Happy Wedding Wednesday beauties!

Today I want to share three products that are must-haves for my bridal kit. I selected three products I can use no matter what skin type or complexion I’m servicing. 

 1. I have bought brow products from every high-end brand on the market from Mac to Dior. Some brow products that used to be staples in my kit, like Mac’s brow pencil in Spiked, have failed me after a while. My favorite brow pencil began to break every time I pressed it into a client’s skin, so I searched high and low to find a substitute for my beloved Mac brow pencil. One day while shopping at Ulta, I stumbled upon Benefit’s Precisely, My Brow and my brow game changed!!! This brow pencil works for me because my clients and I are into more of a natural hair-like brow where you can see hair and not pencil lines and strokes. Eyebrows on fleek may be in fashion for some people, but a natural fluffy brow is classic!! Precisely, My Brow comes in 6 colors. Give it a try, ladies! 

 2. Tatcha The Water Cream!!!! I use at least 3-5 different moisturizers in my kit for different skin types, but I can use Tatcha Water Cream on ANYONE!!! This water-based moisturizer adds a burst of hydration to Normal, Oily, Combination, and Sensitive Skin. If someone has dehydrated skin, I can still use this, but I would mix it with an emollient moisturizer. The Water Cream is excellent at smoothing pores and creating a flat surface for foundation to lay on top of. If you are a person concerned about Sulfates, Parabens, or Formaldehyde in skincare products, I am delighted to tell you that this product is listed under the “Clean” brands at Sephora. The “Clean” brands exclude all the harmful fillers and other junk found in most skincare products. 

 3. Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté Shine Oil-In-Stick Lipstick is AMAZING!!! I consider this formula to be a hybrid between a lipstick and a lipgloss. It feels soft and silky, it smells incredible, and the color payoff is just right! I know a lot of grooms hate kissing their bride with sticky lipsticks and glosses, but he’ll love the smell and feel of this one! Of course, he’ll want to wipe off any color residue so make sure his hanky is close by! This formula comes in 31 colors so you’ll be able to find the perfect color for your big day! 

 Let me know if you try any of the products mentioned above! 

Enjoy this beautiful Wedding Wednesday!! 

 xoxo Danielle Rochon    

This a hot topic especially among makeup artists because it can be challenging to understand what a client is asking for especially if she’s asking for a “natural look,’ but she’s showing you “Instagram-style” makeup that is full coverage, heavy, and filtered to the max.

 I have dealt with this challenge with my clients. As a makeup artist, I realize it is not the client’s fault if she cannot decipher what she is looking at. Her eyes are not trained the way a makeup artist’s eyes are trained, and she may not be able to identify coverage, gradients of color, or face shapes/eye shapes, etc. 

So what’s the solution to this big issue? The answer is for makeup artists to ask the right questions about a client’s preferences, history with makeup, lifestyle, clothing, accessories, and comfortability with makeup. By investigating and learning more about a client’s tastes and desires, we should be able to determine what she is asking for.

So what can a bride-to-be do to ensure she is communicating what she wants? I’m going to share an exercise I use with my brides. 

First, collect photos of makeup you love. Scrutinize the images to identify what you love about the makeup look. Is it the color choice on the eyes and lips that you love? Is it the way the skin glows? Do you like how natural the makeup looks in photos? 90% of my clients sit in my chair and ask for “natural makeup.” I always ask them to describe what “natural” means to them. A chuckle always follows this! Guess what!?!? Natural means something different to each person. After they describe natural and I look at the photos they brought, I break down what’s natural in the picture and what’s not. The biggest tip I can give a bride-to-be is to understand natural doesn’t mean “neutral” colors on the face. I have used “neutral’ colors on clients who had full coverage foundation and lots of contouring. It may look natural in photos, but it is not “natural makeup.” I just used soft colors and blended them well. 

 Listed below are three tips to help you describe what you want when visiting your makeup artist: 

 Tips 

 1. Determine what colors you want to use on your eyes and lips. For example, you can say, “I want a soft bronzey eyeshadow with a soft peach lip.” Your makeup artist should then talk to you about eye shape and placement suggestions. 

 2. Think about what kind of foundation coverage you want. Take into consideration what condition your skin is in. If you want your skin to show or you don’t want to look like you’re wearing foundation, ask for a sheer coverage foundation. When I used to work for MAC, we described sheer coverage as pantyhose and full coverage like tights. Pantyhose are pretty see-through, and tights are opaque. You may want your foundation to be somewhere in the middle (medium coverage). 

