Erin Blair Gobin - Hair/Makeup Artist

It feels good to be a winner!

2012-01-23T11:47:00.000-06:00

For the 4th year in a row, I've been selected for a WeddingWire Bride's Choice Award!

I really am thrilled to receive this honor again in 2012. This award actually MEANS something to me. It's not selected by WeddingWire or another organization. I didn't go all over every social media outlet asking my friends and family to vote for me either. Nobody had to "like" my page or WeddingWire's page for me to win. This award is based SOLELY on the fact that I received numerous positive reviews from my past clients. That's it. And my client's opinions of my work are the only ones who matter to me!

Here's the official press release from WeddingWire. Thank you to my former brides for bestowing me with this honor!

{Dallas,TX} – January 23, 2012 – WeddingWire, the nation's leading wedding Marketplace, is excited to announce Erin Blair Gobin - Hair & Makeup Artist has been selected to receive the prestigious WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2012 for Beauty & Health!

The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top local wedding vendors from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism within the wedding industry. While many industry awards are selected by the organization, Erin Blair Gobin - Hair & Makeup Artist was selected based on its stellar reviews from past newlywed clients.

Erin Blair Gobin - Hair & Makeup Artist is recognized as part of the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire local vendor community, comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout the United States and Canada. The Bride’s Choice Award recognizes the best local wedding vendors across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on their overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is thrilled to honor the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Since the launch of the Bride’s Choice Awards™ program four years ago, thousands of outstanding wedding professionals have been recognized by the bridal community for their supreme service and dedication to the wedding industry. It is with great pleasure that we congratulate Erin Blair Gobin - Hair %26 Makeup Artist for their continued professionalism and commitment to enriching the wedding planning experience for engaged couples.”

We are happy to announce that Erin Blair Gobin - Hair & Makeup Artist is one of the very best Beauty & Health within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Project Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for taking the time to review our business on WeddingWire. Thanks to their positive feedback we were able to receive the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ for 2012.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/erin-blair-gobin-hair-makeup-artist-dallas/8952a14060627dae.html.

To learn more about the Bride's Choice Awards™, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire™, the nation's leading marketplace serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 reviewed wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers. WeddingWire also offers a comprehensive suite of online planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire is the only all-in-one marketing platform for businesses online and on-the-go. WeddingWire offers one simple solution to build a professional network, improve search visibility, manage social media and reach mobile consumers. Businesses that advertise with WeddingWire appear on WeddingWire.com, ProjectWedding.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), Brides.com and Weddingbee.com.
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Be Inspired by... The Golden Globes!

2012-01-17T15:12:00.000-06:00

I'm a couple of days late with this post, but hopefully the Golden Globes (which were 2 nights ago) aren't such old news that some of you still won't find this post interesting.

We saw some great hair and makeup at the awards show and I had to feature my favorite look that would also look fantastic on a bride.

Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty

Oh Emma Stone, you nailed it! The soft messy chignon is a hairstyle I get requests for frequently, and I think it was a smart decision to keep the neck and shoulders bare with the unique neckline and sleeves of that dress.

But the eye makeup is what really blows my skirt up here. Those silvery blues are so striking against her green eyes, and an unexpected complement to her aubergine gown. Absolutely LOVE IT.

Who had your favorite look this year?

Last minute new years eve makeup quick tip!

2011-12-31T18:30:00.001-06:00

I'm all about GLITTERY smokey eyes for the holidays. And after scouring makeup counters and drug stores for a product that would help achieve this fun look, I'm so excited to share this with you!

Here's how to get the look. Just do your smokey eye like normal and dab some Milani Crystal Eyez on top of it, starting at the inner corner an working your way in towards the middle. I used a flat eyeshadow brush to apply the product, but you could even use your finger.

It's basically a glittery gel product. It has just the right amount of glitter, not too much, not too little, and it STAYS. It dries in about a minute and you won't have to worry about it again.

So run to the CVS in the corner and grab a tube, and glitz up your makeup a little tonight!

Emily's Bridals

2011-12-19T06:00:00.000-06:00

Emily's wedding was just a few short weeks ago, and I'm so excited to get to share some photos from her bridal shoot by Amy Karp Photography!

I simply can't wait to see the pics from the wedding. If you follow my Facebook page, you might recall seeing this mobile upload I did from that day. I'm in love with the gray smokey eyes and red lips we gave the bridesmaids! So stay tuned for a future wedding post!

But let's get on with the bridals, shall we?

Emily wanted natural, ethereal makeup with played up eyes. I used a smokey plum shadow to achieve the emphasized eyes look she wanted, without going TOO dark or dramatic.

I gave emily lots of volume and piece-ey waves to show off her fantastic highlights! Since her overall look was very soft and romantic, I left some pieces loose so it wouldn't look too structured.

Simply stunning work, Amy!

Tutorial: Champagne Shimmer Holiday Makeup

2011-12-14T06:00:00.000-06:00

As promised, I've created a super easy holiday makeup tutorial that accomplishes three objectives:

Any woman can achieve this look. It really is extremely simple!
You probably have 90% of the products used in this look already lying around in your makeup drawer (there is only ONE specialty product which is optional)
The finished look is a GLITTERY eye. Not shimmery, GLITTERY. (see reference to specialty product in objective #2)
The finished look has a bold red lip - something most of us don't sport too often, but it will glam up any look and hey, red just works for the holidays.

Here's the video. Please be kind because I'm still really new to filming these tutorials and just haven't quite gotten the hang of how to film myself doing makeup. It's not easy! I need to look in the mirror, not the camera, so I can see what I'm doing, so the angle is not ideal. Like I said, I'm trying new things and eventually I'm sure I"ll have it down to a science, but in the meantime please bear with me!

My good friend The Boston Fashionista tried this look on herself after we had a little skype makeup lesson last week - check it out!

Products I used in this tutorial:

Trish McEvoy eye shadow in Tawny
Trish McEvoy eye shadow in Bone
Stila eye shadow in Kitten
Urban Decay Glide On Eye Pencil in Zero
Lorac Sparkle Pencil (the champagney color - it was part of a holiday set of 4)
Loreal Voluminous Mascara
Mac Lip Liner in Brick
Maybelline lipstick in Red Revolution

Ilana

2011-12-12T06:00:00.000-06:00

Ilana, or "Lani", is NOT related to the Kardashians... but she sure does look like it doesn't she???

I love this photo because it really shows the glowy blush I like to use for weddings. Call me crazy, but I think brides like to GLOW on their wedding day :) The happiness does the bulk of the work, but blush helps too!

Congratulations Lani - you were a gorgeous bride and a pleasure to work with!

Amanda's Bridals

2011-12-05T09:00:00.000-06:00

I've got to be honest, when I get a call from someone asking me to drive over an hour away to do just one girl's hair and makeup at 5pm a weeknight, I'm probably going to decline 9 times out of 10, simply because life at home is hectic with feeding, bathing and putting a one year old to bed, and spending that much time in stop & go rush hour traffic never sounds appealing.

But when the person that makes that request is photographer Kevin Jairaj? Well, that's a different story!

Kevin is one of the first photographers I ever worked with when I got started in this crazy wedding industry. Since then Kevin has become one of the most sought after wedding photographers in the COUNTRY, shooting celebrity weddings and teaching seminars all over the US. He's a total rock star, and I think you can see why by looking at these stunning bridal portraits!

Amanda actually got married prior to this shoot, so this was an "after the wedding" bridal shoot. Somtimes called a "trash the dress" shoot, but there was no dress trashing here. Only beautiful photography!

And as you can see, you don't necessarily need smokey dramatic eye makeup to look sexy!

Amanda wanted very clean classic makeup and big sexy curls. You can see that she has LOTS of eyelid real estate (something I so wish I had!), and my instinct is always to smoke up eyelids like hers! But I exercised restraint and gave her the simple, although somewhat "vintagey" eye makeup she was going for (the clean thick eyeliner on the top lid only is a Marilyn Monroe thing!)

Vintage glam meets Texas Cowgirl. Love it.

Nice view of the curls - which I actually did with a small flat iron instead of a curling iron!

What a beauty - she is absolutely glowing - LITERALLY!

Thanks again, Kevin! I can't wait until the next time we get to work together!

Tutorial: BIG Wavy Hair (curling, teasing and braiding)

2011-12-02T22:19:00.001-06:00

As promised, here is the first of a few "holiday party" hair and makeup tutorials I'm planning to post this month.

The first one is very simple and has some tips and tricks you can use for ANY night out. I say a night out because for most girls, this is more effort than you'd want to go to on an everyday basis. But when you want to put a little more effort into your appearance for a special occasion, these are techniques every girl should know.

In the video below I take you step by step on how to curl your hair, how to TEASE your hair to get the much desired volume at the crown (it's desired by us Texas girls at least!) and then I show you how to braid back a small section to give it just a little extra somethin' (totally optional step of course).

But even if you aren't going for this exact hairstyle, the curling and teasing techniques can be applied towards pretty much ANY hairstyle you want to achieve, so it's definitely worth watching! I hope you enjoy! I had to edit out some sections of this to make it under 10 minutes for YouTube, so if you have questions please ask in the comments!

Erin's Favorite Things - 2011 Holiday Beauty Gift Guide

2011-11-30T06:00:00.000-06:00

Got a woman on your shopping list? Of course you do! I'm often asked what my favorite products are, and right now you can get some INCREDIBLE deals on holiday gift sets that include some fantastic products that I personally use all the time. Read on for some great bargains if you want to stock up on your own makeup kit or treat somebody else this Christmas!

MAC "Make it Perfect" Essential Brush Kit $48

This is set consists of the same 5 brushes I use every day. A blush, foundation, crease, brow bone and eyeliner brush at only $10 each, probably about half of what you'd pay if you bought these all individually. You know how most brush sets contain one or two brushes you will NEVER use? Not this one. These truly are essentials and you will use every one of them.

