, drinking and kissing, it’s good to have it on hand to top up before the evening guests arrive!

A few of the most popular

If you’re just starting the hunt for your bridal lipstick then here’s a few of the most popular shades that you might want to start by taking a look at…

Charlotte Tilbury

Pillow Talk – In that last few years this lipstick has become an iconic bridal staple. Check out the ‘superstar lips’ version if you’re not a far of the ‘matt’ finish – it has a beautiful shine and definitely makes it into my top 3 for the wedding day!

Mac Cosmetics

Fast Play – A soft natural pink this is a popular choice for those not wanting a true nude shade. It adds a rose tone and looks amazing on most skin types.

Budget Buy

If you’re looking for something really cost effective then take a look at Rimmels Kate Moss collection. These lipsticks have a great texture and last well. The colour range is fab too and you can often find them on special offer – the perfect excuse to buy an extra one as an alternative too!

Lip stain

Benetint – This popular product by Benefit brand is perfect for a really natural look. They have a few colour options and you can even use the product on your cheeks too.

A bold statement

A classic Red Lip is my all-time fave. If you’re brave enough to rock the red on your wedding day then my favourites include Charlotte Tilbury – So Marilyn and MAC – Ruby Woo

Lip Gloss

If you want to shine but not ‘sticky’ then check out NYX Butter Gloss. It’s a steal at around £10 and feels soft without feeling gloopy.

Anastasia Beverley Hills gloss has the most amazing colour payoff. The pigment in this gloss is enough to add the perfect shine and shade to your lips, leaving you with lips that look plump and totally kissable!

Hope this gives you a good starting point for when it comes to making your own bridal lip choices! If you’re still not sure where to start then don’t panic! Contact me to book in your preview session and I’ll help guide you through the options and choices that work for you

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How to best prepare for your preview session

This is a question I get asked a lot by brides –

How can I best prepare for my wedding hair and make up preview session? What should I bring? What should I do?! I’ve created this simple checklist to help you when it comes to feeling prepared for your wedding hair and make up preview session with me…

Collect pictures of things you like. This is by far the most important thing to remember. It’s so much easier than us attempting ( often with crazy hand gestures! ) to describe the ‘up a bit and a bit down and a few curls, but not too many curls, and sort of undone’ look! With pictures I can clearly see what you mean and fully understand the look that you are trying to achieve.
Collect pictures of things you don’t like. This is really important too. If you can show me the way you DON’T like the hair pulled back from the afce, or the way you DON’T want your curls to sit it makes my job a whole lot easier! Again, it’s about me understanding exactly what you want and being able to get that right for you.
Be open minded. Maybe you’re filled with horror when you see me reach for the pink eyeshadow or talk about adding a purple tone to your eyeliner. A lot of us stick to what we know when it comes to make up but colour, when used correctly, really can help to open your eyes up, define your lash line and lift your cheekbones – trust me!
Tell me if you want something in particular. Maybe you can’t live without your eyeliner, or maybe you only ever wear one certain lipstick shade. That’s not a problem. When it comes to make up its so important that you feel like yourself as you get ready for your wedding day. If there’s something that you know you want, or a particular product you want me to use then just let me know.
Arrive with clean hair. Greasy hair will never look as good as clean hair when it comes to styling. Ideally, wash your hair the night before our appointment and leave it in its natural state. This is important for me to see when figuring out what products will work best for your hair type. Hair that has been straightened will be even harder to create and hold a curl so embrace the natural!
Remove your make up. I know this is really hard for some people and trust me when I say I don’t like leaving the house without my make up on either! But it’s really important for me to see your skin in all it’s natural glory. I want to know if you have any areas you want covered, and I want to see any redness so I can be sure to select the perfect products to give you a flawless base and bridal glow.
Tell me if you’re unsure. Maybe I’ve just spend the last hour applying your make up for you to look in the mirror and know immediately that you simply don’t like the colour lipstick I’ve used…tell me. I want to get this right for you, I want you to look beautiful and know it! If I can make any adjustments then just tell me, and If I haven’t got it quite right the first time we can keep trying until we get it perfect for you!
YOU know YOU. You know yourself better than I ever will. If you know that your hair is dry at the ends or won’t hold a curl then tell me. The more information I get from you the more informed I can be when it comes to making choices of exactly what I want to use. Different products will give me different results on different hair types. Anything you can tell me to help me get all the facts when it comes to your hair or your skin is really helpful and gives me a much better idea of how I can give you exactly the look you want.

