Airbrush Baby! 5 Reasons why you should have your bridal makeup airbrushed on!

You know that professional bridal makeup is essential to the perfect bridal look. 

You should also know that professional makeup is just as important for everyone in your bridal party.  

Now let me tell you why airbrushed makeup will take your makeup to the next level of perfection!

Airbrushed makeup is super clean and hygienic – only the makeup touches your skin!

Airbrushed makeup dries soft and natural!  No cakiness or heavy feeling!

Airbrushed makeup covers every imperfection and gives your skin a soft, smooth appearance.  This is great news for younger skin that has a tendency to breakout in pimples and for older skin that has a tendency towards wrinkles.

Airbrushed makeup won’t smudge or ‘melt off’ once it is fully dry!  This means that makeup can be applied to your neck, décolletage, back or legs before you put on your wedding dress, without worrying about staining your dress or veil.

Airbrushed makeup is sheer enough to let your beauty shine through but opaque enough to cover any flaws!  Honestly, you will only see your beauty shine through – no uneven pigmentation, no redness – just your skin looking flawless!

It’s time to make sure your bridal makeup is Airbrushed makeup!  Call me today for a free bridal beauty consultation and to discuss all your bridal beauty needs!

Did you enjoy my article?  I’d love to hear from you!  Drop me a line or tell me on my facebook page and please feel free to share my blog with a bride and all your friends!

Do you have any questions about bridal beauty, please drop me a line?  Do you want to learn more about brides, weddings and beauty? Please subscribe to my blog. 

5 Top Makeup Tips After 50

I may have named this article Makeup after 50, but the real issue is how to handle the skin of your face as it ages and not WHEN.  Women’s facial skin ages at different rates depending on exposure to the sun, environmental and hereditary factors, skin color and more.  Facial skin can begin to show signs of aging at any age; some women begin to see these changes in their 20s and 30s; while some lucky gals witness these changes only in their 60s and beyond. 

No matter what your age, I want to show you how to minimize these visible signs of age on each part of your face, without going under the knife or injecting all sorts of potions and concoctions.  It goes without saying that minimal sun exposure, no smoking, lots of water and a good skin cleansing-moisturizing routine will help keep your skin healthy at any age!

I believe that all women should apply four  makeup basics before they leave the house, no matter what: base, mascara, blush and lipstick. 

Your overall facial skin: Apply a good, light moisturizer twice a day: before you go to bed and before you apply your makeup every morning (**).  Apply the moisturizer with a light hand - less is always better than more.  Avoid over-heavy, over-oily creams that will clog your pores and make wrinkles more obvious, especially as the makeup base dries and congeals within the wrinkles.  Avoid - like the plague - anything that will dry and/or pool in your wrinkle beds.

I recommend using a BB cream foundation base.  One of the best reasons for this recommendation is that this base already contains a moisturizer, so you can forgo applying a separate moisturizer in the morning, (see above**) thus shaving minutes off your morning routine!

Along with moisturizer, BB creams contain a makeup base and a skin block and sometimes even a primer.  Read more about BB creams here: (http://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/2012/06/29/10-best-uk-bb-creams---beauty-benefit-balms-with-spf).  My favorite BB creams are Rimmel (http://us.rimmellondon.com/products/face/bb-cream), Garnier (http://www.garnierusa.com/products/skincare/tone-perfection.aspx) and MAC (http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/160/17377/Prep-Prime-BB-Beauty-Balm-SPF-35/index.tmpl).  These are quality brands that provide great all-day coverage.

Cheeks: Cheeks are an interesting area: I have had clients in their 70s and 80s with perfectly soft, nearly wrinkle-free cheeks and gals in their 40s showing signs of aging and wrinkling in this area.   If your cheek area is relatively wrinkle-free apply blush as usual.  I believe in a blush palette of pinks, browns and bronzes for cheeks – opting for lighter shades in the summer and darker, warmer shades in the winter.  Depending on skin tone and wardrobe colors, I chose the color that best suits the person and the look.

If your cheeks are wrinkled - add the lightest hint of blush to the general cheek area.  I apply blush to every woman, no matter what! No woman leaves my chair without some cheek color!

