We get queries from brides-to-be like you all the time — so here are a few tips about pampering yourself and your girls during the wedding process:
Makeup & Hair: To look glamorous, radiant, stunning and natural on the day of and in pictures doesn’t require magic. It just requires you being yourself, having fun and working with vendors whom you love. We suggest selecting a look whether classic or trendy, keeping in mind your wedding theme, dress, accessories, skin tone and hair type. Doing a trial before your wedding is always a great idea. Bringing pictures to the trial as well as hair add-ons (hair pieces, extensions, flowers, barrettes, veils, etc.) is very helpful. A trial is a wonderful opportunity to play with a couple of looks and judge the quality of the makeup artist/hair stylist. Do keep in mind that what may look amazing in a magazine, may or may not work for you – so keep an open mind. If you have any allergies to specific makeup or hair products do inform your artist/stylist in advance. To prep for the wedding day, come with a clean face – no makeup and a clean head -washed dried hair with no products. If you have very dry skin then do exfoliate the nite before. Also request your bridal party to bring pictures on the wedding day so the makeup artist/hair stylist can replicate the looks.
Lashes: Lots of brides get lash applications for their wedding day. We are huge fans of individual lashes as they look so natural and pop the eyes. We do not recommend full strips (unless a bride really wants them) as they just weigh down the eyes, make the eyes look smaller and do not look that natural.
Eye-wear: If you wear prescription eye glasses on a daily basis and want to switch to eye contacts for your wedding day; please do not wait till the last minute. Eyes take time to adjust to contacts – sometimes a few days, sometimes a few weeks. Runny eyes can be such a disaster on the day of the wedding: you will be irritated, makeup will smudge, etc. so please keep this in mind.
Facials: If you and your girls decide to get facials, then it’s best to do it as far in advance as you can. Skin may have a reaction to products; acne under the skin (if any) will most likely possibly come out, etc. Sure, a facial will purify the skin and make you girls look radiant. However keep in mind that if you do break out in a few spots; allocate enough time so that skin would heal back to normal before the wedding. If you have regular facials, then the side-effects should be minimal (or none) assuming you use the same person/routine/products. Ideal time for facials: Typically 2-4 days before your wedding.
Massages: Even though massages on the morning of your wedding day sound wonderfully relaxing and fun; however it may not be the best idea. Skin will definitely get oily for you and your bridal party – could result in breakouts around the face area, products used on the skin may have a reaction and most importantly, the makeup will not set properly as your skin will be non-uniformly oily. So I would not recommend massages on the day of. Ideal time for massages: Typically 1 day before wedding.
Brow Shaping & Threading A simple and common procedure that can make the world of difference in putting your great face forward. You need a plan of action on deciding where your brows are going to start, end, and where to place the peak of the arch. Please keep in mind that arching your brow doesn’t mean two perfect half circles or arches, which doesn’t complement your facial features. It does mean to clean up the excess hair to better frame your eyes. It is best to go to a brow expert (esthetician) if you have time. If the hair is just too short for tweezing, don’t push the tweezers into the skin. Scraping, bleeding or even scarring can result if your esthetician or you get a little too forceful with tweezers. Having some hair is a better option over broken skin. Instead, just wait until the hair is a bit longer and can be easily grabbed on to. Also, I know there are little razors sold out there specifically for your brows but it is not recommended to shave eyebrows. Going for a professional eyebrow waxing is a good option too. However do not experiment on new wax products close to your wedding day and it is best to stick to your regular esthetician in getting your brows groomed. Ideal time for brows: Typically 3-5 days before wedding.
Sun-less Tanning: As they say too much sun can potentially damage your skin. So a sun-less tan (spray-on, tanning bed, etc). is a good option if you want some color on your skin before the big day. It typically lasts about 5-7 days and looks great after a day or two of being applied. It is recommended to avoid getting wet (bath/shower) or sweating (gym/activity) for about 8 hrs (Ideally 24 hours if possible). For best results it is important to completely exfoliate the dead skin cells from your face, neck and body before getting a sun-less tan. Please do not moisturize your skin prior to your treatment. The tanning solution works best on clean, smooth, dry skin. Do not apply makeup before the sun-less tanning. A moisturizer can be applied 30 minutes after the treatment if you like. Please make sure you let the salon tanning specialist know that you are getting married if you decide to do sun-less tanning. Ideal time to get a sun-less tan done is 2-4 days before your wedding.
