New Bridal Gown shop!

Wow! I can't believe it has been since April that I posted anything! Time flies and it was a busy wedding season. I must say this past year was wonderful. I worked with so many outstanding brides I wouldn't even have the space to tell about them! I feel truly blessed to meet and work with such amazing people! I want to send a huge "THANK YOU!" to the many brides that have touched my life this past year!

I also had the privilege this past weekend to attend the open house for a new bridal gown shop! For those of you located in the greater Lima area Simply Elegant Formals in Wapak just opened! They have a great shop with amazing dresses! Plus the owners are the sweetest! It is definitely worth a visit!

http://www.simplyelegantformals.com/

In beauty news I just have to say I am excited for the holidays! Buying makeup any time during the year is fun but all of the holiday sets make it AWESOME! My most recent purchase was a NARS set complete with blush and gloss. LOVE it!


http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P172716&categoryId=C19970&shouldPaginate=true

I am also quite excited to wear and do some holiday makeup! New Year's Eve is one of the best nights of the year. I am still planning my look but I think this year it is going to include a little smokey shimmer from the Vincent Longo Wet Diamond eyeshadow in Concerto. It is really gorgeous!

First magazine

I don't usually post about the commercial makeup work I do on here but I figured this time I would. For any of you in the grocery store this week feel free to check out First magazine (Eva Longoria is on the cover this week). I did the makeup for a photo shoot on page 25. The super sweet Shelley lost an incredible 90lbs!

That was a fun day and Shelley was a blast to work with along with being incredibly inspirational!

Self-Tanning

As a pale girl forced to avoid any tanning beds I have embraced self-tanners! I started with them when I was in middle school back in the day when self tanners were orange and streaking was a problem. It is amazing how far they have come!

One of my favorites is by the master of the glowy tans himself, Scott Barnes! This makeup artist genius (and the man responsible for Jennifer Lopez's makeup) created a wonderful spray on self-tanner called "Self Tan Mist". What I love about this one is the color and the ease of blending. I end up with a perfect sunkissed look when I use it!

The downside is it is a little hard to come by. It is available at:
ScottBarnes.com

Also, as many of us pull out our bottles of self-tanners I have always LOVED this site (sunless.com)! Check it out for many great tips for getting the perfect tan or reviews of different self tanners:

Accident prone?

I am pretty good about staying on my feet but recently I lacked some navigation skills and tripped over a stick while I was rollerblading. As luck would have it I was also not wearing any pads (a big no, no especially if you are a bride with a wedding coming up) and banged up my knee.

Off to the store I went in search of something to help me knee heal faster and prevent any scarring. I have a family wedding coming up soon and I would really like to wear a short dress without worries of a banged up knee.

As luck would have it I came across The Johnson & Johnson Advanced Healing Pads. I am quite impressed! It has been a week and when I took the pad off I was pleasantly surprised that my knee was healed and only a very light shade of pink! In comparison I also did minor damage to my hand and used regular bandaids on it. My hand does not look as far along as my knee in the healing process even though my knee was worse.

I have decided that these are well worth having around for accidents like mine. Time will tell but I do believe I am going to be mark free from my fall!

Hopefully this may help anyone else out there like myself that was out of the loop in regards to bandaid technology! :-)

Your skin

With many weddings fast approaching I thought a quick blurb on skincare would be helpful!

Coming out of the winter months and with all of these crazy weather changes we have been having can create havoc on your skin. Now is the time to pay attention and change out your routine if you skin is calling for it.

For your skincare routine there are three biggies that come to mind:
-Exfoliate your skin
-Keep your undereyes *well* hydrated
-Moisturize your skin

While everyone's skin is different most skin types will benefit from doing the above regularly. To have beautiful, glowing skin does not need to cost a fortune (though I must confess to being a product junkie) just look for products that work well for YOUR skin type. If you need to seek professional help in the form of a dermatologist, esthetician, or even a cosmetic surgeon go for it and start early enough that they will be able to really help you.

I can't emphasize enough what a difference it will make on your wedding day if you have a solid skincare routine in place prior to your wedding. Regardless where you go to have your makeup done (of course we would love to be the ones to do your makeup!) having nicely exfoliated, moisturized and well hydrated undereyes will allow your makeup to look that much better!

Awesome ladies!

I had the pleasure of working with two amazing women yesterday on a photo shoot, Kasey from Bliss Weddings and Events and Amy from C Studios.

