Coming at you today with the answer to another common question to help our clients feel more  informed about what to expect for your upcoming wedding or photoshoot. If you would love to get more info from a photographer's perspective head on over to her blog where she answers some frequently asked questions too!

Ok time to get this party started... let's chat a bit about camera-ready makeup
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Ok here is the part you all have been waiting for… my list of top tips for getting good results if you are going to do your own makeup for photos!

1. Choose the right powder: Let's all take a moment of silence for those celeb red carpet ghost white makeup malfunctions i.e., the flashback effect. Now make sure the same thing never happens to you. If you see a powder labeled HD run away from it if you will be taking pics with flash. Instead, try a finely milled translucent powder that stays flat in the flash, like Laura Mercier Translucent Powder.
2. Don’t spackle it on: If your M.O. is to pile on the foundation and concealer thinking that will somehow fix anything, you are sadly mistaken. The key is to do sheer layers and slowly build the coverage as needed using a foundation that photographs beautifully like Face Atelier. 
3. Keep the T-Zone a Shine Free Zone: A glow-y complexion looks awesome in person, but on camera, it can reflect like an oil slick. The trick is to leave the dewiness on your cheeks, but keep the middle of your face matte. But most people tend to over powder when they do touch ups so bring along some blotting sheets to the shoot.
4. Bump it up a bit: Even if you think your blush and bronzer looks striking at home, err on the side of slightly heavy-handed when you know you'll be in photos, especially if lighting is involved. And while you are at it top off your cheekbones with a little glow a la highlight. A great option is a duo like Charlotte Tilbury’s Filmstar Bronze & Glow paired with a universally flattering blush like NARS Orgasm.
5. Give your liner a little extra attention: Line your lash lines with brown, smudge it out to soften the color, and then go back with your black liner and draw a thin line close to your top lashes, so it softly defines your eyes without looking garish on camera. Another option is to use the black liner first then to soften it with some brown or black brown eyeshadow. A favorite combo of mine is the Danessa Myricks Black 24hr Cream Color & MAC Espresso eyeshadow.
6. Blend, Blend, & Blend some more: This goes for everything but especially eyeshadow. If you choose to go a little darker with your shadow than usual the difference between adding some definition to your peepers and things look harsh is all in the blend. 

Bonus Tip: Get Bright Eyed: using eye drops to make the whites of your eyes more clear and get rid of any redness can do wonders for your photos! Lumify eye drops are a favorite of mine.

Good luck to all of you getting yourselves camera-ready out there! And for anyone who is leaving this in the hands of a pro I hope I gave you a little insight into some of the reasons why they may do the things they do!

Both Amy and myself are looking forward to answering more questions from all of you out there! So if you have a burning question yourself please drop it in a comment below and who knows- maybe we will be answering yours next!

xoxo
Kimm

Imagine just finishing up getting your makeup done the morning of your wedding and looking in the mirror and feeling absolutely gorgeous… then realizing you still have 3 hours till the ceremony and 4 hours till the start of the reception and you know that when you do your own makeup its already a hot mess by lunch.
Eek!
But this is just something that comes with long wedding day timelines and is totally normal.

Good news is there are things you can do to make sure your makeup stays looking great all the way through to the final send off at the end of the night!
If you hired a professional then you are going to already have a little bit of advantage as they will use long-wearing products, but contrary to popular belief that doesn’t mean your face is now completely bullet-proof, so here is what you can do to help...


#1) Hands Off!    
    The more you touch, the worse your makeup will last. A lot of people don’t even realize they are face touchers so try to be a little more aware. Every wipe of the nose, scratch of the eyebrow, and rub of the eye you are removing your makeup artist’s beautiful work. What to do instead? Try using the back of your finger (the area between your nail and knuckle) to gently pat any itch. The biggest key is to never touch with fingertips




#2)  Pat, don’t wipe    
    This goes hand in hand with the 1st point, but now I’m talking about what to do when the tears flow. Try to catch those tears before they streak down your cheek if possible. And the best way to do this is to gently pat a tissue to the corner of the eye. But please promise no matter what you do you will never rub or wipe! Long-wear, water resistant, and even water proof makeup can survive the wetness of tears but it can’t survive the combo of wet + wiping.




#3) Have the right touch up products    
    Most of my brides report back that they never had to worry about touching up their makeup, but I still let my brides know that I recommend having blotting sheets, powder, and lipstick on hand just in case. Blotting sheets will remove the oil on the surface of the skin, so if you are looking a little more than just glowing you may want to blot up some of that excess shine. Powder is key for ensuring your complexion remains looking flawless. To avoid cake face you need to remember to never powder on top of excess oil (hence the blotting sheets). The powder will smooth out your skin and blur any pesky discoloration that may start peeking through your coverage as the night wears on and you get your dance on. Lipstick is important because lip products are the first to wear off. The moment you eat something you can kiss that perfectly painted pout goodbye, unless you are extremely careful with each and every bite! It just makes more sense to give those lips a quick refresh than to deal with eating like a snake with an unhinged jaw though so just have a little lippie in your bag. Plus my brides get a full sized lipstick to keep included in my rates so they don’t even have to worry about picking out the right one- I do it for you!

If you are putting together your touchup kit on your own here are a few of my favorites that you can get on amazon...

​#4) Keep your pro on standby         
    Did you know that most makeup artists offer touch up services? If you want the celebrity treatment you can opt to pay to have your artist stay with you to keep that shine at bay and lipstick in place. Different artists will handle this differently but I find my experience on set for photoshoots is a huge benefit to clients because I've learned when I can step in and when to stay back out of the way, only doing touch ups when needed based on what I know the camera will see and what is important for in person so I am never slowing down the show. I will also personally touch up anyone who opted to have their makeup done by myself or my team before the wedding so not only will you stay looking great but your whole bridal party stays picture perfect all for a flat hourly rate.






