Hair comes the bride!

A Cambodian bride will have more than a dozen wardrobe changes on her wedding day or days if she chooses to go all out. She will have her hair styled and make up applied just as many times. As a no fuss bride, I prefer practicality over tradition. I plan on wearing two traditional wedding outfits for the morning ceremony and than don my white gown for the evening reception. This means I will have two looks for the wedding. My make up for the Cambodian wedding will be on the dramatic side. I will go more natural for the Western reception. As for hair styles, I love the half up and half down dos with soft romantic curls. A dramatic updo is also timeless and classic too. My hair trial isn't until May 5th so I have a little more time to narrow it down.

Custom Crazy: Etsy Finds

Nobody wants a cookie cutter wedding. So why not put your own spin on things by having personalizations that will make your wedding a memorable event! Etsy, the global market place for unique goods and hand crafted artifacts has a section devoted to weddings. There is everything from one of kind custom cake toppers to snazzy bride maids gifts. It's truly your one stop place for creative finds.

Some Etsy goods we purchased for our wedding include a custom made rubber address stamp from Sugar Letter. We also had wedding stationary created by Kemba Celebrations. There are a few more customizations we have in mind.

For our head table - Custom Name Luiminaries lit by mini led tea lights. I intend to add fresh or silk flowers as accent to the luminaries. The color of the card stock and font can be customized. Symbols can also be added too. See Paper Acorn for more designs and pricing info.

A custom cake banner ($20) with a paper bride and groom cake topper ($8) adds a fun factor with vintage charms. Created by Ready Go

As part of the gift set to my bridesmaid, I wanted to

give them each a silk dupioni cosmetic envelope or jewelry roll (pictured above). I'm going to include a treasure trove of beauty products and some nifty trinkets as a way of saying thanks. I also want a money bag with Pepe's last name customized on it. Prices range from $10.99-$28.99 Created by Plethora

Beauty Blues

It has been 4 long sad months since my last facial. I normally get a specialty facial or micro/peel at a spa almost every 6-8 weeks. It was my ME time to relax and rejuvenate. I kept up with an at home routine that included exfoliating and using a masque every week. Now I just wash my face twice a day (with my clarisonic) and use a toner and moisturizer at night. Yes, the very bare minimum. Sometimes, I even slap on some sun screen. I know. Shame on me! SPF is really important. And while, I have never been a make up junkie (don't wear any), the health of my skin has always been important to me. Unfortunately, work, school, and the financial strains of paying for a wedding and furnishing a new home has taken away the time to maintain my beauty routine. So starting next month, I will go back to taking care of me. I just need to pick up a slew of products from Sephora next week including

1.Shu Uemura Skin Purifier Cleansing oil
- used primarily to remove make up or excess oil/dirt
2. Boscia Clarifying Detox Mask
-Natural and Organic, I use this along with the cleanser and toner from the same line. Boscia is by far my favorite skincare brand.
3. Yu-Be Foaming skin polish
- Natural and Organic, a great exfoliant that isn't too abrasive even for sensitive skin types. I am trying to use beauty and skincare products with the least amount of parabens or toxins but are still effective and produce great results.
4. L'Occitane Ultra Rich Body Cream W/ Shea Butter
- Super soft non greasy formula that makes my skin feel like silk!

Hair Inspiration

Air Brush Make Up Trial

Picture taken by Sara Faella at her studio on June 27th, 2011 at 1 pm.

My trial with Sara Faella was a success! I absolutely love the bridal look she created for me using the Temptu air brush make up and the HD make up. My make up lasted all day even with the humidity and rain (yes, rain). I was standing in line at the Phantom Gourmet BBQ beach party when the rain clouds rolled in and started to pour. Despite the weather, the make up didn't melt or smudge. Pretty impressive eh? Well it takes a really talented and skillful make up artist to do this and Sara...well she is amazing because she works with your best features while playing down the rest to produce a flawless and appealing visage. Needless to say, I am booking her for make up (she does hair too) and I am having her create me a custom couture hair piece. Sara has such a warm and bubbly personality that having her on my big day is sure to bring smiles to everyone.



Pictures taken 9 hrs later - sorry for the poor quality. I quickly took them with the camera phone before we headed out again.