If you need any further information when it comes to preparing for your preview session then please do get in touch. I suggest you book this session around 6 – 8 weeks before your wedding day so if you have a particular time or date in mind then be sure to contact me to request it so I can do my best to accommodate you!

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Supplier Spotlight – Photographer Emma Midgen

I am always so excited when my Brides send me their professional pictures. As a wedding hair and make up artist I only ever get to see the very start of the day so getting to look through the wedding pictures of the entire day is really special! I love to see how everything I hear you all speaking about in the morning unfolds!

Last year I worked alongside photographer Emma Midgen at Marleybrook House for the beautiful wedding of Natasha and Danny. The photos were beautiful so I thought I’d take the chance to catch up with Emma and find out a bit more about her and her business…

We worked together at Marleybrook house last year for Natasha’s big day. What kind of day was it?

It was soo nice to work with you, Tasha looked absolutely stunning.

This wedding was amazing and loved being involved from the very beginning. Both Tasha and Danny were a real pleasure to work with and their day was full of fun, laughter, and incredible detail.

-When did you first discover your love for wedding photography?

I have been obsessed with photography since I was about 10 years old and used when I used to take my red super snaps compact camera everywhere I went!

-What’s you’re favorite part of the wedding day?

I love the build up to a wedding and so really enjoy bridal prep and seeing everything come together with the dress, flowers, hair and make up. I also love after dinner photos with a couple, when they are much more relaxed.

-With a venue like Marleybrook, I expect there are so many photo opportunities….

Marleybrook is one of my favorite venues. It’s a beautiful place, with great staff and is absolutely jammed packed full of fun and unique things to do!

-What kind of brides do you tend to attract?

I think I tend to attract fairly chilled out couples. I’m a fairly relaxed person and so maybe that helps? I am very lucky to have such beautiful weddings and couples to photograph.

– Are the couples nervous when you take them out for their first shots as husband and wife?

If you ask them before the wedding they are much more nervous about the thought of it! I think most couples, even after an engagement shoot, realise it’s not that bad and is actually fun. I also think that on the day you are so distracted with everything going on that you can easily forget about the camera.

Couple photos are also a great time for them being able to unwind together too.

-How would you describe your style?

I like to think I capture a bit of everything to build a story. I love natural images and lots of detail. I also think it’s important to celebrate the key moments and capture some valuable family groups (although not so many that it takes up too much time!)

Where can people find you

All links are below

Emma Migden Photography

07886258202

www.emmamidgenphotography.com

Head over to Emma’s blog at to see more pictures from Natasha and Danny’s wedding day and don’t forget – if you’d like to book my services for your big day please do get in touch!

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Using hair extensions for your wedding hair style

As a wedding hair and make up artist one of the most commonly asked questions from my brides is to whether I can help them with hair extensions for their wedding day.

There’s a variety of reasons that a bride might want to add hair to her wedding hair style. Sometimes it’s because the style has a lot of volume and the bride wants it to look large and full. Other times it might be a more personal reason such as hair loss or alopecia.

Regardless of why you wear added hair on your wedding day there are some reassurances that I can give you when it comes to using extensions:

I can personally source high quality hair for you. A lot of the time when people think of hair extensions they think of shiny looking and plastic feeling straw hair. I only use 100% human, high quality hair. This is so important when it comes to being able to style and blend any additional hair in with your own.
I can personally colour match your hair. Hair colour is certainly not one size fits all. I can match to the correct tone and colour of your hair to ensure that we can get the perfect match.
I can disguise the clips. One of the biggest worries for a bride is that people will be able to tell she’s wearing extensions. This is absolutely not the case. I can fit the extensions within your style so that no one will ever know that’s its not your very own hair.
They won’t fall out on the dance floor! Another concern I quite often here is whether the hair might come lose or fall out throughout the course of the day. I will ensure that all hair is fitted properly and securely so that your style will last you all day and all night ( no matter how wild the dancing gets! )
They’re easy to remove. My preferred method of hair extensions when it comes to wedding hair styling is clip in. This means that you can easily remove the additional hair yourself without any damage to your own hair. The hair is then yours to keep so you can continue to wear it as often as you like! I’m even able to offer styling hints and tips should you wish to create your own style using the hair again after the wedding day!

If you’re considering wearing hair extensions for your wedding hair style then please don’t feel concerned or anxious. If you wanted to give me a call so we can talk it through then by all means please do and I’ll do my very best to help!

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