Summer Weddings are So Cool.

Fontane and Ernie. Their August traditional Chinese tea ceremony and reception took place on a Saturday at the Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, California. If you've never been there, it really is a beautiful location to hold a party. Tucked away in a fancy neighborhood (really, I drove by the entrance twice before noticing it) the rustic yet romantic site include fountains, archways and tile work that just brighten up the whole place. And there was parking... lots and lots of parking! Though it was a very warm day, the stone walls and tile kept the inside of the venue nice and chilled.

I saw Fontane before her hair was done and she has pretty short hair. When I saw her again a couple of hours later I have to say, I was very impressed! Kathleen May at Maison Salon in Burlingame did a stellar job styling her hair into an up-do, making it look full and curly.

Below is a snapshot, taken by a guest, of both Ernie and Fontane's moms who were so excited to have their make-up done, but even more excited to see their kids marry each other. They were the nicest of wedding moms I've worked with.

I love how Fontane's lashes look in profile. And I just love this picture.
Photographer Deeba Yavrom of Donya Photography did a wonderful job capturing these candid moments of the lovebirds. Don't they look so happy? Speaking of lovebirds, check out the sweet topper on their cake! So adorable.

I only met Ernie for a brief moment as he stopped by to chauffeur the moms but he was so polite and sweet, thanking me for just doing my job. What a gentleman! Fontane is a lucky gal!

Thanks Fontane, for including me in your big day. Everything looked great!

So we met in a bar...

... no really, we did! Actually, it was the restaurant/bar where I worked as a waitress. It's been exactly two years since we first met and we've been inseparable ever since. What better way to celebrate than with a little photo shoot? My good friend Clarice of Happenstance Designs helped to style me since I had no idea what to wear. Thanks Claire for all the beautiful accessories!
I also wanted to do this as practice to see exactly how much make-up I would need in photos. Who knew that my skin would photograph so pale, especially in outdoor lighting? If I had to do it all over again, I would have used more blush and bronzer to create more dimension on myself, since I have very round cheeks! I would have also added thicker eyeliner for more frame on the eyes. I've found that it's much easier to do make-up on others where I can step back and look to see if more or less is needed. In spite of my lack of coloring, I was really happy with how all the pictures turned out. It was fun to wear lashes and play dress up for a bit.
Hope you enjoy some of the fun moments we had while shooting with Paul Bothwell. He's awesome! I love the splashes of blues he captured. Kevin and I have a fun life together and Paul helped us convey that in our photos. Thanks to Kevin for being such a good sport and keeping me smiling throughout the two hour long shoot (and every single day too!).

Friendly Brides are the Best!

August Wedding. Here are a few snapshots from the sweetest bride ever, Fontane (a new favorite name of mine!). Our morning started out with good conversation (turns out we're nearly neighbors), bananas and Chinese pastry buns. I wasn't able to see the final product on her wedding day as she had to rush off for hair and then to a traditional Chinese tea ceremony. I'm so happy to finally see these snapshots of her dress... beautiful! Check back for more photos soon!

Engagement Photoshoot

The Berkeley Rose Garden. Soft, overhead outdoor lighting. Beautiful, but challenging when it comes to doing make-up. Denise and Matt posed for engagement photos among the trees and rose bushes throughout the garden. This easy-going couple was great to work with, took suggestion well and had a fun time throughout the shoot. Photographer Paul Bothwell is quite the visionary, capturing graphic details, texture and lighting in each of his pictures. I definitely learned a lot from his perspective on just what photographs best outdoors.Not wanting to take away from the simplicity of the shoot, I decided to create a very natural face. The look we designed was very everyday and un-glamorous to compliment the outdoor space, greenery, and Denise's personal style which is unfussy, yet pretty. What was most important to me was to highlight the eyes knowing Paul would be focusing on the intimate looks they gave each other. Whereas wedding photography is fancy, clean and colorful and really makes the bride stand out, engagement photos are a little more relaxed and casual with more emphasis on the couple. I would save the glamor for the big day and keep the engagement photo make-up more low key, but still polished.
We used a cocoa eyeshadow in the crease and a pop of white matte on the brow bone. What kept the look simple was the use of neutral eyeshadow and more emphasis on the eyeliner, which is lifting and brightening without having to contour anything on the lid. Using an eyeshadow (not pencil) throughout the brow gave a soft look yet still gave frame to the eye. Then I added individual lashes on just the outer third of the eyes to help them pop.
I cannot stress the importance of lashes for photo shoots where everything needs to be just a touch more emphasized. Asian shaped eyes that are creased are especially challenging (trust me, I can sympathize) as they can look closed in or small when smiling. To make sure the liner will show in pictures, line the eyes first, smile into a mirror and note whether or not the liner disappears when the eyes are open. If not enough liner is showing, go a touch thicker. The lashes and liner really help to open up an Asian eye and can get otherwise blunt tipped and short lashes to stand out. Line just beyond the natural lash line and taper off towards the temples. To get false lashes to look most natural, line the eyes, curl the lashes, glue the individual lashes on, allow the glue to dry and set, touch up the liner to blend the base of the lashes in, and finally coat and blend real and false lashes together with a thickening mascara. Sounds like a lot of work but the results are well worth it!

And of course I couldn't post without a snapshot of the beautiful mom and her newest little nugget, Ryan.
I can't wait to see the rest of the photos and I look so forward to working with Paul again. Stay tuned for more of our collaborations!