Weddingbee Blog

When Mrs Caramel wrote about the amazing Jessica Lee, I couldn’t help but turn green with envy. I even (briefly) had a vision of myself being filthy rich so that I could fly her out to NY for my wedding.

Like Mrs Caramel, I don’t want a natural look for my wedding day makeup. For one, I look like I’m 12 years old sans makeup, so I wear it almost every day for professional reasons. I want to look at least a bit different for my wedding…more glamorous, more polished, more vavavoom!

I also tend to look very washed out in photos. Take a look at my profile picture - it was taken at a wedding and I was wearing full makeup that day. I tried to go heavy on the application and colors but I still look like I’m barely wearing anything! I want to look ravishing in my pictures. I want to evoke old Hollywood glamour. I want to look like I’m wearing makeup!

There’s also the fact that I’m spending all this money on a photographer and makeup/hair stylists…I want to milk it for all it’s worth!

So bring on the flawless look. The full lipstick and smoky eyes. Let there be contouring, and lots of it!

I set out looking for good hair and makeup artists a few months ago. I actually had a couple of trials, both of which did not turn out too well. After one trial, I looked like a drag queen and at another, I walked out feeling like a geisha. In addition, they would not listen to me when I told them I wanted a downdo! They insisted that a bride must have her hair up and elegant on her wedding day, when I want my hair down in loose curls.

I found some great makeup and hair stylists via The Knot and Long Island Weddings message boards. There are some wonderful before-and-after photos as well. After a while, the same names keep popping up. Specifically, those with experience with Asian brides. Sachiko Yanese. Jacqueline Nicole. Oksana. Ai Sakai. Sissi Chan. Reiko Utsugi.

However, while their work is beautiful and brides would not stop raving about them, I did find that the majority of their work has been with brides who want the natural look. Which is entirely fine for others, but not for me. Although I would love to book trials with all of them, my wallet just can’t handle it at the moment.

Then I considered the Pedala sisters, whom I had ruled out before because of their high prices. Maureen is the makeup artist and Claudia is the hair stylist. Just take a look at the before-and-after pictures on Maureen’s website. Amazing! I especially love how she made each person’s eyes really pop. Just in case the pictures from the website are flukes, I researched them even more and found real brides who were transformed by them. I could not find one negative review.

Since they do not charge for trials, I figured “why not?” and shot Maureen an email. My trial with them is scheduled for November 5, which is also Mr Peony and my 4-year anniversary. I will meet him for our anniversary date right after the trial. Wish me luck!

Just in case the Pedala sisters don’t work out, who would you recommend (in the NYC area) for someone like me?