Brows: The brow shape has gone through the most incredible fads through the ages.  Check out this list: 
http://www.dailymakeover.com/trends/makeup/eyebrows-history/
As we get older our brows tend to get thinner, either through a life-time of over-plucking or due to the natural aging and graying of our hair.  While the brow area is still relatively wrinkle-free, you can fill in sparse brows with a brow pencil or eye powder (or a combination of the two), just stay away from overly obvious brow drawing.  Once this area is wrinkled, I tend to stay away from creating or filling in the brow.

Eyes: The eyes are truly the focal point of the face.  Let’s first talk about the area around our eyes.  Age hits the skin around our eyes fast and hard; firstly because this skin is very thin and secondly because we abuse it regularly with all our squinting, blinking, rubbing and exposure to the elements.  Always take the time to moisturize this area! 

Want to cover up or minimize dark circles or age spots around your eyes?  Purchase a second BB cream that is almost a shade lighter than your regular BB cream shade.  Gently squeeze two drops of your regular shade on to top of your hand, just above your wrist, and then add one drop of the lighter shade.  Gently blend together and then gently pat on the area around your eyes.  Make sure there is no obvious demarcation between the eye area and the rest of your face.

Crow’s feet and more

Crows’ feet on the outer edges of your eye lids and small wrinkles on your inner lids create new challenges for applying eye makeup.  If you must apply eyeliner - keep it thin, short and sweet and don’t extend the eyeliner line past your eye lid, as it will extenuate and bleed into the crows’ feet.  You should begin to taper off the line just after the midpoint of your eyelid. If you opt for a smoky look, keep the smudged areas thin and avoid too much “smudging” close to the inner edge.

Droopy or hooded under brow area

As we age, the skin under the brow bone area tends to droop and can create a kind of hooded upper eye lid.  While no non-surgical/non-evasive procedure will totally alleviate this problem, there are makeup tricks that can help conceal or make this problem less obvious. Keep your brows trimmed and neat.  Apply a white eye shadow directly under your brow bone.  Apply a light/white shadow on any parts of your lower eye lid that are visible.  Apply a warm, darker shade to the under brow area from the crease; this will make this area appear less puffy or protruding.

Always add a coat or two (or three) of mascara to the upper lash line.  Apply mascara to the lower lash line only if this area is reasonably wrinkle free; otherwise there is a good chance the mascara will run/get caked into the under eye area.

Lips:  A good lip pencil can act as a kind of frame to help prevent lipstick from bleeding into the wrinkles around the lips. 
  
 

You can help your lips look young by keeping them hydrated, stop smoking, stop biting or frequently licking your lips and always wear a good lip balm to prevent damage from the elements both summer and winter.  Even if the lip area is very wrinkled, I still apply a tint of color with a rich moisturizing lipstick or a gentle almost-there colored lip gloss.

No matter what your age or your skin condition, you deserve to look healthy and vibrant!  Go ahead, apply a bit of color today!

Did you enjoy my article?  I’d love to hear from you!  Drop me a line or tell me on my facebook page and please feel free to share my blog with a bride and all your friends!

Do you have any questions about Jewish wedding customs, please drop me a line?  Do you want to learn more about brides, weddings and beauty? Please subscribe to my blog.

4 Tips to Picture-Perfect Bridal Nails!

When should you schedule your pre-wedding mani?

So many brides ask me when they should have their manicures before the wedding.  This is a “big” question with a simple answer – after the mikveh and no more (or less than) the day BEFORE the wedding.

Why not on the day of the wedding?  Great question.  First of all you have enough on your plate on THE DAY and second of all, you want to make sure that the nail polish is 100%, no make that 1000%, dry before you put on the wedding dress. Manicures are not a wedding task you need to do at the last minute.  The day before is perfect!  This is especially true if you want to have acrylic or gel nail extensions for your wedding.

Start taking care of your nails – TODAY!

And while we are on the discussion of nails: if you want your nails to look great, start taking care of them at least three months before the wedding.  Do I really need to tell you to stop biting your nails?  Allow them to grow and get manicures on a regular basis.  This allows you to get to know and trust your manicurist (and find someone better!) and also allows you to explore the best mani colors and styles for your wedding nails.

