DIVAbride: My Bridal Glam Squad

I recently shared 5 simple steps on How to pick your hair stylist and makeup artist for your wedding and had to follow up with my personal bridal beauty experience. Because on both the evening of my secret ceremony and the following night of my surprise reception, my bridal glam squad SLAYED IT.

I could not have been happier with my bridal beauty look for each occasion. And I think that’s because I had a very clear vision of what I wanted and I had the skilled hands of an amazing makeup artist and a phenomenal hair stylist who completely got my vision.

I personally wanted a very non-bridal beauty look (which I’m sure comes as no surprise!) and so I went with industry pros whose editorial style matched my personal style. I didn’t select artists known for their bridal work or even consider bridal artists.

I knew for makeup I wanted fresh, dewy skin and nude lips paired with lots of lash for both the evening of my ceremony and the following night of my party. I also knew I wanted a bit more eye action at the party than the ceremony.

And for hair I wanted long loose waves both nights, but a more classic look for my ceremony and a more sexy one for my reception.

I brought a handful of visuals for inspo plus a few select products to achieve the looks and then just trusted in the talent of the team.

Here is the magic that ensued…

MAKEUP

8.26.15 | evening of secret ceremony | in the makeup chair with Laramie

A lot of people were surprised that I didn’t do my own makeup on my wedding day since I do professional makeup for magazines and brands. But I really wanted to have those calm, quiet moments on my big day(s). I didn’t want to have to worry about the lash glue getting tacky enough. Or the wings of my eyeliner being symmetrical or precise enough. Or the arch of my brow looking defined enough. I didn’t want to have to think at all.

So, as I advised in my original bridal beauty post, I chose a makeup artist whose work I absolutely love (seriously check out her work!) and whose energy I totally appreciate (abundantly clear after a few yoga sessions together). A friend in the business who immediately got what I was going for after minimal conversation and a few reference photos. A beauty lover who I knew would apply only what was needed how it was needed to create looks that were perfect for each occasion and fit my personal style. (No spackle or crazy contour or insta-brows here, please!)

Laramie, makeup artist and owner of Book Your Look, and I also have similar taste in products and finishes and styles, so we mixed it up with some items from her kit and some from mine. For example, Laramie of course is a fan of the Cle De Peau concealers and bounced my Beauty Blender like a whiz – but she also fell in love with my Lash Cult individual lashes by Mary Schook and ended up getting some of her own! In turn, I played with her lust-worthy Charlotte Tilbury stash.

I love learning from and sharing with other artists.

I also did some touchups of my own and my lips on both days. It was nice to get in on the action with no stress or worries. Which was made possible because I was in not good, but great hands with Laramie.

PS, my 4-step bridal lip formula is one I get asked for to this day! I’ll share it in a future post.

8.27.15 | evening of surprise wedding reception | in the makeup chair with Laramie

HAIR

8.26.15 | evening of secret ceremony | in the chair with Jocelyn

No one was surprised that I didn’t do my own hair – because unlike makeup, when I want my hair looking good, I seek professional help.

But having had some of the city’s best hands on my head, funny enough I happened upon Jocelyn Marrero accidentally. She was sent over to me for a blowout after a haircolor appointment at Cutler Salon. In addition to being the sweetest soul and cutest personality, turns out Jocelyn is a blowout BEAST. Which I learned after my very first blowout with her. She totally got my hair quality and type and, this is MAJOR, its potential. It was love at first styling.

I specifically requested her for the blowout my second time at Cutler for color and I brought extensions with me for a wedding I was attending. You guessed it. Jocelyn is a genius with extensions.

In fact, every time Jocelyn does my hair (from faux hawk ponytails to big bouncy curls), it stops traffic. Literally. Necks snapping, Horns honking. GOOD. HAIR.

So I had to have her on the big day. Well, both big days. I shared with her two visual references and we brought them each to life exactly, with a deep side part and classic curls for my ceremony and a set of extensions and beach waves for my party.

8.26.15 | evening of secret ceremony | final hair check

8.27.15 | evening of surprise wedding reception | with Ryan and Jocelyn outside Cutler BK

Oh wait, who’s the guy, you ask??

For hair color, I had my go-to-guy Ryan Pearl gloss it up and keep it classic with my natural dark brunette. Ryan was the only dude in our otherwise all-girl-gang, and he worked his magic 5 days prior to the events.

Ryan didn’t know about any of the secret planning but both ladies did and both were super excited for me and my husband-to-be. They also utilized full discretion and I trusted them completely with our plans, that only 15 other people knew about until the second night when we actually arrived at the party. Which was awesome.