Naked Palette by Urban Decay $48

It's baaack! This was the palette that nobody could find last year. I tried to get these for my mom and mother-in-law and the guy at Sephora laughed at me and told me they were selling for over $200 on ebay. The good news is that THIS year, Urban Decay has made plenty of these babies and the shelves at Sephora and Ulta are fully stocked with them. What's not to like? 12 gorgeous neutral WEARABLE shades, with the fabulous Glide On eyeliner in a black/brown combo, and a mini potion primer to boot! It's a GREAT value and a gift anyone that wears makeup would get use out of.

Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara + MultiplEYE Lash Primer $10

Excuse me, does that say 10 DOLLARS???? I got a sample of this mascara a while back and It.Is.Amazing. And at this price, it costs as much as my favorite drugstore mascara. If you can find this deal in stock, snatch it up - either for yourself or for a great stocking stuffer for someone else!

Tarte LipSurgence Collection $29

I smear this big fat crayon of a lip stain almost every single day. The colors are gorgeous, the texture is silky, with just the right amount of shimmer and shine... but it's a STAIN, so it actually lasts longer than 10 minutes! I love this product, and they normally retail for $25 each. But for the hoildays Tarte has packaged up five of them and is selling the entire set for $29. I gotta warn you, I have had a very hard time locating this set and am now kicking myself for not saying YES when my assistant called me from Ulta asking if she should get one for me while she was there. "No need, I've got to go to Ulta later this week anyways." I said. STUPID ERIN. They were all gone by the time I made it up there. Maybe you'll get lucky though! So again, if you see these in stock GRAB THEM! And give one to me :)

Stila Dream in Full Color Palette $39

Stila has great, long wearing eye shadows in gorgeous wearable colors (Kitten is my personal favorite!), and you can't beat this deal for such a huge selection, with 7 cheek colors and a smudge stick too!

Stila Lip Glaze Set $25

Stila lip glazes are normally $23! Now you can get 8 for $25 - woah! Now these sizes are a tidge smaller than full size, but it's still a GREAT deal.

Nars All About Cheeks Palette $65

At $65, this palette runs about half of what it would cost you to buy these colors individually (granted these sizes are a bit smaller, but it's still a great deal even when you factor in the size). Nars has the BEST blushes and my favorites are both here (Super Orgasm and Desire!), plus a highlight and contour shade. Sweet!

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Eyeliner Kit $42

Bobbi Brown's gel eyeliner is THE best, as far as I'm concerned. They are typically $21 each, so this bundle isn't really a savings on the eyeliners - but they do throw in a travel mascara and eyeliner brush to sweeten the deal which is nice!

Too Faced "The Bronzed and the Beautiful" Set $38

A face primer and 4 bronzer/blushes (including the Snow Bunny duo that I feature in my 90 second face tutorial) for just $10 more than it costs for one bronzer alone.

Rachel

2011-11-28T09:00:00.000-06:00

Wanted to share another beautiful wedding I worked on with Kerrie and Becca from A Stylish Soiree with images from Kari Crowe Photography.

Here are some shots of the girls getting dressed. I LOVED Rachel's dress. Those whimsical petals on the skirt make it perfect for a garden wedding!

Rachel's look was all about the HAIR. This girl has one serious head of hair. I painstakingly curled and teased it, then very carefully arranged half her curls into pretty pin curls (carefully so as not to deflate all the volume we just created). This hairdo definitely defied gravity!

Such a fun shot of Rachel with her bridesmaids. I particularly love the bridesmaid's hair on the left. A lot of time girls with short hair think we can't do anything for them. Not true!

Such a gorgeous back-lit shot from Kari Crowe!

The happy bride and groom!

I love it when you can still see the gorgeous hairdo through the veil like this!

First dance

The Hora!

Mazel Tov, Rachel and Kevin!

Be Inspired by... The AMAs!

2011-11-21T10:07:00.001-06:00

The AMAs were last night and the stars didn't disappoint when it came to providing plenty of fashion and beauty inspiration! Since I'm a hair and makeup artist for the wedding industry, I wanted to blog about some looks that would be very wearable for a bride-to-be. And you don't have to look much farther for AMA Bridal Beauty Inspiration than Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez in their champagne colored gowns.

Both girls kept their looks classic, pretty and chic. No big risks here, just timeless elegance - which is exactly what 99.9% of brides are going for too. Selena's "Veronica Lake" waves are gorgeous, and you can't go wrong with a very subtle smokey eye and peachy lips and cheeks.

It was interesting to see Taylor Swift without her signature curls last night! She also played it safe with a beautiful gown, but stepped a little out of her box with the straightened hair (and I'm also really digging those earrings!)

There's some loopy "twist & pin" detail in her ponytail that I love. I do kind of wish the ends of that tail were a little smoother though. But overall, I give this look an A!

Jennifer Hudson looked like a knockout as well. The Weight Watchers has really paid off! Her makeup has just the right amount of drama, with lots of bronzey eye shadow and jewel toned lips. With bolder makeup and a flashy dress like that, I think Jennifer made the right call to keep her hair simple and straight.

Now here were two I just wasn't as crazy about. I dig the messy hair thing. Really I do, but only when it's an up do. Maybe it's just my personal preference, but otherwise I think it looks like you just rolled around in bed and then showed up to the red carpet. I also think Heidi's eye makeup is a little too messy and raccoon-sh. Again, just my opinion! I would have liked to have seen Heidi put her hair up and tone down the eyes and add some more lip color here. Hillary Scott I don't have as much criticism for, but some Selena-like waves would have looked more attractive than the wind-blown look she sported.

I'm not even going to talk about J-Lo's fashion choices last night, but this high braided bun was super cute and chic!

Julie Bowen's high messy bun with the tousled waves falling out was definitely one of my FAVORITE hairdos from last night! I'm looking forward to copying this one for some upcoming holiday party appointments!

Jenny McCarthy. LOVE. It's not just because I have a girl crush on her either. Not only is this one of the cutest dresses I've ever seen (I'd love to have it in my own wardrobe), but the vintage hair and makeup go PERFECTLY with it.

I am loving the vintage waves and the departure from the "don't curl the ends of your hair" trend. Her makeup again is vintage inspired, with thick black eyeliner and a heavy brow, and that red lip really pops against her purple dress. Just love everything about her look last night!

Can't talk about the AMAs without mentioning the pink haired beauties! I loved Nicki Minaj's pink curls and Katy Perry's victory rolls! I don't think I'll have any pink-haired brides anytime soon.

But if you ever need a pair of victory rolls, CALL ME!

What did you think of the looks at the AMAs last night???

Our Cousin Samantha

2011-11-21T06:00:00.000-06:00

My husband's Uncle Rusty gave birth to four stunningly beautiful daughters with the most intense blue eyes you've ever seen. Last month, one of them, Samantha, got married! And I was excited that I got to do her hair and makeup AND be a guest at the wedding!

Samantha's makeup up close - see I wasn't lying about those icy turquoise eyes! To play them up to the hilt, we did a smokey BLUE eye using Trish McEvoy's Eye Definer in Arabian Nights, which is a deep navy color, and then layered a turquoise eye shimmer pigment on top of it, similar to this one. We finished off the look with Nars Blush in Desire and Tarte Lipsurgence tint in Frisky.

Here is Samantha with our Aunt Debbie her beautiful mom!

During the vows, and a nice profile shot of her hairdo with the low loose curls. The little brooch accent is always such a nice touch.

And her's the whole fam! See, I wasn't kidding about the four beautiful sisters!

The handsome newlyweds!

This is a great photo, both of the couple AND the hairdo :)

I loved the way they did their first dance. All the guests stood around them and blew bubbles in their general direction during it. This is also the only photo that proves my little family was there too. See that little tot in the sweater vest on the left, raising his right arm up trying to touch the bubbles? That's my kiddo, and that's me holding him, with my husband right behind him.

Congratulations Samantha and John!

Holiday Party Hair and Makeup Special!

2011-11-19T11:42:00.001-06:00

It's the most FUN time of the year - Holiday Party Season!

We know you want to look hot, and use the excuse to try out those trendy hairstyles you've seen on Pinterest and the red carpet, and for once try DRAMATIC smokey eye makeup... maybe even GLITTERY eye makeup! Only one problem, you don't have the products to achieve these looks, or for that matter... the skills!

That's where we come in! This year Amy and I are offering holiday party hair and airbrush makeup for a HUGE discount during certain dates and time slots!

Schedule your appointment NOW to get a hairstyle/updo AND airbrush makeup for only $95!!!

That is a 50% savings over the normal price! Hey it's holiday season, we know money is tight which is why we're cutting you a deal!

We are taking appointments on December 3rd, 10th and 17th at 3, 4, 5, and 6pm (each appointment will last approx 1 hour).

UPDATE! I have now added appointments on Sunday December 11th and Sunday December 18th to meet the demand of two very highly attended WEDDING INDUSTRY holiday parties (but don't worry, if you aren't going to a wedding industry party but still need an appointment on one of those dates, I won't turn you away!).

Since there are a limited number of time slots, don't wait! Book your appointment NOW by emailing me at erin.gobin@gmail.com or calling 214-415-0249.

Tutorial: 90 Second Face Makeup - my "bare minimum" face!

2011-11-18T06:00:00.000-06:00

Before and after the 90 second face makeup. You know I'm dedicated to teaching the world about makeup when I put pictures of myself like the one on the left on the internet for all the world to see!

So here's something I find hysterical - I get compilments on my skin ALL THE TIME. Ha! Do you see the photo on the left (shudder). I do NOT have good skin. I am 34 years old. I have forehead wrinkles. I have DARK circles under my eyes. I have sun spots. I have acne scars.

There probably needs to be a chemical peel in my near future, to be quite honest. But lucky for me, I'm a makeup artist and I know how to cover up all that ugly stuff! AND I know how to do it FAST.

The makeup look in the tutorial below uses only three products (concealer, mineral powder foundation, and bronzer) and took me just over a minute to do. Add mascara and lip gloss and you've got yourself a quick and easy everyday face makeup that only takes about 90 seconds start to finish.

This is what I call my "bare minimum" makeup, because I do this every day no matter WHAT. People, it only takes 90 SECONDS, and what a difference it makes! Instead of looking tired and haggard I look awake, fresh-faced and presentable. If I'm just running to Target in my yoga pants, or grabbing something from Starbucks or whatever, I do this quick routine first. Even if I don't leave the house all day (which is not all that uncommon for me!), I'll at least do this so as not to frighten my husband.