Bridal Beauty Inspiration

Air brush Make up

I've never been one to wear too much make up. But I knew on my wedding day I needed a pro on hand. However as a tan complexioned Asian American woman, it is a pretty harrowing experience getting my make-up done. Most of the time I feel like the make up artist is not used to working with my skin tone. Another major issue I have is that my wedding is from 9 am to midnight. So I am considering the alternative to the traditional liquid and powder foundation. Air brush make up is suppose to be light weight, quicker to apply and longer lasting. It has a 99.99 foundation colour match, which is super important to me. It covers up any imperfections that digital photography can capture. The con is that there are no reputable air brush make up artist in the R.I area and the price is higher than traditional make up application. I love the low maintenance approach and anything that will save us time on my wedding day is a PLUS. So shelling out more moolah to ensure flawless make up with no touch ups is well worth it. Now I just have to find a great air brush make up artist. I have found a few recs online via photographers and other brides from the MA area.

1. Dani Wagerner
http://www.daniwagener.com/

2. Caitlin Murphy
http://caitlinmurphystylist.com/
- Bridal Airbrush Makeup 125
- Trial: $100
- Attendant Airbrush Makeup 75

3.Gjokaj Makeup
http://www.gjokajmakeup.com/

4.Ligia
http://www.makeoversbyligia.com/
- air brush make up $180 for Bride
- air brush make up $75 for attendants

5.Girly Junk Robin & Sam
http://www.girlyjunk.com/services
- air brush make up $80 per person
- travel fee $20

Before & After: Bridal Make up

Skin Rx: Clean & Clear

The wedding day is one of the most photographed days in a bride's life. Manicures and Pedicures are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to looking your best. Even a relatively nice complexion can benefit from nine- six months of stress-relief, proper nutrition, and added water-drinking. It is definitely key to meet with a licensed esthetician or dermatologist to analyze your skin and create a customized plan geared specifically towards your skincare needs.

Cortisone Shot is the best way to treat a mountain size pimple. Not for the needle phobias out there but for anyone who can brave the quick injection of the miracle steroid, this procedure is instant gratification. Great for those brides who only have 48 hrs before their wedding. This shot fights the inflammation and the pimple head.You need a dermatologist for this procedure and it usually costs around $125 but it may be covered by insurance. Cortisone shot is also used as treatment for keloid scars.

For those who suffer from acne or severe hormonal break outs during that wonderful time of the month, a switch in oral contraceptives may help significantly reduce the acne. All birth control pills contain synthetic hormones that imitate the hormones that a woman naturally produces. However, some oral contraceptives like Yasmin has been known to work effectively against acne. Yasmin for acne treatment is a monophasic combination birth control pill, which combines the two major female sex hormones, Estrogen and Progesterone. Talk to your gynecologist or reproductive health councilor if Yasmin is right for you.

Another option for clear skin is a treatment called, Isolaz. It utilizes a new technology called photopneumatics. The two pronged approach to treat acne uses a vaccum to suck up excess oil from the pores and a painless laser to reduce bacteria content. It usually takes 1-4 treatments but it does come with a steep price tag, between $400-$600 per treatment. The perk is that the procedure last about 10 minutes with minimal redness and can be used to remove unwanted hair, fight sun damage and is practically painless. In about one month, you can achieve clear skin with Isolaz.

Of course a good cleansing program is important too. Use a multi-step system including

• a good cleanser appropriate for your skin-type in the mornings
• make-up remover and cleanser at night
• daily moisturizer with an spf
• an exfoliant once to several times a week.

For acne prone skin types, I suggest using a cleanser with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide of at least 2%. For those who have sensitive oily skin like myself, Boscia Clear Complexion Cleanser with botanical blast is a great cleanser. I use this in conjunction with the Boscia Clear Complexion toner with botanical blast. It works for all skin types especially those with sensitive skin and the entire Boscia line is preservative free so you'll feel good knowing that the skincare products you use are not toxic to your skin.

It should be noted I also use the Clarisonic facial brush. This device is really effective in removing make up residue and giving an overall clean face. The FI gave me the Clarisonic for X-mas and it has since been my Holy Grail of skin care tools. You will have skin as soft as a baby's bottom! Other benefits include better product absorption and reduction in pore size, creating healthier looking skin. This mini microdermabrasion cleansing tool is really ideal for those who want an effective and thorough cleaning.

Brush heads available for sensitive skin types and a body brush is available too. Brush heads should be replaced every 3 months for best usage.


WATER

Always, always drink enough water. Usually 8-10 glasses daily will help clear up blemishes. Keep a water bottle to help make sure you get enough water intake. And reduce your caffeine consumption, it will help with stress levels and it keeps skin more hydrated.

Bridal Hair: Romantic Side Swept & Updo

Hair Inspiration