Things I tell my hairstylist that I should have told my husband

The best lip color you will ever own or Do I really need 27 shades of pink lipstick? Part One

2012-01-12T18:14:00.006+02:00

I began this article with the express goal of describing how you can create your own custom-made lip color. But I realize that I need to discuss (again) the basics of lip color and help you choose the right color and shade for you. So Part One of this article deals with lip color basics and Part Two will deal with creating your own lip color.

But first we must look at what products are out there and what we want from these products.

The market is adrift with a breath-taking selection of lip treatments (sticks, creams, pencils, applicators and on and on), a virtually never-ending selection of colors and shades, as well as finishes (matte, shiny, with sparkles, diamond (!) dust and on and on).

When clients ask me how to choose a lip color (an extremely loaded question), there is only one answer: "What do you like?" My answer makes my clients cringe, roll their eyes and head for cover, but that "question-as-the-answer" is the definitive answer. Let me explain: Lip color is defined by the very broad perimeters of lip treatment choices, colors and shades and finishes. Take my little test and let me take you by the hand through the maze of the lip color jungle.

Let's start at the beginning. Just ask yourself the following questions and continue:
Q: Why do you apply lip color?

A: To make my lips more noticeable.
Good answer! Read on. This article is for you!

A: It's part of my makeup routine.

Good answer! Read on. This article is for you!

A: I don't like dry lips

Buy a good lip balm, it's not time to start with lip color.

Q: How often do you apply lip color?

A: I apply in the morning (or evening) and then reapply lip color during the day (or evening).

Good girl! Part Two of this article will provide you with the solution you need to create a really great, custom-made lip color.

A: I want to reapply lip color during the day (or evening), but don't because … (you can make any excuse you want – for now!)

Get into a routine – after you finish your coffee – reapply your lipstick. After lunch – reapply your lipstick.

A: Just in the morning and then I forget it about it.

Keep on reading. This is your chance to really enjoy wearing lip color.

A: Before I go out in the evening and then I forget it about it.

Keep on reading. This is your chance to really enjoy wearing lip color.

Q: Do I carry the lip color around with me during the day (or evening)?
A: Yes I do!

This is the only correct answer! Keep on reading.

A: I do. I keep my lip colors in my mini makeup bag and take them everywhere. But the lipsticks and lip glosses tend to lose their 'freshness' and either melt or become brittle and dry and I end up throwing them away.

Part Two of this article will provide the answers you need.

A: No.
I said this before, the only correct answer is YES!

Where to begin?
If you are still reading, then you love lip color. Now let's discuss choosing the right colors and shades for you. I believe that the answer is found in the answers to two fundamental questions: What is your skin tone? and What are your clothing color choices?

Skin tone: Turns out that those two little words "skin tone" can make grown women cry. Your skin tone is a combination of skin color and tone. There is a very long scale of skin colors from very fair to very dark, as well as variety of toned from pink (rosy) to yellow (sallow).

The easiest way to determine your skin tone is to go to the makeup section of your cosmetics counter. Choose a quality cosmetics counter, with high quality makeup and excellent lighting. Take a dab or two or three of makeup and apply it to your cheek area. Your forehead and your neck are not always the best color testing areas, as your forehead is generally a bit darker or redder from the sun and your neck area is shadowed by your chin and you may get a different 'skin tone reading'. You can use your upper chest area as well. The best method is to choose several makeup shades that appeal to you and seem to match your skin tone. Apply each in a 'strip' of color one next to the other. The shade that disappears into your skin is the best matching shade. Generally professional makeup artists will blend more than one shade to give you the perfect shade. But for our purposes, the simple 'apply and match' method is satisfactory.

Just a note: You may need to wear a slightly darker tone during the summer months, if you expose your skin to the sun for extended periods of time (this is never a good idea).

For more information see my blog-icle Here is the first in a series of Makeup How Tos: Applying Foundation and Concealer.

Q: Do you have different summer and winter clothes and color choices?

A: Yes.

This is not a trick question! I have lighter and more subdued colors for summer and darker, more vibrant colors for winter. Go into your wardrobe and look at the color(s) that dominate each season's clothing and color choices.

A: No. I like the same basic color 'palette' for summer and winter clothes.

You should still take note of what colors dominate your wardrobe.

Q: What colors dominate in your wardrobe?

A: Look in your wardrobe and own it! Darks colors. Pastel colors. Prints , florals and everything in between.

Now it's time to determine the best color choices for you.

Dress in your dominant clothing color choice.

Apply the makeup base that suits your skin type.

Stand in natural light.

What do you see? Is your look washed out? Too pale? Too dark? Just not 'right'?

Consider toning down your clothing color choices – first. Yes, it is easier and cheaper to change your makeup than your clothing - HOWEVER if the makeup suits your skin tone, it is your clothing that needs to follow suit.

Once your basic makeup and clothing colors are in sync, it's time to look at your lip color.

A simple rule of thumb suggests that dark clothing colors require a dark, dramatic makeup effect, including lip color and light colors require a lighter, perhaps more natural makeup effect, including lip color. Prints and florals can take you to either direction depending on the darkness or lightness of the print or pattern. In general, the heaviness or lightness of the fabric: wools, silks and everything in between should have no affect on your makeup choices.

The 'rule' of dramatic eyes with pale lips or dramatic lips with pale eyes is just a suggestion and not a rule written in stone.

Now where can you find the widest selection of lip shades?

You can go to any Pharma chain or cheap cosmetic chain and try on shades – better yet – buy a selection of CHEAP lip color shades that appeal to you. Try them on at home, in natural light, in a selection of clothes. Find the shades that most appeal to you AND look the best on you. Ask someone else's opinion. I don’t believe in investing in lip colors.

For more information see my blog-icle MY MAKEUP BAG: CONFUSED ABOUT WHICH MAKEUP IS WORTH INVESTING IN AND WHICH IS NOT? Read on…

What kind of lip treatment: sticks, creams, pencils, applicators?

I believe that the creamier the lip treatment, the better the look, the better your lips feel and the longer they will stay on your lips (you won't rub it off). I also believe that pure lip glosses with all kinds of shinny stuff are truly the realm of young girls. I dislike dry, matt lip colors; I believe they are unkind to every lip and have no value!

Layer you lip look!

You can layer lip colors for a more personalized look or apply a light layer of gloss over a deep shade to lighten the lip look, especially for day looks.

Dry Lips?

Here's a natural treatment I've discussed before.

If you have dry lips, remember my natural secret: SUGAR! Mix nearly equal amounts of a sugar with water (a few teaspoons of sugar with a half teaspoon less of water to create a grainy soupy consistency) and gently (oh so gently) rub it on your lips and then wash it off. Repeat this process in the evenings after you wash your face. Do this twice a week for about a month. Don’t overdo it or you will end up with the dry, cracked lips you are trying to prevent or treat.

Stay tuned for part two and how you can create your own custom-made lip color.

Label your wedding gift!!!!!

2011-12-01T16:20:00.000+02:00

Today I want to talk about labeling your wedding presents. Actually, you should label your gift or present for any event for that matter.

If you are giving a check as a gift (much appreciated at Israeli affairs), you don't need to label your check or the envelope that holds it – the check already has your name on it. It would be nice if you could scribble a few words on the envelope, but I won't push it. If you are giving the 'gift of cash', you do want to make sure your envelope well labeled!
Just by the way, through the years we have saved the good wishes and obviously-invested- time-and-thought messages from many a simcha, so the effort and heart-felt words are appreciated!
Rule of thumb: Whenever a large group gathers and a gift or present is left for the host or honoree (ba'al ha'simcha) – your name should be attached to the gift. Why? Let's be honest, you want to get credit for having given the gift in the first place. You went to the trouble of planning, searching, finding, buying and then schlepping the gift to the hall, you want the credit for your hard work.

What happened at my son's wedding? Gifts were brought to the hall and left for the happy couple, but the card, envelope or scrap of paper with the anonymous benefactor's name was nowhere to be found. OK, we were eventually able to identify the gift givers at a later date, but why make the young couple work hard? Why make their parents work hard?

There is a simple solution: After the store wraps the present in the obligatory cellophane wrap and raffia tie, with or without the potpourri filling every bowl, nook and cranny (don’t ask me why) – ask for a large plastic store bag. Place the present, bubble wrap (if necessary) and a card inside the bag. You can attach a personal card to the gift exchange card that is (usually) attached to the gift. Then – pay close attention – staple the large plastic store bag closed and (ready?) staple yet another card to the outside of the bag. On this card or envelope state whether the present is fragile or breakable (or should be watered or walked regularly) and also write your name. No scotch tape. No self-attaching backing. No glue with sequins. No hot glue. Use a stapler and staples (everyone has one from their last job – you can’t lie to me)!
Now secured with a double cordon of name tags, your present can be easily identified and (perhaps) will arrive safe, sound and whole at the young couple's home.

Now go and enjoy the wedding. You earned it!

Shanna Tova from me to you....

2011-09-27T00:50:00.000+03:00

Let's talk about Cancer

2011-06-19T18:04:00.001+03:00

Everyone needs to listen to this and pass this on! This is the true meaning of beauty!

Dear 16 year old me!

My incredible beauty offer via ChaiBuy!

2011-06-05T10:18:00.001+03:00

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"A tale of one bride and two bouquets or How could 20 flowers and some ribbon weigh two hundred pounds? "

2011-03-08T15:24:00.000+02:00

If I said it once, I said it a thousand times and no doubt will be repeating this for the next fifty years. NO BRIDE NEEDS A BRIDAL BOUQUET. This little 'tradition' no doubt was started by florists looking for yet another way to milk brides of more money.

Flowers are lovely in fields and on shabbas tables (unless you have cats, small children or clumsy husbands, but that's another story). Let me explain. That lovely bunch of flowers, tried with ribbon, weighs only a few hundred grams, tops. They look lovely as they leave the florist. They are then handed to the smiling bride. She is thrilled. They are the 'perfect' addition to her gown. They will look fantastic in the wedding pictures. They will add the finishing touches to her outfit. This will be the perfect Kodak moment.

Then, magically, the bouquet begins to grow heavy. They begin to bloat like they're suffering from PMS. And our bride has better things to do then schlep them around with her or even hold them while she is greeting her guests. On one hand, she 'cannot' set them down anywhere because they'll 'get ruined' and on the other hand, she somehow continues to believe that they add to her 'bridal look'.

And so the bridal bouquet 'hot potato' game begins. At first the mother of the bride holds this little ball of joy. The flowers are then passed around to the bride's entourage in order of importance (beginning with best-best friends and from there on to good friends and then on to well-meaning friends the bride hasn't seen since high school). From there they bounce (sometimes literally) to aunts, cousins and even grandmothers/great-grandmothers; who may hold them the longest, if they are not moving around too much (if you know what I mean). Amazingly this bouquet, that at the beginning of the day was held as if it were a day-old baby, held delicately and lovingly, can now be passed around like an old volley ball.

Once the hot potato game is over (in the recorded history of brides and bridal bouquets, no one individual has ever been known to hold these lovelies throughout an the entire reception – including the badekin), bouquets traditionally find their way from behind the bride's back in the bridal chair to somewhere around her feet.

Now, just to make my point a little clearer: Once the badekin is over, the bride is then escorted down to the chuppah by her parents or the mothers, usually SANS the flowers, as (you guessed it) they were forgotten on the bridal chair.

Once the chuppah is over and the happy couple is off to the yichud room, the bouquet finds its way to heaven along with single socks, library books and every pen you have ever bought. No one remembers the bouquet or cares.

If you still insist on spending this money. Call your favorite florist; get a quote for a bridal bouquet (code for spending too much money for some twenty flowers) and then donate that sum to tzedakah. Or order a floral display for a hospital ward or old age home.

Now ask me: "one bride and two bouquets"? My daughter's wedding was held in the south (home of my son-in-law), but the wedding gown was rented in a salon in Netanya. On the day of the wedding, she dressed at the salon in 'north', while her father and I were already in the south (near the hall) preparing for the ceremony. My only-daughter calls us in the early afternoon of the wedding distraught, she is on her way to the salon and (gasp!) does not have a bouquet. The all consuming importance of ordering a bunch these allergy-ridden weeds was forgotten by all. The frantic call came at around two in the afternoon and her father and I found ourselves frantically running around Ashkelon looking for a flower shop that is a) open and b) willing to sell us a no-doubt overpriced bridal bouquet of anything that even vaguely resembles flowers.

We found a shop willing to help us part with several hundred shekels for my daughter's happiness. They were willing to create a bouquet on the spot (you usually need to order these pollen-holders days in advance, go figure).

Successful in our mission, we brought this ball of the bees' best friends to the hall and what do we find out? The salon provided our daughter (unbeknownst to her) with a bridal bouquet as part of their package deal. And so now, my dear daughter was the proud owner of, not one, but two bouquets. Let me tell you, it's a good thing she has a lot of friends, it's not easy to have two bouquets passed around for the two-hour reception!

And as a fitting and final tribute to this bridal vegetation tale: the bouquet we bought was a ball of white and purple flowers. In the wedding pictures, the bouquet looked like a very feminine basket ball. In fact, the first time we saw the shots, we really thought that she was holding a ball and could not figure out where she got it and why was she holding it.

So just repeat after me: "I will not buy a bridal bouquet. I do not need a bridal bouquet. I will not buy a bridal bouquet. I do not need..."

The Perfect Tichel Hair Cut

2011-03-01T23:43:00.000+02:00

Ever ask yourself what is the perfect hair cut to comfortably wear a tichel or hat?

Simple! A modified Pageboy style, ending at the nape of the neck with either a blunt cut across from ear-to-ear (no hair showing from beneath a tichel or a hat) or showing at the nape of the neck with a row or two of hair, in a medium to long length (to be shown beneath a tichel or a hat).

This style can also be further modified for thick hair, by thinning out the hair (usually in the back of the head) from the crown to the nape and then leaving a row (a few narrow rows) of hair at the nape to show out (if you wish).

Now ask why? The Pageboy hair cut is a simple cut (with many variations*) straight across from ear-to-ear. I modify this to be tapered downwards at the back of the head (from crown to nape) to conform to the head – making it more comfortable to wear under a tichel or hat.

• I keep the hair length to under the ear lobe, so that the hair can be tucked behind the ear.

• This style can be worn with or without bangs, depending on your preference; your forehead and how you wish to wear your tichel or hat.