Hope you enjoy! Got questions - ask them in the comments section!

Products used in this tutorial

Mabelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Treatment Concealer in "Fair"

Too Faced Amazing Face Foundation Powder in "perfect nude"

Too Faced Carribean in a Compact in "Snow Bunny"

I'm a Boston Fashionista Guest Blogger!

2011-11-16T09:00:00.000-06:00

Me and my college roomies in Napa! Kristen, Kristy, Brenda and an 8-month-pregnant me.

I'm so thrilled that the fabulous Boston Fashionista (aka my former college roommate Kristen) has invited me to be a regular guest blogger on her popular fashion blog. (You may recall where Kristen tried my 5-minute summer look a couple of months back.) I'm going to be doing quarterly makeup tutorials, with the first one in Mid-December for a holiday party/New Years Eve makeup look. I don't know about you guys, but I'm thinking SPARKLE!

What kinds of makeup tutorials would you guys like to see?

Katie

2011-11-14T08:44:00.000-06:00

A long overdue post on Katie's wedding. Gorgeous photography by Nine Photography.

Katie was a classic bride. With a beautiful classic gown, and her wedding in a traditional garden setting. We pulled back her hair into a glamorous, sleek updo and gave her a traditional makeup look with rosy cheeks and lips.

Katie and bill have an adorable daughter together, and I gave her a fun flower girl hairdo for the occasion.

Such a gorgeous photo of the prayer, but also a great view of Katie's hair. You can see how I twisted back sections into the low bun to give it some interest.

What a great closing shot. Congrats Katie and Bill - I hope you're loving married life!

Be inspired by.... The CMA Awards!

2011-11-09T22:23:00.000-06:00

So did you watch the CMAs tonight? I was sure to tune in to see the hair and makeup.

It probably does not surprise you that I get more photos of THIS young woman

than any other for hairstyle ideas. I've even been working on a wedding party and had to wait for bridesmaids to grab their laptop to do a quick google image search for Carrie Underwood before I could start their hairdo. So since she was hosting, tuning in was a must!

Let's just say it doesn't look like the black smokey eye and nude lip trend is going anywhere anytime soon! Carrie had several hairstyles tonight, but her makeup was pretty consistent. In general, her hair was more soft, loose waves than the big bouncy curls she's worn in the past, and this is definitely consistent with what brides and bridesmaids alike have been asking me for lately!

And here's the hairstyle that I GURANTEE I will get requested by at least one bridesmaid at every wedding from now until the next CMA awards. This half-up hairstyle is soft, feminine - just beautiful. But keep in mind, to pull this off you need bangs and short layers in front or it just won't be the same!

And here's a picture of the back. Yes, because I took photos of my tv set (you're welcome) Cute bling :) Now is that a tag I see???

Did you notice the glittery eye shadow Carrie sported when she performed later in the evening? It's hard to see here, but the glittery eye shadow is super popular for the fall - be on the lookout for a tutorial on how to achieve a look like this for your upcoming holiday parties!

I love this photo because it so perfectly demonstrates how if you wear more color on your lip, you have to go a little less with the eyes. All three GORGEOUS makeups (although Carrie's is a little tarantula looking this close-up, in the photo above it photographs beautifully from a distance). I particularly love Taylor's coral lip color!

Taylors curled up bangs are definitely a signature look for her these days. I love it. It is uniquely her look but it also evokes the classic 50s pinup style hair. By the way, you can achieve this look on your own SO EASILY by doing this super simple overnight tutorial, and all you need is an elastic headband! (Just make sure your bangs are going straight down in the front when you make the first wrap.)

Taylor pulled her hair into a messy side pony later in the evening, but kept a few of those ringlets still in tact. Super cute!

Taylor might get my vote for best makeup actually. I loved her shimmery bronze eyes with the liquid liner cat eye and those coral lips! SO pretty.

Did you notice that Hillary Scott also rocked the side pony when they performed later in the evening? It's hard to tell, but I'm pretty sure those waves were transformed into a loose fishtail braid - very hot trend right now!

Okay so here's one I didn't love so much. The makeup is fine, but the hair.... well, it's not my favorite. I get that we are going for simple, bold glam. But I think pulling it UP in the back would have looked so much better. Plus I'm just not a fan of hair touching the shoulders of gowns that have high necklines like that.

Now Miranda Lambert, you got the hair right. Faith - are you taking notes? Miranda looks stunning head to toe!

Now here's Kellie Pickler sporting what I'm just going to call the "big messy hair" trend.

Kimberly Perry had the messy hair thing going on too. I must admit, I wasn't a fan when I first saw her sporting the messy hair with this halter lace gown. I get she's going for a mix of romantic and rocker (notice the gold cuff), but it just doesn't work for me with this dress.

Then later on, she changed into this scoop necked sequinned dress with big earrings, and suddenly I LOVED the hair.

Here's a better photo of the hair. You get waves like this by doing flat iron curls - but running the iron through fairly quickly so the curl doesn't get very tight. Make it piecey by separating waves into chunks and hairspraying them, and don't forget plenty of teasing! You can see here that her hair is actually pulled into a messy bun on the side that is almost hidden by the mess of big waves on top of it.

Oh and REBA. Reba, reba. Please guys, don't let tendrils make a comeback, okay? She would have looked about a million times better had she pinned those sideburns up. Sorry Reba, but you would have!

Who had your favorite hair and makeup at the CMAs? Sound off in the comments section!

Mandy's Wedding Day!

2011-11-07T10:18:00.000-06:00

On Saturday I had the pleasure of doing hair and makeup for a BEAUTIFUL wedding party at the Crescent Hotel, with two of my FAVORITE photographers - Cesar and Tanya Perez!

Mandy was a beautiful bride. Pretty much flawless in every way.

These images are from her bridal portrait session that I did about 2 weeks prior to her wedding.

This is a great shot of her eye makeup. She wanted a LITTLE bit of smokiness but only in the outer corners. This is a beautiful eye makeup for the bride that wants her eyes played up a little, but not too much drama.

These photos I shot with my iphone during the wedding. This was the first bridesmaid, who is also Mandy's future sister in law (she's marrying Mandy's brother in April!). I just LOOOOVED the way her curls turned out.

I was so excited that my friend Heather Henry was available to work with me on Saturday. She is a fantastic special effects makeup artist and has worked on several tv shows such as The Chase and Prison Break.

Here is Heather doing a quick tattoo cover up, something she had to do daily for Jesse Metcalf on Prison Break.

This was a fun hairdo for me because it was SO different than the soft romantic look I typically do for weddings. This bridesmaid wanted something really edgy and trendy, with some piecey waves and messy fishtail braids incorporated into it.

She wanted the back to look messy, like she threw it up herself, but also interesting, so I did a lot of criss crossing with these little fishtail braids. She loved it!

Here's a shot of the entire beautiful bridal party. Recognize the 2nd girl from the left? That's Amanda! I did her wedding back in 2009 and Mandy was one of her bridesmaids. I LOVE seeing those single bridesmaids get engaged!

A quick toast before getting dressed. I can't wait to see the pro photos from Cesar and Tanya!

Congrats Mandy and Dustin!!!

Tutorial: How to Insert a Bobby Pin Like a Pro

2011-11-04T09:44:00.000-05:00

I've been styling hair for weddings and special events for about 7 years now, and I'm always amazed at how many girls I see using bobby pins like THIS:

(How NOT to insert a bobby pin)

Ladies, there is a better way! A way where you don't have to see the ugly pin. A way where your hair will lay prettier. And a way where your hairdo will be MUCH more secure!

(Can't see a single pin!)

Video tutorial below! Questions? Sound off in the comments section!

And be sure to subscribe to my YouTube Channel - more tutorials to come!

Jill's Wedding

2011-10-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

You may remember when I posted Jill's Bridals a while back. So I couldn't wait to post some photos from her wedding day!

Love this side bun on one of Jill's bridesmaids.

Nice view of the soft smokey eye!

Bobbileigh

2011-10-25T23:14:00.000-05:00

Bobbileigh - fun name, fun bride, and fun wedding! Her look was a combo of classic and glamorous. These fantastic pictures were taken by McGowan Images

Here I am putting the final touches on Bobbileigh's hair. She wanted soft romantic curls, half up, with side-swept bangs.Her makeup was very modern and glamorous, with heavy lashes and a touch of blue shimmery eye pigments to bring out her intense blue eyes, with shimmery nude lips and cheeks.

The first look! I love how Bobbileigh's curls look in the photo on the left! So pretty and tousled looking.

The vows - and Bobbileigh looking flawless. Hey that's Marty Yorkin officiating - hi Marty!

Pure Bliss!

5 Minute Makeup - Summer Look!

2011-08-01T16:35:00.000-05:00

First of all let me start by saying, I'm sorry it has taken me so long to post this tutorial! I gave a demo of this at a party over the weekend and it was very well received, so I wanted to share it widely. This brings me to my second apology - sorry these photos are so horrible (iphone camera, in my very messy bathroom!) However, I hope you'll look it over anyways.

This is my "I want to look nice, but I only have 5 minutes" look. It's a little more than I'd wear to the grocery store, but a lot less than I'd wear on a fancy date. This look is polished, it stylish, AND it's on trend.

Here's our inspiration photos for this hot summer look. Then I"m going to show you how to achieve the look in about 5 minutes.

All of the above celebs are sporting the same bold pink lip trend, and their eye makeup is all relatively similar in that they all have black liner on the top lashes only, but clean lids on the bottom.

This look is VERY conducive to a 5 minute makeup look because it involves a VERY simple eye. It takes a lot longer to layer on and blend several shades of eye shadow and liner than it does to slap on some black liner only with a bright lip color. That's why I LOVE THIS LOOK. I'm a working mother - time is NOT on my side these days.

So without further ado, here are the steps!

The before photo.
Sigh - yes that's me. Pimples, dark circles and all. Don't be jealous.