Color, Color, Color!

I have always believed that a clean, nude-to-pink French nail is perfect, but take a gander at the red nail polish choices in the link below, it may change your mind (it certainly changed mine).

http://www.brides.com/blogs/aisle-say/2014/03/best-red-nail-polish-for-weddings.html

http://www.brides.com/blogs/aisle-say/2014/04/nail-polish-colors-for-wedding-day.html

If you are choosing stones or other glue-on decorations, make sure they do not stick out too much from your nail bed or catch on to fabric too easily – this could spell disaster for your dress or your hair or your lashes on the wedding day. 

Take the time to try out different nail styles and colors in the months leading up to the wedding. 

Your over-all look!

If you are wearing a traditional white or off-white/cream dress, your only “color” will come from your makeup, bouquet, shoes and nails.  Imagine matching your nails to your bouquet?  Or to your shoes? These are the accessories that can bring color and life into your over-all wedding look!

On the DAY

On the day of the wedding.  Have a friend gently check the stones and tips of your nails to make sure they do not catch or snag any fabric.

And remember to have a fabulous, colorful wedding day!

  

Did you enjoy my article?  I’d love to hear from you!  Drop me a line or tell me on my facebook page and please feel free to share my blog with a bride and all your friends!

Do you have any questions about Jewish wedding customs, please drop me a line?  Do you want to learn more about brides, weddings and beauty? Please subscribe to my blog. 

5 Beauty Tips Every Bride Should Know BEFORE Her Wedding!

Skin

Be kind to your skin! Drink lots of water to keep your skin hydrated. 

Perfect Bridal skin!

Do not sit out in the sun or use a tanning bed in the weeks before your wedding. 

This is not the time to experiment with new creams, lotions or 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 trusted cosmetician at least two months before the wedding, tell her/him when you are getting married and make sure that all treatments are very gentle.  No extreme peelings or exfoliations. 

Lips

Perfect Bridal Lips

Chapped lips are a problem for brides as well as all the women in the bridal party.  Begin this great at-home beauty treatment about a month before the wedding: before going to bed gently rub a small amount of sugar into your lips and then wash off and apply a very thin coat of unscented mild facial cream or petroleum jelly. Repeat this process once a week until the wedding.

Eyes

Perfect Bridal Eyes

If you wear glasses, then think about the following eye makeup options:

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 subtle both in color and in style. 

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.

If your eyes are small, think about using a white pencil on the water line above your bottom lashes from the tear duct to the very corner of your eye to give you the illusion of brighter, larger eyes.

Discuss these issues with your makeup artist during the trial session.

Dressing the bride

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:

Pack the following items inside your take-to-the-venue makeup bag.

To absorb any perspiration and remove the shine from any facial areas: blot the area with a dry, clean tissue.  Blot the area, do not wipe it or your makeup will smudge and spread.

Prepare cotton balls dipped lightly in facial powder in talc/baby powder for light touch-ups. (Place these in a small zip-lock baggie.)

Pack a cheap concealer or makeup that matches (exactly!) your makeup shade or use talc/baby powder for mini-touch-ups. (Why cheap? You can forget it or lose it at the venue without worry!)

 You can pack a clear or tinted lip gloss, to keep your lips looking hydrated and full.

Smile

A Bridal smile - the perfect makeup!

Get used to smiling – brightly!  

Remember what The Kallah Whisperer always says: “A smile will light up your face and create a glow no makeup can accomplish – but makeup will give you a polished look that no smile can create or prolong!”

Did you enjoy my article?  I’d love to hear from you!  Drop me a line or tell me on my facebook page and please feel free to share my blog with a bride and all your friends!

Do you have any questions about Jewish wedding customs, please drop me a line?  Do you want to learn more about brides, weddings and beauty? Please subscribe to my blog. 

Taking care of your skin and looking beautiful in the summer just got easier!

Summer is just around the corner and once again we need to take our skin protection seriously.  We need to look for a good skin screen that will provide the kind of SPF and UVB protection we need.  We also need to pamper our skin and feel good about our looks.  And on top of all that, we want to continue to wear makeup, either on a daily-basis or a once-in-a-while/only-for-special-occasions basis throughout the summer. 