• Thick hair can be thinned so that the hair lies more comfortably on the head.

• To give some height on the top of your head when wearing a wider, wrap/tie-around 'Israeli' tichel, you can gather your hair into a high/medium high ponytail with a cloth scrunchy (or California) and then wrap your tichel and tie it around your head as you wish.

The final few rows of hair at the nape can be cut short to conform to the style or left at a longer length to show out of the tichel or hat.

You now also add more interest by coloring your hair - either the whole head (which is a no brainer) or just the bottom rows with a splash of color – usually a contrasting shade or highlights.

* The pageboy cut has a million variations: straight cut from ear to ear – above or below the ear; short at nape and getting progressively longer as it reaches the chin; or getting progressively longer from the chin as it reaches the nape; with or without bangs, straight, curly and on and on. Also the cut can be tapered down the back of the head (longer on top) from crown to nape or tapered up in the back of the head (longer on bottom) from nape to crown.

Are you really too busy for your own wedding? Part IIIb – Selecting Vendors – The Band

2011-02-23T16:52:00.000+02:00

This is the fourth in a series of articles on planning your own wedding and preventing yourself from falling into the trap of thinking you don’t have the time to do so.

In Part I, I talked about the Venue and in Part II, the Budget; in the first installment of Part III I discussed selecting the photographer. Now I would like to tackle the Band.

Now in this article I will not discuss DJs as I do not understand them and have never worked with any. I believe that a wedding should have a band. The number of band members and types of instruments played depends on the number of wedding participants, wedding style and so on.

The band, that is the music the band creates, is the very backbone of the wedding. After the photographer, they are the most important vender you will deal with. How you handle them, what information you offer them and how much 'artistic freedom' you give them, will determine how 'frelech' - lively – your wedding will be.

Bands that really are not from hell and other stories

Let me start with a story – my daughter got married three years ago. Since high school she knew that she would use a specific band. The members of this band had been the subject of one of her films she made in media class (she majored in media in high school). At that time, they were a young, struggling band just starting out and after seeing the finished film they promised to play at her wedding. By the time she actually needed them for her wedding they were an established band and a "reasonably expensive" band, at that. Remembering their promise, they gave her a 'good price' and they were hired.

Everything was set for my daughter's wedding and then my daughter's almost-mother-in-law (let's call her "O") had an opportunity to hear this band at a wedding she attended about two months prior to our children's planned wedding. "O" hated them and became nearly hysterical when she realized that this band, this 'horrible' band, was set to play at our children's wedding. We all tried to reassure her that the band was wonderful, but she had witnessed the band herself and she was not happy (to say the least!).

Needless to say, we did not cancel the band (we had heard them at other weddings). They played at my daughter's wedding and they were WONDERFUL and "O" loved them!

What happened? We asked the band. They told us that at the wedding in question, they were told to play specific music and songs. They did not have freedom to play more lively music or play according to the mood (or help improve the mood) of the wedding party. When I say "help improve the mood", I mean pick up the beat or get the 'audience' up and dancing when they are not as lively as they 'should be'.

At my daughter's wedding they had freedom to play as they wished. Of course, prior to the wedding, the couple talked to the band and reviewed the 'rules of thumb' of when to play soft music, when to play lively music and everything in between, but nothing more. The band understood the personality of the wedding party and seamlessly answered the needs. Obviously "O" loved them and we all lived happily ever after.

Be nice to your band

Bands are as individual as weddings. Most bands are capable of playing a wide range of songs, in a wide range of languages and styles.

There are quite a number of bands, catering to the religious crowd, that will not play at a wedding that does not have a me'chetza (physical separation between women and men dancing) throughout the wedding.

Once again, determine what is your wedding style and level of religiosity.

As always, ask your friends who have recently married to recommend bands. You can check out the individual music videos found on many band web sites; but seeing the band perform LIVE is believing.

Give the band a list of songs that you are interested in hearing for the reception, bedaken, procession to the chuppah and then for the first dance after the yichud room. If you have special requests of songs in French, Russian, Arabic, etc., make sure your band is capable of delivering what you want. Every band (or nearly every band) will say they can sing in 50 languages and 500 styles – make sure this is true. But allow the band the room and 'artistic freedom' to play according to the audience. Your band should be flexible, happy and really "into" the wedding.

More stories – more lessons

Another story: I recently witnessed a wedding where the band – actually individual band members – nearly missed the bedaken and then in order to get closer to the kallah and chatan during this ceremony, actually pushed people out of the way. They should have been waiting next to the kallah or accompanying the chatan, as soon as the chatan finished with the Rabbi and/or as soon as the chatan began walking towards the kallah. This is not brain surgery. Professionals (bands, photographers, etc) should know how a wedding proceeds and to anticipate the time table involved.

Having said this; make sure your band is aware of your basic scheduling and make sure you tell them what and where you expect them to be at the most important junctures of the wedding.

One more story: I attended a wedding where the band did not play at all from the end of the chuppah/accompanying the couple to the yichud room and until the kallah and chatan came out of the yichud room, which was exactly one hour on the clock. The only sound heard in the hall was the sound of happy people happily eating. There is no excuse for this silence. The band should have played throughout. At the very least there should have been recorded music played at this time.

Throughout the entire four to five hours of a wedding, there should never be 'musical silence'. Firstly because a wedding must have music (unless you ascribe to the custom of playing no music at the chuppah itself, which is another story), secondly because you are paying for their musical entertainment throughout the event and thirdly, well there must be a thirdly, but the first two are really good enough.

What to expect/what to discuss with your perspective bands

Planning from beginning to end:

• The band should arrive about an hour-hour and a half prior to the reception time to set up sound and the like. Keep this in mind when you do your over-all wedding schedule.

• The band should know the basic route of the kallah and chatan from the bedeken and through to the end of yichud.

• Make sure you know how many hours of playing are included in their basic fee.

• Make sure you provide the band with a list of preferred songs for the important moments.

• Make sure the band knows that there must be music throughout the event – I never thought I would have to write this – but there is always a first time for everything and you do not want your wedding to be the 'second time'.

• Find out what is their over-time fee, should you need it.

• Tell them about special events you would like to celebrate along with your celebration. I know this is a wedding, but grandma's 80th birthday should be mentioned.

• Tell them about any planned flash dancing or skits and the like and provide them – in advance – with music files (.wav and the like) should you wish to use them as 'backup' music.

I strongly believe that your band is only as good as you allow them to be. So find a band that 'makes you sing', make sure you cross every T and dot every I and then put on your dancing shoes and enjoy the ride.

Are you really too busy for your own wedding? Part III – Selecting Vendors – The Photographer

2011-02-05T23:49:00.000+02:00

This is the third in a series of articles on planning your own wedding and preventing yourself from falling into the trap of thinking you don’t have the time to do so.

In Part I I talked about the Venue and in Part II, the Budget; now I would like to discuss how to intelligently select your vendors. In this case specifically the photographer.

The photographer and the Band

I believe that the two most important wedding-related vendors are the photographer and the band; and in that order! You may shoot me, but all brides are beautiful and all gowns are white (let's not quibble over shades of white, off-white, eggshell, baby white, ecru and –white-white, this is a actual color). The gown will be forgotten in a week (unless some catastrophe occurred to the gown during the ceremony or the dinner); the food will become legend if it was too terrible for words or too good to forget, otherwise it will be forgotten by breakfast the next day.

In this article I will discuss the ins and outs of dealing with the photographer. The band deserves an article all its own.

The photographer will capture moments you were not aware of; people who years from now will only be memories and portray you and your guests in a moment that I once heard described as "you'll never be as young as you are today." Along with the band, the photographer is one of the most important service vendors at your wedding. Take your time to select the right one. Skimp on other items, do not skimp on the photographer. Having said this - this is not an invitation to spend insane amounts of money on the wedding photography without good reason or purpose.

Chemistry

I believe that after the photographer's proven skill, the chemistry (or lack of it) between the couple and the photographer is the second most important factor in selecting one. For all intents and purposes you are marrying the photographer. For the five hours of the wedding and the period of time needed to select the final photography and video and until you receive the finished albums, stills and videos you are attached to the photographer – for better and for worse.

Get names of photographers from friends who have recently married – get references from happy couples and also get the names of photographers from hell (knowing whom you should steer clear of is as important as knowing who is good). Compile your lists (of whom you are interested in hiring and whom you would only hire if all the photographers on earth were wiped out in a flood) and then start letting you fingers do the work.

While you check out photographers' websites, look at friends' albums and videos; think about your own wedding style.

Your wedding style

I've spoken about a wedding style in the earlier blog articles. Is your wedding a formal affair, country/laid back, shanty and anything in between? Your wedding style will influence the photography style, as well of course the final product (albums and video). The level of orthodoxy also enters into this picture, as many photographers will offer a female photographer for the women's side of the dancing and so on.

Then ask yourselves: what types of photographs would you enjoy seeing in your wedding album? Black and white shots, sepia shots, formal portraits, all un-posed, a mixture of all the above? Once again, look at the websites of your candidates and see what appeals to you. Don't ignore wedding photography web sites of photographers not in your geographical area or budget; use the ideas you find there to show your candidate(s) what you are interested in.

You must also find out what is the 'going rate' for photography packages .

Budget

Good photographers are expensive, which is why I believe that this is an expense you should not skimp on. Understand the market and find the very best photographer for your budget. Don't be tempted to use the neighbor's son unless he really does have the requisite experience you require. It's nice to give someone a chance to break in to the industry- but I would warmly recommend that you do your 'mitzvahs' on anniversaries and bar mitzvahs and not weddings. New photographers many times work with more experienced photographers on wedding gigs, but in this situation there is backup, supervision and responsibility on the experienced photographer.

Compare, compare, compare prices of photographers and wedding package deals before you hire.

How to interview a photographer

When you call to make an appointment with a photographer, pay attention to how he talks to you on the phone. I believe that someone who is unfriendly or curt on a first phone call will not be the person you want to work with when you are in the midst of the wedding.

In his studio, examine his posed and unposed shots: are they 'alive', do they portray the little moments? – small cousins, nieces and nephews dancing in a corner; a dance with the grandmothers; the gazes of the kallah's friends as she walks toward the chuppah and so on. How are his posed shots? Are the groups well focused and assembled? How are the pictures presented – in both interesting and standard angles (too many tricks and angles is as bad as too few).

Are there shots of dancing? Eating? Flash dancing? Don’t accept the line that these kinds of shots (or any that you are interested in) are missing because "the couple did not order them"; he's the photographer, he can create any album he wants for himself.

Make sure the photographer understands your wedding style and has experience handling your kind wedding. When discussing your wedding style, take into account:

• level of religiosity and how it impacts on the entire wedding

• venue (this is especially important if you plan a wedding ceremony on a beach or a non-traditional area that may have unusual needs)

• special needs guests (handicapped issues)

Make sure the photographer speaks your language, no joke. If you do not speak Hebrew, the photographer must speak English. Arguments after the wedding about why a moment wasn't captured and claims that he didn’t understand you - will not bring back the moment.

Ask questions! Make sure that the photographer you interview is the one who will photograph your wedding. See his reactions and how comfortable or uncomfortable you feel with him.

I have seen photographers yell at guests, push guests out of the way to get a shot, miss shots because he did not understand the wedding schedule (one photographer actually missed the badekin, granted it was in the States and out of the New York area) and another did not know where to look and shoot with circles of non-stop dancing all around him (once again a US-out of New York disaster).

Make sure you LOVE this guy before you sign on the dotted line!

Video

Does the photographer offer video services in his package deal? Is the videographer part of his team or a freelancer? Make sure you understand these points before you hire. You may be able to hire separate venders – I warmly recommend against this as you are then dealing with two entities and you have enough to deal with.

Check out the video examples both in his studio and get a link to view at home. See if you like his work, lighting, settings. Check out some of the videographer's cut and uncut wedding video versions.

What do you want? What is he offering? What is a waste of money?

At his studio have him explain and show – in detail:

1. The type of albums he creates/offers.

2. Prints and parents' albums he provides.

3. The types of videos he provides.

4. Understand the package deal(s) he offers.

Time was when you a photographer talked in terms of hundreds of shots. Today the photographer /videographer will talk in terms of number of hours he provides in his package deal and how much he will charge for 'over time'.

Time was when the photographer provided the couple with their album and the parents' smaller-version albums, as well as all the proofs and the negatives (this was considered a true bonus!). Today the couple should get the wedding album, two smaller albums for the parents (album size from pocket size to near A4 size albums), file of all the shots and two versions of the wedding video, the uncut four to five hour opus and the half-an-hour reception-bedekin-chuppah-dancing version.

Get specific information on:

1. Find out what kind of photography team he suggests for your wedding size: number of camera men, light men and videographers.

2. What time the photographer and team will arrive and leave the venue.

3. Estimated timing for pre-wedding photography of the bride and groom. This session is usually at another venue and travel time to and from the site needs to be included in the scheduling. This is especially important if the bride and groom will not be seeing each other before the wedding, as two separate photography sessions are need to be calculated into the scheduling.

4. Find out:

a. when you will receive a file of all the photographs so you can select shots for your albums.
Then
b. find out delivery date for the finished albums; this should be no longer than a month and half to two months for a digital album.

Get everything in writing.

Now let's discuss what you don't need
Camera on a Crane

You don't need a camera on a crane ("matz'lemah meofefet" in the vernacular). I repeat you do not need a camera on a crane unless you are planning to be married in a sports stadium with thousands of guests. I have been to a wedding with the infamous crane and all it does is make maneuvering the venue a nightmare and create a potential danger zone for small kids, older adults and anyone wanting to move freely around the venue (that about covers everyone). This mechanical marvel is touted as the best way to get the best shots from any angle – nonsense it is unwieldy and unfriendly and expensive.

Enlarged photographs for framing

For some reason photographers are still offering enlarged photographs for framing in their wedding packages. Forget it. Once you have the complete file of wedding pictures, select one you like and then enlarge it and print it as you like (on canvas or any other print option available today).

At the Wedding

Before the wedding, assign someone you trust to liaison with the photographer (and the band for that matter) throughout the wedding. This person will be responsible to ensure that specific people/events are photographed and also be the 'go to' person for any questions. This person will know who Uncle Chaim is and know to look for Cousin Lou smoking outside, when he should be posing for a photo. Give this person a list of the photos you want and let him or her run around.