Step 1: Concealer
I am using Smashbox Concealer, but you can use whatever you like. But choose something a shade or two lighter than your normal skin tone. And if you have redness in your skin like I do, don't try to MATCH it. We're going to correct it with something a little more yellowy.

Be very generous with the concealer and use it in the entire triangular area from the inner corner of your eye, to the outer corner of your eye, down to your nostril (I like to call this area the "magic triangle"). Don't be shy - you need a good amount of coverage and highlight here.

Step 2: Blending the Concealer
Take your index finger and pat, pat, pat until it's blended nicely into your skin. Pat it all the way up into your lower lashline and into the pink "water line" your bottom lashes are attached to so it won't be pink anymore. Then take what's left on your finger and dab just a tiny bit down the center of your nose to create a subtle highlight.

Step 3: Mineral Foundation

Take a boofy brush and sweep mineral foundation over the rest of your face, slightly overlapping your magic triangle but not covering it completely. I actually used a shade of mineral makeup slightly DARKER than my skintone. Mineral powder foundation is super forgiving, and when you go just a tidge darker it helps to contour the areas we didn't highlight with concealer. So not only do I even out my skintone, I give myself a bit of contour on the sides of my face, forehead and nose.

Step 4: Eye Primer

I love Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion, and the color "Sin" is great for every day because it's this lovely champagne color, so it's like primer and base shadow in one! Not only will it prime your lids for any eye shadow you might want to add on top of it, but it's great on it's own too.

Step 5: Eyebrows
Why is this photo sideways? I don't know - but you get the idea. Fill in your eyebrows a bit with a pencil or a powder if you prefer. This is my favorite eyebrow pencil. It's Wet n Wild pencil in Taupe, and I think it costs about 88 cents. Just do very light feathery strokes like you are coloring the hairs, not the skin underneath, and it'll look natural and frame your eyes nicely.

Step 6: Eye Liner
Draw a black line all the way across your top lash line, from corner to corner. I am using my favorite eye liner (a best kept secret in my opinion), Trish McEvoy's Intense Eye Pencil, which is a gel liner in pencil form, and comes with the oh so handy sponge on the other end to help soften edges. Love love love it! Notice I am making a fairly bold black line. The way to do it easily and neatly is to draw little dashes all the way across that connect to each other. And always open your eyes and make sure your liner goes all the way to the outside corner. Nine times out of ten I have to go back and add one more 'dash' to the end so I don't cut my eye short!

Step 6: Soften the top edge of your Eye Liner

One reason why I love the Trish eye liner is for the sponge tip on the other end of the pencil. You don't want to see an ugly, crayon-looking edge on your liner so just take a second to soften it. If your eye liner doesn't have the handy sponge tip, you can use an angled eye liner brush to get the job done.

Step 7: Crease Shadow (Optional)

Adding a little shading in the crease is going to give your eyes a bit more depth, but if you're in a real hurry I won't get on to you if you skip this step. But if you do take a minute, just use a shadow that's about the color of chocolate milk (I'm using Studio Gear's eye shadow in Taupe here. Another of my favorites is Trish McEvoy's Tawny). Your goal is not to add color - it's to add depth. You just want to see a soft shading just above your crease when your eyes are open and you are looking straight in the mirror. It should look like a real shadow (not eye shadow - but like the kind of shadow the sunshine makes!)

Step 8: Mascara

Add mascara to the top lashes only and you're done with your eyes. My favorite is Loreal Voluminous, but there are plenty of good ones out there so just use your favorite. Wiggle the mascara at the base of your lashes and sweep outward to help fan your lashes out, which will widen the look of your eyes (a good thing). Some makeup artists always curl lashes, but I actually don't bother as long as the lashes have some curl on their own. Now if your lashes stick straight down with no curl at all, take a minute to curl them first. Otherwise - skip it. After all, we're not going for a Bambi-esque doe-eyed here.

Step 9: Blush - a bright pink one!

Smile! It's time to put your blush on! I always smile when I do it so the apples of my cheeks stick out, and add blush right to the apple and blend back just a tidge. Do NOT blend back so much that you have diagonal stripes going up towards your cheek bones. I'm using Nars blush in Desire here. But there are plenty of pink blushes I like. MAC's Dollymix is a fave, and Physician's Formula Happy Mood Booster Blush is a good drug store alternative.

Step 10: The Bold Pink Lip

For this look I prefer a lip stain, because you can skip the liner, skip the gloss - it's an all-in-one product and we're trying to save time here! I'm using Tarte Lip Stain in Amused here which is definitely a favorite of mine. Loreal Just Bitten is a decent drug store stain (it has a balm on the other end which is pretty cool!). You can also slap on any bright pink, even NEON pink, lip stick you like. But make it bold and make it bright - the lips are the focal point here!

The finished look

And here it is - the finished product! I do this look at least a couple of times a week when I'm going out and want to look pulled together, and it truly does only take me 5 minutes to do all 10 steps. I am always getting compliments on the lip color too. This is a great one to try this summer (what's left of it), and if you want to transition the look into fall, it's super easy!

Variatons on this look:
Bright coral lip with peachier blush (like Nars Orgasm)

Old Hollywood glam look: Use a peachier blush (like Nars Orgasm) with a crimson lip

Fall look: Use a peachier blush with a brown or aubergine colored eye liner and plum lip gloss.

This look has lots of possibilities if you just change the colors out, because the fundamentals of this look will work in ANY Season.

Hope you enjoyed - if you have any questions feel free to comment below!

Mikalyn

2011-04-07T11:36:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago I was shopping at Northpark when I received a somewhat panicked call from Lisa Dean of Divine Wedding Details (wedding planner extraordinaire!) asking if I was available in exactly one week for her client's wedding.

Turns out the salon (which shall remain nameless) they had booked for hair and makeup was insisting at the last minute that the entire bridal party come in at 7am on the wedding day. Seeing as how the wedding wasn't until the evening, and there were plenty of rehearsal dinner festivities planned for the night before, the bride was none to thrilled!

Well, their folly turned into my fortune, because I was indeed available and I had the greatest time working with this group of blonde beauties! Photographer Sil Azevedo did a fantastic job of capturing Mikey's beauty and all the gorgeous wedding day details.

Mikalyn is the vision of a modern day bride. Bronzey, smokey eyes, soft lips, and a loose asymmetrical updo!

The "messy" side bun is definitely my #1 most requested hair do this year.

One GORGEOUS mother/daughter duo!

Yes ladies, you can rock a veil with an asymmetrical hairstyle!

We always try to have just a LITTLE fun with the bridesmaids' hair and makeup. If you look close you can see we used some violet eye makeup to coordinate with their dresses.

I loved thie bridesmaid hairstyle too with a braid and a flower incorporated and lots of texture throughout!

Still looking flawless as they're cutting the cake! Congrats Mikey and David!

Jill's Bridals

2011-02-10T15:54:00.001-06:00

It's been so long since I've posted new portfolio pics, but my gorgeous bride Jill and her fantastic photographer Leslie Spurlock have taken me out of hibernation!

Doesn't she have an effortless sort of beauty about her?

I choose this pic because it's a great closeup of her makeup! This is a fairly natural look for a bride. Just a tiny amount of foundation, bronze shadow eyeliner and a touch of color on the lips and cheeks are all she needed for the fresh, glowing look Jill was trying to achieve.

You probably wouldn't have guessed it but Jill is also wearing fake eyelashes here! They are the most natural looking ones you can get, just enough to give that tiniest bit of added length and the perfect amount of curl.

Fake eyelashes go a long long way in those profile shots! This is also a great profile shot of her hair do. Low, wavy bun. It's the "messy" look but all that means is that it's not smooth or sleek - it's got texture all the way throughout. Jill also wanted some wispy pieces framing her face which turned out beautifully.

You can see most of the back here. It's got some twists and turns to give it a little bit of interest back there.

Nice view of the height at the crown.

And this is just one of my favorite photos from her session. Wow - what a dress! And what a gorgeous bride! I cannot wait until the wedding day!

Do something for yourself, AND a child in need!

2011-01-31T21:31:00.000-06:00

Jenny Stiegler was a high school friend of mine. And I, along with all the other alumni of SFHS that knew her, spent Christmas in a state of numbness after learning that she and her husband were tragically killed in a car accident on Christmas Eve.

The women of Haute Facade, who I frequently partner with on large wedding parties, have all graciously donated Saturday February 12th to raise money for Jenny and Chris's eight month old daughter, Emily, who was the only survivor of the tragic accident.

So here's the deal. Get your Valentine's "Date Night" (that's Saturday February 12th) hair and makeup done for only $100, and 100% of the fee will go towards Baby Emmie's fund.

It's not often you can treat yourself AND do a good deed!

Email me to set your appointment! erin.gobin@gmail.com

WeddingWire Brides Choice Award Winner - Again!

2011-01-25T09:38:00.000-06:00

I was thrilled to open my email this morning to find that I've been awarded a Brides Choice Award from WeddingWire.com for the third year in a row!

I love WeddingWire. I really do. I used it as a bride and also as a vendor. It's truly the best place online to read honest reviews of vendors from their past clients.

Here's what WeddingWire has to say about their Brides Choice Awards:
Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation. Your business stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry.

Thank you WeddingWire and thank you to all my lovely brides for this honor!

New for 2011: The Platinum Package!

2010-10-22T16:56:00.000-05:00

I've always kept my rates very simple and "per person" in the past, but after 8 years I have decided it's finally time to try something new. This year when a bride asks me "What packages do you offer?" I will have an answer for them!

Enter the PLATINUM PACKAGE!

Airbrush makeup for up to six girls
Hairstyling/updo for up to six girls
Free trial run for the bride
Free travel on location to you on your wedding day in the Dallas metroplex
A second hair/makeup artist (double the service, but HALF the time to get you all ready!)
All for only $1100

(I'll save you the time in doing the math... that's almost a $1700 value!)

If you're interested, act quickly! I will only be booking one platinum package per month! The first bride to book me for any given month gets the deal!

Tracy

2010-10-11T15:29:00.000-05:00

What can I say about Tracy? You can see from the above photo the girl is rocking some serious attitude (and I mean the GOOD kind of attitude!).

