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Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los Angeles Age and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD Student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical Student Engagement Date: May 30, 2008 Wedding Date: March, 2009 Blogging Since: April, 2008 Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del Rey About Me: I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
About Mrs. Hot Cocoa

Trials and Tribulations

January 28th, 2009 @ 5:05 pm by Mrs. Hot Cocoa

The last time I had my hair and makeup done was at my aunt’s wedding twelve years ago. The stylist (a so-called “pro” from Neiman Marcus’s salon) spackled on a jar’s worth of foundation three shades too light for my skin tone (I think she didn’t get the “I’m Asian” memo), put a shade of lipstick on me that only a Bratz doll could love, and gave me a hairdo that was a lopsided hairdon’t. (Those caterpillars above my eyes, however, are entirely my fault; I don’t think I understood the concept of tweezing yet.)

I looked pretty hot… for a hairy drag queen.

Trials and Tribulations :  wedding hair los angeles makeup trial Scan028  I was therefore somewhat anxious about my makeup and hair trial with Lin Breller and Rachelle Luczynski of Joyce Luck Style, though I probably wasn’t as anxious as Lin and Rachelle must have been when I rolled into Lin’s place after a two-hour typical LA-morning traffic nightmare looking like this:

Trials and Tribulations :  wedding hair los angeles makeup trial Cimg159

Oy gevalt. You can put a week’s worth of groceries in those bags under my eyes.
I’m pretty low maintenance about makeup (I’m a lots of moisturizer and Bare Minerals kind of gal), so I had no requirements for my style beyond a request for Lin to make it look natural. Okay, I also might have pined out loud for her to make me look like a supermodel sans makeup. Hey, a girl’s gotta dream, right?
A light sweep of foundation with the airbrush and a soft dusting of fairy dust (or whatever is in Lin’s crate of makeup goodies) later, I emerged from Lin’s chair looking like… well, a blushing bride.

Trials and Tribulations :  wedding hair los angeles makeup trial Cimg160  Trials and Tribulations :  wedding hair los angeles makeup trial Img 236  Trials and Tribulations :  wedding hair los angeles makeup trial Cimg16001  The makeup looked impressively natural photographed both indoors and outdoors, and I really appreciated the fact that I looked like myself, just softer, glowier. (Of course, Mr. HC will still probably think the makeup is too heavy. He hates makeup with a passion: I had to train him over the course of many years that it’s not okay to wipe off my makeup with his fingers after I’d spent a ton of time primping in front of a mirror!)

While Lin was working her magic, Rachelle gave me bouncy, loose, romantic curls, which I’ll wear off on the side (as in the photos above) for the ceremony and take down for the reception. My hair is pretty thick and tends not to hold a curl well, so I was shocked that it lasted all day… and looked pretty darn saucy the next day too.
Joyce Luck Style also recently styled Mrs. Bee and Weddingbee Pro Angel Swanson, both of whom gave glowing reviews. I’m definitely with them. To be completely frank, JLS’s services don’t come cheap, but given my past experience with so-called “professional wedding hair and makeup”, I am willing to trade a few weeks of eating ramen for the assurance of not looking like I sashayed off the trailer to Paris is Burning.
Do you have any wedding makeup/hair horror stories? Come on, tell me. After all, I showed you my caterpillar brows!
Tags: hair, los-angeles, makeup, trial |
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36 Responses to “Trials and Tribulations”

1 2 

1.
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Bee
Miss Perfume (message)  2,253 posts, Buzzing bee

GORGEOUS. period.

 
2.
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Bee
Miss Peep Toe (message)  1,804 posts, Buzzing bee

Wow. Perfectly Gorgeous!

 
3.
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Bee
Miss Bruschetta (message)  5,565 posts, Bee Keeper

You’re too hard on yourself! I think you look very natural and fresh sans makeup. (And no, I don’t see anything brown on my nose.) Okay, back to reading…

 
4.
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Bee
Miss Bruschetta (message)  5,565 posts, Bee Keeper

You look haute all done up! :-)

 
5.
elle1009
Member
elle1009 (message)  120 posts, Blushing bee

You look amazing…

 
6.
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Guest
swp02138

You look beautiful! I had a hard time stomaching the steep price tag associated with JLS’s services too, but in the end, I was so happy I did. She and her team did an amazing job.

 
7.
saramari
Member
saramari (message)  315 posts, Helper bee

You look gorgeous! :)

 
8.
Vic004
Member
Vic004 (message)  804 posts, Busy bee

Hot!!

 
9.
Keladry
Member
Keladry (message)  294 posts, Helper bee

I agree! I love your hairstyle!

 
10.
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Bee
Miss Hot Cocoa (message)  2,077 posts, Buzzing bee

Thanks for the compliments — the checks are in the mail, ok?! ;-)

 
11.
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Bee
Miss Taffy (message)  3,104 posts, Sugar bee

You look so beautiful!!!!! Love how natural you look. Mr. Taffy also detests make up!

 
12.
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Bee
Miss Spring Roll (message)  716 posts, Busy bee

I love the look, and that photo of you is priceless :)

 
13.
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Member
lawall (message)  39 posts, Newbee

You look beautiful

 
14.
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Member
indecisivebride (message)  338 posts, Helper bee

You look so beautiful…I just love your hair and makeup!

 
15.
driftslikesmoke
Hostess
driftslikesmoke (message)  1,224 posts, Bumble bee

Wow. You look AMAZING. What photos/key words did you use for your makeup inspiration?

 
16.
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Bee
Mrs. Green Tea (message)  764 posts, Busy bee

i love the ‘new you’ but that first one simply can’t be beat. how do you manage to have so many ass kicking old skool pix? none of mine are funny, just horrid.

 
17.
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Bee
Mrs. Canary (message)  682 posts, Busy bee

You look great!!! Just gorge!

 
18.
frenchbulldog
Bee
frenchbulldog (message)  7,730 posts, Bee Keeper

GORG! You look so natural pretty :) And I love how you’re wearing your hair.
I don’t have any make-up nightmares, but I do have a hair one (if only I had a picture scanned)… for my BMs wedding 5 yrs ago the stylist decided I was the “funky” one and pinned all kinds of ridiculous curls on top of my head with lots a fly aways - I looked like a fly girl on In Living Color.

 
19.
Josalyn
Member
Josalyn (message)  358 posts, Helper bee

Wow! Beautiful

 
20.
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Bee
Miss Hot Cocoa (message)  2,077 posts, Buzzing bee

@driftslikesmoke: “Not a drag queen.” Serious.

@Mrs. Green Tea: Last year, I went back and scanned in the funniest old photos I could find. They are coming in handy! Man, I thought I was awesome in those days.

@AliCherri1: LOL! I’m glad you too remember the days of In Living Color; I’m beginning to feel old here.

 
1 2 

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Mrs. Hot Cocoa
Mrs. Hot Cocoa

Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los Angeles Age and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD Student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical Student Engagement Date: May 30, 2008 Wedding Date: March, 2009 Blogging Since: April, 2008 Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del Rey About Me: I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.

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