What Have I been up to...

Summer just started and it's already over! It's been a busy few months, but it's been a GREAT few months. I even got a vacation thrown in the midst of wedding season. I am back and refreshed and ready to blog. I have ALOT of things to catch up on and tell you about. In the meantime, here's what I have been up to...

1. Anna and Joel flew in from Oregon, and I was lucky enough to work with each of them and their bridal party on their wedding day. Their photographer Jamie Jones captured the day, and even a few images of me applying touch-ups in the ivy! During Anna's trial we played around with a few options for a dramatic eye, and she fell in love with a style that complimented her eye shape. To achieve these beautiful eyes, apply Bobbi Brown's Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Black on the entire lid (stopping at the crease). Next, set the lid with Nars Eyeshadow in Night Clubbing. To soften the crease, use a pony tail brush to apply a mauve or heather grey matte shadow. You eventually want to fade the color into eyebrow arch, so your color needs to gradually go from black to white. The best way I can translate this look is to compare it to a rainbow! Think dark to light!

2. Taryn and Shelby are the photographers behind Joielala, who also captured Christie's wedding. I cannot wait to see the final results!!! (Check out the engagement session in the meantime...I used nuetral shades with a highlights of gold and rust.)

3. I met Katie, Katherine's MOH, while working on set at ModCloth in SF. This bridal party got ready at the Inn at The Presidio. Because they wore black dresses, I was free to play with color options for their eyes, cheeks, and lips. I wanted to compliment each bridesmaid's skin tone, so each gal had their own version of a natural look.

4. Katherine was inspired by a magazine editorial with Julia Roberts as the model. To replicate the look, we kept her skin clean and refreshed looking, using the appropriate primers before any foundation. I did not use any bronzer, just a plum blush on her cheekbones. For her eyes, I concentrated on keeping all the color (Plums/burgundy hues) on her top and bottom lash line for definition. After I lined the lashes with the darker shadow, I overlapped it with Bare Escentuals Celestine to add a shimmer. Last, but not least, we kept the lips light, but not too light, because I didn't want her to be washed out in photos. My favorite color for bridal season this year was Perpetual Plum, Maybelline's Superstay 24 Hour Color.

5. Meet Adrianna!! Stay tuned for some amazing images on the ModCloth site!

6. Jamie's wedding day makeup was inspired by Carrie Underwood! Dramatic eyes, a bold pop of color on the cheeks, and a lighter nude lip! Carbon eyeshadow by MAC helped me create this sultry look! Ashley Maxwell was her photographer... I'm drooling over the images already and I haven't even seen them yet!

7. My dear friend Taylor got married this August, and I was honored to be part of her special day! I decided that my new favorite blush color for blondes is Gaiety by Nars-it is sooo pretty!

8. This year, I have been doing lots of bridesmaid up-dos! Thank goodness for my amazing Hot Tools curling iron!

9. Stop by the Favour Shoppe Blog for some skincare tips!

10. Every time a bride tells me they are searching for the perfect location for their destination wedding-I can't help but tell them about The Azul Resort in Cabo. It is one of the most peaceful and beautiful resorts ever. Our first visit was for our honeymoon, this time around we went with some friends... so while the boys had their guy time, us girls spent the day at the Paz Spa getting massages!

11. August 21st was my 2 year anniversary with the hubs. Omg! How time flies!! I feel like yesterday we just got married! We spent a night in Monterey at the Clement Hotel. The room came with a fire place, chocolate anchovies, and Elemis bodycare!!

12. I normally get the standard pedicures when I go to the salon... but I decided to try something unusual and out of my box on my last visit to Lavande, and opted for the Chocolate Pedi. While I enjoyed  by chocolate covered almonds, hot cocoa, and all the sweet smelling lotions-my favorite part was the mud masque they used on my legs. My skin looked so bright after!

Make sure to follow me on Instagram!

XOXO
@priscillafrancinemakeup