Wedding Blog
My MOH has proven to be quite a resourceful gal through my planning period, and makeup was no exception. She is a former Chanel makeup artist, so I was definitely looking to her to find me someone fabulous at a reasonable price to do me and my girls on the big day. So, off we went to visit Abegail, her good friend, who still works at a Chanel counter.
My daily makeup routine includes the Clinique three step program (which I have been less then thrilled with recently), a bit of bronzer, mascara, and of course, my cherry Chapstick. That’s it. When I’m getting dressed up I’ll add some eye shadow or a touch of liner and gloss. Yeah, I’m fancy. My main concern with the wedding day makeup was that I didn’t want to feel like I really had painted my face. I just wanted to look like a polished version of myself. Mr. Cloud was also really concerned; I believe his words were “tell them to be easy on the gunk”. Before I left, I had him go ahead and take the dreaded “before” picture of me with no makeup on at all. I’m cringing to think I am really posting this…
Once I settled in the chair, Abegail got to work. Another benefit of my MOH being an expert and being friends with the expert, was that anything Abegail did, my MOH checked, and made suggestions. Not that many changes needed to be made, but she also knows me really well. When I didn’t like something 100% and wasn’t speaking up, she did for me.
I was REALLY happy with the results. If I can give one suggestion to anyone having a trial, bring your camera. The first lip color we used barely showed up on film; I could have just stuck with the Chapstick!
After the trial we headed out to eat and ran some errands. Even after all of that and hanging out on the couch with Bella for a few hours, everything held up great. This picture is a result of no touch ups, about 5 hours later. You can really see the difference in the two eyes here. We are going with the left, as we thought it made the eye look more opened.
I’m still not happy with my skin these days, though. I recently went on a medication for psoriasis (it is mostly on my scalp and is pretty severe, but I’m hoping it will clear by the wedding), and it has caused a big change in my skin. I’m breaking out more often, and the Clinique I have been using for almost 10 years isn’t cutting it anymore. I know Mrs. Peep Toe raved about Origins, so I was thinking about going that route. Any suggestions on what to use to get perfect wedding skin to go with the makeup I love?
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Share this post: Getting My Face On
Origins is AMAZING!! Try it!!
And no, I don’t get paid for this!
Looks great, I love the left eye! I use Proactiv and I friggen looove it.
i have been using philosophy purity face wash and clinique dramatically different moisturizer and i love it. it’s been great with summers in the humid south and winters in boston.
Looks great! My makeup pro says the Clinique regimen is actually INTENDED to dry out your skin — so you need more of the lotion and other products to hydrate.
That is beautiful!
i use the foaming wash and toner from the Clinique Acne Solutions line (switched to this recently because of stress induced break outs). i am horribly allergic to the moisturizer as it contains benzoyl peroxide, which is also the active ingredient in Proactiv, so thats out for me. instead i use Dr. Perry’s DaySkin and NightSkin. http://www.newvitality.com/browse/skin-care-beauty.aspx
it is expensive, but i think its one of the few products that stands up to it claims. i have especially seen a difference in my mom’s skin.
Another vote here for ProActive. I went to it after Clinique 3 step wasn’t cutting it and it cured my little breakouts.
Great makeup BTW> 
I had kind of unpredictable skin. With several breakouts a month and had seen Cetaphil suggested by a few on here. I had used it for a time in the past after I had had a procedure on my face and my dermatologist had suggested it due to its gentleness. I went back to it before my wedding and loved it! I use it with the Origins Never a Dull Moment face scrub a couple of times a week. Good luck!
I highly recommend Clarins products if your skin is more sensitive from your medication. I have psoriasis too and my face gets dried out and breaks out really easily. Ever since I started using the Clarins Cleansing Milk, my face has been a lot better. It’s really mild but still gets my face clean and doesn’t dry my skin out at all. And its so soothing when you use it that its relaxing to wash your face each night! I would try visiting their counter and getting their recommendation on what you need.
I looooove it! Will you post the colors that they used on you? I especially love the lips! What did they do differently from the left to right eye?
Jan Marini glycolic products…it work wonders…and a Clarisonic brush.
love it! i also have severely dried skin and i have been on medication for years. i went to sephora and a skin specialist gave me a ton of samples to try and go back for if i liked it. i ended up loving the caudalie line for exfoliating, boscia cream skin cleanser, and l’occitaine moisturizer. i love them.
as far as scalp, i use neutrogena t gel. and also a medicated shampoo. the worst this about psoraisis is that it never goes away so your best bet is management.