May I just say that I had a blast! These two are just so talented at what they do and joy to be around and work with!

It was one of those fun days that you are sad to see come to an end.

If there are any brides out there in need of a wedding photographer or wedding planner give these two a call!

Bliss Weddings and Events: http://blisseventsohio.com/default.aspx

C Studios:
http://www.cstudiosphotography.com/main.php

Glitzy eyelashes

While I know this is old news I realized that I have no posts about fun false eyelashes so I felt the need to remedy that right away by dedicating an entry to Shu Uemura, Madonna and the fun of false eyelashes!

Many moons ago Madonna made headlines for wearing some insane lashes made of mink fur and diamonds (worth noting, the minks shed the fur used for the lashes).

Shortly after the debut of these lashes Shu Uemura made them available through Neiman Marcus for a paltry $10,000! While I was standing in line for these lashes (oh, wait! That was in my dreams) Shu was kind enough to release a version for those of us that wanted the glitz but didn't have the budget for real diamonds.

"Inspired by shu uemura’s false eyelashes lined with real diamonds created for Madonna by Gina Brooke, shu uemura Artistic Director. Classic false eyelash design with a silver diamante band for voluminous lashes with a delicate flare. Alternating lashes with a gradual sloping of length at the center of the lashes."


These may not be as luxurious as Madonna's but they still have that little something special that makes them standout from your normal lashes.

These won't be for every bride but for those that are considering wearing false eyelashes these offer a unique and unexpected way to add some fun to your bridal look even if you just add them for the reception!

The Shu lashes are available at your local Sephora for $25.

Cool new product

As a complete and utter makeup junkie I am always on the look out for something new to try out. I recently came across these little gems which I think are incredibly cool!

How many of us (especially those of us that love using loose pigments on our eyes) have ever dealt with “eyeshadow fallout”? You know, those tiny particles that fall under your eyes and onto your cheeks when you are applying eyeshadow. I know I have and it is a pain to clean up!

Well, someone found a way to stop that...Shadow Shields. These cute little shields adhere under your eye area and catch all of that fallout before it ruins your perfect makeup job, Genius!

Check out the video on their site to see how they are used. What a cool concept!

http://www.shadowshields.com

Picking a natural lip color

Finding a perfect, everyday lip color can sometimes be a daunting challenge! That “Your Lips But Better” (YLBB) color can be elusive.

Here is a trick to make it a little easier:

When picking the color take a look at the color of the inside of your lower lip. Look at it in a few different lights and study the shade, tone and depth of the color. Now you know what your perfect lip color will be! When you find a shade similar to the inside of your lip the color should look natural on you....Your lips but better!

As you shop for this color there are a few things to consider. Do you like creamy lip products, glossy, do you want some shimmer or are you more a fan of matte lip sticks? Here are a few of my favorite lip colors:

From left to right (colors pictured are not colors mentioned):
Kevyn Aucoin in Katanatura
MAC in 3-D
Nars Velvet Matte in Walkyrie

Gorgeous makeup at the SAG awards

Older blog posting from January 30, 2008


It was such a treat this past Sunday night to actually see celebs hit the red carpet for the 14th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards and I must say I thought a lot of them looked amazing!

Dresses aside I really enjoyed the variety of makeup looks. Below are some of my personal favorites from the evening.

I also want to add that as Glenn Close gets ready to turn 61 I hope I look half as good as she does when I am in my sixties.

All images are from Fashion Wire Daily

Depending on your personal style these makeup looks are perfect for a wedding or special event. As we get ready to go into spring it is the perfect time to try out a fresh dewy look!

Happy New Year!

Older blog posting from December 31, 2007

We want to thank everyone who helped us in making 2007 a great year! We all feel very fortunate to have worked with so many amazing brides.

No matter how many weddings I work on it never ceases to touch my heart to be a part of a wedding. It is truly humbling and exciting to get to know my brides and be there to help make their special day wonderful. I love seeing my brides off as they get ready to marry the man that they love! Thank you to all of my past and future brides!

We are greatly looking forward to 2008 and meeting so many more beautiful brides!

With the New Year right around the corner is really gives us all a chance to reflect back on the past twelve months and prepare for the coming year. In reflection I would like to post a few of my favorite photos from shoots this past year. I hope you enjoy and as always would love if you would like to drop us a comment or two via email.

