Wedding Blog

I have always loved makeup.  Maybe it’s because I was an art major and it seemed like painting to me.  But whatever the case, I’ve always loved doing people’s makeup!  I am also an expert on putting on fake eyelashes.  In fact, if anyone needs me to do their bridesmaid’s makeup for dirt cheap, I’ll totally do it if you are in the area! 

Hair was pretty set since I have this hair guy named John Q. (he’s quite popular actually) from Westminster who used to work at Carlton, and he’s just amazing! If people from southern California need a great hairdresser, please email me and I will totally give you his contact number.

Finding the perfect makeup person was difficult, but I decided to have a trial at Hairday in Koreatown and try the famous Jessica Lee - whose website has caused many jaws to drop because of the amazing makeup work. Most brides seem to have a “I want a natural look” mentality… but me? Heck no! Layer it on, baby! I’m a photographer, so I’m all about doing whatever it takes to look best in pictures. If I’m going to pay $250 for a makeup job, it better look like I’m wearing $250 worth of makeup! (without looking like a clown of course!) If you really want that natural look then I would not recommend her since she’s used to doing Korean beauty pageant style makeup.

My trial was terrific! I went on the day I had my e-pics so that my $200 trial money didn’t go to waste. (Yep, $200 for a freaking trial!) It took me a looong time to realize that it was worth it to get a makeup job from her. Why? Because simply, she’s the best. I’ve had tons of horrible makeup jobs, often making me look like a geisha. My pet peeve is when they decide that silver eyeshadow to the brow line is the way to go…. ?!

Some amazing makeup tips from her that I learned:

- for people like who have fatty eyelids, try using 2 or 3 pairs of fake eyelashes. I know this sounds ridiculous, but our fatty eyelids will suck the eyelashes right back in when we open our eyes. If you use 2-3 pairs, you get that dramatic effect!

- if you have dark hair, you can dab dark eyebrow/eyeshadow in your scalp lining, especially on your forehead area to fill in the empty spots. I didn’t think it made much of a difference, but it does! I had never seen this done before and it makes your hair look much fuller!

- if you have dry skin like me, you want to get your makeup done earlier in the day. Most brides wish to have their makeup done fresh right before the wedding ceremony, but she told me that if you have dry skin you want to wait for the makeup to set in your skin, and it will look the best later in the day. If you have oily skin, then of course it’d be best to have it fresh right before the ceremony. So don’t fret about that 8am makeup appointment on your wedding day if you have dry skin!

Some tips from moi!

- she is extremely busy so book ahead!

- I literally told her right off the bat that I couldn’t speak a word of Korean and she still spoke to me only in Korean. I nodded and smiled during our entire 1-way conversation, and even in the middle of it she said “you don’t know what I’m saying to you, do you?” which of course, I nodded and smiled. If you do decide to hire her, make sure you have a fluent speaking bridesmaid or close friend because otherwise you might have miscommunication!

- she usually charges $200 for a trial for hair and makeup, and $300 for wedding day hair & makeup. (I decided to make it easier and just get my hair done there since hair is only $40.) However at the end of the trial, for some odd reason she said she really liked me (even though I nodded through our entire conversation!!) and gave me $50 off. She said she does it to people that she really likes, or has a good feeling about. *So the lesson here is: just be sweet and maybe you’ll get $50 off! (or maybe she does this to lots of people and now I feel stupid for feeling special…)

- know your face. If you know that your face tends to look washed out in pictures (like me), I’d recommend a heavier layer of makeup. If you’re gonna stick to your “But I want to look natural!” then take a look below before you make up your mind!

Here are some pictures of her makeup job. You can see that it looks like I’m wearing a LOT of makeup in the first ghetto shot, but take a look at the real e-pics and you’ll say “Where did all the makeup go!?” I did not take any makeup off but it’s just because of the sun and other details that make the makeup job look very natural.

Picture with our camera in the elevator:

Professional shots:

Imagine what I would have looked like if I asked them to put natural makeup on me!