Make sure the photographer takes a picture of every table. The bride and groom do not have to be present for each of these photos. It would be wonderful if they were, but many a table pictures are missed because of an absent bride and groom and there is no reason for this.

Make sure that there is a band-photographer table for these folks to take a break, drink and perhaps eat something.

It ain't over yet

The wedding maybe over, but you are not finished with the photographer yet. Or should I say he is not finished with you yet. You still need to select the pictures for the album. Be kind to your photographer and select your photos as soon as possible. The sooner you do your job, the sooner your photographer can finish his job and you can get your albums!

By the way, you can create your own wedding album both from online sites and many print shops in your city. I don't really see any advantage in this DIY project, as you may not save any money, will have no one to blame but yourselves when you have not even selected the shots for the album a year after the wedding and the never-ending list of graphic and print possibilities will just confuse you. Don't be tempted to do this yourself.

Just select the best pictures you can, email the photo list to your photographer and get on with your lives. Trust me on this!

Remember just smile pretty for the camera!

Are you really too busy for your own wedding? Part II – The Budget

2011-01-30T08:03:00.001+02:00

In Part I of my series, "Are you really too busy for your own wedding?", I discussed the issues involved in finding the right venue and the very-short-comings of so-called wedding planning services and their feeble attempts to 'help' you find a venue. Now I want to talk about The Budget; perhaps two of the most frightening and daunting words in the whole wedding process.

Don't start with budget!

You may think I want to tackle the budget issue from the very obvious angle that you must have some kind of budget or idea of a budget in order to plan any event, whether it is as massive as a wedding or as simple as a dinner party. This is a given. What I want to discuss is why revealing or providing budget information to a wedding planning company too early in the planning process, may interfere with your getting the wedding of your dreams (that's good dreams, not nightmares).

Don't get me wrong, I believe that you need to know your budget, but your wedding planner does not; at least not at the initial meeting. Once this information is in his grubby little hands - his attitude towards you, your intended and your whole wedding project may change drastically. His enthusiasm towards your wedding may cool substantially, once he realizes that he will not get the big cut (or percentage) he envisioned when you entered his office.

Check out the fine print

There are several caveats here:

1) If you can't afford an extra 'planning/managing' fee, then it goes that you can’t afford a planner and are, therefore you are not too busy to arrange your own wedding. So get this whole wedding planner idea out of your heads and start working.

2) If intend to pay your planner a fee (percentage of the total wedding or flat fee), then this amount should be calculated into the budget from the onset.

3) Wedding planning companies commonly advertise that they do not 'charge' a fee. This is a misconception (I would call it an outright lie), these companies like to perpetuate. I saw the contract for one of these companies. They do charge a fee; it is 'merely hidden' in clauses. According to the business model of the wedding planning company I know, the couple pays the company all the wedding fees for all the services it has engaged through the company and – get this – once the wedding is OVER - the company then pays the service providers minus its own service charge.

This is very worrying as you pay the wedding planning company before the event and they pay the providers after the event. You sign the contracts with all the providers. It was a worrying thought that this company can get all your money and then abscond without paying the service providers.

The caveat here: always see a contract or draft of the contract agreement before you get into any working relationship with this company (or anyone for that matter).

By the way, the company I dealt with did not want to provide me with a contract, or a sample contract before I formally hired them. I told them that I wouldn't hire them without seeing a contract in advance. Needless to say, I saw the contract and did not hire them.

Now back to discussing the Budget.

The Budget should and does comes up in the initial meeting, when discussing the parameters of your wedding: venues, budget (many times 'budget' is number one on the list), number of guests, geographical area of venue and other needed wedding vendors (makeup and hair, invitations, band, photographer and the like).

Full disclosure is for lawyers, not brides and grooms

Let's discuss budget for a moment. This has to be one of the most fundamental and significant elements of wedding planning. However, when you begin with money, you have nowhere to go and no place to move. If a planning company asks about budget do not answer this question, you will be pigeon-holed into a certain framework that most salespeople will not have the experience or ability to work their way out of.

Rather tell them that you will build the budget around your needs, rather than your needs around the budget. You will also get a better idea about the company's contacts and 'deals' they can offer you.

Work this backwards (even if you know your budget to the shekel, pound, dollar or yen!); discuss your wish list/needs: time of year (see my article on Winter Weddings), number of guests, venue type (garden, hall, etc and see my article on Venues) and geographical area. Then you can work out a nearly realistic budget based on these four parameters that will either get you to rethink your budget, your wish list or both.

Remember you are under no obligation to give them full disclosure at this initial meeting. The wedding planning company we met provided us with a (not very comprehensive) list of venues based on the parameters above and my willingness to say that I would not pay an excessive amount for per dinner plate.

Remember service providers (wedding or otherwise) are supposed to have your best interests at heart – because as I see it – your best interest can then be translated into the best interests (fees and call backs/referrals) of the service providers.

Are you really too busy for your own wedding? Part I – The Venue

2011-01-22T23:32:00.008+02:00

Here is the first in a series of articles on planning your own wedding and preventing yourself from falling into the trap of thinking you don’t have the time to do so.

I have a bone to pick with the so-called wedding planning companies that have sprung up both in cyber space and in office space. I make a very clear distinction between these wedding planning companies (let's call them wpcs) and wedding planners (I count myself as part of this latter group). Peeling back all the hype, wpcs provide lists of services and wedding planners provide real services.

I had a short and not very satisfying experience with two such companies: one in an office space and one in cyber space. Each was tasked with helping us find a venue for my son's wedding. Each asked basic questions but in the end both provided a list of choices. Nothing more.

When we visited the venue choices it was obvious that neither company:

1) investigated the sites: one site was too small for our small wedding of 200 guests. After visiting the venue, I called the company immediately and told them that the venue was too small. The answer I received was that that 200 people could indeed fit into this venue. When I retorted that 200 people could also fit into my living room, the company rep just laughed and reluctantly admitted he never actually saw the place himself.

2) in some cases the company never contacted the sites before I had ( to arrange a meeting/tour of the venue). This became evident when I called the venue to arrange the meeting or when I mentioned that we were supposed to get a 'special company price' and the venue knew anything about a special price. Again once I told the company about the discrepancy, they told me they would 'look into it'.

These companies also claimed that they knew all the venues that would be suited for us in a certain geographical area. Again this was false. Once again, when I told the companies that I found many other venues (not on their list); their answers were at best an attempt to say that they did not have connections with ALL the venues in our area (not what the company claimed at our first and only meeting).

No one has the luxury of 'not having the time to plan your own wedding'. Do not let a wedding planning company try to convince you that your wedding deserves less of your time and effort than would a dinner date.

Want to find a venue?

A. Use the following parameters to begin to narrow your search, without ever leaving your home or your slippers.

Parameters to help you narrow your search:

1) Time of year: Season/month(Some venues are summer only garden venues)

2) Geographical location: Area/city

3) Venue type: garden venue, garden+hall venue, hall venue

4) Number of guests: (Some venues are designed for very large or small weddings. Most venues have minimum guest attendance rules for certain seasons and certain days of the week)

5) Basic wedding style: (Religious, mixed, formal, informal and the like)

B. Now just key in venue names in http://www.d.co.il/ for your desired cities in your geographical area.

Now make sure your venue has a license to run a venue. Check out:

http://www.moin.gov.il/officeunits/buildingsupervisionnationalunit/pages/ganeyiruim.aspx

Most of your search response list will include links to the venue's sites. Check out the sites and make a list of the most likely venues.

C. With the information from your parameter list above, call each venue and discuss your needs. Begin to arrange meetings for your close wedding party. When arranging a meeting, get the name of the person you will meet, as well as a direct mobile number.

Try to visit each venue during an event, preferably a wedding. So you can see much more than just the physical layout of the venye, but also how responsive the venue is to the event and the guests.

I warmly recommend that the bride, groom and someone who has arranged a wedding in the past visit each venue.

If you can, try to visit two venues in an evening.

All venues look the same

After you have visited your third venue, all the venues begin to look and smell the same. With this in mind I attach a venue assessing form (in both English and Hebrew) to help you assess each venue as you visit it and then help you compare the venues at the end of the process.
Venue Comparison Form English

Venue Comparison Form Hebrew

Having problems downloading my forms? Email me.

Use these forms as an inspection list of items to examine while you are in the venue and then complete the form as soon as you are in the parking lot. Once you have seen about as many venues as you can stand, you can review them with the help of these forms and come to an informed decision.

Stay tuned for other installments of "Are you really too busy for your own wedding?"

Is Winter the new Summer ? Winter Weddings: What you should know before you plan a winter wedding

2011-01-18T17:46:00.003+02:00

Time was that weddings took place in the summer, somewhere between Lag B'Omer and Rosh Ha'Shanah – taking a break for the Three Weeks. We never had to worry about rain or snow ruining an event. We just wondered how hot and dry or hot and sticky the chuppah would be – depending on where the wedding took place.

Time was that winter weddings were for those who needed to save a lot of money or simply could not wait for the summer wedding season. Today winter has become the new summer and winter weddings abound. As summer weddings bring their own brand of problems, especially if you have a Friday mid-morning-afternoon wedding, which I discussed in an earlier article; winter brings its own brand of surprises, usually thanks to the vagaries of mother-nature.

First of all, it's time to realize that winter weddings are no longer unbelievably cheap. The price difference may be 5% to 10% less, and while every shekel is important for your overall budget, the per-person cost is no longer half of the summer rate.

Most venues however have remained flexible with many other issues, such as minimum number of guests on certain nights (for instance, the all-popular Thursday night), menu selection and the like.

Next let's look at venues. Most couples and I might add, most guests, prefer an outdoor or outdoor-indoor venue – better known as the 'Gan Eruim" – garden event venue. In general, these garden venues have more breathing room for the guests to move around and mingle during the pre-chuppah reception, space for the chuppah, as well as, in general, a reasonably large area for the dinner/dancing part of the evening. These garden venues are multi-seasonal and are equipped to handle just about all Israeli weather situations. During the last rain storm, one of the venues (in the center of the country) did cancel a wedding some four-five hours before it was scheduled to be held (story reported in the news with an interview with the not-very-happy bride and groom), but this was extreme case. I know that others venues held their simchas as planned on that day.

In general the garden venue will have an open or semi open (with an awning or tent structure) area for the reception, an open chuppah and then an enclosed structure, usually a glass and wood structure for the dinner and dancing.

Let's take a look at the tented reception area. In the winter, the overhead covering obviously is a precaution against rain, but in general this area maybe only heated by free-standing kerosene lamps. Rarely are these areas heated or temperature controlled as the dinner/dancing areas. This means that as the first guests arrive the area is a bit (or very) chilled, but as people begin to mill around and to attack the Hors d'Oeuvres, they in general warm themselves. Keep in mind that older guests should have an indoor place where they can sit comfortably and warmly, usually in the enclosed dinner/dancing area. Always have in hand a shawl and or coat for yourselves and your older guests. A shawl should also be available for the kallah – especially if she is fasting. I have seen some kallahs go for the white, faux-fur lined wraps/shawls that more or less 'match' their dresses.

Keep in mind however, that a tented reception area is just as important, or in some cases, maybe even more important for a simcha held during a very hot summer evening. And our summer is a lot longer and hotter than our short rainy season.

I have also noticed a trend of using artificial grass on outdoor areas, especially in indoor/outdoor venues. This grass is not only 'water-friendly' in our rain starved environment, it also ensures a year-round clean look and feel to a venue.

The chuppah in the winter. That sentence still strikes dread in the hearts of many a bride and groom. Will it rain or won't it? Will it be too cold for guests to stand around outside for the duration of the ceremony. Many venues have a stand-by, just-in-case, indoor chuppah ready and waiting or an area where a chuppah can be setup some two-to-three hours before the chuppah is set to start. Most venues are very flexible about where the chuppah will take place. And as with many other wedding details, guests are blissfully unaware of these last minute changes, as the transfer from outdoor to indoor chuppah is usually smooth. I have heard of Rabbis who insist on outdoor chuppahs. I have also seen outdoor chuppahs that can be viewed on close-circuit TV for those of the guests who choose to stay indoors. This is a long-standing style, especially in chasedeche weddings where the throng is just too big for the venue and has been going on for many, many years.

So while winter may be the 'new' summer and most venues are able to handle last-minute weather changes, you need to make sure that YOUR venue manager is open about how the hall will deal with these changes and what your options are.

Talk to your venue manager and get the details in writing.

2010-12-25T23:23:00.002+02:00

I am thrilled to announce the launch of my new and imporved site - in Hebrew and English! Please be kind with the Hebrew translation, it will undergo many versions, until I get it right!
www.yochistyles.com
Remember folks, I provide my beauty services throughout Israel.
Tell every bride you know that I offer professional makeup and hair styling services at a location of their choice and at incredible prices.
Have a great week.
Yochi

אני שמחה להודיעה שהעלתי את האתר החדש שלי. האתר בעברית ובאנגלית עם גרפיקה חדשה. הנוסח בעברית עוד יעבור תיקונים רבים

www.yochistyles.com

אני מספקת שירותי יופי לנשים ברחבי הארץ

תגידו לכל כלה שאתם מכירים שאני מספקת שירותי איפור ועיצוב שיער מקצועי בכל מקום שמתאים להן ובמחירים מיוחדים

בשבוע טוב

יוכי

I'M BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-11-18T18:40:00.000+02:00

It's been so long since I published a blog entry. First the chagim attacked with full vengeance and I could do nothing but go along for the crazy ride. I washed and set as many sheitels as I humanly could, sold makeup (remember the organic makeup NVEY?) and so much more. Well the month flew by.

Then there has been a whirl of activity around my son's engagement and wedding plans. Interestingly, through my own (son's, that is) pre-wedding experience, I have gotten back into wedding planning and management. I also took on another wedding planning and management project, so I guess I am back (in a limited manner) in the simcha management field.

Now in addition to my articles and updates on makeup, sheitels and hair, I will also provide information and forms that will be helpful to you as you plan your next simcha. For expert advice and planning and mangement simcha services, contact me today for a quote.

So what's new in Yochi's world?

I am also happy to announce that I am developing a spanking new bi-lingual website, which I believe will be easier on the eyes and informationally friendly. I also ask all my customers, friends and supporters to be kind to my Hebrew translation. It will no doubt be corrected, updated and then updated so more, before I go on to yet another site version.

I am also planning another sheitel party with my good friends from KosherSheitels Wigs & Hair Factory for some time around Chanukah.

