May Day!: Painting Faces

With hair done, it was time for my entourage to get their makeup on! Luckily, there were a ton of mirrors around--it was like the suite was made for a bridal party in the getting ready stages.

Personal Photo

There were makeup brushes and eyeshadows galore, scattered all over the counter and on any surface where a mirror was available.  Mascara wands were wielded to tame unruly eyelashes; blush and bronzer powdered on to combat the early-summer lack of color we were all experiencing. 

A Christmas Day Makeover

Christmas brought Sister Goodlaff to us all the way from L.A., and with her an opportunity to try and answer an as-yet unresolved wedding day question: what to do with my face?

I decided to trust Sister Goodlaff, who is about two and a half years my junior, to not exact her revenge for all the torture I put her through in her younger years, and I graciously let her come near me with eyeliner, mascara, and an eyelash curler (i.e: devices of torture). I had clipped a few inspiration pictures from magazines and gave her general guidelines:

1. No spackled foundation
2. Make it look natural, not runway
3. Don't hurt me

I would like to say she followed all three rules, but I would be lying.

Putting My "Wed" Face On

I'm not what you would call a makeup expert.  My morning routine consists of lotion, eyeliner, brow liner, mascara, and a bit of bronzer or blush (depends on my mood) for color; I'm usually done in about three minutes.  No fuss, just the basics.  On my wedding day, though, I want to look better than my best, which means a full face of makeup. 

Lately I've been watching a lot of Wedding Day Makeover on TLC and after seeing all the before and afters, I began kicking around the idea of getting my makeup done for the wedding.  I could just sit back and let someone else do the smoky eye or put on the blush--sounds good to me!  So, I started researching makeup artists in the area.  

Can you say highway robbery?  Holy crap!  I was shocked by the amount of money they want to charge for their services. I just can't see how it's worth $180 for someone to apply my eyeshadow (though, to be fair, this was the highest price I saw). I know that most of what you pay for is their expertise and time, but still...

Thus began the great Makeup Debate: