Getting Beautiful

Remember my H&M trial?  After examining some of the pictures, I decided to request a few changes be made for the actual wedding day.  For my hair, I wanted a little poof at the top and the curls to be more defined (not so "smooshed").  For my make-up, I wanted my eyebrows to be a little darker and my eyes to be more dramatic.

Dorys texted me from the parking lot a little before 10:30 am to let me know she was on her way.  We had a table set-up for her as requested by her assistant a couple days prior.  I really liked working with Dorys and her office because they were very professional and documented everything for me.

Dorys started on my MOH's hair first.  MOH and I had decided on a side pony, and I absolutely love what Dorys did.

 

Next she did my hair.  She confirmed the changes I requested and then got started.  At first, I thought the poof on top was too much...

But once we put the veil on, I was happy with the way it looked.

 

I also loved the way my make-up turned out.  Dorys really listened to what I wanted and delivered.  The only disappointment with the whole experience is that I had requested airbrush make-up (and paid extra for it), but she was unable to do it.  When she went to set-up her machine, she realized that she was missing an important piece and was unable to find anyone who could deliver it in time.  She felt really bad about it and had to do our makeup with traditional foundation.  I was surprising laid-back about the whole thing, determined not to let anything ruin my day.  There was nothing I could do about it, so I just let it go.  In the end, I was happy with the results, and the make-up stayed put throughout the night without sweating off or feeling heavy.  Dorys also sent me a refund for the airbrush makeup fee and a giftcard to come in for a free make-up application since she felt bad.  I would have preferred she refund me for the whole make-up application, but I can use the giftcard for my upcoming TTD shoot, so it works out well.  Here's a few pictures of the make-up and a picture with Dorys.

Before (eew...)

After (ahhh...)

A Better Look at the Eyes

MOH, Me, and Dorys

I was really happy with the results and felt beautiful the whole night!

Hair and Makeup Trial - Third Time's a Charm!

After my first hair and makeup trial where I felt like I didn't really look like myself and my DIY trial at home, I was nervous about my second professional trial.  I had spent more time looking for inspiration online and came to the conclusion that I am really darn picky about my hair!  I didn't think I was, but almost every picture I looked at had something that I didn't quite like for myself and the style I was going for.  It was either too big, too structured, too plain, or just wasn't "me."  I finally stumbled across these pictures of Carrie Underwood that looked promising:

It was loose and romantic, elegant and chic, not too messy and not too structured.  This style could be it!  I printed a copy of it and took it in to my trial.  The stylist thought it would work for me and quickly got to work.  Here is the result (ignore my un-made up face please):

I'm thinking I'd like a little more defined curls, but other than that, I was quite happy with the results.  Next we moved on to makeup.  We kept it pretty natural by going with airbrushed foundation, a neutral colored eye, and a light lip color.  We kicked it up a bit by adding fake lashes.  This was my first time using the small lash clusters rather than the strip that goes across the whole eye.  It looks a lot easier to apply, and I love the look.  Here is my finished product:

 

Admiring myself a bit...

Oooh-la-lashes!

 

With the Veil

It's been about five hours since my trial was done and my makeup is pretty much the same minus the lipstick (Mr. Pug and I went to a yummy dinner).  Granted, I have been sitting in air conditioning and haven't been very active, but it seems to be holding up well.  A few tendrils of hair have come loose in the back.  This style is pretty forgiving, but I'll make sure to mention it for the real thing so that the hair stays in place a little better.

I went ahead and booked this stylist for my wedding day.  She took a few pictures that she will upload on her site for me as well.  What do you think?  Is there anything I should change??

Hair and Makeup DIY - Eh...

After a disappointing hair and makeup trial, I decided to see what I could do myself.

Haha, just kidding.  Well, sort of.  I had one of those hair pieces that I bought at a mall kiosk and used that for my DIY hair.  It is a hair comb with two bendable wires with hair attached to it.  The idea is to make a bun with your hair, insert the comb above the bun, then wrap the hair wires around the bun to make a quick and easy up-do.  I actually used one of these when I did my cousin's hair and makeup for her wedding.  It turned out so well that I bought one for myself.  The results are not too bad considering how darn easy it is (seriously can be done in less than a minute).

My make-up looked okay, but it was really nothing that different from how I normally do it.  I'd like to kick it up a notch for the wedding day, but I am just too stuck in my ways.

 

I wasn't thrilled about my last trial because I didn't think I looked like myself.  I'm not that thrilled with this trial because I look exactly like my everyday self.   I scheduled another trial with another stylist/artist later this week.  Hopefully I can find a happy medium.

Hair and Makeup Trial - Fail

I had my hair and makeup trial today.  I haven't been too worried about it because I've had my hair done for prom and make-up randomly done at make-up counters and always loved the results.  I gathered some inspiration pictures, pictures of my dress, and my veil, and headed to get beautified.  Here's a picture of me before the trial.

We started with the hair.  As a reminder, here is the inspiration style we were going for:

 Loose, but not too messy.   Not too big or too perfect.

I sat anxiously as my stylist curled my hair and carefully pinned here and there.  When she finally turned me around, here is what I saw:

My face kind-of fell when I saw it.  It wasn't what I had pictured, but I couldn't really put into words what I didn't like about it.  I thought I didn't like the pinned loops at the top, so I asked to see what it would look like with just loose curls.

Still not the look I was going for.  I pointed to my inspiration picture again and asked her to try pinning it up again.  As she worked I kept praying and hoping that I would be elated when she turned me around to evaluate her work.  Here's what she came up with:

Still not exactly what I wanted, but I was having a really hard time explaining my vision and was getting a little frustrated.  I figured this was the closest I would get, so I decided to just move on.  Here is a picture with the veil above the hairstyle:

 

And here is a picture with the veil under the hairstyle.  This option allows you to see the hair more and would look nice with flowers on the side.

I was still toying with the idea of having a down-do with loose curls, so my stylist was nice enough to show me what this would look like.

Next we moved on to make-up.  I was really excited about the airbrushed make-up and the flawless, porcelain complexion it would produce.  Here is my make-up inspiration picture that I provided my stylist:

I wanted emphasis on the eyes.  A little smokey, but still natural-looking.  Here is my finished look:

I was disappointed with this look.  Perhaps I was disappointed that I didn't look like Katherine McPhee, but I didn't feel like I looked like myself either.  Looking back at the pictures, I almost like my "before" picture without any make-up on better.  I ended up going home and wiping off some of the blush, and it looked a little better.  When I saw my MOH that night, she agreed that it wasn't the best look for me.

I'm a little torn right now about whether to try another vendor or to try to figure out how to pin-point exactly what I want done differently and hope that it comes out right on the big day.  This vendor was so sweet and accommodating, and I am horrible with having to say no or turning anyone down.  It would be easier for me to just go with her and hope everything turns out, but I know I would regret it on the big day if I wasn't happy with the results.

What would you do?  Any suggestions or tips?

Hair and Makeup Inspiration

I'm planning to have my hair in a low up-do with flowers.  I'd like something loose, but not too messy or big.  I don't want it to look too stiff or too perfect.  Here are a few inspiration pictures I found on the knot.

Inspiration Pictures

A little too "big"

A little too "tight"

Just Right!