Planned articles and helpful links:

1) Getting Lost in the Hall - Checking out the simcha sites with comparison forms and more

2) List of halls with licenses

3) Simcha Planning Services - The good, the bad, the free and the worthless

Stay tuned.

2010-09-07T10:20:00.009+03:00

NVEY שמעת על האיפור האורגני היחיד הנמכר בארץ

בפעם הראשונה בארץ ניתן לרכוש איפור אורגני איכותי מחברה בינלאומית

בסניף עדן טבע מרקט באיזור תעשיה פולג שבנתניה -מאחרי איקאה וביג NVEY אני מוכרת את איפור

רק בימים שאני בחנות ניתן לקבל חינם, וללא התחייבות: שיעור איפור קצר, התאמת אישית של האיפור, הסברים על סגולות האיפור וגם 15% הנחה על כל קניה של האיפור! אם את חברת מועדון עדן טבע מרקט תקבלי עוד 5% הנחה

תתקשרי אלי מראש לבדוק מתי אני בחנות: 052-3413249

רוצה לדעת יותר פרטים על האיפור האורגני NVEY
בקרי באתר

http://www.nveymakeup.co.il/

האיפור נמכר בסניפי עדן טבע מרקט ברחבי הארץ

תתחילי את השנה החדשה עם בריאות בפנים ומבחוץ

שנה טובה ובריאה

Have you heard about the ONLY Organic makeup sold in Israel?

2010-09-07T10:12:00.001+03:00

For the first time in Israel, you can now buy high-quality, organic makeup from an internationally-known company: NVEY. I sell NVEY makeup in the Eden Teva Market branch in the Poleg Industrial Area of Netanya (in back of Ikea and BIG) (and at times in the Eden Teva Market in Gan Ha'Ir).

This is the only truly ORGANIC makeup available in Israel!

Only on the days when I am in the store can I offer you free of charge: a short makeup lesson, personalized matching of makeup to your skin type, information on organic makeup and a 15% discount on all NVEY makeup purchases! If you have an Eden Teva Market card you get an additional 5% discount!

Call me in advance to find out when I will be in the store: 052-3414349

Want to know more about NVEY organic makeup: visit the site www.nveymakeup.com or www.nveymakeup.co.il (NVEY is sold in all Eden Teva Market branches)

Start the New Year off healthy from the inside and out – visit the NVEY booth!

Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year!

2010-08-28T20:37:00.002+03:00

Our Sheitel Party was a great success! With the demand for quality sheitels growing, Styles by Yochi and the Kosher Sheitels Wigs & Hair Factory are planning another party after the Chagim. Stay tuned for details. In the meantime, keep reading my blog for information and insight on all your beauty and simcha needs.

2010-08-26T07:23:00.002+03:00

This is the time to buy a new wig for Rosh Ha'shana! Reminder of the second day of my Sheitel Party!
I offer high quality, 100% human hair wigs! A half-a-year quality guarantee. Tens of styles and colors available a great prices.
Special offer with every purchase during the sale: wig styling and first wash and set absolutely free (over 200 NIS value)! And don’t forget my regular five for the price of four wash and sets!
My sale continues throughout today, Thursday, until 10 PM this evening. Call me at my home salon in Hadera: 052-5830535.

זה הזמן לרכוש פיאה חדשה לראש השנה! תזכורת ליום השני של מסיבת הפיאות שלי. אני מציעה פיאות איכותיות של 100% שיער טבעי. אחריות של חצי שנה. עשרות של דגמים וצבעים במחירים מצויינים. מבצע מיוחד בכל קניה בזמן המסיבה: עיצוב הפיאה + החפיפה וסירוק הראשונה חינה (שווי המתנה מעל 200 ₪) ! אל תשכחי את המבצע הרגיל שלי: חמשה חפיפות + סירוק במחיר של ארבעה. המכירה נמשכת לאורך כל היום, יום חמישי, ועד 10 בלילה. תצרי איתי קשר: 052-5830535.

Wedding Makeup Tips and First Aid Kit

2010-08-12T08:03:00.000+03:00

Well the wedding season is off with a bang. Here are more than a few tips and tricks of the trade that can help you through the 'big' day.

I have included a Wedding First Aid Kit list at the end – print it and prepare a bag in advance of the big event. Just don’t forget to take it with you to the venue!

Overall effect for the ladies of the bridal party:

A reminder for all the women in the bridal party: the color of your dress, the color of the flowers you may hold, the lighting effects and the décor of the venue around you all play a part in how your makeup will ultimately look on you - in person and on film.

Bridal party ladies, take a moment to think and rethink your color choices. A dark gown on a dark skinned woman in a dimly lit room will not photograph well, no matter how dramatic the makeup is. If you are set on a specific color scheme, think about accessories (jewelry, scarves, etc) or flowers to help lighten the overall effect.

I can tell you from experience that a large, bright, white basket of flowers can brighten the overall effect for a lovely little flower girl in a too-dark dress as she walked down the aisle in a dimly lit, dark-walled venue. Take pictures in advance and see the over-all effect BEFORE the big day!

Before your big day take into consideration the following:

Skin: Be kind to your skin!

Do not sit out in the sun or use a tanning bed in the weeks before your wedding. Aside from the fact that your skin needs only 15 minutes of sun a day – that's right 15 minutes, you are courting unnecessary trouble (burns, blisters, etc) and much more serious health problems down the road!

This is not the time to experiment with new creams, lotions and potions on any part of your body. Use the same trusted brands you've used for years.

If you want to improve the look of your skin start going to a cosmetician about a month before the wedding and ensure that all treatments are gentle. No extreme peelings or exfoliations.

If any dry patches develop on your face in the weeks leading up to the wedding, use a gentle peeling or exfoliation cream or simply use a little water and sugar (!) and rub it into the area each evening. Rinse in the shower and then finish up with a good facial cream. Be extra kind to this area. Depending on your skin type and age, these dry areas should improve within a week or so.

Lips:

• Chapped lips – winter and summer

This tip is especially important for the bride, but also the mothers can benefit. If your lips are chapped, begin a MONTH BEFORE THE WEDDING, apply a thin coat of Vaseline or a light cream on your lips nightly. You can also apply a very gentle peeling to your lips: gently rub sugar into your lips and then wash off and apply a very thin coat of Vaseline.

• Remember to outline your lips with a lip pencil to keep the lip color from 'bleeding' into the areas around your lips.

• Clear lip gloss will help give your lips the illusion of fullness.

• Remember the basic rules of dark and light:

o A dark lip color makes your lips look smaller.

o A light lip color makes your lips look larger.

Eyes:

If you wear glasses, think about your lenses. If you are far sighted (can’t see up close) – your glasses magnify not only what is in front of you, but also your eyes: make sure your makeup is more subtle both in color and in style. Think about using a white pencil on the lid line above your lashes from the tear duct to the very corner of your eye to give you the illusion of brighter eyes.

If you are near sighted (can't see far away) – your glasses help you see into a distance, but also make your eyes seem smaller, make sure your makeup is more dramatic. You should use eyeliner and extra coats of mascara to help further emphasize your eyes.

Eye makeup trends change from wedding season to wedding season. The summer wedding season usual brings on more romantic, old fashion, back-to nature trends. A too natural, too subtle Iook - especially when you are wearing all white - will not be flattering in pictures. If you have the hankering from something more dramatic, discuss it with your makeup artist at the trial session.

Overall effect:

Go easy on the shiny, sparkly eye shadows and blushes as these reflect the light and the flash of the cameras can create a bright spot(s) effect on your face, essentially creating blank hole in your face on film, not a pretty sight!

Touch ups on the day of the wedding:

If you are not lucky enough to have a makeup artist on call for the entire event, keep the following tips in mind:

Perspiration: Absorb any perspiration and take the shine from any areas, by first blotting the area with a dry, clean tissue. Blot the area, do not wipe it or your makeup with smudge and spread. You can prepare cotton balls with facial powder or dip in talc/baby powder for light touchups.

You can take with you a cheap concealer or makeup that matches (exactly!) your makeup shade or use talc/baby powder for mini-touchups.

Your eyes: Your eye makeup may run from the hot lights and dancing or become smudged by the over-zealous kissing of family and friends. I recommend that you bring along and have a trusted friend hold for you:

• eye shadow to match your overall eye shading (usually there is more than one shade) and simple disposable brush or applicator

• eye pencil in the same shade applied earlier to touch up the inner lid areas

Your lips: This is a day of kissing and nothing removes lipstick like kissing. Your lip treatment is the finishing touch to your overall look and will give your photographs and video a more polished appearance. I recommend that you bring along and have a trusted friend hold for you:

• lip gloss. This can be a clear lip gloss or a lip gloss with a color close to the one applied earlier.

PRINT AND SAVE!!!!

The Bride's First Aid Kit List:

You can have a kit specifically for the bride and her needs and a separate one for the bridal party or have just one, well organized bag for all the ladies. If the bag does not contain pockets, think about putting each item in a separate zip-lock bag.

Advance preparations: Assign a trusted friend as the Designated Keeper of the Kit. This person will be in charge of the kit and help with any of the fist aid emergencies should they come up. I recommend that this bag of goodies be packed at least a week in advance.

This bag should contain:

• Thread and needles: White thread and also any other obvious thread colors needed (color of the bridal party's gowns, good old black for the men, etc). I warmly recommend including some pre-threaded needles, as this will save time and tears during a dress emergency. Even with pre-treaded needles, you should throw in a spool or two of thread.

• Safety pins (you can't always sew every problem!)

• Travel-size toothbrush and toothpaste

• Breath mints or gum (please don't chew, the video will not be amusing)

• Brush, comb, bobby pins

• Hairspray (hairspray can also be used to solved some problems, like run in pantyhose). I do not recommend you take hair setting gel, it can and will get messy, spill and cause too many tears.

• Box of tissues

• Box of baby wipes (without alcohol to remove smudged makeup that cannot be fixed or just to cool the hands and neck areas)

• Band aides (especially important for the all the ladies who did not break in their shoes in time for the big event)

• Elastic bandage (you will only think this is extreme, if you've never needed one!)

• Q-tips

• Hand cream

• Nail file (cracked or jagged nails can rip a dress, a veil, panty hose or even get caught in a hair style)

• Eye drops (I recommend the disposal, one-use small applicator type and not the bottles)

• Cotton balls pre-dipped in with facial powder (placed in a separate little bag) or simply dip the cotton balls in talc/baby powder for light touchups

• Cheap lip gloss (there is no reason to invest in the gloss, it will probably get lost by the end of the night)

• Cheap eye shadow and disposable applicator (these items have a habit of falling and cracking in nervous hands)

• Cheap concealer or makeup that matches your shade EXACTLY

• Talc/baby powder: great to help blot perspiration and light facial touch ups

• I know some folks also think about taking a blow dryer and curling iron. Unless you have a hair stylist on call or you have someone who will use these properly in a proper surroundings (a room with a mirror, chair, electrical outlets and so on and NOT a bathroom stall), I do not recommend taking these items. They are heavy, bulky and make get broken in transit.

• Lingerie: Pack extra underpants, panty liners, tampons and pantyhose.

• For the gals who wear contacts: extra set of lenses, lenses case and solution

• Antiperspirant

• Perfume: I recommend a light scent

• Nails: there are those who say bring glue, polish and the like. I say, the hands are secondary to the face and can be hidden from the sights of the photographer, while wet nail glue or polish is not easy to remove from a dress once wet glue/polish is smeared all over it.

• Aspirin or any equivalent

• Shawl or wrap, even in the summer there may be older members of the wedding party that will feel the extremes of the air-conditioning

• Extra pair of shoes: I recommend ballet type, white slippers to wear while dancing

• Antacid tablets

• Earring backs (take extra backs from cheap earrings)

• Crazy glue and stain remover. Two very difference products. They are both great, but I feel the damage they will cause in the hands of someone very nervous or when they are not correctly re-capped after use, will be worse than the tear or stain.

• Cell phone and charger. Make sure it is fully charged. You should not be making phone calls, but one should be handy.

The Groom's First Aid Kit:

• Extra socks

• Extra shoe laces

• Thread and needles

• Travel-size toothbrush and toothpaste

• Breath mints or gum (please don't chew, the video will not be amusing)

• Box of tissues

• Box of baby wipes (without alcohol)

• For the guys who wear contacts: extra set of lenses, lenses holder and solution

• Talc/baby powder: great to help blot perspiration and light touch ups on balding heads

• Antiperspirant

• Aftershave: I recommend a light scent

• Extra shirts for the guys, ugly perspiration circles in men's shirts are not a pretty site

• Aspirin or any equivalent

• Link brush or masking tape to remove pesky hairs or particles from a suit

• Antacid tablets

• Cell phone and charger. Make sure it is fully charged. You should not be making phone calls, but one should be handy.

• Elastic bandage (you will only think this is extreme, if you've never needed one!)

• Eye drops (I recommend the disposal, one-use small applicator type and not the bottles)

Invitation to a Sheitel (Wig) Party – Introduce my Wig Line

2010-08-01T10:00:00.000+03:00

With the sadness of Tisha B'Av gone (but never forgotten). It's time to look ahead and think about the New Year to come. With that in mind, I am thrilled to invite y'all to my first Sheitel Party, just like in the 'old country'.

Styles by Yochi in association with the wonderful folks from Kosher Sheitels Wigs & Hair Factory are happy to invite you to a Sheitel (Wig) Party to introduce my wig line on Wednesday and Thursday, 25 and 26 August from 19:30 in the evening, at my home salon in Hadera.

If you wear a wig all the time or are just thinking about wearing one, you are invited to come on in and try on 100% high quality human hair sheitels and falls, hear tips and discussions on wig care and how to keep you wig beautiful for years to come.

Don't be shy, this is your chance to try on and learn about wigs without embarrassment!

This is also a great opportunity to buy a wig for Rosh Ha'Shana!

Great deals and discounts on wig purchases available on the days of the party.

No obligation to buy! Please feel free to bring your girl friends. This is a great opportunity to see new wig styles and meet new friends. Please call me today to register: 052-5830535.

A Sheitel (Wig) Primer

2010-07-05T11:10:00.000+03:00

In this article I want to begin to tackle the world of sheitlach (wigs); the types of sheitlach are found on the market today, as well as tips for care. Please note that this article does not deal with medical wigs, but wigs worn by women for either religious or beauty reasons.

How to Begin
• Always buy a wig from a reputable sheitel macher or well-known wig dealer.
• Always read the label found at the nape of the sheitel.
• All sheitel labels should contain information including: name of manufacturer (usually the brand name of the sheitel and not the actual company that produces the wigs for any specific company) and the wig type (custom, human hair, synthetic and so on), there can also be an additional label containing a hechsker from a Beit Din.

How is the wig designed?
The individual wig hairs are usually gathered into small clusters of hairs, these clusters are then sewn in a row onto cloth strips, each strip is known as a tress. These tresses are then assembled and sewn into either a net cap or sewn as open rows of hair attached to a wig border (known as capless). Whether the wig has a cap or is capless, the border of the wig follows the natural outline of the hair line from across the edge of the scalp at the top of the head, following the hairline down and around the ears and then across the back on the nape of the neck.

The top of the wig will either look the same as the rest of the wig (just rows of tresses) or will have a section in the middle of the top of the wig that is sewn in separately. This section, referred to as 'skin', is made up of a swatch of material, with hair strands hand sewn into it in rows allowing the 'skin' to show through, simulating hair and scalp. This skin area is very delicate. This section can wear out with time and can get torn by improper handling. The skin section is handmade and attached to the wig and is very expensive to replace.

Combs and/or clip/combs are sewn into the top of the wig and the side 'flaps' near the ears. Wigs that are meant to be worn with the hair brushed up from the nape of the neck, as in a bun or high ponytail, will have a clip/comb sewn into the nape of the neck area as well, to hold the back of the wig into place. These combs and clips also wear out in time, but can be replaced easily and cheaply.

At the nape of the wig there is an elastic strip attached to either end of the nape, with an s-clasp or Velcro patch. These strips can be tighten or loosened at the nape of the wig in order to create a better overall wig fit. Like many other things, the wig will stretch a bit with wear and these elastic strips help to tighten and improve the fit of your wig. These strips can also be sewn into place, if they move or unfasten during wear. These elastic strips will also wear with time.

Types of Wigs
There are many types of wigs on the market. Wigs prices vary widely according to the wig type, country of origin of hair and hair type, length of hair and according to the wig company that ultimately sells the wigs.

Custom: These are wigs made of the highest quality, untreated, un-dyed European human hair. The hair is sewn in tresses of lengths of hair, usually knots of 3-hair strands, all sewn in the same direction as it was cut (top of hair is at the cut point and bottom of hair is the natural end of the hair). This process ensures that the hair is arranged naturally and lays naturally. Custom wigs usually have a “skin” top that allows for a part in the hair. Some wigs have a 'multi-directional', which means, as the name suggests, the part can be easily made in a number of places in the skin, as well as being parted from the left or the right. This is the most costly and the most long lasting wig. This wig should be considered a long-term investment and is usually bought for kallahs.

Semi-custom (Remi): These are wigs made of human hair that has been treated and sometimes dyed. These wigs are usually made from European hair. These wigs usually have a “skin” top that allows for a part in the hair. The hair is usually sewn as tresses of hair that are gathered and folded over, this common method of sewing can create a less comfortable wig fit and style, if the stitching is not done properly. These wigs are somewhat less expensive than custom, but are still a good investment and can last for years with good care and maintenance.

100% Human hair: These are wigs made of human hair (usually Asian) that has been treated.

Human-hair blend: These are wigs made of a blend of human and synthetic hair, usually either having a 50-50 blend or 30-80 blend. These are not as long-lasting as 100% human hair, but are more natural looking and usually of a better quality than synthetic wigs.

Synthetic: These wigs made of synthetic fibers. These wigs have the shortest life-span, of usually less than one year unless they are worn very infrequently.

Wig care
All human hair wigs can be washed, cut, styled and dyed just like the hair on your head. Depending on the quality of the wig cap, hair and the level of care, these wigs can last for many years. You can use hot-rollers or a hair dryer or any other hair product on these wigs.

The outcome of dyeing an all-human wig can never be guaranteed as there can be no true 'pedigree' on the hair. As a rule you can only darken a wig color. A good way to lighten a wig is to add light highlights. Again, there is no guarantee that the highlights will 'take' to the hair.

Human hair blends can be washed and styled with certain limitations and can last well over a year and more with good care. You should be very careful with heat settings on blow-dryers or rollers and the like, as the wig hair is not as resilient of 100% human hair.

Synthetic wigs can be gently washed, but cannot be styled and should be kept away from any heat sources. The average life of a synthetic wig is only about a year.

Do you have any questions about wig care or styling. Please feel free to contact me through this blog.

Is my hair too big for my dress? Or Will three kilo of hair extensions really make my waist look smaller?

2010-06-27T15:14:00.030+03:00

I've spoken so much about makeup, but have not given bridal hairstyling issues the "blog time" it deserves.

In today's world any and every imaginable hairstyle is available to any bride. You can go from super short to über long and silky (Cher circa 1970s) in no time (ok, that's a lie, it takes hours and hours of work to attach hair extensions and then style the hair, but the end result, if done correctly, can look magnificent). You can tease, curl and straighten your hair and then make it do incredible feats of acrobatics around combs, pins, crowns, clips and veils.

But the bottom line question is: What are you looking for in a bridal hairstyle? or Will three kilo of hair extensions really make my waist look smaller? Like everything else in your wedding, here too, you should begin by asking: What is your overall wedding style? Formal? Country? Laidback? Traditional?

Begin at the beginning… With The Dress
First of all, take a good look at your wedding dress or the types of wedding dresses you are drawn to. Now - WITHOUT taking into consideration your hair (length, color, hair type) or your facial structure - which hairstyle do you feel would be most suited for this style of dress?

You may be "lucky" enough to have seen your dress modeled, in an ad online or in print, with a certain hairstyle that seems absolutely PERFECT for it. [I put the word lucky in quotes, as that piece of luck can make your life hell if you think that this specific hairstyle is the ONLY ONE suited for this dress. It's NOT!]

Remember, you want your entire look to shine: your dress, your face and makeup, your hairstyle and ALL OF YOU! You do not want any one of these components to outshine the others.

Having said this, there may be a 'tiny' part of you that you may wish to downplay or you would rather not emphasize; say large feet or if you are very tall and thin. You can cover up large feet with a long wedding dress that trails the floor and/or wear very simple, matte, not shiny, ballet-type shoes that call no attention to your feet. If you are very tall and thin, you can lessen the severity of any look by wearing a wedding gown that is not too form fitting or wear a dress style that cuts you on a bias or a dress with fabrics that create a sense of fullness without making you look like a wedding cake. And you all know what I mean!

More is More only if Less is Less
Now back to the hairstyle. A simple rule of thumb is that a big, poufy, multi-tiered dress or any dress that has a 'presence' demands a larger, more obvious hairstyle; while a simple, clean-line style should be accompanied by a clean, softer hairstyle.

Your hair should not be competing against your face!
Now that I've set that ground rule, it's time to take your hair and facial structure into consideration. If a big hairstyle fits the dress and your face is just too small and delicate or even too round – IT'S TIME TO RETHINK THE DRESS! REMEMBER: Unless you've just walked down the aisle, it is NEVER TOO LATE to change or modify your dress. You can have your dress altered, adjusted or just sell it on Ebay. You are NOT stuck with any dress!

The point here is that you do not want to look at the wedding pictures ten years from now and exclaim: "WHAT WAS I THINKING WHEN I PICKED OUT THAT DRESS???"

I've said it before and I'll say it again, your wedding look is not supposed to be a contest between your hair, your dress and your makeup! Sit quietly on a desert island if you need to, but take time to think through your whole look. Sit down with a trusted, objective friend or family member and review your whole look – sketch it out, piece it together with pictures of your gown, your hair and your face if you need to. But don’t wait until the makeup/hairstyling trial session to find out that something may be very wrong with your overall look.

Comfort, Comfort, Comfort
Another consideration when thinking about your bridal hairstyle is comfort. OK, comfort may be the wrong word to use, but you must be able to carry off the style with some modicum of ease. If the style is too heavy or too tight or too exaggerated, you will not enjoy a moment of your wedding. And you are supposed to enjoy your wedding! You are supposed to be able to dance, sing, run, eat and kiss relatives (only after the chuppah) to your heart's content. You are not supposed to spend the evening worrying about ruining your hairstyle and counting the minutes until the simcha is over and you can rip the hairstyle out of your hair. And that may not be possible when your hair has been held captive under a kilo of hair spray, a half kilo of glued beads and crystals and those three kilos of hair extensions. It took my daughter a week of intensive shampooing just to get the hair spray out of her hair!

Want to be daring? Go Bungee jumping after the wedding.

While we are on the subject of hairstyling, I cannot over emphasize the importance of not trying out new haircuts, styles and colors at the last minute before the wedding. Try out any new hairstyle alternatives at least three to six months before the wedding, in order to give your hair time to grow out, return to normal or change the look should anything have gone wrong or you are not happy with the results.

You don’t have three to six months to experiment? Well then YOU SHOULD NOT BE DOING IT! If hair extensions are not enough to create the look you dreamed of, then you should drop the idea. You wedding is not the time to be daring about your looks.

Under the assumption that you do have six months prior to the wedding to change or modify your hair style, you should be doing the following.

• Start with a good hair cut or at least a good trim, even or should I say especially if you plan to grown your hair long. I know many brides want LONG hair for the wedding and don’t want to part with those few centimeters of shagging unhealthy hair as they think it makes their hair look longer. But you have to understand that those few centimeters of broken ends will not take the curl correctly and, if you intend to have an updo, these unsightly hairs will not behave themselves. Let it go and trim your hair and I guarantee your hairstyle and over all look will be wonderful.

• Start treating your skin kindly. No unnecessary tanning (beach or bed), harsh facial treatments, cosmetic surgeries or anything that may not heal in time for the big day.

• Let your eyebrows grow out a bit, so you can style them and have a little more 'to work with" for the wedding.

• Plan any waxing enough time in advance to allow for any redness to subside.

Remember EVERY KALLAH IS BEAUTIFUL on her wedding day!

Hairstyling Primer

2010-06-20T17:57:00.012+03:00

In response to requests for information on hairstyling, please find the first in a series on hairstyling. Look out for hairstyling photos coming soon!

Before Your Style Your Hair
Planning to style your hair for a simcha? Don’t wash your hair for one or two days prior to the event; the oil in your hair will help the style hold better. If you forget and wash your hair the day of the event, put some Moroccan oil or styling gel on your hair before you begin to style.

Oils? Gels? Creams?

Are you confused about all those oils and gels and creams and serums out in the market for your hair? Here's a short review of what you should know.

Moroccan Oil? Grape Seed Oil? Silicon/Serum? Styling Gel?
Moroccan oil is perfect to apply before you blow dry or style your hair.
Grape seed oil and silicon/serum are perfect to apply after you've blown dry your hair to give your hair that final touch of shine.

How should you apply these oils to your hair?
How to apply oil to your hair: Put a few drops of oil into the palms of your hands and rub through your palms and fingers. Then gently touch the tips of your hair, then run your fingers gently through your hair finishing off at the roots.
Use any of these oils sparingly! Too much oil will weigh down your hair and prevent you from creating a hairstyle, ruin the style or prevent the hair from being adequately blown dried.

Blow drying your hair

To get that 'salon-just-blow-dried-look' always work on damp hair. I recommend you purchase a simple spritz bottle and fill it with plain tap water and a few drops of a good cream rinse. This combination will make your hair more manageable and even give you a bit of a shine. Change the water in the bottle every two to three months. If you only blow dry your hair occasionally, fill the bottle with fresh water and cream rinse each time you blow dry your hair.

Where to start? Rule number one: Never put a moisturizing hair crème on your hair before blow drying it, it will weigh down your hair.

It's best to with small sections of hair at a time. You should start with the hair at nape of the neck. Brush your hair well and then clip up all your hair, except a few rows of hair at the nape. Then brush this unfastened section of hair with a round brush, hold taunt and blow dry from the root.

Once the root is dry the hair will be less 'fly away' and easier to manage. Blow dry the hair straight. Once the back of the head is blown dry, dry the sections in the front and your bangs last.

Once the hair is blown dry smooth, you can curl or style your hair in any fashion you wish.

Rule number two: Be careful not to use too much oil before your blow dry or you may burn your hair. Be careful not to use too much oil after you blow dry or you will weigh down your hair and it will look too oily.
Quick hair tips
• Always dye your hair (on dry hair) before cutting it (on damp hair).
• Always dye your hair before applying highlights.
• Always straighten hair before cutting it.
• Curly hair appears shorter when it is dry than when it is wet. A 'dry cut' (cutting hair when dry and not damp as usual) is great for trimming curly hair to ensure you are not getting a too-short haircut or even for do-it-yourself touch ups.
• Trim your hair every six to eight weeks, even if you want to let your hair grow longer or grow out of an old hairstyle.
• Can't stand those in-between times while you are growing your hair out of its old style? Use styling gel to comb back your hair and keep it in place until your reach the desired length. To get more volume out of thin hair, have your hair cut with one or two layers only. The layers give the illusion of volume, without taking away from the length. Too many layers create a look that thins out your hair even more.

Remember to enjoy your hair, it's why we have it!

APPLYING EYE MAKEUP - Absolutely Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Eye Makeup

2010-06-14T18:52:00.001+03:00

The focal point of any makeup look is the eyes. In this article I will take you step-by-step through the eye makeup process. As always we start with a good base: clean, moisturized skin. Then we apply the foundation.

Base
No matter what makeup style you wish to achieve: dramatic, subtle, light or whimsical; every look must begin with a good foundation. See my article on How to Apply Foundation and Concealer.

Concealer or Foundation
First let's define the eye area; it's from just below the brow bone (you can feel it with your fingers) until the edge of the sunken area under the eye / the top of the cheek bone (again you can feel this area with your fingers).

You can apply the same foundation around the eye area as to the rest of your face or apply concealer. What's the difference? Concealer is designed to be applied to the area around the eyes and as the name suggests, is designed to conceal any discoloration around this area. It is usually a more oily or heavier consistency than foundation and is not kind to older skin, since, as it dries, it tends to forms cracks in and around wrinkles. Concealer can be used on young skin, which may not always have what to conceal, but some amount of cover or base MUST always be applied in order for the eye makeup to be applied smoothly and be absorbed as little and as uniformly as possible. What about the shade of the foundation/concealer? As with all life, there are two schools of thought: the shade should either be a half a tone lighter or exactly the same shade. I believe that for an everyday makeup look, you should choose a shade that is the same as your foundation. For photo opportunities, use a shade half-a-tone lighter.

Now there are some interesting rules of thumb here:

No matter what the age of the skin, once the foundation/concealer is applied, it should be gently patted down and smoothed again just before applying makeup, as creases will form and the eye makeup cannot be applied as smoothly as it should.

Eye shadow
Today's idea of beautiful eyes is roundish, almond shape eyes, angled slightly upwards at the corners. Any and all eye makeup will help enhance or create the illusion of this eye shape (as much as possible).

As with all makeup, there are basically two types of eye shadow (there are in truth many more types, but they can nearly all be divided into these two categories): powder and cream. As always, the powdered version is much easier to apply and blend and kinder on older skin. Shiny, metallic eye shadows can be found in both cream and powder versions and should be avoided like the plaque on older skin and for photo opportunities, as the camera flash will reflect off this area and the optical illusion created is of a big blank spot. Not attractive on anyone.

Applying eye shadow – where to "put it all":

Confused about where to put "it" all? First 'divide' your eye into three sections measuring from the top of your nostril to the top of your brow with a makeup brush. Section 1 is from your nostril straight up to the beginning of your brow and until the beginning of the iris. Section 2 is from your nostril across from the beginning of your iris to the end of your iris, including the highest point of your brow. Section 3 is from your nostril, past the end of your iris and through the corner tip of your eye and to very end of your brow. These section divisions are also excellent guide lines to determine how to shapes your brows.

Most eye shadows will be applied in sections 2 and 3. Eyeliner will be applied along the top of whole eye. Under the eye you can apply eyeliner or eye pencil, either along the length of the longer lash line or under just section 3.

Start with eye shadow, either a light shade on the eyelid and a darker shade along the crease or the opposite: the darker shade on the eyelid and a lighter shade along the crease. Apply color a bit at a time with a brush or your finger and blend it in to this area of your eye and a little at the edges of the area; each time adding a bit more color and until you get the shade you want. The end result should be a smooth, blended look of color.

The eye shadow illusion:

On your eyelid

When thinking about applying shades – dark vs light - (not colors), take into consideration your eye shape and whether your eyes are set close together or wide apart, sunken or protruding, drooping or slanted. Now look over the following optical illusions eye shadow shades can create.

Remember makeup is there to help us accentuate what we like about our faces and help disguise what we do not. See my site for before and after shots to see how makeup can make the difference.

• Dark eye shadow makes your eyes seem more sunken in, wider and closer together.

• Light eye shadow makes your eyes seem more protruding, smaller and further apart.

Make sure that the outer edge of your eye shadow ends on an upturn. This means that the eye shadow from the tip of your eye till under your brow should be on an angle facing up towards your brow. Don't try to create this angle while applying the shadow. First apply shadow and then "clean" the line using your foundation sponge. Some makeup artists use a business card – you heard right – and apply the shadow on the eyelid and over the business card and once it is removed, the shadow is on a neat 'incline'. I recommend you clean the angle and then gently and lightly brush the eye shadow brush over this line to create a less 'demarcated' area and a more natural-looking eye.

Another makeup tool that can change the way your eyes appear is a line of eyeliner (with an eyeliner pencil or non-metallic liquid eyeliner) drawn above the bottom lashes; from the tip of the tear ducts to the outer corner of the eye. When choosing a shade for this area, consider the following:

• A dark line (black or dark brown/blue) above the bottom lashes, makes the eye look smaller but more angled upward.

• A light line (white) above the bottom lashes, makes the eye look larger and more open.

Tip: When you have some 'extra time', experiment on which eye shadow effects are best for you. Draw a dark line in one eye and a light line in the other and then see which look is better for your shape eyes.

Under your lower lashes:

A line of color under your bottoms lash line creates a more complete eye look. You can either draw a line with an eye pencil or eye shadow. There are two kinds of eye pencil (aren't there always?): a chalky dry consistency and a waxy, smoother consistency. Many times the waxy version has shine or sparkle to it. I personally recommend using the waxy version as it rolls on smoothly and gently. Once applied, you can either rub it gently to give a more subtle look to the eye or you can put powdered shadow on top of it. The wax of the pencil helps the powdered shadow adhere to the area and last longer.

Eyeliner

When eyeliner is applied properly, it can create a flattering and attractive look to your eyes. Don't apply to eyes that are too small or sunken in or wrinkled; eyeliner will just your eyes and your whole face look older. Applied well, it can give the illusion of altering the shape of your eyes. Eyeliner comes in a variety of forms: liquid with its own thin brush applicator, pen-like with a thin marker applicator, a nearly solid form that is applied with a thin brush. You'll need to find the product that works the best for you.

The trick to applying eyeliner:

Here is a nearly fool-proof way of applying eyeliner: apply the eyeliner beginning in the middle of your eyelid and then apply to the outer corner of the eye; just until the end of the lash line and then apply from the middle to the inner corner of the eye. Apply a thin line and then if you wish you can retrace the line to create a thicker and more dramatic line.

Now, you can also create a pointed upward tip at the outer corner of the eye by continuing upwards from the point you stopped. First draw a line perpendicular from the end of the outer corner to the highest point you want for your tip. Then draw a line across from this point back to your lash line and fill in the triangle. The maximum height of the point should be determined by whether you have wrinkles in this area or not. Eyeliner in wrinkles will crack and look very bad. In this case, keep the eyeliner at a minimum.

Instead of standard eyeliner, you can use an eye pencil, as described above in Under your lower lashes, as an eyeliner and draw a line of color across your eyelid. You can smudge this line gently with your fingers to get a less defined, more subtle definition to your eyelid.

False lashes
False lashes are great for simachot. For everyday makeup, I would consider false lashes overkill. If you are considering wearing false lashes, have them applied professionally. If you are a do-it-yourselfer, practice applying and wearing the lashes several times BEFORE the big event. As with everything else in life: practice makes perfect.

What to buy?:

For practice sessions buy cheap lash sets you find in one of those cheap makeup chain stores. For the real event buy only good quality name-brand lashes. These will have a realistic look and feel. Lashes come in the usual set of two upper lashes or as a package of individual lashes to fill out sparse areas/or thicken the outer edge of the lash area. In all cases, buy ONLY good quality glue – the glue should dry clear and clean and be approved by the Ministry of Health.

How to apply?:

Whether this is a trial session or the real event: Lashes should be designed like real lashes: shorter lashes at the inner corner and long/slightly thicker lashes at the outer corner. Check the length of each lash line to your eyes, by lining it up across your eye lash line. If the lashes are too long, cut the OUTER edge. I recommend applying a line of eyeliner before you apply your lashes, as the eyeliner will help give the optical illusion that the lashes are your own and cover up any slight mistakes in application. If the mistake is too glaring, take off the clashes and START AGAIN!

First curl your lashes. You will not be able to do this AFTER you apply the lashes, without pulling them out. Apply a thin layer of glue to the edges of the lashes and let dry for a few seconds; until the glue is tacky. Then apply the lashes, either with lash tweezers or your fingers to a closed eye (this is the reason why it is reasonably hard to apply your own lashes) as close as possible to your natural lash line. Apply beginning at inner corner and then patting down gently as you move towards the outer corner.

Once the entire lash line has been applied, pat down gently and hold in place for some 20 seconds. Then open your eye s-l-o-w-l-y. You many need to "pry" your eye open a bit, as some of the glue may have seeped onto your bottom lashes. Work slowly and gently. Once lashes are applied to both eyes and you are happy with the results, you should reapply eyeliner to ensure the lash line looks realistic and then apply a coat or two or three of mascara to ensure that the lashes are 'integrated' into the lash line.

If you applying individual lashes, first apply mascara to your real lashes and then the fake lashes. If you apply mascara afterwards you may mistakenly pull out these lashes with the mascara brush.

Mascara
Should you apply mascara to both your top and bottom lashes? If your eyes are round and somewhat bulgy, then apply mascara to the top lashes only. This same rule is true for droopy eyes. However with small and/or 'normal' size eyes you can apply mascara on both top and bottom lashes. In all cases, the best way to get that long lash look is to curl your eyelashes with a quality eyelash curler and then add at least two coats of mascara and you're set.

Brows
Brush your brows with a brush comb. You can fill in sparse areas or lengthen a too-short brow with eye shadows in shades close to your own natural brow color. Mix a darker and lighter shade to produce a more natural effect.

Great Hint:
Use baby wipes without alcohol to clean any mistakes/smudges on your face (remember to reapply foundation – you can also use your foundation sponge to clean mistakes), as well as to clean your hands and surfaces when you are finished applying makeup. Make sure the wipes are packaged as alcohol-free, as the alcohol tends to dry out your skin. Even if you have oily skin, this product is not recommended for use.

Check out my article Makeup and ROI (Return on Investment) or Do I really need to buy everything the ladies in the "Pharms" try to sell me? to understand which eye makeup is worth investing in and which are not.

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MY MAKEUP BAG: CONFUSED ABOUT WHICH MAKEUP IS WORTH INVESTING IN AND WHICH IS NOT? Read on…

2010-06-01T18:27:00.006+03:00

I am always asked "How much should I spend on makeup? and "What makeup should I invest in?". Let me rephrase the question: "Which makeup is worth investing in and which isn't?"

Let's start by listing the makeup that should be found in your makeup bag, no matter if you wear makeup on an everyday basis or just once in a while:

• Foundation

• Concealer

• Powder (loose)

• Mascara

• Eye liner

• Lash curler

• Eye shadows – powder or cream

• Blush – powder or cream

• Lipstick/gloss/pencil

Here's my Invest / Don't Invest / Don't Go Crazy (Don’t spend a lot of money) list. This list does not discuss how to apply the products, just the "economics" behind them.

Facial cream        Don't Go Crazy

A good day cream, absorbed into your skin before you apply makeup, ensures that the makeup will sit better on your skin. You can buy facial creams either from a well-known company and or a generic brand found in one of those cheap makeup chain stores. Try different creams and see how they feel on your face. Don't be tempted by pretty packaging and large or pretty jars. READ the label to compare the actual quantity of cream in the container, looks as always are deceiving. A good rule of thumb is: the more it smells like medicine, the less perfume additives and the purer the cream.

Foundation        Invest

This is the base for all your makeup. There are basically two kinds of foundations: liquid and solid. Liquid foundation is kind to all skin types, while the solid version is not recommended for older skin, as it may dry and crack and build up in wrinkles. However, as a rule solid foundation is used for all photography opportunities, including weddings, as it is the most long-lasting. For the usual 8 hour days, liquid foundation is more than acceptable. Your foundation should be of a high quality and a well blended consistency that doesn't separate or dry out over time. A high-quality foundation should last you anywhere between 6 months to a year, depending on how often you wear it and how much you apply each time. Foundation should be matched to your skin tone by a professional makeup artist.

Concealer            Invest

Concealer (created to be worn around the eye area, to conceal dark circles, etc.), like foundation, must be of a high quality and a well blended consistency that doesn't separate or dry out over time. A good foundation should last you anywhere between 6 months to a year or more depending on how often you wear it. Unlike foundation, concealer is NOT A MUST in your makeup bag. A good foundation can be used as a concealer. Concealer should be matched to your skin tone by a professional makeup artist.

Powder (loose)         Don't Go Crazy

Loose powder is for young skin only. Powder is not kind to older women's skin. So don't go crazy: buy a good powder from a well-known company and not a generic brand found in one of those cheap makeup chain stores. Although there are only a limited number of powder colors, you should still have a professional makeup artist match the powder to your skin. Tip: in a jam, you can use – SPARINGLY - plain talc to minimize shine from the T area of the face (above the eyes and down the nose).

Mascara              Don't Go Crazy

Mascara MUST be replaced once every 3 months. Why? First of all mascara dries up sooner or later. Secondly, the mascara tube is the perfect place (dark and warm) to grow bacteria that could cause eye infections. Remember, three months and the tube is in the garbage. As to the question of waterproof vs. non-waterproof: the jury is still out on this. I believe it is a matter of personal choice. Non-waterproof mascara is easier to remove and kinder on your lashes. So don't go crazy: buy a good mascara from a well-known company and not a generic brand found in one of those cheap makeup chain stores.

Eyeliner            Invest / Don't Go Crazy

This is a tricky one. If you use eyeliner once in a while: just buy a good eyeliner from a well-known company and not a generic brand found in one of those cheap makeup chain stores. Get rid of the eyeliner every six months or so. If you wear eyeliner daily you can still get away with a reasonably priced one. However, if you use eyeliner daily and need it to last LONGER than the usual 6 hours or so, then you need to invest in a good pot of water-proof eyeliner and good brush.

Lash curler             Invest

Buy a lash curler from a well-known company, it should have a good silicon insert. Many lash curlers have rubber inserts, these dry and crack and will inevitably pull out your lashes. Touch the inserts to feel the difference, if you can or ask a reputable makeup artist to recommend a brand-named eye lash curler. A good eye lash curler should last FOREVER.

Eye Shadow                 Invest

There are basically two kinds of eye shadows: cream and powder. Let's start with cream eye shadow: Cream shadow is not kind to older skin; it will eventually dry on the eye lid and form cracks and shows every wrinkle. Powder eye shadow is perfect for everyone. Powder eye shadow should feel soft to the touch, with an even, powdery consistency. When you rub your finger tip gently over the powder, you should be able to see the same shade of color on your finger as in the container. When you rub your finger tips together, the powder should feel smooth and leave a nice shade of color on your finger tips. Mineral shades have a more coarse consistency since they are made with a combination of color and crushed minerals. But they should still have an even consistency.

Blush             Don't invest

There are basically two kinds of blush: cream and powder. Let's start with cream blush: Cream blush is harder to manage and should only be handled with a very light hand. Cream blush is great for photo opportunities, as it is very longer lasting. However, it is unforgiving and mistakes are hard to correct. Powder blush is perfect for everyone. Unless you are looking for a shimmer blush, which is only good used sparingly for photo opportunities and only on young skin, there is no reason to buy blush. I'll repeat that: There is no reason to buy a separate blush product. Use eye shadow. Yes, ladies you heard me correctly, eye shadow. What shades? Pinks and browns are good on nearly everyone, EXCEPT women with full faces and red heads. These lovely ladies should be a peach tone color.

Lipstick/gloss/pencil        Don't invest

Lip treatment fashions, such as lipstick, gloss and pencils, change according to style trends, seasons and even the age of the woman and the shape of her lips. Don't invest in any of these. Buy them wherever you wish, even in the cheap makeup chain stores. Have a good selection of colors and treatments and change with the seasons and your mood. There are no hard and fast rules here: pinks are kinder on blondes; dark colors, such as eggplant, are wonderful on dark skin; but there are so many other factors such as creating a dramatic look, a natural look or a pale look. Play with colors and have fun. One good rule is using a lip pencil to create a outline around your lips, this keeps the color in and prevents it from blending into the skin around your lips. This is especially important for older skin.

On this blog, you will find articles on all aspects of makeup and makeup application. Some articles are already published; others will be published in the weeks to come. If there are makeup, wedding or hairstyling topics not yet covered or you would like to learn about a specific makeup topic, please contact me through this blog.

Should the Bride and Groom Wear Matching Sunglasses?

2010-05-23T10:10:00.001+03:00

It's beginning to be a mini-trend here in Israel, Friday morning/afternoon weddings for religious couples. I won’t get involved in the never-ending list of reasons why you should never hold a wedding on a Friday: need to schedule makeup and hair for something like five in the morning (I am only slightly exaggerating), a very short set up time until the chuppah and oh so much more. My favorite pet peeve is the fact that your guests need to get there and get home within a strict time period, no matter how long the day is, Shabbat comes in the latest at around 7:30 in the evening. A Friday wedding needs to start on time, because you can be sure that folks will be leaving by two or three in the afternoon, especially if they live far from the simcha site.

Let me talk directly to the happy couple. If you are still committed to standing under the chuppah on a Friday, it's time to tackle one very important issue: the photography. Long after everyone has forgotten the food, your dress and how loud the music was played; the stills and video will be around to remind everyone of the big day.

I warmly recommend that, if you do not have a wedding planner on hand for the entire event, you should appoint someone who will ensure that the photographer captures all the moments you want to cherish. Of course, this particular recommendation is valid no matter when you hold your wedding. Your discussions with the photographer before the event are NOT enough. You need someone who will follow the photographer around making sure he/she photographs Grandma Esther kissing you; your two great-aunts, who haven't spoken in twenty years, sitting at the same table; all your friends from the army/sherut leumi/medrasha and all the cute nephews and nieces dancing together. [By the way, the same recommendation is valid when dealing with the band: no matter what song list you prepared before the event, you need someone to ensure that they're doing their job. The simcha hall representative is available only to ensure that the event keeps moving on schedule, they're not there to ensure your satisfaction with the other venders.]

Back to wedding photography on a Friday. Summer outdoor weddings in the heat of day are killers. The sun is relentless. Remember you can cook an egg on the sidewalk, now think of what that same sun is doing to your face, your makeup and not to mention the overall happiness of guests. Your makeup will fade if not altogether melt in the cruel noon heat. The makeup of nearly every other lady at the wedding will share an even crueler fate, as their makeup is usually not applied as fastidiously.

With all this in mind, I warmly recommend:

• Indoor photos: Make sure that at least half the posed photographs are taken indoors. Trust me, too many of the outside photographs will be over-exposed, will reveal cruel extreme light/dark shadows on the faces of your loved ones and squinting facial expressions due to the sun hitting you square between the eyes (not a pretty sight on film).

• Sunglasses: Ah, the beautiful sight of a bride in a crystal white gown, full length veil with hand-sewn pearls, full makeup and intricate hair styling and sunglasses. Get used to it. Make sure that you and the groom are suitably outfitted in sunglasses and have an extra pair hidden somewhere.

• Parasols: I never liked the 'parasol' bridal party look; young women parading around like a very poor version of antebellum southern belles, but a parasol could be a pleasing solution to the burning sun. Think about providing parasols in white or gentle pastel shades, for yourself, the mothers and grandmothers as they walk down the aisle and stand near the chuppah. Make sure there is someone to collect the parasols from everyone once the chuppah is over and folks go indoors for the meal and dancing. Be kind and allow everyone to eat and dance in an air conditioned hall.

• A good sunscreen: As nearly every good makeup/foundation contains a good sunscreen, you and usually the mothers are protected to some extent. Make sure the men of the wedding apply sun screen as well.

• Prepare the bridal party: Make sure your parents, grandparents and anyone you truly love is suitably protected with sunglasses, sunscreen, parasol and whatnot.

• Water: This goes without saying. Bottles of water should be at hand for all. Once again bottled water should be on the wedding planner's TO-DO list. We don't need grandma and grandpa fainting from heat prostration, not to mention your two pregnant cousins who will surely faint dead away before the ceremony is over.

Have any ideas of your own? Share your wedding experiences with us. Share your wedding pictures as well.

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How to Apply Foundation and Concealer

2010-05-17T18:36:00.011+03:00

Here is the first in a series of Makeup How Tos:
Applying Foundation and Concealer
Makeup from the skin up
Clean your skin thoroughly, pat dry and then apply a thin layer of moisturizer or a light facial cream. Wait about twenty minutes to allow the moisturizer to fully absorb into your skin. If you don’t have twenty minutes to wait for the moisturizer to absorb into your skin, try to wash and moisturize the moment you get up, before you get dressed. This way, once you are dressed, the moisturizer has done its job and you are ready to apply makeup. Still don’t have enough time? Apply a very thin layer of moisturizer and then gently pat dry any wet areas before applying foundation.

How your skin reacts to the makeup
It's important to keep in mind, that any and all products you apply to your skin will be absorbed into the skin, to a greater or lesser extent, within the first 20-30 minutes. This means that some of the color you apply to your face with be absorbed within the first half-an-hour and then will continue to fade throughout the time you wear it. Which is the reason why you look great the moment you step away from your makeup mirror, but by the end of the day, you look worn and washed out, as if you never put on makeup that morning.

This also means that you should always apply some kind of facial cream and then foundation to give your face the base on which the eye makeup, blush and lipstick can stick and stay on longer.

The final color of your skin can only be gauged a half an hour after application. It is important to keep this in mind, especially if you are about to be photographed. For wedding or simcha photography your makeup should be about half a tone darker than normal to allow the skin to absorb the makeup, so by the time the event takes place, your makeup is the 'correct shade' and not too light.

A good investment
You don’t need to invest a lot of money in an expensive facial cream, but you should invest in a good foundation (and concealer, if you choose to buy one). A good foundation is characterized as being 'from a good family' (well-known company), having a creamy consistency and keeping its color and consistency throughout its shelf-life. What is the shelf-life of a good foundation? It depends on how often you use it. If you apply makeup on a regular, daily basis, your foundation should last 3-6 months, once you learn to apply the optimal amount with the least amount of waste.

A few words about hypo-allergenic cosmetics: each company sets its own standards in order to call itself hypo-allergenic. There are no hard and fast rules, some companies test their cosmetics on thousands of women and some on hundreds. So long as the cosmetic meets the standards set by the company: little irritation or inflammation in the smallest number of participants in the study, the company can use the label "hypo-allergenic". The hypo-allergenic label may only be important if you have skin contact allergies, if not, there is no reason to 'pay extra' for this label.

Foundation color match

Want to know how to ensure a perfect match (for any everyday look) between your skin tone and the foundation color? Try a liquid foundation shade on your cheek area and a solid foundation shade on your chest just under your collar bone. Apply a bit of foundation to the area and gently pat in, if the foundation is almost indistinguishable from your skin tone, you've found the perfect shade.

A liquid foundation is perfect for older skin, as it is kind to the wrinkles and will not build up or crack around these problem areas. In general, young skin can 'take' either liquid or solid foundation, as the skin is elastic and usually wrinkle-free, so the foundation glides over the skin effortlessly and once it begins to absorb into the skin it does so evenly, without 'dropping in' or 'building up' in the wrinkles.

In general, solid foundation is used for all weddings and simchas, as these are important photo opportunities, where we need makeup that can stand up to the heat of the lights, the environment and the hours of dancing and kissing, without running, melting or disappearing from the skin entirely.

How to Apply Foundation
As with everything else, there are many schools of thought as to how to apply foundation. Some women apply it lightly with their fingers, putting a touch on their forehead, checks and chin and then blending it in. Some use a brush, usually a real hair makeup brush. I prefer to use a triangle-shaped sponge. Wet the sponge thoroughly under cool tap water and then wring it out completely, so that it is moist to the touch, and not dripping with water.

I apply a few dabs of liquid or solid foundation to my left hand just below my thumb (I'm a righty) and then pat a corner of the sponge in the foundation. You can also apply the foundation directly to the sponge, but, as with anything porous, it will be absorbed into the sponge and you'll waste the foundation. (You are right, the skin of my hand is also porous, but I work quickly). At the beginning you will 'waste' a little of the foundation, as you may pour out more than you will apply to your face. With time, you will know how much to pour out and apply.

I dab the foundation-soaked corner of the sponge on to my face. I begin with the eye area; first the upper and then the lower lids and then work on the cheeks, chin and then forehead. I always work in tandem: first the left eye and then the right eye, gently smooth or pat the eye area once you have applied the foundation, then apply to the left cheek and then the right cheek. The order of right or left makes no difference, what is important here is to ensure symmetry and uniformity by working each small area one after the other and not working one half the face and then the other. This work method of symmetry and uniformity is especially critical when working on the eye area.

You can apply either foundation or concealer to your entire eye area. Concealer is usually more oily and creamier and is not recommended for oily skin or older skin. I recommend using foundation around the entire eye area.

Concealer
Concealer, as its name suggests, is a cream used to conceal something, in most cases it is used to conceal the upper lid and under eye area, or more importantly, the unattractive parts of the eye area. Concealer should either match the exact shade as the skin around the eyes or half a shade lighter.

Dark circles / red patches under the eyes
There is an 'even tone' cream that can cosmetically (NOT permanently) lighten or neutralize the dark circles under the eye, but these creams should be used by a professional makeup artist, as you need to learn how to apply and then mix and blend this cream with regular concealer or foundation. The basic rules of thumb are:

• dark brown circles under the eyes can be lightened by a pink or red shade. The darker the circle under the eye, the darker the red shade needed to neutralize it

• a pinkish pigmentation is neutralized by green color

• a yellowish pigmentation is neutralized by purple color

• a bluish pigmentation is neutralized by a peach/yellow color

Ruddiness on the checks or any other facial area
Just like the eye area, ruddiness on the checks or any other facial area can neutralized using the rules of thumb listed above. I recommend that you leave the use of these colors to a professional makeup artist (like myself) and mix your foundation with a lighter foundation shade to slightly neutralize these areas and leave the true 'magic' for photo opportunities.

Finally
Once you have applied foundation to your whole face, don't forget to apply foundation to the area under your chin and slightly down your neck, so there is no obvious demarcation mark between your face and neck areas.

Once you have finished applying foundation on your whole face, and before you apply eye makeup, smooth or pat the eye area again. Reapply a drop more of foundation if needed and then begin to work on your eye makeup.

Taking care of your sponges
A good sponge can be reused, for one person only, quite a number of times. After use, rinse out your sponge and hang it to dry. Do not store your sponge closed in your makeup bag, box or kit. Keep it on your makeup table or hang it up. Every few applications, wash the sponge in light soapy (hand or facial soap) luke-warm water, rinse it out well and then hang it out in the open air to dry. Once the sponge no longer cleans well, it's time to throw it out and use a new one.

Powering your skin
I recommend powdering only wrinkle-free skin, as once again the powder, like the solid foundation will cake, dry and crack around wrinkles. For photo opportunities, you can lightly powder the naturally oily areas of the skin: the 'T' from above your brows and down your nose. You can also lightly powder your chin and the tops of the apples of your cheeks.

Powdering tips
If you do not have face powder, you can apply a thin layer of baby talc (unscented, white).

If you have over-blushed/rouged your checks, you can apply a thin layer of white powder or white talc to tone down some of the blush.

Great Hint: Use baby wipes without alcohol to clean any mistakes/smudges on your face, as well as to clean your hands and surfaces when you are finished applying makeup. Make sure the wipes are packaged as alcohol-free, as the alcohol tends to dry out your skin. Even if you have oily skin, this product is not recommended for use.

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Does your Chasan (groom) match your wedding dress?

2010-05-07T17:31:00.004+03:00

A white wedding confection of layers and layers of lace and taffeta may be tempting (to some), but does it match your chasan? What I really mean to say is does your wedding dress match your wedding style? Let me illustrate. When we were planning my daughter's wedding (two years plus one granddaughter ago – I am proud to say), she had her heart set on a dress similar to the one I wore at my wedding in 1978 (suddenly that sounds soooo long ago). It's scary, no terrifying, to think that my gown is now sold on ebay under the description: "vintage". In any case, my daughter had her heart set on this 'vintage' style – you know: long simple gown with lace at the wrists and a lace heart insert on the bust area. We found a very similar dress on ebay and bought it for less than a hundred dollars.

We figured that even if she decided not to wear it, we would 'only be out' less than a hundred bucks and in the midst of a wedding production, what's a hundred bucks?

We received the dress and she loved it. We had it dry-cleaned. And then she had an epiphany. The dress did not match her chasan. A lovely Morrocan boy from the south (of Israel, not Georgia or Texas, or the South Bronx, for that matter). The dress did not match the style of the wedding. The wedding was the usual mixture of Ashkenazi, Sepharadi, Israeli, American, European (ok, even a few Canadians), religious and non-religious.

While it is true that a wedding dress can 'stand alone' in its fashion statement. It can be way, way out there in style, while the rest of the wedding and the wedding guests are fairly 'traditional'. It's done every day in Israel. But, as in many other areas of life, because people do it, it doesn’t necessarily mean it's a good thing.

Moral of this story: I recommend you think about your overall wedding style, your lifestyles and venue; before you go for the 'country look' at a super formal venue, three-inch stilettos at a beach front venue and a 'wedding cake' dress that can barely fit through the doors of a small, intimate venue.

I would not use the "c" word (that's "comfort" for the innocent) while discussing wedding apparel. But I would suggest bringing a pair of flats to change into after the chuppah. Or you may end up going barefoot, like I did throughout my own wedding and come to think of it, my daughter's wedding.
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Makeup Secrets Made Easy!

2010-05-01T22:28:00.009+03:00

How many times have you wanted to improve your makeup routine or just get a better understanding of the art of applying makeup?

The following tips and secrets can help you on your way.

