Olecia Walker's Winter Wedding

For Olecia's wedding I traveled out on location to Vancouver B.C. fanned it was beautiful winter setting. Olecia knew she wanted something very natural and soft for both her wedding hair and makeup. She doesn't normally wear makeup and said that she hated the look and feel of over styled hair. To create a look that will stay and last through the night is a difficult task using very little product but in the end we managed to pull it off.

For her makeup we used a light weight tinted moisturizer to remove some of the redness and set it with a translucent powder. For her eyes we stayed simple, I laid a light primer down first and then a sheer cream color over top. For a little added pop I went into her creases with a matte mauve colored blush as to warm things up a bit. She already had stunning eyelashes so we skipped over the false ones and went strait to mascara. In the end she decided on a bit of lower powder liner but nothing on the top. For the lip she choose one of my most favorite products in the world, Burts Bee's Peony tinted chap-stick. When all else fails I have to resort to Burt's.

For Olecia's hair, she had said she wanted it to look like it was all curled and then someone came along and effortlessly picked up the hair and lightly pinned it. So wanting to please my client, that is exactly what I did. I started by curling and setting her whole head, then after an hour I let it all down. I sprayed just a small amount of Aveda air control into it and then grabbed all of her curls and lightly pinned them into one area on the nape of her neck. I then went through with a metal pick and pulled out a few pieces around her facial frame to add a more natural look and feel.

After looking at the photos and following up with Olecia, I was glad to hear that it turned out exactly how she envisioned. Please enjoy the photos below!

Natalie Warner's wedding sneak peak November 28, 2010

Today I traveled on location to Hotel Andra for Natalie's wedding. Her hair style and makeup turned out so amazing that I wanted to share with all of you a quick sneaks peak. Her influences were a cross between Hillary Duff's wedding photos, and the iconic Sarah Jessica Parker bun. Natalie had a ton of hair to work with so creating this style was not a problem at all. She recently visited Gary Manuel Salon for a root touchup and full foil, which helped create dimension to her look and boosted the intensity of her color. Visiting a salon one week prior to the wedding day is highly recommended because it really does add a vibrant glow to the overall look and hair style.

For her makeup she wanted something dramatic and flawless so we started with a pore minimizing primer and then gave her full coverage airbrush foundation. For her eyes we used a combination of steel brown, copper/bronze, and a matte black in her crease. I then went over the rest of her eye with a soft champagne and light metallic pink to make the inside pop. After that I dusted the inner and outer lid with a matte black liner, which helped add shape. Lastly I applied a nice row of false individual lashes and added a cold/blue toned pink to her lips.

On top of what I did for Natalie, I also had the chance to help beautify her mother. Her mom wanted glam, along with a bit of what she called "60"s" volume. To achieve that I used lots of fall colors on both the eyes and lips, which doing so complimented her dress quit well. For her hair, I teased the crown of her head till it couldn't get any bigger, combed it over with my Mason Pearson, and then finally pinned back a few pieces around her face to show off her earrings.

I want to finish up by wishing Natalie and Curtis Congratulations on their wedding day. I am happy for them that the sun stuck around long enough to get a few good photos, and I hope they have a safe trip to Jamaica for their honeymoon. I will post the professional pictures from Lucid Captures when they become available.

Haley Jo Dabell's wedding October 23, 2010

For Haley's wedding I traveled out on location to Whidbey Island. Everything about her bridal hair and makeup was tailored to match the decor of her mid-fall ceremony, which took place in an apple orchard owned by her family. I was lucky enough to be invited to attend the ceremony and it really was the most beautiful wedding I have the chance to be a part of. Haley is not the typical bride that wears a long white wedding gown and spends many months fussing over place cards and table settings. Her wedding ceremony and reception were strait out of the pages of an Anthropology Catalog. When I first arrived Haley told me that before we got started I should look around and enjoy some fresh squeezed apple cider, which she had pressed herself that morning. Every single detail down to the mason jars for drinking, picnic tables with mis-matched vintage table cloths, and jars of homemade jam as favors for the guests, they were all pulled together in a shabby chic fashion that matched Haley's sweet, down-to-earth personality. The most important detail to on her on her wedding day was that everyone wear warm boots and make sure to sign up for flag football immediately following the ceremony. She was the first of eight children the get married and watching both her mother and father walk Haley down the isle brought tears of joy to my eyes!