You'll get a glimpse of her fantastic Old Red Courthouse wedding details in the pictures below (taken by the equally fantastic Cristina Wisner!), but I'm here to talk about her hair and makeup of course! Tracy wanted to be dramatic, and she contacted me because she loved the look I did on Ali last summer. She wanted to know could I do a similar look on her, only with her bangs? Well of course I can!

Here I am putting the final touches on Tracy's hairdo. It looks as if I'm performing a complicated pinning maneuver!

Nice shot of the back of the hair, and the beautiful and sassy Mother of the Bride too! I always say that the MOB needs to look JUST as fabulous as the bride as she is really the main hostess of the evening!

Super cute bridal party! Especially loved the curly/messy side bun of the MOH!

Nice profile shot of the hair (Tracy wanted a LOT of height and drama!) as well as her beautiful smokey eyed makeup look. We used some plum eyeshadow and some falsies to achieve this look. And don't forget Makeup Rule #27 - when you sport dark eyes, go with a soft lip color - or else you'll look like a drag queen.

Still looking fabulous during the cake cutting...

And still flawless at the end of the night - a good 10 or so hours later I'd bet! What a happy looking couple!

PUBLISHED IN Brides of North Texas Magazine!

2010-08-31T21:32:00.000-05:00

The other day I was checking out at Central Market and picked up the latest Brides of North Texas Magazine. To my sheer delight, two of my beautiful brides' weddings are featured in this issue!

Congratulations Mattie and Angela! You and your weddings were truly spectacular and deserving of such an honor!

Angela's wedding

2010-08-19T15:12:00.001-05:00

A few months ago I posted photos from Angela's bridal portraits. Today we are going to talk about her gorgeous wedding!

Here is the fabulous Heather Henry putting some final touches on Angela's makeup. Heather is a tv/film makeup artist (currently working on Jerry Bruckheimer's new tv show), but she helps me out with weddings in a pinch! Everyone was crazy about her and loved hearing her funny celebrity stories (if you meet her, be sure to ask her about the work she did on Gary Coleman... hilarious!)

This is a cool shot of the hotel suite where the girls were getting ready. I'm putting the final touches on the Mother of the Bride's hair and there's Heather working on Angela's makeup. You can see how we transform the space into a studio, complete with studio lighting and everything!

The last step - adding the veil!

Here is Angela and her beautiful mother, who told me "Just make me look like Joy Behar."

And her wonderful bridal party!

The ceremony. Love this tousled hair do, inspired by one of Eva Longoria's red carpet looks.

She looks so happy!

I always get a warm fuzzy feeling when I see my brides and their grooms looking this giddy at their wedding receptions. May I also point out that her hair and makeup still look flawless? ;)

Great exit shot! The sign of a great photographer is being able to shoot a scene like this - the lighting is perfect! Kudos F8!

Introducing Gage!

2010-08-19T14:59:00.001-05:00

Our little man arrived on June 24, 2010!

He is officially 8 weeks old today. There must be something magical about being 8 weeks old, because the past few days I've actually felt somewhat rested and finding myself with blocks of time during the day in which I can actually accomplish some things.

So that explains why after a 2 month absence, I am finally updating my blog again! I appreciate all my clients for being so patient with me the past few weeks, and for those brides who booked me despite my not having any new pictures up in so long! I'm going to try to do something about that today :)

A long overdue post, and maternity pictures!

2010-06-15T15:30:00.001-05:00

Wow - I am shocking myself at how long it's been since I've posted an update! In my defense, I honestly have not been receiving a lot of photos from brides lately. I guess it's time to start following up! Surely some of these girls are back from their honeymoon by now!

Unfortunately my hiatus is probably only going to get worse because I'm due to have a baby ANY day now! I was actually due this past Thursday, but Baby G is taking his time! I've taken all of June and most of July off from weddings, but still will be squeezing in trial runs as needed for my August and September brides! If you email me and I take a while to get back to you, well you know why now. I understand these newborn babies can be quite demanding!

I thought at the very least I'd post a couple of my maternity pictures, taken by one of my favorite photographers ReJane Krause with BluDoor Studios. Now if any of you brides find yourself without a wedding photographer, definitely call them. And if you find yourself in a delicate condition any time soon, the "BluDoor Baby Plan" is one heck of a great deal for what are guaranteed to be BEAUTIFUL pictures!

First up we have a close up BARE belly photo. A lot of girls are nervous about doing these, but I wanted one. I think the first pregnancy is a pretty important life milestone and was afraid I'd really regret not having just one great photo of my belly to document this time in our lives.

And ladies, makeup ain't just for faces! I showed up to my shoot with foundation perfectly applied to my belly as well as contouring and bronzing shimmer in certain places. ReJana told me she wished EVERY pregnant woman put makeup on their bellies! It apparently made a huge difference! The few stretch marks that my makeup didn't cover ReJana was able to easily remove with a few clicks of her mouse (thanks for that ReJana!)

And here's my favorite fully clothed shot with my hubby. I love the 'looking down' angle - can we say SLIMMING? This is one of the only photos I've taken with my husband throughout the entire pregnancy where I don't feel like I look 4 times as wide as him!

Just to comment on my own hair and makeup, maternity pics aren't usually a time to get super glammed up. I wanted to keep my makeup ethereal and "earthy" if you will. So I used plenty of glowy/shimmery makeup in neutral colors and tried to keep the drama to a minimum, drawing attention to my features with shadows and highlights as opposed to using a lot of color. Hair is just loosely waved with a little added volume at the crown. I didn't want to look overdone - especially considering our t-shirt and jeans wardrobe!

So that's it! I hope I'm not out of touch for too long and am already looking forward to Fall Wedding Season! Bring on those Fall Brides!

Kristen

2010-03-24T15:32:00.000-05:00

It's always a giddy morning when I wake up to new photos from Brooks.

Today the fabulous Brooks Whittington emailed me photos from Kristen's wedding! I just loved her look. She was all about GLAMOUR! Her dress and jewelry were very vintagey and blingy and elegant, and she wanted her hair and makeup to correspond. While we toyed at her trial run with an Old Hollywood look (you know the look - heavy lashes, thick liquid liner on the top only and deep red lips - think Christina in the "Ain't No Other Man" video), we ultimately decided a more updated glamorous look suited Kristen better. See this ladies, is why we do the trial!

Everyone's favorite part of getting their hair done - the intense spraying and teasing part! That's how we get the volume at the crown everyone wants! I must say I love this photo because it shows me doing the hair but you can't actually SEE me. Thank you Brooks for that :)

Nice shot of the makeup here! We did a smokey plum color on the eyelids emphasized by this very cool shimmer color called "Chameleon". It's a really weird color - like a maroon/green combo. Sounds ugly but looks awesome (well you can see that for yourself!). With eyes this dramatic, you've gotta go with subtle lips and cheeks of course!

I also think this is a great photo of Kristen's foundation! She is wearing the cream foundation I use on almost all of my brides. It's intense stage-makeup quality, but I use just a tiny amount and really take the time to work it into the skin. The result is flawless looking and not at all cakey. Kristen still looks like she has a face of skin, not plastic!

Two of the bridesmaids helping each other get ready. I got to work on them too!

The final hair-do! Plenty of volume for extra drama, and the hair was processed into "piecey" waves before being swept into a low bun. That pieceyness adds a lot of great texture and really looks great in photos with the light reflecting off it!

Another great shot of Kristen putting on her jewelry. Doesn't she look relaxed? Probably because she had the hair and makeup artist come to her rather than rush from salon to salon the day of her wedding!

Remember when I described the vintagey blinginess? Now you see it! Her hair and makeup complements the look perfectly!

Fast forward to the reception! I always like to show a photo of the bride later in the night if I can. Brides always ask me HOW the hair and makeup lasts as long as it does. I'd guess this was taken a good 6 hours after I left Kristen that day and it's still perfect!

One final shot on the way to their hotel room. This is a gorgeous photo and I'm even happier Kristen still looks flawless this late into the evening!

Ali

2010-03-08T10:25:00.000-06:00

I couldn't wait to get Ali's photos back, and I hope it's easy to see why! Ali is a stunning bride with a modeling background, and she wasn't afraid to go BIG with her hair and makeup. She wanted lots of volume going straight off her forehead (a look we're seeing a lot of on the red carpet these days) and dramatic makeup that really emphasized her bright blue eyes. Yes, Ali is one of those rare lucky girls who got dark hair, olive skin and bright blue eyes! It would be easy to hate her if only she wasn't so incredibly nice and great to work with!

I'll start out with a few of Ali's bridals...

This one is one of my faves. You can tell Ali knows how to really work it!

While Ali is a master of the "sexy" look - she also has a GREAT smile! We went really neutral on her lips since her eyes were so intense.

Fast forward to the wedding day...

You can see the back of Ali's hair here, and I LOVED her hairdo!

Great profile pic as well as a sweet moment caught on camera!

Ali with one of her bridesmaids.

The full bridal party. They ALL got hair and makeup and the end result is gorgeous!

Congratulations Ali!

Christina

2010-03-03T14:30:00.001-06:00

In December I had the privilege of being the hair and makeup artist for Christina and her lovely bridal party. I just got the pictures back (taken by the awesome Table 4 Photography) and couldn't wait to post them!

This is obviously a "during" photo. Hey, it's gotta get worse before it gets better! The powder under the eyes helps set the foundation and catch any falling eye makeup - keeping the foundation underneath pristine!

One of the bridesmaids with a very glam "runway" hairdo (I don't know why - but anything with a lot of volume towards the front that goes straight back off the face I'm always referring to as a 'runway' look). You can see her completed look 3 photos down!)

Another cute bridesmaid photo during the "getting ready" process.

The lighting here kinda looks like she's wearing a veil - but she isn't! This is a bridesmaid. Love those curls!

Getting to work on Christina's hair. The secret to long-lasting curls! LOTSof hairspray! Well, there are some other tricks too but that one is definitely key! (Oh and if you notice my belly I was about 15 weeks pregnant in this photo!)

Bridesmaids taking advantage of Christina's undivided attention!

