Tag Archives: natural looks

Lise’s Wedding at Wedgewood Pines Country Club in Stow, MA

I immediately knew I just had to work with Lise when I found out she was getting married in my hometown of Stow, MA. Not normally a makeup wearer, she requested soft, natural makeup for her wedding, while her maid of honor went Red Carpet all the way!

Soft, natural makeup – but with a subtle flash of smoke & shimmer when she blinked!

The groomsmen wore the same socks, too – love it!

The maid of honor requested a bold-but-wearable lip; love it!

Doing her touch-up duty for the bride (atta girl!)

Peace + Love!

Love how the cake detail matches the bride’s shoes!

Photography: Karen Eng (Nicole Chan Photography)
Venue & Catering: Wedgewood Pines Country Club
Hair stylist: Sue Mello (Allure Salon)
Florist: Frugal Flower (Allison Hassard)
Cake artist: Jacques Pastries
DJ / Band / Uplighting: DJ MaShane (Shane Mercier and Paul Duffy)

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Heather’s June Wedding at the Log Cabin in Holyoke, MA

Heather is a high school math teacher who was easily one of my most laid-back, easygoing clients of all time. Not a regular makeup wearer, she wanted to look good for photos but keep things very natural looking and not “makeuppy.” A touch of smoky eyeliner, mascara, and soft rosy lips & cheeks were all that was needed in terms of color; the rest was just subtle skin work that would be virtually undetectable to the naked eye.

Here is a before & after from our trial session where you can see the VERY subtle, but effective, difference the airbrush makeup made to her already beautiful face:

(I love sharing photos like this because so many of my brides are afraid of looking made up, and if you don’t want to, you don’t have to! It’s all about invoking the style that you’re comfortable with so that you feel like yourself on your big day, but are still camera-ready.)

Here are some wedding day photos that Heather was kind enough to share (I love the classic beauty of her dress combined with the pop of color of her shoes!)

Venue: The Log Cabin
Photography: Karen Winger
Hair: Lisa Cummings

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Styled Eco-Chic Bridal Shoot Featured on Fab You Bliss

I had the distinct pleasure of taking part in several styled shoots with the incredibly talented Michelle Girard in 2012, and I’m so pleased to announce the publication of another one of our group efforts! This shoot was built around a pair of gorgeous, fair trade Celia Grace gowns and the detailed styling touches of Eutopia Events. Once again, I did makeup for both the bride & groom, but to shake things up a bit (and to add my own “shop local” element), I opted to use all mineral makeup by local business Fortunate Face Minerals. To fit the shoot’s rustic theme, I created a very soft look with sparkling eyes for the gorgeous Marcie (owner of Celia Grace), plus a bright Spring-y pop of color on her lips created by mixing two mineral colors together with a cream base.

Happily, this shoot is everywhere! Click here to view the gallery on Fab You Bliss, here to view the photographer’s selections, and here to view Eutopia’s tips on eco-friendly wedding planning. My favorite images from the day appear below:

Photographer: Michelle Girard Photography

Hair Stylist: Jennifer McClendon

Event Planners & Styling: Eutopia Events

Floral Designer: LaSalle Florists

Dress Designer: Celia Grace

Candles: Prosperity Candle

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Family photo session with Strong Coffey, Personal Trainer

Personal fitness trainer Kelly Coffey and I have been friends for years, so when she recently came to me asking to get photos taken with her two daughters at her home gym, I jumped at the perfect barter opportunity (one makeup session for one workout!) I loved the photos taken by lifestyle photographer Lynne Graves (and how cute is 2-year-old Cerys with the mini free weights?!?)

Mom and daughter lifestyle fitness photo

Mom and daughter lifestyle fitness photo

Mom and daughter lifestyle fitness photo

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Chelsey & Joe’s Backyard Wedding in Holyoke

Chelsey & Joe have been inseparable since attending high school together, and it was such a pleasure to be a small part of their wedding day! The wedding took place at Chelsey’s parents’ home in Holyoke, which had plenty of room for the tent & dancefloor. Chelsey opted for a natural look with soft peachy tones – here’s the before & after from our trial, which took place right before her engagement session:

I did makeup for Chelsey, her mom, her sister, and her bridesmaids. And I just loved all the Autumnal details!