We are wishing everyone a safe and happy New Year!

Take Care!!

Smoking hot New Year's Eve Eyes

Older blog posting from November 28, 2007

I am long overdue for a new entry! We have been exceptionally busy the past few months with weddings. I have also been frequenting Chicago quite a bit for photo shoots so take a look around the photo galleries. There are new bridal photos as well as a bunch of new photos in the Fashion and Beauty gallery! I hope you enjoy them!

One of the recent shoots was about party looks for New Years. I wanted to include a version of it on the blog for all to enjoy. The base is a smokey eye followed by a little glitz to make it more festive. This is an easy way to add some glamour to your New Year’s Eve look!

When to book your makeup artist

Old blog posting from September 18, 2007


We get asked this question a lot. Bookings for bridal makeup are all over the place. We have weddings booked clear through the end of 2008 already but we also have some open weekends.

The best advice I have for when to book your makeup artist is this: Make a list of your priority vendors (past the usual suspects like wedding site and photographer). If your makeup artist is on that list call and book the moment you know you want that artist.

If you know you want professional makeup then just make it official so you don’t have to worry about someone else booking your date and it will be one less thing you have to stress about.

If you are on the fence and haven’t completely decided try asking the artist if she/he will notify you if someone else is considering the date.

We know there is a lot that goes into your wedding planning and we hope to make it a little easier for you!

Columbus Bridal Show

Old blog posting from August 20, 2007


Whew! We have been busy at the bridal shows lately! It has been a lot of fun meeting so many new brides and lots of brides that we have been talking with for a while. We just got done in Dayton a week ago (hello Dayton and Cincinnati brides!!).

This coming weekend we are in Columbus at the Aladdin Shrine Center. Please stop by and see us!

On the makeup scene for those of you that collect makeup like we do Chanel has some very pretty eye shadow quads out for the fall. My personal favorite is Sequoia. It has a beautiful light pink, light peach, medium pink and medium brown. These colors are seriously stunning as they have a subtle glow to them and sparkle. I have been wearing mine daily since I picked it up. Chanel hit a home run with this one!

Suggestions for the blog

Old blog posting from July 31, 2007

We would love to get some suggestions on our blog! If up have any ideas of things you would like to see here from tips, news or makeup reviews drop us a line and let us know. We want to gear this towards all of you out there!

Thanks!!

The perfect body exfoliator

Old blog posting from July 31, 2008


While this isn't quite makeup related I am sure that many of you are in the same boat as I am on the quest for smooth skin. I have written cosmetic reviews for years and every now and again I go back through those to see if I still feel the same way about a product. One of those products is the DremaNew Crystal Resurfacing soap.

I fell in love with it when it came out back in ’04 and have used it on and off. As I bought a new one I suddenly remembered why I had been in an “off” period for so long. This stuff is pricey! As I recall it was about $20 when it came out and now the price is around $15 so that is a plus.

So why am I justifying a $15 exfoliator? Simple, this stuff rocks! I have never had the results I get with the DermaNew soap with anything else as I have tried. It really smoothes out my skin and controls those little bumps on the back of my arms. This is really a unique little product and worth the price tag even if you just use it as preparation for your wedding.

The downside along with the price tag is it goes quickly. Do not leave it in your shower when you are not using it as it will dissolve a little and shorten the life span of the soap. I find that if I am using it every other day it will last about a month.

It looks like this is one product I reviewed in the past that has held up to the test of time!

The new site is up!

Old blog posting from July 16, 2007:

Yay! Well, the new site is up and running! We truly hope you enjoy it and find it easy to navigate. We would really appreciate it if you notify us if you have any issues on the site. Thanks in advance!

We also posted a link to our Myspace page (I know, I know we were a little late jumping on that wagon. ;) Please stop by and send us a friend request!

http://www.myspace.com/pearlsandablackdress

Also, if you have an upcoming wedding that you would like to book give us a call. We have weddings booked for 2008 already.

Have a great day!

Welcome to our blog!

Old blog posting from July 15, 2007:

Thanks for stopping by!

We hope you enjoy our new site (www.pearlsandablackdress.com) and also ask that you are patient with it as we work to update a few things. We hope to have the photo gallery updated soon where you can click on the photo and have it enlarge and we are also working on our contact form.

We promise much more exciting entries in the future but until then look around our site and if you have any problems please let us know. Thanks so much!