More shots of Christina getting her hair done. That's me next to her! As you can see she had a very unique idea on what she wanted. Big bouncy curls cascading down the back of her head.

Hair and makeup done. Enjoying an intimate moment with her mom before getting dressed.

Nice shot of the back of her hair.

Love me a birdcage veil!

I will say though - they are difficult to position just right!

Fast forward to the ceremony - walking down the aisle with her dad (notice her AWESOME dress too - those ruffles on the bottom... swoon!)

Another good hair shot during the ceremony. We added a flower along with the birdcage veil - I love that look!

After the ceremony - what a great shot! You can also see we went very dramatic with her eye makeup.

Sexy limo shot.

Very cool pic back in their honeymoon suite! Christina you couldn't look more glamorous!

Wow - what a sexy couple!

Mattie

2010-02-26T11:24:00.000-06:00

I have been fortunate enough to obtain a TON of new photos the past couple of weeks! I am so tempted to just upload them all at once because I can't wait to share them, but in fear that it may be quite some time before I get new photos - I'm going to try to pace myself!

But today I am thrilled to post photos of the gorgeous Mattie! Mattie is a real bonafide cowgirl. It's true! She competes in barrel races and everything! However she wanted nothing to do with a country/ranch wedding. Instead Mattie showed off her very feminine girlie side with a lavish wedding at the Stoneleigh. However, I did get to travel to her grandmother's estate in Ardmore, OK (also where her horses are located) for the bridal shoot with Joseph Mark Photography. I just love the way these turned out!

One of my favorites. Mattie wanted what I'll call a "modified side ponytail", dramatic makeup (with PURPLE eyeliner and pink lips) and the purple hydrangeas in her hair. The overall effect was SO pretty and fun!

Mattie's bridal party - such a great looking group! It really makes a difference in your pictures when everyone has their hair and makeup done. It's not "matchy" - but everyone looks very cohesive.

A close-up of Mattie's makeup. You can see here how we used a little more color than most brides ask for. I just love that lip color (confession - it's the one I wore on my wedding day too!)

In this photo you can see some of the detail of Mattie's hairdo. I always like to add a little more interest in the back when possible to make it a little more "special" - as long as the dress and accessories are simple enough so there's not TOO much going on that is!

And my absolute favorite pic from the bridal session - out in the field of the ranch.
Absolutely stunning, Joseph!

Thanks again to Joe Ellis with JosephMark Photography and Trudy Baade with Lagniappe Weddings for brininging me in on this AMAZING event! And of course, congratulations to Mattie!

Jennifer

2010-02-10T10:09:00.001-06:00

The fabulous Brooks Whittington posted some photos from Jennifer's recent wedding on his blog today! http://www.brooksblog.com/ These pictures are so great, of course I had to share them!

The final makeup step - lips! I always use a lip liner with a thin layer of thick, sticky gloss over it - no lipstick!

Cool shot of me doing Jennifer's hair! You can see in this picture how thin her hair is. I'll admit, I was a little worried about it holding up. That hair texture is notorious for falling! However as you'll see in the following photos, the extra curling iron heat and hairspray did their job!

The bridesmaids borrowed our hairspray to keep their dresses from sticking to their legs! With tricks like these, one of these girls must be a former beauty pageant contestant! I also loved these two bridesmaid hairdos.

Back to our lovely bride getting into her dress! Her blonde bouncy curls definitely suit her personality.

I just loved this photo. How happy do they look???

The Kiss. One of the best kiss photos I've ever seen! Brooks did you have pose them to get a shot this perfect???

Exiting the ceremony - love those huge grins! Jennifer is absolutely glowing. My highlighting and blushing techniques can't take all the credit this time! I just love how happy they look!

Angela

2010-02-05T08:51:00.000-06:00

One of the best things about this job is the immediate gratification. I start with a blank canvas and less than an hour later - totally transformed! The instant satisfaction is one thing I just love about doing hair and makeup.

But it's even better when you get back the pro photos almost as quickly! I did Angela's hair and makeup for her bridals last weekend and less than a week later I have her pictures! Weeee!

As you can tell from the photo above - Angela is cute, she's spunky, she's petite! And of course - she's gorgeous! These photos were taken by Huy with f8 studio - and they are of course fantastic, as is all of their work!

I always appreciate the looking down shots, perfectly showing off the eye makeup :) Angela wanted her makeup to be clean and light, with just a little emphasis drawn to her green eyes.

This photo shows a great photo of Angela's hair! Angela was inspired by this Eva Longoria red carpet look.

Did I mention that Angela is a yogi? She's the owner of Yoga Sport!

And one final picture. You can't really see the hair and makeup - but WOW. I just love this one. You are going to be a gorgeous bride Angela! I can't wait til the wedding!

Sarah

2010-02-01T16:06:00.000-06:00

I cannot tell you how rewarding it is to see a bride leave your studio looking beautiful, but then to also have it confirmed by AMAZING portraits! These were taken by Cesar with Perez Photography. Well done Cesar! Of course it doesn't hurt that Sarah is also a stunning bride!

Amy

2009-10-21T12:16:00.000-05:00

What is more beautiful than a fall wedding at a relative's lakehouse, a gorgeous bride in a fabulous gown and a side ponytail to boot?

More photos (and a great slideshow!) are on the fabulous Tracy Autem blog, and I hope to have some more up here soon too!

http://tracyautem.com/blog/?p=866

Congrats Amy and Andrew!

Sarabeth of Sarabeth Events

2009-09-01T14:15:00.001-05:00

I was so proud last month to learn that Sarabeth Quattlebaum was launching her own wedding planning business, Sarabeth Events. I was even more happy when she asked me to do her hair and makeup for her corporate head shots to be displayed on her Web site.

The result was launched today - check it out! http://www.sarabethevents.com/

Sarabeth (in the center) wanted to look like her everyday self, but more polished. I did some subtle contouring and highlighting with the foundation to emphasize her facial structure, played up her eyes with some some smokey peaches and plums and topped it off with peachy-pink lips and cheeks. We kept her hair pretty straight forward, but added some more volume at the crown than you'd typically wear on an everyday basis - you can really see what a huge difference it makes in the photos! Extra volume at the crown really shapes your face making it looks smaller and prettier.

Jennifer Yarbro was the photographer on this shoot, and I think she did an awesome job! I love the way the colors of the girls' clothes play with this colorful mural in the background!

I am so excited for Sarabeth and am really looking forward to working with her and her brides in the coming months!

Millie

2009-08-18T23:26:00.001-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I was able to do hair and makeup for Millie, a Dallas resident who was having a mini-destination wedding in Mount Magazine Arkansas. Let me tell you - this place was gorgeous! I had to drive up a very long, windy road to the resort on top of the mountain. Mount Magazine is the highest point in Arkansas. and the views were breathtaking!

Enough of that - on to the photos!

Oh my gosh, I actually LIKE this photo with powder all over Millie's face! The powder is an oldie but goodie makeup artist trick. Catches the dark eyeshadow as I'm doing the eye makeup so it doesn't make a mess of the foundation underneath!

Finishing touches on makeup

Millie's makeup all done! I think she likes it!

Here's all the pretty girls ready to go! I love that they all wore plaid!

One of Millie's bridal portraits.

I just love this photo in the wildflowers!

Millie's dad walking her down the aisle - what a sweet moment caught!

Check out that stunning bouquet! Congratulations Millie and Luke!

Glow - A Day of Beauty

2009-08-18T16:24:00.000-05:00

Last month I, along with one of my makeup artist comrades Tiffany Petry, had a wonderful opportunity to give back to the community using my makeup skills. I'm the first to admit that sounds completely ridiculous, but it's true! Watermark Community Church and the Nexus Recovery Center co-sponsored "Glow - A Day of Beauty" for recovering addicts and formerly incarcerated women. They were looking for all kinds of beauty professionals to give these women makeovers. The whole idea was to instill confidence in them and make them feel good about themselves. And even more so, to transform their outward appearance to reflect the internal transformation they are undergoing.

It was a wonderful experience. You really could feel the energy and love in the room. The experience really gave me a lot of joy, and I can't wait to do it again next year!

WFAA came out and did a story on it - you can watch the news clip here! http://www.wfaa.com/video/?z=y&nvid=379783

Here's me about halfway through a makeover.

Here is Tiffany doing some finishing touches!

We've Made the A-List!

2009-07-27T17:54:00.000-05:00

Haute Facade (which is the team of hair/makeup artists I am a part of) has been voted one of the Top 5 wedding makeup studios in DFW! Thanks to all the current and former clients that took the time to vote for us and write a review!

I must admit, it feels good to be this popular :)

http://alist.wfaa.com/haute-facade/biz/287630

Amy

2009-07-27T17:18:00.001-05:00

I just love Indian weddings! While I'll never complain about the simple beauty of a white wedding dress, I am crazy about colorful, beaded saris, the dramatic makeup and tons of jewelry. I even get to glue jewels onto the bride's FACE - what is more fun than that?

Here's an in-progress photo of Amy as I was applying the ornamental jewels to her face.

That's me applying a last minute lipgloss touchup before Amy heads to her ceremony. (On a side note, I just HATE when I make it into the pro photos - I always look like such a mess after a long day of making everyone ELSE look pretty! Occupational hazard I suppose.)

Here she is walking down the aisle - just stunning!

I almost forgot the other reason I love Indian weddings - hair, clothes and makeup changes! We've taken down her hair, changed out the ornamental face jewels and adjusted the makeup slightly for Amy's blue reception dress.

Here she is with her handsome husband.

Congratulations Amy and thanks for sending the pics!

One more hairdo

2009-07-16T00:15:00.000-05:00

Well I didn't have a celebrity inspiration photo for this one, but this pic was on my camera phone and it may just be one of my favorite hairdos of all time - so here ya go!

Inspired by...

2009-07-15T23:41:00.000-05:00

It has been quite a while since I've blogged, and for that I am sorry! I have a lot of new photos to add to my portfolio and to blog about, but in the meantime I thought I'd share a few of my recent "mobile" photos. That means seriously non-pro pics I snap with my iPhone when I'm pleased with the results!