We can fulfil all our summer skin needs without spending extra money on a bag full of products.  How?  My solution is a light airy makeup, easy to create at home and feels wonderful on your skin.

Listen to the Kallah Whisperer: Just buy yourself one great sun screen product that also moisturizes your skin and combine it with your favorite makeup base (that you already have at home). 

I love Dr. Fisher’s Ultrasol spray-on sun screen with SPF 45 and also blocks over 90% of UVA rays.  This spay has a wonderful light feel to it!  

Here's how to create a light summer makeup base - step by step:

Before you put on your makeup, simply moisturize your skin with your usual facial cream and let it absorb into your skin.  You may want to try a lighter-than-usual facial cream for the summer months!

Then spray about two spritzes of the Ultrasol cream sun screen into the palm of your hand and then about two short spritzes of your makeup base on top of the Ultrasol cream.  


The quantities may take a bit of tweaking – you want about equal amounts of spray cream and base.  

Mix the cream and the base with your finger to get an even color that should be a bit lighter than your base color.  

The final mixture should be light and airy – a great advantage to wearing your usual makeup base in the summer!

Now apply dots of the final mixture around your eyes, cheeks, nose area and forehead, as well as your neck.

Gently pat and smooth the mixture all around your face to get a smooth, even layer all over your face and neck.  

Unlike regular makeup base, this mixture should be applied to your neck, shoulders, décolletage – any areas that will be exposed to the sun.  

You can also apply to your legs and arms to give them a bit of color. 

I also suggest that once you have applied your makeup (blush, eye makeup, lipstick, etc.), you can apply a bit more of the makeup base (sans the sun screen) on your nose and eye area, if these areas need a bit more coverage.

Attention brides: This is also a bridal perfect makeup base for summer day weddings! The makeup base is light, gives you the coverage you need, but is less likely to make you sweat under the chuppah in the noon-day sun!

Remember ladies: drink plenty of fluids, take care of your skin and enjoy the summer (you might as well it will be with us until October!).

Have a beautiful summer!

For more information on this topic and to arrange a bridal beauty consultation or bridal beauty trial session please contact me today.  Visit my site  www.thekallahwhisperer.com

Think Fresh & Blooming for the 2014 Spring/Summer Wedding Season

Brides: It’s time to rethink the smoky eye/cat’s eye look! 

Forget the smoke and drama and think fresh and blooming for the coming 2014 spring/summer wedding season.  Think pinks and subtle purples, with an added touch of iridescent shine. 

Color is applied only on the eye lid, from the crease and until the lash line and gently brushed under the lower lash line, ending just before the tear duct.  A dab of iridescent powder/shadow is gently brushed on to the middle of the top lid.  White eye pencil is applied on the water line of the bottom lashes.

Just a few individual false long lashes are added to the top and bottom lash lines, to create a wide-eyed, innocent look.  Together, all these steps create a round, soft, gentle look for the eyes. 

The lips and cheeks are light, luscious and pink (or nearly nude)!

This look is especially flattering for brides with small round or square faces and small features. The light-colored eye shadow helps to keep eyes bright and prevents a sunken, dark look.

What about the hairstyle?

Nearly any hairstyle from short-pixie to long and luxurious curls will go well with this look. 

What about the gown and veil?

Cool eye shadow colors will suit a pure white wedding gown, while warmer shades will complement a champagne or off-white wedding gown. 

The look should be finished off with a very delicate headband consisting of a row or two of pearls or diamonds, matching earrings and a veil appropriate to the height of the bride and the material of the wedding gown. 

Want more information about this look and want to know if this look is right for you?  Contact me today!

When should you begin looking for a makeup artist and hairstylist for YOUR Wedding?

One of the top items on your Bridal To Do List must be finding a professional makeup artist and hairstylist.  When should you being your search?  Aside from the obvious answer of "as soon as possible", I believe the optimal time is as soon as the wedding dress has been chosen.  The reasons behind this are 1) you will have a better feeling/understanding of your wedding look once you have chosen your gown and  2) even if you have been dreaming about, imagining and planning your wedding since you were five; choosing the gown somehow focuses you. Sometimes the gown you ultimately chose will be very different than the gown you imagined.  Always, alway keep in mind that your makeup and hairstyle must compliment and harmonize with your dress.  Your picture-perfect look includes everything you wear: your gown, jewelry, makeup, hair and veil.

