On a Bride's wedding day, everything is planned down to the last detail. Its such a lovely thing as a Makeup Artist, to be a part of that special morning and also to meet the family. For the few hours you are there, you really do feel like part of the furniture, like you've known them for years and when you leave its sad to say goodbye. This year I've had the pleasure of working on a number of gorgeous Mothers of the Bride/Groom and I have just recently shared an album on my facebook page www.facebook.com/bridalmakeupessex of some glamourous ladies so far this year!

Often the Mothers of the Bride/Groom are the unsung heroes of the day. They are there to calm nerves and make sure all is in order and often, we forget how important that they are and also how much emotion they feel on the day! They truly deserve to be pampered and spoiled and like the Bride are on show for the day and want to look amazing too! Here are some tips for gorgeous and flawless Makeup for the Mother of the Bride/Groom.

1. Take time out to start a proper skin care routine to get rid of any dry/flakey patches and also to get it in tip top condition. Slightly more mature skin often can be drier or more sensitve due to hormone changes and also sun damage and its never too early to begin a good routine!
2. Visit a coumter and buy a long lasting foundation! Ask for samples if they are available and try them out. You dont want anyhting to look too dry on the skin. Estee Lauder are always great for mature skins.
3. Buy waterproof Mascara. I cant stress this enough.
4. Think about your eyebrows! As we age our hair can thin on the eyebrows and its worth learning how to pencil them in properly. Well drawn eyebrows can add so much defieniton to the face. If you are considering tattooing, do this a few months before the big day.
5. Wear an eyeliner. Lots of more mature ladies I meet say they dont wear it, or if they do, only underneath. Wearing it on the lower lid only, will make you look tired. Invest in a good, long wear gel liner and practice putting it on to the top lashes. Again as we age, we lose definiton along our lash line, so by doing this you will open your eyes out and make them look more defined and the lashes appear thicker.
6. Apply lip liner after you have applied lipstick. It seems like the wrong way around but by doing this you will use the full area of the mouth, rather than painting a lipstick inside a drawn on line.
7. When we age, the collagen in our skin starts to decrease and this can happen very quickly in the lips. To give the lips a fuller look, try placing a dot of clear gloss on the middle of the lower lip. The light will catch it, reflect and give the impression of a fuller lip. If not then buy a lipstick that has some shine to it, rather than a matte colour.
8. Concealer under the eyes. If you have grey/blue tones under your eyes then a corrector and concealer will give them an instant lift. Have a look at Bobbi Brown's Instant Eye Brightener. www.bobbibrown.co.uk

Those are some beginners tips for the more mature lady. If you are having a Makeup Artist on the day then take the stress out of the morning and be pampered by someone who knows what they are doing. You will be pleased that you did. xx

Hello everyone. I just wanted to write a very quick note to say that I have been nominated in the Hair & Makeup Category for Wedding Ideas Magazine Wedding Awards 2014! As you can imagine I'm over the moon and it has rounded off what has been a very special year for me. Although I have been a Makeup Artist for a long time this is my first official year of trading as a lone ranger and what an amazing year it has been! I've met so many wonderful Brides, have been lucky enough to travel to some gorgeous venues and also had the pleasure of meeting the wonderful ladies at BRA. (Breast Reconstruction Awareness). I have also been lucky enougn to get involved with a wonderful charity called the Wedding Wishing Well Foundation. Not to mention takingt part in three wedding fairs and getting to make lots of friends in the industry!

I'm registered with the most fantastic Bridal Directory called The Wedding Gateway, who in turn work very closely with Wedding Ideas Magazine. The magazine have asked The Gateway to sponser the awards and also to put forward 17 suppliers in each of their categories for a nomination into the awards. And for Hair and Beauty they picked ME!!!
The voting will begin on 30th October and I will post here when it does. Once the voting starts, the nominees get whittled down to the lucky 5 that will go forward to the final ceremony. I'll be keeping all my fingers and toes crossed!
xxx

Hi everyone. Short but sweet update!

Just to make you aware that I'm now offering Wedding Makeup Lessons! This is a great and very affordable way to ensure you look amazing on your wedding day without the extra cost of having me come to your home on the morning. It could be that you have an extremely hectic wedding morning planned, with lots of bridesmaids and organising to do so as much as having someone do your Makeup is the best option, you just havent got the budget for it! I can come 3-4 weeks before your big day and give your makeup bag an overhaul and teach you how to do perfect Bridal Makeup yourself. I can even direct you to online shopping sites where you can buy the products for yourself and make sure you have everything you need!

The price for this personal tutorial will be £40.00 excluding any additional travel 15 miles outside of the CM7 postcode. Contact me now to have an informal chat about your wedding day!

Hi everyone! I'm sure you, like myself are all loving this sunshine. However, a sudden, unexpected heat wave, as lovely as it may be can strike fear into the heart of anyone about to go to a special day long occasion, like a wedding and doing their own makeup. So here are a couple of tips on how you can look cool and keep your makeup in place all day long.
Firstly use a waterproof, heat resistant foundation such as Estee Lauder Double Wear, Waterproof Base from Makeup Atlier Paris or Mac's Studio Fix and fix it with a good setting powder such as Laura Mercier's Invisable Loose Setting Powder. To read more about some of these brands visit www.esteelauder.co.uk or www.lauramercier.com
Use a soft powder puff to push the powder into the skin rather than sweeping it across with a brush. You'll be guaranteed a faultless application and it'll last all day.
When applying Bronzer or Blusher keep it matt! If you use anything with shimmer in this weather, you'll end up looking sweaty, no matter how pretty it looks in its packaging. Take extra with you in a handbag and perhaps top up for the evening, as by then it'll be dimmer lighting and it will look pretty! For great shimmer on the go check out Nars Blushers. They have saucy names but are gorgeous on the skin! www.narscosmectics.co.uk

Its fine to use some shimmer on the eyes, just avoid the face and cheeks. However, use a waterproof liner, either pencil or gel, whatever you prefer. Most makeup houses will do one. Seventeen have just launched Backlash Gel Liner and its truly great. Still in place after a day at Maldon Quay in this heat. Also go for a waterproof mascara, for tears on a wedding day as well as heat. Check it out here!

http://www.boots.com/en/Seventeen-Backlash-Mascara_1348724/
Many high street brands are now 'water resistant' but if its truly waterproof it'll say it on the product. Maybelline Rocket Lash do a great version and Estee lauder's Double Wear Mascara is amazing. Just make sure you have some oilbased Makeup remover to get it off.
If you are reappying powder during the day for a bit more coverage, first just blot off any excess oil or sweat on the skin. If you have time to search for blotting paper beforehand that'll do the trick, but a piece of tissue will work the same. If you keep applying powder over old makeup, the foundation beneath can move and start to come away on the skin. Then the powder will sit badly on the surface and look 'cakey'.
But hopefully if you've done most of the above, the need to keep reapplying powder should be minimal! Have fun in the sun everyone! And don't forget your Sunblock. xx