Just for fun, I wanted to show the "inspiration" photo, always of a celebrity, that the bride brought to me to inspire her look - so you can see how we translated the results onto a real life person!

Here's a lovely photo of Jessica Alba, with what I call a "wispy poofy" updo with no part.

And here is the lovely Ali with the same 'do.

The beautiful Eva Longoria, with lots of tousled waves swept up loosely.

And my lovely bride Jennifer! I caught her in mid-sentence here, but you can see the resemblance to the hair!

Scarlet Johansen here, with lots of curls and twists.

And the beautiful bride Lane whose trial run I just did last week!

As you can see, the waved/curled look with lots of volume not only at the crown, but at the forehead as well, is very popular right now! This look looks effortlessly romantic, and I think it suits brides perfectly.

Amanda

2009-05-27T09:46:00.000-05:00

Amanda sent me a few "teaser" photos from her fantastic photographer, Tre Lathom, today. I've never worked with Tre before, but all I can say is WOW. These photos are gorgeous!!! I couldn't wait to post a few of them.

Amanda invented a hairstyle all her own, and I just love the way it turned out. She liked the look of the braided bangs (think Jennifer Anniston at the Oscars), but she wanted it further back on her head, with some 'real' bangs in the front. She wanted the back to be loose and messy and unstructured.

See the results for yourself! Gorgeous photos and a gorgeous bride to boot! Congrats Amanda and Louis!

The bridesmaids got hair and makeup too! It make such a big difference in the pictures.

Good profile shot of the big, messy bun. You can just barely see her braid here too.

Dancing with the Stars - great hair and makeup inspiration!

2009-05-01T14:15:00.000-05:00

For those of you who watch Dancing with the Stars, have you noticed the fantastic hair and makeup??? Granted, not all of it would be appropriate for a wedding (such as the super high 'jive' ponytails or the curly sideburns we tend to see during the Tango), but for every 'costumey' hairdo, there's a beautiful elegant one that would be perfect for a wedding.

Here's Holly with a pretty half-up do.

I love all the braids and twists in this one! Would be great for a bride wanting something off her face with a lot of interesting elements.

Julianne has some of the prettiest hair ever! Her soft waves are super sexy, and they've pinned back just a little off her face, which also helps keep the volume boosted at the crown.

I adore the "low bun" look, and the twists on the side here give it some added interest.

Belinda's 40s-inspired waves. Classic and gorgeous!

Similar to the low bun look, but a lot more drama! I love the high volume with no part, softened by the romantic waves. Stunning!

Makeup for Missy

2009-04-21T15:10:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I was hired to work some makeup magic for Missy and several of her bridesmaids. Missy's regular hair dresser was there doing all the girls' hair, which is the way I work from time to time. Hey, I totally understand if you love the person that cuts your hair and want them to style it, or if your best friend is a Mary Kay lady and feelings would be hurt if you didn't let her do your makeup, which is why I also offer hair and makeup as separate services, although most girls get the package deal.

But back to Missy! Brooks Whittington was her photographer, who I've had the pleasure of working with several times now. The photos turned out fantastic, Brooks! You can check out more of his work at http://www.brooksweddings.com/

You should really take a moment to check out Brooks' blog post on this wedding. The photos there are absolutley incredible! Admitedly, I pick the best makeup shots for my blog and miss out on posting some of the great artistic images!

Ah, the rare photo of myself sneaking in the pic. As you can see I have dyed my hair red recently. But the more interesting subject in this photo is Missy. Notice the delicate highlighting in the "magic triangle" area - which is the area under the eyes down the side of the nose on the front of the face. I also shade the sides of the fact to make this area "pop" even more. It's one of those subtle light reflection tricks that really make you light up and give you that flawless, glowy look that every bride wants.

Miss Missy with a couple of her bridesmaids. The one on the left wanted a more natural look. The one on the right wanted a really dramatic modern look (dark eyes, nude lips).

Another bridesmaid who also opted to go more on the natural side
(and whose hair looks great btw!)

Here's our dramatic bridesmaid again. I told you these girls were a fun group!

Fast forward to a reception pic! Everyone always asks me "does the makeup last?". I can understand the concern, considering we are usually applying makeup about 4 hours before the ceremony even starts. But as you can see here, it still looks flawless into the reception hours.

And if you still don't believe me, maybe THIS photo will prove my point!

Congrats Missy - you guys were a blast to work with!

Sue

2009-04-15T08:52:00.000-05:00

I got a link to a slideshow today for Matt and Sue's wedding and all I can say is WOW. I just loved everything about this wedding. Sue has fantastic taste, and I just adored the yellow colors, her stunning dress, and the great photography by Wedding TX Photography! You can view a slideshow of the images here: http://www.weddingtx.com/mattandsue/

Sue, as you can see, is one of my Asian brides. She's Filipino to be specific. I can't tell you how many times my Asian girls come to me SO apprehensive about getting their makeup done. So many of them have had nightmarish experiences at the mall makeup counters where someone who probably knows a lot about MAKEUP but very little about FACES put a big brown stripe on their eyelid where a crease "would" be if only they were caucasian! I am proud to report that I do not try to give Asian brides an eyelid crease where they don't have one :)

This one might be my favorite.

Or this one... I must like the sexy, non-smiling look?

Like I said - STUNNING dress (golf claps)

What a beautiful bride!

A few of the bridesmaids. We had our work cut out for us that day - look at all that long hair! Everyone wanted to wear it down and curled, with the exception of the girl to Sue's right who let us do whatever we wanted so of course we gave her an asymmetrical updo - love those!

Open mouth pose!

Congrats Matt and Sue - I had a blast working with you!

Leslie

2009-02-09T09:27:00.000-06:00

Leslie was one of my favorite brides in 2008! Her look was very unique, as you can see with her choice of a very dramatic high collared gown. She wanted her hair in a low, wavy ponytail which I was more than happy to accommodate. And she wasn't afraid to have really dramatic makeup either!

Thanks to Mike and Rejana Krause with BluDoor Studios for the images - they are fantastic!

Lifting up that high-volume ponytail to button the collar of the dress. You can also see Leslie's extra dramatic lashes in this photo!

Posing with her sweet flowergirls. A touch of glowy makeup can transform a little girl from 'cute' to absolutely angelic! I'm also a huge fan of floral wreathes and those adorable pomanders that they carried! A Stylish Soiree did a great job on the flowers!

Simply stunning.

Congratulations Leslie and Drew!

2009 Bride's Choice Award!

2009-02-03T08:35:00.000-06:00

What a pleasant surprise to wake up this morning to find this e-mail from Wedding Wire in my inbox!

"Congratulations! You have been chosen to receive a 2009 Bride’s Choice Award! This award recognizes vendors from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellent quality of service, responsiveness, professionalism, value of cost and flexibility. Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the company, the Bride’s Choice Awards are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds through surveys and reviews. That means your past clients have spoken on your behalf and chosen you for this honor! "

I think Wedding Wire is an awesome wedding planning website since it enables brides to search for vendors and see how their past brides have reviewed them. I actually used it to search for some vendors for my own wedding! I am thrilled that so many of my brides have taken the time to post a positive review of my services, enabling me to receive this award. Thank's 2008 Brides!

Cristina

2009-01-26T14:41:00.000-06:00

I was so thrilled to come home from my lunch break to find a new blog post by the fabulous Lynn Michelle featuring one of my brides! It's been forever since i've had an update. I'm so at the mercy of my brides sending me their professional pictures! Anyways, thanks Lynn! And without further a-do, here is the lovely Cristina!

Making sure the tulle birdcage veil is just perfect. The girl in the yellow hat fixing it would be me.

Cristina was an absolutley gorgeous bride. She wanted super smokey eyes and "messy" hair! I decided that meant toussled waves, and I think that must be what she wanted as well as she was very happy with the end result!

During the ceremony. All of Cristina's bridesmaids (who had their hair and makeup done) were all about the side ponytail. It is SO popular right now! I wasn't sure how it would turn out on hair this short but I think it looks fantastic - especially in how it balances out the bow on their shoulders!

Immediatley following the cremony where you can see the cool feathers in Cristina's hair!

And if you wanted to know how long the hair and makeup lasts, well it will last at least 12 hours or....

Until your groom smears cake all over it :)

Congratulations Cristina! It looks like you guys had a blast!

Kara

2008-11-24T17:41:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since Kara's holiday 2007 wedding, but I just got the photos so I figured why not post them!

Kara wanted the "Old Hollywood" look with dramatic liner and lashes and red-red lips! With her porcelain skin and platinum hair, she totally pulled off the Marilyn look!

Kaci's Bridals

2008-11-14T13:50:00.001-06:00

Kaci is a fun, flirty and vivacious bride getting married next month in Greenville, TX. I think his photo so perfectly reflects her "bride" personality! Colorful, spunky and full of life!

I think this photo with Kaci's "bestie" is so cute - that is certainly one way to get in a car without the dress getting wrinkled!

Gorgeous photo!

And now the hair/makeup closeup. Kaci wanted bouncy curls but not "ringlets" so we curled her hair with a medium-sized curling iron and made them nice and piecey. These kinds of curls lasts for HOURS - easily 10+! Kaci requested the "bump" which is so popular with youthful brides such as herself. It's a very flattering look because it elongates the face and the way it allows the curls to frame the sides of the face is so pretty! We also added some COLOR to the eye makeup which is something I don't get to do very often! Just the tiniest bit of purple - keeping it very close to the lash line - is the way to do it effectively so it makes the eye color pop but still keeps the attention on the irises, not the makeup itself. Simply gorgeous!

Kaci, I'll see you on December 6th and can't wait!

Sarah

2008-11-10T10:23:00.000-06:00

I love it when I get to spend a lot of time with my brides, and that was definitley the case with Sarah! By the time her wedding rolled around I had already done her hair and makeup four times - possibly a record! I even got to do Halloween makeup on Sarah and her husband for their rehearsal dinner where they dressed as Frankenstein and his tall-haired bride :)

Sarah wanted soft, fresh makeup and 40s inspired hair. This is a modification of the very traditional bridal hairstyle with the pinned curls at the crown of the head. Instead, we pinned the curls all across the nape of Sarah's neck.

