? + A with Connie, Owner

Q: Why do you do what you do?

A: Weddings are special. Watching my brides and their other halves lose each other in their eyes reminds me of my big day and what I love about my husband. Every time I help a bride get ready, I fall in love with my husband all over again. My wish to all my brides is that they think back to their wedding days often, and strive to live each day as if they've just been pronounced Mr. and Mrs.

Q: Describe your bridal makeup style.

A: My goal is for future sons and daughters of any client to be flipping through their parents' wedding album 40 years from now, and with each picture of my client, think to themselves - "Mom looked stunning!" Under my care, you can expect to look natural and fresh but not defined by the time. I consider Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly to be timeless beauties. A bride should be memorable in a refreshing way, today and always.

Q: What else sets you apart?

A: Your wedding day is one of the most important segments in the "movie" of your life. Not only will you be the protagonist in a long albeit meaningful day filled w lots of happy tears, hugs and kisses and very few if any breaks, you can also expect to be in the spotlight for 15 hours or more under all types of lightings and channels including:

- Daylight
- Artificial light
- Black/white photo
- Colored 
- HD Video


The making and maintenance of your image on this amazing day is where Connie and her team comes in. Here are why brides choose us:

1. Modern yet timeless aesthetics developed from working with models and real women for clients such as ELLE Magazine, GLAMOUR Magazine, Neiman Marcus and Saks 5th Avenue.

2. Performance under pressure from having as little as 10 minutes to get news anchors and guests ready for live-TV such as CNN and ESPN.

3. Quest for perfection - brides choose us because they know we don't skimp on quality products and we treat them like a queen - it's the least we could do on the most important day of their lives. More, we make you look stunning under all types of lighting and camera setups as a result of the experience working with photographers and videographers on national advertising campaigns.

With us as your beauty "crew", you will not only survive the Big Day, but come out with breath-taking photos and videos to tell the story of your life for generations to come.

Read what our past clients say here.

Q: What brands of products do you use for your work in general?

A: The requirements for a product to be in my kit, regardless of brand, is that it must be long lasting, water-resistant or waterproof, and it must photograph and video-capture well in the HD format. I've yet to find one brand who has consistently met those requirements in all its makeup products, so I select my favorites from a variety of brands. They include:

DC luxury high end makeup artist hair stylist

Q: What should brides expect when working with you?

A: As much as I love doing makeup and hair, they are means to the end of making people happy. Therefore, you can expect me to stand behind the Pledge of Service (read more here). During the preview, I work with the bride so she knows she will look and feel her best walking out of our session. To do so, I get a sense of your comfort level styles-wise ahead of time, and check back with you at key design decision points during the preview. At the end of the preview, I take a series of 360 degree pictures of the hair design, so the bride knows exactly how she will look to people around her on the wedding day. Makeup pictures are also taken during the preview and studied with the bride, so we can be sure the makeup is perfect not only in person but also in pictures.

For large bridal parties, I prepare a detailed schedule with time segments, artist & bridal party names based on the requested stop time and services. This gives peace of mind to the bride and all the attendees and affected vendors on the wedding day.

Q: What is a preview and what is the best time to schedule one?

A preview is where we work together to come up with your Wedding Day Beauty Plan: from the obvious aspect of hair and makeup design, to how to care for your skin and hair in terms of diet and daily routine for best results on the wedding day, to where to order the right extensions for your hair, to what instructions to give your hairdresser at your next hair cut given your wedding day hair style, to the wedding day beauty schedule. After the preview, you will feel invincible (at least in the beauty planning department!). Brides often book us 5-14 months ahead of the wedding day, but wait till much later to do the preview. For best results and to minimize surprises, we recommend the preview to be scheduled to occur 1-2 months before your wedding for the following reasons:

1. The skin often behave differently in various season of the year. Having the preview 1-2 months before allows for enough time ahead to implement any skin care regiments we recommend to optimize your skin, while still permit us to work with similar skin characteristics as on your wedding day. 

2. Makeup and hair designs are heavily influenced by the style/color of your wedding gown, followed by bridesmaids dress colors, venue decor, flower colors & style, lighting color, and photo session location/time of the day. The more of such references are available, the more on-point you will look on the wedding day. That's why it's best to wait till after you have worked out these details so we can come up with a look that's cohesively beautiful for your unique wedding. 

Q: I have a preview session scheduled in a week, is there anything I should do to get ready for it?

A: For best results from the preview session:

1. Exfoliate with a mild facial scrub everyday, focusing on area with try skin, large pores and oil secretion, around the nose and on the lips - this will polish off the dead cells laying on the facial skin to reveal a smooth canvas on which to apply makeup

2. If there's redness on the face, try eating 2 organic apples a day with the skin on.

3. If hair is fine and oil-prone, wash the day of the preview with shampoo and conditioner, focusing on conditioning the end of hair shaft to prevent tangling. Otherwise, wash the night before the preview. No straightening,and no deep conditioning treatment (e.g. Keratin) please. If you must deep condition, do so at least 2 weeks before the preview.

If possible, please send the following info ahead of time as it will help me propose hair and makeup designs that will work for you:

1. Picture of you in the Dress

2. The wedding venue 

3. Colors/styles of bridesmaids' dresses

4. Wedding theme/colors & flower colors

5. Any other gowns you will be changing into other than the wedding dress

6. Websites of photographer & videographer.

Also any hair and makeup styles you already like, I'd love to see them, too!

Q: I see you offer touchups. Why is it important and what does it involve?

A: In a nutshell, the touchup service makes sure your wedding day is truly picture perfect. It is by far the most requested service by brides and the reason why photographers like to refer their brides to us. Here are 3 top reasons why the touchup services help make your Big Day a perfect day: 

1. We work with the photographer toward making each shot a perfect shot. On the wedding day, the photographer and his/her assistants will be busy with scouting out sites, directing poses, working the cameras, reflector and speedlights. As a result, it can be very easy to overlook the finer but important details of a strand of hair across the face,or gowns and veils skewed by the wind. Yet, they can ruin an otherwise perfect picture! This is when getting the touchup services can be a good idea. Touchup services include:

- Staging your hair, veil, and gown for optimal display during photo sessions.

- Working with the photographer to adjust the makeup to meet various outdoor conditions (for example, sunny versus overcast skies, day versus night)

- Any accidents (sweating or rainy/windy weather, etc.) that may results in the need for some extra prettying up!

2. The touchup service let you to truly "be there" for your Big Day by giving you a peace of mind. In addition to helping you look perfect for posterity in pictures, brides love this service because it gives them tremendous peace of mind from not having to worry about tripping over their gowns when walking about, or how their makeup and hair are holding up during a windy day or after 7 hours of non-stop fanfare. Even brides with a large number of bridesmaids tell us that they had benefitted from having a stylist taking care of their ensembles, because oftentimes, their bridesmaids had bouquets in hands and were on high-heels and skirts - having a stylist that's 100% focused to provide nimble and quick assistance was priceless.  

3. The touchup service allows you to have hair and makeup customized to each of your dresses, so you will always look stunning!  As the day turns to night, the day-time makeup will be retired and redesigned for the evening affair, and hair is updated to give you the flexibility to dance and party all night long! If you will be changing to a different dress, the makeup and hair will also be adapted to your new outfit so you will always look on point!  

All our services can be further customized to meet your exact needs, just let us know how I and my team can make it special for you!







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