Did you notice that I did not mention shoes?  I would just like to add that although I believe that shoes are one of the most important fashion choices any woman EVER makes; wedding shoes fall into one of only three categories: (1) ugly, comfortable and thank G-d no one sees them under my long wedding dress; (2) insanely high, gorgeous and murderous and what a shame no one sees them under my long wedding dress and finally (3) insanely high, gorgeous and they no longer kill me because I removed them thirty seconds after the chuppah.

 

A FEW WORDS ABOUT VEILS

I want to discuss veils.  Sometimes the choice of a veil is an afterthought; bought, borrowed or found sometime between picking out the dress and standing under the chuppah.  The most versatile veil is a "simple" veil made of layers (the number of layers is a personal choice) of lace and/or silk and attached with a comb with the tines facing in. 

Do not choose a veil that is permanently attached to a tiara or other hair accessory, as this type of veil drastically limits the type of hair style you will ultimately choose. 

If you chose to wear a tiara, you should be able to position the tiara on your head, regardless of where the veil is attached.

Order of work on the day of the wedding:

ü  Hairstyle

ü  Tiara (sometimes the tiara is positioned while the hairstyle is being created, as some of the hair may be combed/positioned to hide the tiara's clips and/or combs)

ü  Makeup

ü  Veil

A MONTH AND HALF BEFORE THE WEDDING…

By a month and a half before the wedding you should have selected your makeup artist and hairstylist and decided on your makeup and hairstyling choices.  This will give you enough time to let your hair grow, you brows grow in and give your skin a chance to improve.  Write it or insert it into your calendar:

MUST CLOSE HAIR AND MAKEUP BY ________________

HOW DO I CHOOSE MY MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLE?

Remember:  Your wedding photos are meant to last a lifetime - this means your makeup and hairstyle must be timeless!  I always tell my brides that they should be able to look back on their wedding photos and at their wedding hair and makeup choices five, ten and even fifteen years from now without shaking their heads and saying "What was I thinking? ". 

This means that you should:

1)   Keep an open mind!  Look and explore the net and magazines for the latest hairstyle and makeup fashion choices.  Look at what your friends and family are wearing on "both sides of the pond".   If you Google "wedding hairstyles and makeup" you will get millions of results. You can narrow the search a bit by focusing on your hair length (long, short, curly, etc). 

2)   Do not be fooled by wonderful shots of hairstyles using models that have blonde hair with blonde highlights.  Blonde / blonde highlighted hair shows off just about any style and will nearly always look gorgeous.  The exact hairstyle on dark hair will look less wonderful, as the blonde highlights bring out the curves, curls and waves in the hairstyle.  Also keep in mind that lighting and Photoshop play a part in how the hairstyle is portrayed in photos.  This is why blonde hair is the most popular hair color to photograph for a hairstyle photo shoot. This does not mean you should dye your hair for the wedding; it just means you should be aware of this fact and manage your expectations accordingly.

3)   What styles appeal to you?  First of all: forget about your dress, your shoes, what hair colors and styles appeal to you.  (I know what I said at the beginning of this article) NOW what hair and makeup styles are the most flattering for your facial structure? 

Now let's put this all together: what appeals to you, what flatters you and what suits your wedding style. 

Now that you have an idea of what hair and makeup styles appeal to you – talk to your makeup and hair stylist.  Arrange for a Bridal Beauty Trial Session.   DO NOT SKIP this session!  This is the only opportunity you will have to try on and try out a variety of styles and decide – before the wedding – which you like best.  Take a trusted friend along with you.  A second opinion is vital here.  

Clear your schedule and make an appointment.  Take all the time you need.  This is not the time to rush or choose "whatever".  Be thoughtful and patient.  The effort and consideration you put into this session will be in direct proportion to your satisfaction with the final result on the day of the wedding!  Take pictures.  This session will also help you calculate the amount of time you will need to create your bridal look on your wedding day. 

Once you have chosen your makeup artist and hairstylist and the styles you want - you can check one more item off your To Do List!