Awesome! I loved the way your eyes look so shinny - you look like your going to get married 
I love your makeup. It looks great! And you look great without makeup BTW!
Love your makeup!
As far as skincare…I tried Origins…but had an extreme breakout with their makeup and facewash. I would say if you have allergies to grass, trees, weeds, flowers, etc..be careful!
Now I use cetaphil facewash, murad toner and finish it off with a special moisturizer I found locally.
your make-up looks fantastic and you look beautiful (with and without)!! i use dr. bronner’s peppermint bar soap. it’s 2.50 for a bar at trader joe’s (2x that at whole (check) foods) and lasts a long time. honestly, i used to use clinique and origins and a whole bunch of other stuff. the last “line” i used was chanel. i never used to blink an eye at the price because i figured, “hey, it’s my face.” then, one day, i decided to see if the 500.00 i spent for about a 2 month supply was worth it. i used it for 2 months, then stopped. did not notice any difference.at.all. i’m lucky in that i’m not prone to breaking out, but i (usually) drink lots of water and eat well, so i find that using dr. bronner’s is good enough. to remove make-up, i use baby or jojoba oil. if i drink enough water, my skin doesn’t dry out too much; if it is dry, i use neutrogena moisturizer with spf 15. that’s it….that’s my skin care: dr. bronner’s peppermint bar soap, baby or jojoba oil and neutrogena spf 15 moisturizer. oh, while my face doesn’t usually dry up, my body tends to be on the dry side, i usually use cetaphil cream in the winter (i live in the midwest) and either jojoba or extra-virgin coconut oil at night and in the warmer months.
I love the makeup - I think it was a successful trial - you still look so natural…and really beautiful!
As for the skin care…I am putting in yet another vote for Proactiv. I have been using it for years, and I literally can’t switch. I tried to switch to a new product last year, and it turned out awful…back to the Proactiv for me! It is reasonably priced I think, and I very rarely have breakouts (just the occasional spot here and there, but hey, wedding planning is a bit stressful!).
On another skin care note, if you are trying to quickly get rid of a zit, I HIGHLY recommend getting a bottle of Mario Badescu drying lotion. You can buy it at Nordstrom; its $17 for a small bottle, but it lasts me for months! You dip a Q-tip into the bottle and just dab on top of the problem zit…go to sleep, and overnight it zaps the darn thing away pretty effectively - its been a lifesaver for me on numerous occasions!
The make-up looks so natural - you look fantastic! I have very finicky skin. Tons of dry spots, break outs, a bit of rosacea, sun spots… it couldn’t be worse. Then Yonka entered my life and my skin couldn’t be better. It’s calming, gentle and exactly what I needed. Not every product or every line is going to work for every gal so consider seeing a dermatologist and an esthetician to determine what products are best for you. It’ll save you a ton of time, money and post-bad-product break outs. Either way, your skin is going to look gorgeous with that make-up artist on hand!
I can’t get over how gorgeous your make up looks! Your friend did a fabulous job!
I agree - you looked fabulous both before and after! 
I am taking a deep breath and with my MOH (a Mary Kay rep) we’re doing our own makeup. MOST of my girls don’t wear any, or just a touch of mascara on a day-to-day basis, so no point in them getting “all dolled up” if they aren’t used to it. Just a touch of powder for shine, a bit of bronzer for color and some lip gloss and I think they’ll feel more comfortable. Thanks for the great pictures - beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love your make-up! You look beautiful and glowing, and the eyeshadow colors work so well on you!
As for skincare, I agree with coralray24 & JDH… Cetaphil soap has done wonders for my skin as far as cleansing goes, and it leaves my skin WAY less dry. I’ve also tried lots of hydrating products, since I have severely dry and sensitive skin, and have stuck with Avene’s Hydrance or La Roche Posay’s Toleriane Riche moisturizers… they’re the only ones that don’t sting!
Another big vote for Cetaphil!
I bought the Clarisonic PLUS on QVC after months of rationalizing if i reeeally needed to spend that much for perfect skin. Best decision I ever made. My skin is perfect! I have never seen it look this good and old pimple scars are lightening up. I used QVC because you get more for the money and i used the 3 easy payment plan.
