Erin & Olin

I totally fell in love with this bride.  She and I had so much fun trying out different looks for her glamorous winter wedding.  I think we did three different trials - one with a red lip, one with a smokey charcoal eye, and finally a palette of gold, brown, and light pink.  We settled on the gold palette, which ended up looking amazing.  I even added a little gold shimmer to her foundation (Temptu airbrush)... the result was a gorgeous glow for her candlelight wedding at First Baptist Church.  Photos by Melody Smith Twilight Images

I LOVE THIS BRIDE!  Enough said...

Mallory & Chris

This couple epitomizes adorable.  They are just SO cute!!  Mallory and I went to middle and high school together, so you can imagine my delight when she asked me to style her bridal makeup this Fall.  It's so much fun to reunite with old friends.  Congratulations, Mallory & Chris!  Wishing you a life of love and laughter!   (Images by Mike Topham Photography)

Lindsay & Jamie

Aren't Lindsay and Jamie fabulous?  I loved working on this wedding because all of the elements were truly unique... It was high-fashion with vintage elegance.  Check out Lindsay's vintage brooch bouquet. 

Pretty Peach Cheeks

I rounded the apples of Kristen's cheeks in a soft peach using my airbrush and a combination of blush + bronzer.

First, I applied a matte bronzer to the temple and blended down toward the cheekbone.  Then I popped the apples of her cheeks with a soft pink (Temptu's "Peony").  The combination of the bronzer and light pink created a light peachy-pink that was so flattering on Kristen and completely fit the theme of her romantic fall wedding with light, airy details.

I finished the look with a berry lip-stain, warm eyeshadow pigments, and fluttery eyelashes by Makeup Forever.

A big thanks to Jennifer Colina for providing the beautiful images, Courtney Spencer of Merriment Events for the gorgeous event styling + coordination, and to Stephanie Parker  for assisting with makeup.

Hilarie + Matt

Hilarie and Matt are an adorable couple and I'm lucky to be one of their many friends.  Everyone who is truly friends with Hilarie knows that she is obsessed with peacock feathers, so it wasn't surprising that her wedding was bursting with color.  Even her hair fanned out from behind her veil like a peacock.

Hilarie and Matt were married at The Fork Church in Doswell, VA.  

I airbrushed the makeup of Hilarie and her Maid of Honor, Wendy (pictured below, bottom right).

I absolutely love this couple.  How cute are they?

A big thanks to Jamie Betts Photography for the images.

Sofia & Sal

I had so much fun working this three-day event. When Sofia hired me, she told me her wedding would have around 1,000 guests. I could not even fathom this until I walked into her venue (Hilton Short Pump, Hotel & Spa) and saw the ballroom decked out to the nines in her colors, teal and white.

All three days, I used TEMPTU airbrush foundation in the S/B formula, Mary Kay mineral eye & cheek colors (I especially loved their new eye colors Peacock Blue and Azure), Ardell lashes, and Mary Kay cream lipsticks mixed with clear gloss from Sephora.

A special thanks to Rachel Shrader for providing hair styling and to Nazia Morani Creativity for the photographs shown above.

All Ties Are Not Created Equal

Happy Father's Day Weekend!  As some of you know, I am leaving for my honeymoon tomorrow morning.  But before I head out of town for a week, I am sharing this guest post on men's ties... hopefully it will help you as much as it helped me!

I asked Omar to guest post this weekend because he is always on the cutting edge of men's fashion.  Check out what he had to say:

Hi Natalie,

Great to see you this weekend.  By the way, I wanted to give you some pointers on neckties since you were curious.  The best neckties are called "sevenfold" because historically, they were made with one large piece of silk, accordion-folded 7 times.  However, those ties don't drape well and tend to wrinkle.  These days, most top-notch "sevenfold" ties are actually 6-fold silk, with a wool interlining.  The very best ties are all cut by hand, the "tipping" (the bottom of the wide part of the tie) is hand folded up and hand stitched, and the tie is entirely stitched by hand so it can shift/flex/give a bit.   Fabrics are typically cut on the bias to ensure they hold their shape.

This one-page photoguide explains the process:

Tie Guide

Some of the best ties money can buy can be found here:
Carlo Franco Ties

There are many other manufactures. The fact is, to buy a bespoke tie, you need to turn it over and see the back.    

My tie at the wedding was zegna couture entirely handmade "7-fold" (i.e. 6 fold with lining) silk tie.  

You can't judge by the brand: I have bought $250 ferragamo ties that were complete crap.  Some labels will, however, always have great ties like kiton and brioni.

Omar.