I specifically geared this for my brides out there who may be wondering but you can absolutely use these same principles to make sure your makeup stays fresh on any long day (well besides having an artist on standby lol)​

Hope these tips & tricks will help you look and feel absolutely gorgeous for your entire celebration! 

In collaboration with Amy Huang Photography we are working on creating a series of posts to help  our brides feel informed about what to expect on the wedding day! She will handling some of your most frequently asked questions from her perspective from the engagement session right on through to getting your images, and I'll be handling all things beauty!

xoxo
​Kimm

I've also been doing a ton of learning!
In this business you can never stop learning and I always take classes, workshops, and attend meetings about both the artistry as well as the business side of things every year. During the stay at home orders I am trying to make the most of my time and I have enrolled in a ton of virtual courses of all kinds. Not only will this help me be a better artist and entrepreneur for my clients, it is also incredibly rewarding for me as an individual. Some of the certifications I have achieved so far include the BARBICIDE sanitation practices and Covid-19 specific sanitation in order to ensure that once I am able to work again, I am providing a safe environment for my clients

So when will I be able to work again?
  
I really don't know. I do have a couple of things scheduled at the end of June but I suppose it will be a wait and see kind of situation as to whether or not those will end up having to be rescheduled. As of right now I am not taking any new bookings for the remainder of 2020. This may seem extreme, but I know how heartbroken my brides who have already had to reschedule were and I do not want to have more clients go through that. At this point I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the new dates some of my brides already moved their weddings to won't have to reschedule a second time.  The plan is to reopen my books and start scheduling new clients once we have the go ahead that it is safe to do so.
Until then I would love to stay connected on social media! Head on over to my instagram, I plan on doing some IGTV videos and it would be amazing to get to stay in touch until I can finally be face to face with all my amazing clients once again.

Stay safe my sweet clients & friends! Hope to see you all again soon

xoxo
​Kimm

You may think you already know- but do you really? Here is a breakdown of what each of the different elements are that make up a makeup brush!

Lets start with the most obvious piece: THE HANDLE
Typically made of wood and covered in varnish or paint, but can also be made of resin, acrylic, or plastic. Now there are also more sustainable options like bamboo handles. Here on the handle you will often find information like the brand name as well as the intended function or the identifying number of the brush style.

Now onto the other section that you can probably identify: THE BRISTLES
This is where the action happens! The bristles are the part of the brush that apply the product to the face. Within this area there are two sub-sections; the TOE and the HEEL. The toe is the tips, and the heel is where the bristles are secured to the brush. Bristles can be made from synthetic fibers, natural hairs, or a combination of the two. 
So what exactly does natural hairs mean? Well its animal hair, most often from goats, badgers, squirrels, weasels (sable), and horses (pony). Different animals have different hair types that make the brush more suited for different functions. For example badger hair is stiff and firm which works great for brow brushes, whereas goat hair is very soft making it best for a fluffier brush like for blush.
Natural hair brushes also have a cuticle which is a layered outer coating to the hair shaft. This cuticle is wonderful for picking up and distributing powder products. 
There are some strong feelings about natural hair brushes and I personally think that is up to each individual to decide if they are opposed to using them or not. It is almost impossible to find out if brands are utilizing humane ways of obtaining these hairs, but I will say that no one is killing any animals specifically to use the hair for makeup brushes. The hairs are a byproduct from other industries and some could look at is as a way of not letting any part of the animal go to waste.

Synthetic bristles on the other hand are made of 100% manufactured materials such as nylon or polyester. Since these "hairs" are not natural there is no cuticle so its smooth and doesn't trap as much product within its bristles making it perfect for products like creams and liquids. 
There is also a newer synthetic fibre that has been created called Natrafil that has a textured surface to more closely mimic a natural hair making it better suited to be used with powder products in place of animal hairs. The commonly held belief that synthetic brushes are no good with powder products is no longer the case thanks to new synthetics like this.
If you want to ensure your brushes are cruelty free stick with synthetic. But these brushes aren't completely without their own issues as some say the man made materials are not environmentally friendly since they are not biodegradable. Toss out a synthetic makeup brush and those bristles will sit in a landfill forever. 
Both synthetic and natural brushes serve different purposes, and ultimately it is up to each individual artist’s preference. Use what you’re most comfortable with!

Finally lets talk about the part of the brush you are probably not as familiar with: THE FERRULE
 This part is usually made of metal like nickel plated brass or aluminum. You will recognize it as that typically silver section that connects the bristles to the handle. The bristles are held in place by the top of the ferrule, which is sometimes pinched flat, and a good dollop of glue. The bottom of the ferrule is glued to the handle too, so this is why you should never fully submerge your brushes in water or hold them right side up while washing them (glue + water = a bad time!). Higher quality brushes will also go the extra mile and will braid the hairs at the base that is then covered by the ferrule and glued. This results is less shedding and a longer life of the brush.

As for the brushes in my kit I definitely have quite the assortment. Some of my brushes have been with me for the full almost 15 years of my career. I've got natural and synthetic and each one serves a purpose. I will say that now that there are much better synthetic options out there almost all of my more recent brush purchases have not been natural hair. Some of the brands that I like to use that I can spot in this pic from after a recent wedding are Laura Mercier, Bdellium, MAC, Sigma, Royal & Langnickel, Sonia Kashuk, and Real Techniques.

With proper care and cleaning of your brushes these little babies can easily last you decades! Who wants to hear about how I wash my brushes? Leave a comment below, and let me know some of your favorite makeup brush brands while you're at it!