Attention brides-to-be!

If you're still on the look-out for a make-up artist and/or hairstylist for your Big Day, here are some more tips on how to prep (and make the most!) of your trials to ultimately pick who (or what's) best for you!

1. Trials. Do them.
It's always best to go for a consultation with your prospective artist. After you've deduced your choices from viewing portfolios and/or sorting out referrals from trusted sources, you'll want to meet with the person you'll be entrusting your Big Day look to. You'll be working with them closely on such an important day as your Wedding, so it's essential to make sure you're comfortable with them! The prospective artist should be listening to what your preferences are and should also be making the effort to build rapport with you.

2. Look through magazines and bring pictures with you.
Start thinking of looks. A make-up artist is not a mind reader (I wish!), so having a good sense of what you want will help your artist produce that look for you.

Choose from looks in magazines, on the Web, or what drew you to your Artist's portfolio. Show what you love and even show what you hate to your make-up artist! Pictures (versus words) will better convey what look you're after. I always remind my clients to remember to be realistic about skin tones and eye shapes when choosing pictures and looks! In the end, you'll get better results when you can predict outcomes.

3. Wear white (or off-white, depending on what your wedding dress colour is).
Lighter colours reflect light off the face and make it appear brighter, which in turn can affect how your make-up appears. Wearing a colour that mimics your wedding dress will help you see what amount of make-up you feel best in ...and if that dramatic smoky eye look may feel like too much make-up when paired with your white dress!

4. Take pictures and evaluate the make-up in different lighting.
Flash photography tends to wash out colour. Be sure the make-up still has impact (and that you like how it looks) in both natural and artificial light. See Mary's example below:

Mary's before - natural light:

Mary's after - in natural light:

Mary's after - with camera flash:
5. Invite one to two trusted people to sit in on the trial.
Opinions from others you trust can help with your decision, but too many opinions can also lead to confusion and stress. Limit your audience to a couple of people you trust, but have an idea of what you want too!

6. Schedule your hair trial on the same day. If possible, schedule a dress fitting on the same day.
There's nothing like putting the look all together that can lead to one of those 'a-ha' moments! Pairing the finished make-up and hair with a dress fitting will help you visualize if all the pieces fit well together, or if it's back to the drawing board!

..that is why they're called 'trials' after all!

Good luck and hope this helps!

Check out the wnetwork.com for my latest Q&A on eyeshadow! In the post, you'll find tips on how to work the mono eyeshadow look, which is a huge trend for Spring 2010 make-up (especially in jeweled tones and candy colours)!

Enjoy :)

To see previous Q&A's or to submit your own question, click here.

Marcelle's New Age Anti-Wrinkle Make-up Foundation is targeted towards the 35+ crowd, but after passing a recent bday and entering that next age bracket, I figured....it doesn't hurt to be pro-active, right? :)I've shied away from drugstore brand foundations in the past while, as I'm a firm believer on it being ok to splurge on quality foundation and concealer products (and of course, I've needed the more reliable stuff for my kit!). Certainly, drugstore make-up brands have come a long way and today you can get quality products at affordable prices. Marcelle is one of those lines that balances quality and value really well, and I've been pleasantly surprised by their latest foundation.

Marcelle's Anti-Wrinkle Make-up Foundation contains Dermaxyl (an anti-aging agent known to diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles) and other key ingredients that help to improve the skin's radiance. It's definitely an easy-to-use foundation, as it blends easily and absorbs quickly into the skin. I'd recommend it more for women with healthy skin that just needs that quick pick-me-up, as it provides light to moderate coverage. Women that usually need more coverage (for blemishes, uneven skin tones) will want to try something other than this formula.

I've been using the foundation for about a month, but (unfortunately!) can't see a visibile difference in it minimizing my own fine lines ('of experience'). I do like how the lightweight formula doesn't cake into my fine lines and crepey undereye area - anything that doesn't make these areas more noticeable is an immediate winner in my book!

The one shortage of this foundation is the limited range of six skin tones. I do hope they expand the choice of skin tones, as Marcelle products seem to work great with all skin types (including sensitive skin).

Overall, a good foundation, but the Anti-Wrinkle part? Jury's still out on that one (and hopefully the prominent wrinkles will stay out with it!)....

Red Riding Hood - the final installment from our Fairy Tale series is now up under the Fashion section of rhiaamio.com!

Rapunzel's still definitely my favourite of the fairy tale looks we did...what's yours? :)

Be sure to check out Nadia's blog to see how a photo gets transformed into the finished product...enjoy!

Here are the results from a bridal make-up trial with beautiful Jess!! (Click to enlarge the pics).

For Jess' trial, we went for a subtle make-up look to bring out her naturally gorgeous features. The key steps to getting her make-up look were: i). slightly filling in her naturally gorgeous arches and ii). adding false lashes. With filled-in brows and falsies on, I only needed to use a minimal amount of eyeliner (mainly to hide the false eyelash band) to bring out her eyes while keeping the look 'natural'.

On a side note, I still really wish my own brows could grow back, but that's what I get for tweezing them in grade six! :)
Can't wait for Jess' Big Day in May...and the warmer temperatures that accompany that month! Hope everyone is having a safe and snowy weekend! :)