Here's the darker complement of the In Bloom creative with Teama Cheema - just to keep us all well-balanced. Check out more pics from this shoot on www.artistrhi.com. (Enjoy! I sure did!)

We’ve been talking make-up artist shop all week, so this week’s Q & A is also dedicated to the aspiring bridal make-up artists out there:Q: I'm a Vancouver based-freelance artist currently working at as a drugstore cosmetician. I recently graduated from a make-up school here. It sometimes seems feels like forever to get to where I want to be in my make-up career. I know everyone says patience is key and it is quite competitive, but I'd love to be doing more bridal. How did you go about getting into doing weddings? How did you put yourself out there?

A: In terms of getting involved in more bridal and in breaking into the industry – really and unfortunately, there's no hard and fast way to do so. To put it into perspective with, in my first year of bridal make-up, I started off with doing two weddings (plus miscellaneous appointments), the second year was four weddings (plus appointments), my third year was 15 and now I look forward to 30+ weddings per year!!

In terms of what got me to where I am today, it really boils down to making good first impressions, networking and word-of-mouth (which is how I got all my first few jobs!). What definitely helped my business take off this year was setting up a website, which allowed potential clients the ability to view examples of my work instantly.

When you're just starting your bridal portfolio off, you may not have professional images right away, but here are a couple of things to get you started on the right foot:

1. have a mock bridal photoshoot to add pictures to your portfolio
Think about recruiting some friends as model brides, and co-ordinate with an aspiring photographer to get some photo examples of your work. Yes, they don't necessarily need to be actual "brides" in your photos, but once you work with more (and real) brides, you can replace these initial photos. Sometimes, it's just easier for clients to visualize the make-up this way.

2. research the bridal make-up artists in your area and find out if they need assistants
Even if it's just to watch brushes or do skin prep, you'll get a first-hand glimpse of how the pros do it, whether it be from a technical make-up or psychological customer service standpoint. Learn the little tips that will make the make-up last and save you time during the application appointments.

Finally, remember to hang in there, work hard and do it for the love - the rest of it will fall into place.

Hope this helps!

In order to provide a more accurate review, I’ve been toting the ZUCA for MAC bag the past couple of weeks on various make-up jobs. For some jobs, I took the ZUCA bag directly from car to appointment location, while for other appointments, there was more walking involved. I have three other make-up bags that I usually switch between, but the ZUCA is a definite stand-out. Read on and see pictures (plus slideshow) below!

Lightweight and Easy to Transport
With my perpetually growing make-up kit, it’s been the best bag to house all these items yet. The lightweight bag facilitated the transport of my make-up from job to job, and the double set of wheels made it noticeably easier to carry up stairs without the usual fear of banging it and breaking fragile items within the kit.

Just Call Me Organized
The quad of clear-topped fabric stackable mini-cases is another of my favourite features of this pro bag. I love the idea of make-up being organized into trays (as my kit can get out of control without some sort of dividing system!), but the plastic trays of previous make-up bags tended to add to the weigh down, while at the same time, only allotted so much room for make-up. Further, once you packed that bag into the car and had to flip it onto its side, the unsecured make-up items ended up in random places within the bag.

Reduce Packing and Unpacking
The ZUCA mini-cases could be filled to the brim with make-up product and secured with the zip-top of the plastic case to minimize movement. The plastic trays are a good size to easily transfer from one bag to anotherl You could very well use of these clear trays as a personal make-up travel kit. When I’m on the job, I just pull out the mini-cases and place them on my make-up table to keep it organized. In other words, bye bye to a cyclical life of constantly packing and unpacking!

And for those of you who are curious - in all honesty, I’ve been too afraid to sit on this bag! It’s definitely a handy idea (since us MUAs are always on our feet), but since I want to maximize the life of the ZUCA, it’s probably also in my best interests that I refrain from parking my rear on it!

Have you tried the MAC for ZUCA bag? I want to know what you think!


View slideshow below or in full screen size.

Photos from a recent creative with the talented Team Cheema are now up! Check out the final images and the behind the scenes of this fun day! Thanks to a wonderful team for making this happen :)

Here's a sneak peek of some of the photos from a recent shoot with Nadia. The theme of the shoot was "In Bloom" - just in time for spring! Be sure to enjoy the nice weather we'll be having this weekend in Toronto, and I'll have more pics of the shoot on www.artistrhi.com shortly!!