These photos are from Sarah's bridals. Wedding day and rehearsal dinner photos to come soon!

Red Carpet Looks: Clean Faces and Wavy Hair

2008-10-03T12:53:00.000-05:00

I was checking out some recent red carpet photos and noticed a trend - it's all about clean faces (very little eyeliner) and soft wavy hairdos - often with chunky sweeping bangs.

Of course this look translates beautifully for brides. The makeup is clean, youthful and pretty, the hair soft and romantic.

Now, if your wedding is a formal, ballroom affair in the evening - glamming up your look a bit is probably in order. But I absolutley love these looks for daytime and outdoor wedding brides.

Charlize Theron

Ashley Tisdale

Jessica Biel

Amy Poehler

Jennifer Anniston

Angelina Jolie

Cameron Diaz

Cate Blanchett

Kate Winslet

Lillian

2008-09-22T13:05:00.000-05:00

On September 6, Lillian and Travis tied the knot, and lucky me got to be Lillian's hair and makeup artist!

It was a joy working with Jennifer Ashford on this wedding of Altar Ego Events - there was no detail forgotten and the day couldn't have gone more smoothly!

Also - check out that STUNNING bouquet! I've gotta give props to April McNosky with April May June Designs for the fabulous work!

And thanks to Amy with Daisy Photography Studio for the fantastic images!

Some final preparations. Notice how the false eyelashes look natural, and the way they rest on her cheek add a very beautiful, feminine touch to this photograph.

The bridesmaid in this photo wanted a very high-fashion look. VERY minimal makeup in neutral colors with just the tiniest emphasis at her lashline. Her hair was also very dramatic going straight off her forehead with no part. Not many girls can get away with this look, but she totally pulled it off!

The girls all ready to go - beautiful!

The beautiful bride! Lillian had lots of layers cut in her hair, which really helped keep her waves bouncy and increased the volume I was able to get at the crown of her head. A must for the often requested "half up" look!

Wilson Sporting Goods shoot with Cat Osterman

2008-09-10T11:13:00.000-05:00

I recently had the privilege of providing hair and makeup for a Wilson Sporting Goods photoshoot with Cat Osterman. If you don't know who Cat Osterman is, she's an Olympic softball pitcher who made her debut in 2004 as the youngest member of the team, which she led to win the gold. This year in Beijing, they won the silver.

But back to the photoshoot! Wilson was launching a new "Cat Osterman" line of softball products for young girls, and they needed some great photos for their packaging and in-store displays. Cat recommended photographer Steve Moakley, who happens to be an excellent sports photographer and a friend of mine from college. He called me and off I went to Austin for the job.

This hair/makeup job provided a unique challenge for me, as we didn't want Cat to look too pretty or made up (although it's pretty impossible to make her not look pretty - she's a gorgeous woman and athlete!). We kept her standard ponytail, although I curled the ends just a little and made sure it was extra smooth and perfect. For her makeup, I gave her face just the minimal highlights and contouring in order to force the light to reflect off of her cheekbones and the bridge of her nose. Just the tiniest bit of eyeliner and blush to make her eyes look extra intense and a bit of clear gloss finished the look.

Overall - we had a wonderful day, with perfect weather. Cat and Steve, along with the gals from Wilson, were an absolute pleasure to work with. I also have to thank Cat for introducing me to Jason's Deli ranchero wrap - yum! This photoshoot was a great experience for me and I'd love the opportunity to do more work like this in the future!

And now the pics!

My favorite photo from the shoot that day.

An example of one of the Wilson posters.

And one of the products bearing Cat's photo.

Faye

2008-08-25T08:04:00.000-05:00

Earlier this summer I did Faye's hair and makeup for her beautiful courtyard wedding at Dallas's lovely Maple Manor Hotel. Faye's look perfectly complimented her outdoor summer wedding, with her flowing chiffon gown, ethereal makeup and a soft romantic updo. Faye made a beautiful bride and Joseph Mark took some beautiful photos! Thanks for letting me be a part of your day!

Applying Faye's makeup. Very simple eyes and glowing cheeks.

Faye's beautiful mother! Making the makeup more age-appropriate for mothers is easy - a little less foundation, a little more color on the lips. We swept her hair back in a low chignon so she could show off the dramatic collar of her dress.

A closeup of Faye's hair. A pretty hairpin or even an antique brooch can really complement a low updo such as this one.

A nice closeup of Faye's makeup.

I love this photo not only because it's a nice shot of Faye's hairsytle, but look how happy she and her groom look as they say their vows!

A cute post-ceremony shot with Faye's two bridesmaids.

This is the bridal portrait Faye had on display at the reception. Stunning!

Another bridal portrait. Wow.

And they lived happily ever after!

Casey's Trash the Dress Shoot

2008-08-22T09:56:00.000-05:00

If you haven't heard of a "trash the dress" shoot, basically it's a photo shoot that occurs after the wedding where there isn't a concern in the world about getting the dress dirty. I've seen some amazing photos from "TTD" shoots - the creative freedom the photographer gets by not having to worry about the dress really shows!

So Casey approached me wanting to trash her dress, and she wanted really dramatic makeup and big sexy hair to go with it! Casey also wanted to try a birdcage veil, which was different than what she did on her wedding day (as you might has suspected from reading this blog - the birdcage veil is a pretty hot trend these days!).

I think the photos turned out amazing. Props to Janelle Lawrence with Engaged Studio for the pics!

Casey wanted dramatic, smokey eyes and romantic, toussled hair.

It's called "trash the dress" because no engaged girl would ever tolerate these kinds of grass stains on her dress!

What a handsome couple!

Spotlight on ME!

2008-08-21T11:56:00.000-05:00

As some of you may know, I tied the knot myself this past July! While I can't take credit for the hair and makeup (that all goes to Stephanie, Kelly and Amy - fellow hair/makeup artists AND bridesmaids), I just had to post some photos.

Steph, Kel and Amy - you guys did fabulous work. I know that I've never been more beautiful and I know that all the members of my bridal party felt the same way! My mother is STILL getting compliments.

Professional photos by Joseph Mark photography. Joe and Stephanie - you guys rock my world!

Me and the girls. The "open mouth" shot.

The hairstyle was full and romantic, with a custom birdcage veil from eventsandoccaions.org, as well as a few ribbons, a brooch and a flower. I do love to accessorize!

For the reception Stephanie rearranged my hair into a loose, romantic side ponytail 'do.

My makeup was clean and youthful. Minimal eye-makeup with dramatic lashes, and a springy pink cheek and lip color.

Chelsea

2008-08-11T14:37:00.000-05:00

This past May I had the pleasure of being Chelsea's hair and makeup artist for her wedding day for herself and her three bridesmaids. Chelsea wanted a very natural look for her wedding, along with a new, softer take on a traditional up-do. It was an interesting contrast to her normally very UNtraditional look (check out those piercings!) Overall the day went smoothly and the girls looked beautiful - and from the look of the photos, the wedding just went just as well :)

Thanks to Nine Photography for the great images!

Applying Chelsea's makeup.

Working on the up-do.

The completed hair-do!

The beautiful bride. Congrats Chelsea and Matt!

Favorite Brides Part 4

2008-08-06T14:41:00.000-05:00

Julie was definitely one of my most "it's all in the details" brides last year! Every detail of her wedding was impeccable and beautiful. It wedding was even featured "theknot" magazine last year!

Julie was all about the Old Hollywood look and was one of my first brides to ask for a birdcage veil. Her makeup was very "Marilyn" inspired with bold red lips and clean eyes played up with heavy liquid liner and false lashes. We swept her hair back into a simple updo and let the veil do most of the talking. She looked absolutely stunning, if I do say so myself!

Props to Lynn Michelle for the awesome photography!

Applying the lashes.

Check out that fabulous veil! Unveiledbridaldesigns.com

The smile on her face says it all!

Julie and Eric's wedding featured in theknot Real Weddings Texas Magazine!

Favorite Brides Part 3

2008-08-06T14:33:00.000-05:00

The next bride on my list is Hazel! Hazel is a beautiful Filipino bride whose wedding was all yellow. She told me her mom's wedding colors were also yellow, so this was sort of a tribute to her parent's wedding - how cool is that?

For Hazel's makeup, we gave her cheeks a pretty glow and emphasized her eyes with false lashes. Her full lips were played up with a glossy nude color.

Hazel went just a little nontraditional on her hairstyle. She opted for the low, loose updo that is so popular, but with it pulled slightly off-center for a little asymmetry - which I'm a huge fan of!

Favorite Brides Part 2

2008-08-06T14:07:00.000-05:00

Next on my list is Monika! Monika is one of the spunkiest brides I've had the pleasure of working with! She's definitely a petite powerhouse - working as an aerospace engineer, running a baking company on the side, and regularly entering competitive fitness competitions. You go girl!

I had the opportunity to do a long bridals shoot with Monika's photographer, the fabulous Tony Valadez. We were able to go to a few locations and do a few different "looks". We had a total blast and wrapped up around 1am if I remember correctly! But as you'll see from the photos - it was totally worth it.

For the first look, we did natural makeup and a wispy side ponytail with daisies.

For the second look, we put Monika's hair down in loose waves and played up her eyes a little more. I love the way Tony captured the light in this photograph!

For the last look, we put Monika's hair up and she added a tiara and chandelier earrings. We really went dramatic on her eyes including some serious lashes!

The bar where we did the last shoot was having a Texas Hold Em Tournament, which Monika crashed to the pleasure (and displeasure?) of the players.

My Favorite Brides Part 1

2008-08-06T13:49:00.000-05:00

I thought I would start this blog by playing catch-up. I've been saving photos of my brides for ages and finally have a forum to do something with them! So I'm going to start my blog by posting photos of my favorite brides from the past couple of years.

My first featured bride is Stephanie. Stephanie and Derek were married on a private ranch in West Texas in October 2006. Their wedding was all laid back southern elegance, and it was important to Stephanie for that feel to carry over to her wedding day look as well.

Stephanie opted for a low, loose romantic updo and natural bronzey makeup with slightly played up eyes.