I too have psoriasis so I understand your pain in that area… I have tried many things on my face from proactive to just nivea face washes… recently I switched to Cetaphil which I think is AMAZING! its worked really good on clearing my skin and it doesnt dry my face out.
Since your skin is probably sensitive from the medication, I’d try to start as gentle as possible and work up from there. I’d start w/ Cetaphil. Every derm I’ve ever gone to has rec’d it. After that, I’ve heard very good things from the Philosophy Purity line, esp from people with acne problems that seemed to be overdoing it with harsher cleansers.
I also have to second the comment about Origins re allergies. It’s the only thing I’ve ever had an allergic reaction to, but it was defninitely the cause. FWIW, the derm was really surprised it was the cause but said you just never know. Since someone else seemed to have trouble with it, I thought I’d mention it, since it seems like it’s not THAT rare. Also fwiw, the irritation went away quickly once I stopped using it.
Love it! What is psoriasis? Is that just dry skin on your scalp? If so, will you PM me? I have questions for you because I think I have the same thing—major main in the butt!
Wow - I LOVE your makeup! I use Arbonne’s RE-9 line at night, and Rodan & Fields Reverse line in the morning. I found that using the RE-9 twice a day left my skin a little bit oily, but I’m still drawn to its anti-aging effects. The Reverse, on the other hand, dries out my skin if I use it twice a day, but it has drastically brightened my skin by reversing sun damage. I’ve found it to be a good combination that works really well for me.
You look beautiful! I love it!
As far as facial regimen, try Cetaphil face wash, it is gentle and leaves skin feeling fresh without drying. For facial moisturizer, try Aveeno or Eucerin moisturizer with sunscreen SPF of 15 or 30, depending on how much sun you get. I really like La Roche Posay Anthelios - it leaves me feeling hydrated for a full 12-18 hours without reapplying. Definitely use the daily sunscreen. You will be glad you did 20 years down the road!
i use dermalogica after trying origins and having it react with my skin 
i love dermalogica though and have seen great results. i use the special cleanser, daily microfoliant, and the sheer moisture. amazing. the daily microfoliant is the BEST thing ever invented. not scratchy at all. it’s a fine powder that foams up a little when you put it on your face. a-maz-ing
I LOVE IT! It looks so classic and pretty! I had a really bad experience once with getting my makeup done for my friend’s edding (they tried to be too trendy with my makeup, and it didn’t work on me) and I really like this! Maybe I’ll have to give Chanel a try : )
I vote for Cetaphil, also. I used it when I was on Accutane in college and it was the only thing that made my skin look and feel better!
For those that use Cetaphil, do you ever feel like its not getting your skin clean enough?
I have found a few times the cetaphil didnt remove all my make up. when I dried my face with the towel make up was still coming off… I just make sure that I rub it in, in a circular motion, and sometimes if I’ve worn more make up then usual day to day stuff I will use some orangic cosmetic pads I have to rub it in, which I find more gentle on my face then using a wash cloth.
Holy awesome makeup, batman! Not that you looked bad before, but she did an excellent job. You look stunning, and not at all like a painted lady
Taking the photo of your eye make-up with me tomorrow to my make-up trial! Hope you don’t mind
Adding another vote for Cetaphil. There are 2 versions: original and “oily skin” I use the oily skin version in the evenings to remove makeup and find it works really well.
[...] way to put my best self forward for the big day. All of those suggestions you all gave me after my makeup trial for the best facial cleansers? Yeah, I bought them all. So when I saw a friend recently and noticed [...]
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Mrs. Cloud, Richmond
Age and Occupation: 25, Sales Rep
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Customer Service Manager/DJ
Engagement Date: February 14, 2008
Wedding Date: November 2009
Venue: Cathedral of the Sacred Heart & The Jefferson Hotel
About Me: Mr. Cloud and I are Yankees planning a Southern wedding to show our families from Boston and New York our fabulous city. We are complete opposites, resulting in a wedding to include bridesmaids in pearls and groomsmen in Adidas shell toes. I’m a sorority girl at heart with strong addictions to my blackberry, cherry Chapstick, Coach purses, the Boston Red Sox and our fur baby, Bella. I can’t wait to the throw the party of our lives and of course, marry my best friend!
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