Photography: Heidi Vail
Event Coordinator: Events By Gillian
Ceremony: Williston Northampton Chapel
Catering: The Federal
Flowers: Atkins Farms
Hair: The Lift Salon

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Makeup for Westfield Colleen Contest Court Member

After doing her makeup for the Friday night ball at Chez Josef, I was so pleased to learn that Susan Callahan earned a spot on the Grand Colleen’s Court – congratulations to Susan, to Grand Colleen Meghan Hurley, and all 28 young ladies who competed to celebrate their Irish heritage!

Westfield MA Colleen Contest 2013

2013 Westfield Colleen and her Court

Photography: Manon Mirabelli, MassLive.com

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Cara’s Pines Theater Wedding

Cara, one of my September 2012 brides, came via a recommendation from 2011 bride Melissa – very much appreciated! As requested, I did soft, subtle makeup for the lovely Cara and her mom (and also helped one of her maids with lashes) at one of the private houses at the Hotel Northampton. It was a wonderfully relaxed setting and I got to see a beautiful assortment of royal purple bridesmaids’ gowns in different hues – a wedding trend I’m really loving! Thanks to photographer Corey Torpie for sharing these images – you can see the full set at his blog here.

Photographer: Corey Torpie

Event Planner: Caroline Levine, Sweet Caroline Weddings & Events

Ceremony Location: Pines Theater at Look Park

Reception: The Northampton Center for the Arts

Hair: Brooke Shippa, The Chopping Block

Florist: Nuttleman’s Florist

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Kristen’s Engagement Session by Seth Kaye Photography

Kristen’s wedding isn’t until July 2013, which made September 2012 the perfect time to shoot engagement photos! I somehow missed the photographer Seth Kaye‘s Facebook post and am delighted to be sharing the images now.

(Looks like they visited the best of downtown – who doesn’t love The Roost?? And I love that they got a jump & kiss photo right in the middle of a busy intersection!)

Natural makeup with plum lips for engagement photos

Engagement photoshoot in downtown Northampton MA

Engagement shoot at the main intersection in downtown Northampton MA

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Amy & Leah’s Wedding at the Barn at Gibbet Hill

Two lesbian brides hold up Mrs. & Mrs. signs at their wedding in Groton MA

This wedding was pure joy to be a part of: Autumn colors, a bride (and her bridesmaids) wearing cowboy boots, another bride wearing crisp dress pants and a vest, and cows looking on during the first look photos… what more could I ask for??

I met Amy & Leah thanks to a referral from Kendra of Summer Street Photography (who had served as a model at a shoot I’d worked on earlier this year), and they booked me early and then scheduled their trial close to the big day. I did makeup for both brides: very light grooming on Leah (just a bit of complexion work, plus very soft eyeliner and mascara to bring out her green eyes) and a natural-yet-glam bridal look for Amy that emphasized her gorgeous blue eyes, as well as a few other family members. I even arrived early enough to wander around the grounds of The Barn at Gibbet Hill, where two weddings were taking place that day (it’s a VERY busy and popular New England wedding venue, so book early if you fall in love with it like I did!)

I had trouble choosing favorite photos, as you’ll see below…

brides kiss while holding out Autumn leaves

Two brides held aloft on chairs at their wedding reception at the Barn at Gibbet Hill

Two newlywed brides dancing at the reception

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Samantha’s wedding at Mt. Holyoke

Samantha booked me 9 months in advance of her wedding, which was a good decision on her part as I received so many inquiries for her date (6/23/12) in the months following her trial. (I was able to do makeup for Karen’s wedding that morning, but that’s all I could possibly squeeze in!) She also asked me for a hairstylist recommendation for her group, and I was so pleased to recommend my frequent collaborator, Jen.

Samantha opted for a soft, natural looking wedding makeup with a bit of emphasis on her lovely eyes. She enjoyed an elegant ceremony on the Mt. Holyoke campus, followed by a reception at The Log Cabin. Check out that gorgeous sunset!

Photography: Portraits by David

Hair: Jenursa

Ceremony venue: Abbey Chapel, Mt. Holyoke

Reception venue: The Log Cabin

DJ: Rob Alberti

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