For her makeup we used a very light airbrush foundation and a soft rose blush on her cheeks. Haley does not wear much makeup on a regular basis so she wanted to keep things as natural as possible. She wanted her eyes to look bright and warm so we used a medium chestnut brown in her creases and a light pink and metallic cream on the lid. We nicely shaped them with a dusty gray/brown liner, then finished off her look with a neutral beige pink lipstick.

For Haley's hairstyle, she chose to wear it up so that it would not detract from the detail of her dress. After playing around with a few different styles at her trial, we finally settled on a high bun. This style worked very well for Haley's face shape and it also gave her the ability to use an accessory that was dear to her heart. Instead of a traditional veil, Haley asked me to fasten in a hand beaded applique that both her mother and grandmother had worn for their weddings. The way she chose to wear the hair piece was very different from how the woman before her had worn it, and when it was all said and done the entire look turned out exactly how she had envisioned it.

Please enjoy these photos provided by California based wedding photographer Patrick Pike. He traveled form much farther away than myself so that he could be a part of this beautiful event, and we both agreed it was well worth all the effort.

Congratulations Haley and Jesse!

Mona S April 2009

For Mona's wedding day, we met on location in West Seattle and spent about 1 hour doing her makeup. We used a full coverage airbrush foundation, soft metallic browns, and matte greasy in her crease, and a thin liquid eyeliner that kicked out a bit at the ends. Mona choose a beautiful raspberry pink color for her lip and finished everything off with a set MAC false eyelashes. Even though Mona was one of my 2009 brides, she recently followed up with me to share photos. One of the best parts of my job is being able to look back and see how it all turned out on camera. I never get tired of viewing the final results and sharing it with everyone else... enjoy!

Preview: Amber M. Married July 2, 2010

Here is a small preview of Ambers wedding hair and makeup along with a shot from her engagement session. Since Amber is one of my Off White Family Members, it was really special for me to not only watch her get married, but to have also been a part of her wedding day beauty regiment. When the rest of her professional photos come in I will do a full post on everything we used for her makeup and what she did for her own hair. Enjoy!

Lindsey Davis Wedding August 8, 2010

When I first met Lindsey, I really appreciated how easy going show was. The ideas she had for her wedding makeup and hair were simple, and since she is not a person that ever wears makeup, the vision of what things would look like on the big day were up to me. We met for her hair and makeup trial on the day of her engagement photos and played around with some simple, light airbrush foundation. We added just a few other enhancements on the eyes such as an all over cream colored base and a touch of bronze in her crease. I finished off her look with a little pale pink gloss and some soft rose colored blush. Lindsey later contacted me to let me know that for the actual wedding day she had decided she would like her hair to be worn up in a simple knot. With that said, on the morning of Lindsey's wedding, myself and my assistant Amber met Lindsey and her bridal at the Pickering Barn in Issaquah Washington for a few short hours of bridal beauty festivities. The pictures below are compliments of the talented Shari from Luce Bella Photography. I have had the opportunity to work with Shari on other brides weddings and what I love most about her works is her ability to capture intimate and emotional moments that really tell a couples love story. Please enjoy the photos below!

Seattle Wedding Show Magazine

The 2011 Seattle Wedding Show Magazine has finally hit news stand and if you have a look on page 93, you will find Off White Makeup and Beauty. The 2011 Wedding Show will take place this year on January 8th and 9th. If you would like to buy tickets to the event, you can go to the Seattle Wedding Show website and purchase the tickets online in advance. I highly recommend doing this because every year there is a very long line of people waiting to get tickets, and if you purchase then in advance you will receive all sort of goodies when you pick your tickets up. This year the show is approximated to bring in roughly 9,000 brides over the two days, and it will showcase over 450 wedding vendors for all over the pacific northwest. Even if you're not a bride but plan to be one day, this is a fun and exciting event that you should not miss out on. It is the largest wedding show on the West Coast and only comes around once a year. I will see all of you there!