 3. Think about what kind of textures you want on your skin, eyes, and lips. Foundations come in many different textures. Matte foundation is very flat and has no sheen. Dewy foundations give off a healthy glow. If a matte foundation and a dewy foundation made a baby, it would be what you call a modern day “Satin” foundation. Your makeup artist should evaluate your skin to determine which foundation would be the best fit for you. The three pictures above demonstrate three different types of foundation coverage and texture. The first is a medium-to-full coverage foundation with a dewy finish. The second is a medium coverage foundation with a matte finish, and the third is a sheer coverage foundation with a natural finish. Each one of these ladies described “natural” as their makeup style, but only the last one is a true natural makeup. If you examine the photo carefully, her foundation is almost imperceptible, and she wanted very neutral colors on her eyes and nearly no blush. I describe the last bride as my “Meghan Markle bride.” This bride truly wants little enhancement, and she has the skin to carry little to no foundation. A great makeup artist is going to help you understand what you’re looking at in photos, communicate honestly whether or not she can deliver your desired look, and execute your dream look once she has an understanding of what you want.

I hope these tips help you prepare for your bridal trials or makeup appointments. 

Let me know if this post helped by following me on Instagram @daniellerochonmakeup and commenting below my blog post there. 

 Danielle Rochon           

   Brides often ask me to give them the “bridal glow”. In pop culture, the bridal glow is referred to as the “J Lo Glow”. Let’s start off with what a bridal glow is and isn’t. A bridal glow is soft radiant skin and strategic highlighting that looks amazing in person, as well as in photography and videography. If you think about how your skin looks after an amazing day at the spa, you get my reference. 

A bridal glow is not oily skin or Instagram-style highlighting. It is a lit-from-within glow, achieved through proper skincare usage and what you’re putting into your body. 

What you eat as well as what you put or don’t put on your skin can affect the way your skin looks on the surface. 

For example, not using an SPF daily can result in hyperpigmentation and uneven skin as well as cause skin damage. 

Skin that has never been exfoliated does not produce an untextured and even surface. 

Eating junk food and drinking soda and alcohol can cause inflammation and inflammation can cause wrinkles, lines, and collagen breakdown. 

All of these things can cause lackluster skin on your big day and I know you’ve spent so much time and money on making sure your day is as beautiful and special as possible. Makeup is a great tool to enhance your look on your special day, but makeup has limits. If you don’t take care of the biggest organ on your body, your skin,  your makeup will not look it’s best. 

I want to help you achieve your best skin by suggesting a few products (see above.) My absolute favorite exfoliator is from Sonia Roselli Beauty. See the link below.  I’ve tried each of these skincare products and I can tell you they will make a difference. 

Along with a balanced diet, AHA is the first ingredient necessary to sloughing off dead skin and revealing a fresh complexion. AHA stands for Alpha Hydroxy Acid. You’ve probably heard of many forms of AHAs such as Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Mandelic Acid, and Citric acid. These acids can be found naturally in some foods and plant-based sources. They work by weakening the cellular glue that makes dead skin cells stick together. When dead skin cells break down, fresh skin is revealed on the surface and secondary products can penetrate the skin cells better. 

The next step in achieving radiant skin is using a serum that has healthy oils and extracts to target your needs. There are so many serums on the market that claim to do a little bit of everything. Make sure you buy a serum that has been heavily researched.  Try serums that help you achieve brightness, clarity, and radiance. My favorite serum to use is Odacite’s Gt + L Radiance Effect Serum for glowing skin or a little bit of Sonia Roselli’s water oil.  

When it comes to eating for a beautiful complexion, avocados, turmeric, blueberry, bone broth, and lemon are a few ingredients known to help bring a beautiful glow from inside out. Try adding a few of these to your diet.

Lastly, choose a makeup artist whose work speaks to the kind of bride you are. If the way your skin looks is super important to you, look for someone who is skincare focused. 

If you are getting married in Chicago and radiant skin is a must-have, contact me to set up a bridal trial to discuss your needs. I love meeting women who love glowing skin as much as I do.

Here’s a link to Sonia Roselli’s skincare. Her line is a must-have for brides and any woman who loves gorgeous skin! My favorite combo that works for any skin type is The Originals Kit. Thank me later ladies! 

https://soniaroselli.com/?rfsn=3882147.c84acc

Wishing you a beautiful glowing big day!

Danielle Rochon