Foundation, Powdering and Eyes

Foundation color match: Want to know how to ensure a perfect match between your skin tone and the foundation color? Try a liquid foundation shade on your cheek area and a solid foundation shade on your chest just under your collar bone. Apply a bit of foundation to the area and gently rub in, if the foundation is indistinguishable from your skin tone, you've found the perfect color.

Powdering tip: If you do not have face powder, apply a thin layer of baby talc (unscented, white).

Your Eyes: Eye makeup is the most important and dominant part of the art of making up your face. Confused about where to put "it" all? First 'divide' your eye into three sections measuring from the top of your nostril to the top of your brow with a makeup brush. Section 1 is from your nostril straight up to the beginning of your brow and until the beginning of the iris. Section 2 is from your nostril across from the beginning of your iris to the end of your iris, including the highest point of your brow. Section 3 is from your nostril, past the end of your iris and through the corner tip of your eye and to very end of your brow. These section divisions are also excellent guide lines to determine how to shapes your brows .

Most eye shadows will be placed in sections 2 and 3. Eyeliner will be placed along the top of whole eye, but under the eye you can place eyeliner or eye pencil under just section 3. Start with eye shadow, either a light shade on the eyelid and a darker shade along the crease or the darker shade on the eyelid and a lighter shade along the crease. Brush your brows with a brush comb. Curl your eyelashes and add two coats of mascara and you're set.

A liquid foundation or concealer is perfect for older skin. Apply foundation or concealer around your entire eye area. Lightly powder and then apply eye makeup, blush and lipstick. If you have wrinkles under your eyes – do not powder this area. Before powdering your eye lids, lightly smooth the area with your finger and then powder.

Your Cheeks and Lips

How to apply blush: A pinky shade of blush can be used on almost any skin color and facial shape. On facial skin that tends to redden or a round facial shape use a peach or orange shade of blush. How to apply blush? Use a blush brush and dip it into the blush and tap off the excess. Smile and lightly apply on the apples of your cheeks and brush lightly and gently towards the middle of your ear. Brush gently backwards (towards your ear) and forwards (towards your nose). Always use very little blush and add as needed (it's easier to add than to remove!).

Your lips: Not sure what lipstick color suits you? Before you invest in expensive lipsticks you will never wear – do the following. First look at your wardrobe. What color clothes do you wear? Dark shades? Light shades? Maybe even a combination of the two depending on the season? Buy an inexpensive palette of lip colors (five or six different shades and tones). Try on each of the shades wearing different color clothes. Now you can take the shades you find attractive and purchase more expensive lipsticks in these shades. Do you have a lipstick color you like, but the color is too dark? Apply a coat of lipstick on your lips and then blot it with a tissue for a second. Now apply a coat of sheer lip gloss over it. The base color remains, but is more muted.

Try wearing different summer and winter shades of lipstick: warmer, darker shades in the winter to match (usually) darker winter clothes and softer, lighter shades in the summer to match (usually) lighter, pastel clothes.

Your skin care

Best kept beauty secret: Cold water! Wash your face daily in cold water. The old idea that hot water was the best for your face as it opened the pores, was a bad idea. Cold water closes your pores and keep your skin clean.

Second best kept secret: Keep your eye cream in the fridge. Now every time you apply the cream you’ll feel refreshed!

Makeup from the skin up Clean your skin thoroughly, pat dry and then apply a thin layer of moisturizer. Wait about twenty minutes to allow the moisturizer to fully absorb into your skin. No time to wait for your moisturizer to absorb in the mornings? The first thing to do in the morning is wash your face and moisturize before you get dressed. This way, once you are dressed, the moisturizer has done its job and you are ready to apply makeup.

No time for makeup, but you still want to look your best? Cleanse your skin, moisturize and then put on a light foundation (or foundation/powder combination). Put on blush and lipstick and you are ready to go. Don’t forget to have a lipstick and mirror in your bag for touchups during the day.

Celebrating a Simcha? Your face deserves to celebrate as well! It's time to think about your face and makeup at the same time you plan your simcha. Make an appointment with a cosmetologist to clean your skin and start a regimen that will give you softer and younger skin by your simcha date. Then call me.

On the day of the simcha clean and moisturize your skin at least two hours before you plan to apply makeup.

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Before the Wedding: Makeup and Hairstyling Trial Session

2010-03-22T16:23:00.002+02:00

What is a makeup and hairstyling trial makeup session and why is it important for you, the bride?

A trial makeup and hairstyle session allows you, the bride, to try out different makeup and hairstyling looks to find the one best suited to your appearance, life style and the wedding style. Once a makeup and hairstyle plan is established, you have one less worry and one less task on your never-ending list of wedding tasks. This session can be relaxing and fun at a very stressful time.

I warmly recommend that the trial session be carried out in my studio, enabling you, the bride, to disconnect from everything around you and immerse yourself totally in the process. The actual makeup and hairstyling for the wedding can be carried out at my studio, your home or simcha site, according to your needs.

The trial session is a two to three hour session. Clear your schedule and make your appointment. You are invited to my studio to enjoy good coffee, something sweet and lots of no-stress attention.

What to expect at the trial session?
We will talk about:
• Your lifestyle, attitudes toward makeup (Do you rarely or always wear makeup? Do you like dramatic or understated makeup?) and hairstyling (Do you want a dramatic hairstyle or a simple, easy-to-wear look?).
• Your wedding gown and wedding style (Country? Formal? Casual? 'Shanty'?). Have you already selected your gown and wedding style or are you still searching? At my studio we can discuss your choices and look through magazines (Israeli, American and English) to help you find the look you've dreamed of.
• Your dream hairstyle and accessories (crown, clips, earrings).
• Your wedding color scheme and flower choices. These can influence the makeup colors and styles.
• Your skin condition and routine, allergies and skin sensitivities
• Wedding season
• Outdoor or indoor wedding
• Special makeup/hairstyle requests

What will Yochi do?
• I will dress you in a lace overtop over your white top (to simulate the top of a wedding dress) and then I will begin to create your hairstyle. Curling, teasing, straightening your hair until I achieve the result you want.
• We will also talk about whether you want to let your hair grow, add hair extensions, or change its color (gradually) or add highlights and think about any other changes you wish to make for the "big day".
• Once the hairstyle is to your liking, I will begin to create your makeup look.
• I will match your foundation to your skin tone and then I will begin to build your look. I will create either one or two eye makeup looks.
• Once we decide on an eye look, I will finish off the look with powder, shimmer, blush and lipstick/gloss.
• I will take sample photographs to see how the makeup looks "on camera" and make adjustments as needed.
• I will then add a veil, crown and jewelry to complete the perfect look. I will then take final photos.

Who should accompany me to the trial session?
• I recommend you take someone with you to the session; your mother, a trusted friend. Bring someone who will be objective, helpful and fun.
When should you schedule your trial session?
• Schedule the trial session as soon as you can: either as soon as you have set a wedding date or once you have seriously begun to think about your wedding look (whichever is first), so we have a start off point and can make the session as effective as possible.
• At this point you should also tentatively schedule the wedding date with me as well. You will need to close the wedding date with me as soon as possible.
• After the session you can then schedule the following appointments:
o with the cosmetician to ensure your skin is at its best
o We can schedule appointments to help improve/maintain your haircut/style, change your hair color (gradually), add highlights.

Other scheduling issues
Rule of thumb: You should schedule the makeup/hairstyle wedding session for at least 5-7 hours before the wedding is set to begin. To this time frame you should add extra time, in the event that you will need to travel more than 40-60 minutes to the hall or photography site.

What to bring to the trial session?
• Please wear a white top (without buttons). I provide veil choices and crowns, as well as a lace over top.
• Pictures of the gown you choose or gowns you like or websites of gowns you like.

Costs
• Consultation (at this type of session we can talk about many of the issues listed above in "What to expect at the trial session? We will talk about"): - free
• Makeup and hairstyling trial session: All the work described above involves a lot effort and costs money. The cost of the trial session will be deducted from the final amount, should you choose to hire me to do your wedding makeup and hairstyling. Call me to discuss trial and wedding day makeup and hairstyling.
• Wedding day makeup and hairstyling: Complete makeup and hairstyling as agreed during our trial session. I will also discuss with you (or a companion) how to make touch ups throughout the wedding, especially before the chuppah and get a 'touch up kit'. Call me to discuss trial and wedding day makeup and hairstyling.
• Additional service: I can accompany you throughout the wedding evening, touching up your makeup and hair, as needed.
See and learn more on Styles by Yochi: Your makeup artist, hairstylist, wig stylist for all your weddings and simchas

This is what happens when you don't blog on a regular basis

2010-03-17T10:57:00.003+02:00

Months and months later, I have finished all my hair courses and even two courses in Il Makiage. I opened my studio in December and started taking clients in January. Check out my site: http://www.yochistyles.com/

At this moment the site is only in English. Now that the site is 'basically' stable, I can now translate it into Hebrew.

Preparations continue

2009-07-21T14:45:00.000+03:00

Well preparations are continuing. My office is slowly turning into my salon. Gone is most of the clutter in the room. My friend Patricia took two of the three –moveable – bookcases. The third is now in Sid's office. All the rest of the books now live in the wall to wall unit.

The three remaining walls have been painted yellow, thanks to our local 'shiputznik'. Two of the walls have been painted a soft yellow pattern and the fourth wall has been painted a darker, more dramatic yellow pattern shade. This third, darker wall will hold the mirrors and chairs.

Just three more lessons and it's graduation time!

Moving Ahead

2009-06-29T12:05:00.003+03:00

Well I've spent all this time researching two important aspects of the business I am building. One is what areas I want to focus on and the other is marketing, both online and hardcopy.

I have thought long and hard about the areas of hairdressing and styling that I enjoy and feel most comfortable in and they are: styling, coloring of ladies' hair and wigs for smachot (simchas) and for every day – which takes me to wig revitalization and every day upkeep, as well as repair and eventually selling a line of wigs.

After much back and forth, I have landed on a company name. It's interesting, but Yochi Designs (or is it Design?) is taken by someone in the States with a Jewelry line. Nice line. In any case, marketing issues has kept me up nights. Not really, but it sounds good – and has kept me going.

Where to begin with marketing: the obvious areas are the simple online community groups such as Five Towns and Janglo/Tanglo which I will do the second I open my 'tikim' in Mas Hachnasa, Bituach Leumi and Ma'am.

Then there is the next ring: 'simcha sites' both here and in abroad, who deal directly with, well simcha issues. These are of course broken up into two: free and not free or free and free, with better exposure if you pay a certain per month/per year fee. The simcha sites are frum sites, so I keep my target audience focused.

I am already (almost, I assume) listed in Dapei Zahav under Wigs. It's free for one listing. A representative is supposed to call me about multiple listings and even about site design costs. Funny, the representative that called me today, asked if I wanted to speak to a female rep about the site, I guess she felt that if I dealt in wigs I would only speak to a woman. In any case….

The next ring is printed media – my target newspapers are Makor Rishon and Sheva – which will need a heft budget, but I believe, will have the return I am looking for in the long run. I believe I need to publish in both for at least six months to see a worthwhile ROI.

Just this week I have taken up the challenge of my site. Looking at other stylists and sheitel macher sites, seeing what I like and don't like. Trying to see the site from the view point of my target audience – the ladies I would like to work with on a very long term basis. After looking again and again at sites, I have finally formed a good site map in both Hebrew and English and am again looking at quotes for the site and hosting.

The url name I want is available – so that's good. Ok, I doubt there are thousands of Yochi Eisner's out there looking to open and sheitel and hair design business.

The issue of the gallery of pictures suddenly changed today. I have a 'book' of pictures produced from the styles I created throughout my styling classes. Yesterday I did background color checks with my husband to see which was the most pleasing. Which by the way is the mottled yellow of the living room. But as I discussed the issue with my daughter – I realized that with the amount of effort I need to recreate all the styles I learned and more – why not find a live model "bride" and recreate the styles on her and then have pictures of gals (and not of an admittedly ugly doll head) to upload onto my site. Obviously I'd pay the gal for her time – it would take some time to do this, but the effort would be worthwhile in all aspects. All I need is to dress the gal up in a pretty white top and get going. Now the search is on to get a model here in Hadera and get cracking.

Leaving high tech for high style

2009-06-14T01:45:00.012+03:00

After years in hi-tech, I am moving in an entirely different direction. During the last few years, I played with the idea of changing careers, but never took the plunge. This year, just after Chanukah, I grabbed the opportunity and began to study to become a sheitel macher - hair design, cutting, styling and dyeing – wigs and ladies hair. And here is the rest of it.

It's funny but the smell of hair spray - even as a kid - was intoxicating. I have vague memories of teasing my grandmother's friends hair, back in the Bronx - how old was I then?

While the idea of hair styling and cutting was something 'others' did and the idea of actually becoming a sheitel macher was totally absurd, I loved to watch (and learn) while other people cut and styled hair. Through the years I've had a fascination for all of 'my' sheitel machers and watched their every move intently.

In my teens and early twenties, I cut anyone's hair that would let me. I cut my own kids hair until the day I called it quits and let the 'experts' have a try.

Now I am out of the hi-tech world and its madness. No more racing around and losing sleep to create technical documents and marketing materials for a product with a self-destructing shelf-life of three weeks.

Now I work with women. I work with one of their most precious external assets – their hair and their looks. Beauty may be only skin deep and שקר החן והבל היופי – but let's be serious, we are all concerned about our looks. Studies have shown that good looking people have a better chance at the 'better jobs' and are more likely to get raises. We have to stop fooling ourselves, we need it all - smarts and looks - and now it is my turn to work on looks.

Through the years I have been the kotel and therapist for many friends. Now, while I shampoo, crème rinse, cut, style (tease, pull, comb, brush and in general, torture), dye and fit, I can listen to so many more women and let's be honest, get paid for it.

One of the services I look forward to giving is helping women change their appearances. Not in the 'Oprah 20-minute makeover' approach, but in the "let's discuss who you are today and where you want to go and HOW YOU WOULD LIKE TO LOOK" approach. Taking each women on that journey and listening to what she wants.

I am converting one of my spare bedrooms into a 'heimishe' salon, where women can come to have their hair done, have their sheitel renewed, buy a new sheitel and talk. I will also go to client homes to style hair for simchas.

I know the level of service I need, want and desire and know I can give that level to other women.

I have the plans in front of me and I am now beginning the journey to my own future.