Enhanced YOU: The best beauty tips I can offer is to drink lots of water and get at least 8 hrs of sleep daily. Also a nutritious diet and active lifestyle goes a long way in keeping your skin more beautiful, healthy and radiant.
Photographer: A great photographer will capture your wedding memories forever. So do the research and hire the best you can afford and most importantly have “chemistry” with. I promise the return on your investment will be priceless!!!!
General ‘Day Of’ Tips: Scheduling a lot of things on your wedding day is a recipe for much stress and potential delays. So please keep the day simple and fun!! Your wedding planner is your best friend at your wedding so exploit her/his talents!! Also, kindly trust the vendors (experts) you hired to help make your day special.) Let the vendors (makeup, hair, photography, etc) come to you instead of running around all over the city. It is your special day so focus on YOU!! Allocate adequate time for makeup, hair, getting dressed, pre-ceremony pictures, lunch and most definitely a glass of champagne to toast with your loved ones!!
Congrats and all the best, Carla
Photo Credit: Laura Jane Photography. Bride’s Makeup: FacesByCarla
- Get adequate sleep – 8 hrs is ideal (at a minimum 6 hrs please!) 
Such a joy to do a family shoot for the stunning Jessica and wonderful family (whose wedding we also did last summer – thanks to her planner and my colleague Cynthia Martyn). I am so in love with Noah (the baby).
FacesByCarla had the opportunity to do Vancouver native Elisa’s winter wedding in Toronto (February 22, 2009 to be exact – never forget dates or faces). Almost a year later (Dec 21, 2009) we were looking for a real life couple to bring StyleMePretty.com’s warm, exotic and rich Inspiration Board to Reality and I thought of Elisa and Mark. Our creative team for the shoot loved them and it was such a fun shoot!
with its below zero temperatures So here are a few helpful tips to take care of your skin: (1) Moisturizing: The most common mistake people tend to make is over-moisturizing their skin. Do you really know your skin type? Here’s how > Wash your face with a gentle cleanser (e.g. Spectro Gel), wait for 20 mins to test your skin, and then touch your face with clean hands: if there is no shine/oil on your skin surface, then you are combination dry; if your skin feels tight when you smile, then you are very dry; if there is visible oil in the t-zone (forehead, nose, chin area), you are combination oily; and if your face is completely shiny, then you are oily. (2) Winter Face Care: When your skin complexion feels flaky and sensitive that means you are really dehydrated (even though you may have naturally oily skin). I know you hear this all the time but drinking 8-10 glasses of water and getting 6-8 hrs of sleep daily are the 2 best ways keep your skin hydrated. Also it is important to exfoliate once a week in the winter (all skin types) coz dead skin can’t get hydrated properly. Do apply face cream on a daily and nightly basis. Please don’t fall for expensive skin care products. Some of you may love brands like La Mer (which is great) but did you know that Oil of Olay and L’Oreal are the two top selling skin care lines today? (3) Winter Eye Care: During the winter months use a good eye cream to protect the delicate eye area day and night. Also keep a pair of sunglasses handy to protect the eyes from wind and glare from the sun that will quickly contribute to tiny wrinkles and dehydrated skin. (4) Winter Lip Care: Applying a lip balm as and when needed is important. Use one with SPF 15 or more during the day. Warm sesame oil will soothe your lips too. Avoid licking your lips and don’t bite the skin on the surface of your lips (p.s. skin will never have a chance to heal if you nibble on it constantly. This may be hard habit to break for some but well worth the effort. (5) Sunscreen In Winter: It is just as necessary to wear a sunscreen during the winter as it is in the summer. The temperature has nothing to do with it other than how often to reapply. Snow is highly reflective and can intensify the sun’s rays. Wear no less that an SPF15 on your face, neck and ear area while outdoors (whether driving, dog-walking, snowboarding or shopping). Stay warm and be safe!! Credits> FacesByCarla
It was a pleasure and honour to do the makeup look on the lead model for the esteemed designer Alfred Sung’s Bridal show at Toronto Fashion Week.
It was awesome to meet Rick Mercer (LOVE his show!!) and do his makeup for the Bustle Spring/Summer 2010 collections for Fashion Week. I hope to find the runway video from his blog. In the interim, here is a couple of pic from the show. Credits > Photo1: Paul Tanaka for Behind The Lens Photography. Photo2: Runway Shot in Toronto Star by Nathan Denette, The Canadian Press. Makeup: Carla Naylor for L’Oreal Creative Beauty Team for Fashion Week.
