Cambodian Couture.

Bochan is a local indie artist who I met through family friend Ruthie (Hi Ruthie!). I've been working with her the past few weekends on three different looks for her soon to be released music video. Bochan has a really cool vintage style that I caught onto while we prepped at her house. Her home is filled with beautiful Buddhist and Cambodian decor and her music and lyrics are inspired by her Cambodian culture. Check out her last video "Desires" to hear her beautiful voice!


Here are a couple of still images from the new video with Bochan and entourage in full Apsara costume. We used golden eyeshadows, applied with a wet brush, and defined black eyeliner to really make the eyes pop. An Apsara is a female spirit of water, fitting as the video shoot was postponed twice due to rain! Stay tuned for more behind the scenes shots of the video for Chnam Oun 16!

Make Up Lesson for Wedding Photos

Melinda. My good buddy from grad school. We share many a fun memory eating snacks together during museum happy hours and taking notes in Professor Luby's intense classes. I was flattered when Melinda asked me for lessons as her wedding was being held out of state. We spent an hour or so going over the pros and cons of certain products and what she would need to enhance her cuteness for her big day.

Might I add that she is a super woman, planning her wedding while writing her thesis. Wow! Here is a cute before photo of Melinda with Bitty, Munchy and new hubby Justin. As you can see, Melinda is naturally adorable and didn't need much advice. I just gave her some pointers to take it to the next level. Since we are museum loving dorks, it's no surprise that Melinda hosted her wedding at the Glover Mansion on the South Hill in Spokane, WA (built around 1880, designed by Kirtland Cutter). Yes, fun history facts are the things we museum people love to throw around. Can you blame us with beautiful architecture like this? Aww, such light-hearted fun! What did Melinda learn? Here's what she had to say:

"I tried to find a makeup artist back home, but after exhausting all my sources I decided that I could either go to makeup counter on my big day or do it myself. I knew that if I was going to do wedding makeup myself I needed better products and some great advice. I went to Michaela and she immediately understood what I needed. She showed me how to brighten up under my eyes with concealer and advised that I go heavier on eyeliner because it looks better in photos. I had plenty of time to practice my makeup ahead of time so I could perfect the look. Her advice and product recommendations helped give me a flawless look on my wedding day.

I did end up putting on some fake eyelashes for the wedding. My hair stylist actually put them on for me, but I'm really glad I did! Our photographer was amazing and I'm sure he touched up our photos a bit, but the recommended foundation stick has amazing coverage! And the cream eyeshadow hardly creased all night."Sigh, so pretty. She did a super amazing job on her makeup and I'm so pleased I could help. Her wedding looked like so much fun and I know she and Justin will also have a fun life together with their adorable dogs. Melinda, snacks again soon?
Photography by Eugene Michel Photography
Hair by Jenn Pauls

Makeup Lesson for Engagement Photos

Jessica. One of my very best friends in the whole wide world and also my cousin. She now lives in Southern California but came home to the Bay Area for Halloween weekend. She wanted to get some tips for natural makeup for beachy photos for engagement photos. I would do anything for this adventurous pastry chef who lived alone for a summer in Italy and brought home a delicious tiramisu recipe to me. Yum! Here is her before photo, taken with our favorite lil guy Hudson. Here she is after our lesson, with beautiful glowing skin and perfect eyebrows. What did Jess learn from our lesson? I offered up tips on my favorite photo friendly products and. Here's what she had to say:"When I found out that my photographer wanted to take our engagement photos at 9 am, I was nervous because that meant I had to do my hair and make up by myself! I usually like to leave that to the professionals, but since that was not an option, I called the best make up artist I know for tips, Michaela. She may be my family, but I asked her for help because she knows what she is doing and makes you look amazing! She was able to evaluate the make up that I already owned, and made additional product suggestions and more affordable options from Target or the drug store. She showed me how to properly apply each product and and how each product works to enhance your features.

To ease my nerves before the photo shoot, we went over step by step how to apply my make up and I followed that guide the next day. I was really happy with the results; my make up stayed in place and looked great! I am also more confident when doing my day to day make up, now that I know what to do and have the right products. Michaela is an artist by trade and that reflects in her flawless execution and knowledge in make up. She wants you to look your very best and feel confident and comfortable in your skin."

I've included a few photos from her session taken by Mike Arick Photography (with a great close-up of Jessie's perfectly applied eyeliner). He really captured the L-O-V-E between this cutey pie couple along with Jessie's natural beauty. Contact Mike for all of your Southern California photography needs!I can't wait to welcome Jason to our extremely loud family of eaters and am looking forward to their beach wedding in July which is sure to have delicious desserts. Thanks Jess! Super awesome review (I didn't pay her to say any of it, I swear!). For those of you looking for tips of lessons, just holler. I'd be happy to help!

A Custom Made Wedding.

March 6, 2010. Kristin just sent over these great snapshots from her spring wedding at the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland with a sweet note, "thanks again for making me look amazing." You may remember me mentioning all the great details from a previous post. Her wedding was perfection featuring peacock blues and custom dresses for both her and her bridesmaids. I took great notes of the colors used on Kristin in my favorite notebook too!
Hope you enjoyed these great shots!

The Meritage Resort

Napa, California. Being in the wedding biz can take away from the magic of what the day really means. This wedding was truly a modern day fairytale and really brought back the enchantment for me.

Rose and Chris pulled out all the stops for this beautiful autumn wedding complete with an homage to football, their favorite sport. They met through mutual friends but Rose won Chris over by showing him how much she really knew about football. Sporty yet elegant, this wine country wedding was the stuff of jock dreams. I got to try out my new camera (thanks Papa Ted!) and captured some truly unique details.

What you need to know about Rose- the lady has perfect skin. Flawless. She is also a minimal makeup wearer and wanted something natural and pretty. Not hard since she's so naturally gorgeous. What else is amazing about Rose? She's the mother of the sweetest tweenager you've ever met, which is crazy since Rose looks like she's fresh out of high school. Here's Alina, pictured below with the skilled Miss Michelle fixing up her locks.

The Meritage Resort is a seriously grown-up venue, perfect for a sophisticated event.

Chris was a tough critic throughout the trial process, not quite loving Rose in a smokey eye. But his personal thanks to me after the ceremony was all I needed to know that I had hit the nail on the head with soft lashes and blush pinks. Thanks Rose and Chris for bringing the magic back for me! And a huge thanks goes out to beautiful Brittany and her talented momma Michelle who knocked out the bridesmaids' hairstyles in record time. I couldn't have done it without you both!