Made Up For You

, There are many things that go towards making your wedding the best day of your lives and memorable for all who attend.  One thing you want to be absolutely certain of is looking your best and feeling your best.  All the details, large and small, can take much time, energy and mental stamina and can be costly, so the last thing you want is to look less than your best in the photographs.  We've had words of advice in earlier blog posts regarding enjoying having your photos taken and of preparing your skin, hands & feet, mind & body so that you are relaxed and ready for your big day. 

Two weeks before our wedding I was let down by my hairdresser skipping the country and not telling me - I found out when I turned up for my pre-wedding trim and trial!  On hearing this a friend of mine sent her daughter, who is qualified as a hair and make up artist, to our house early on the morning of our wedding.  Having thought I was going to be doing my own hair and make up I can't tell you how wonderful it was to have it done for me by someone who knew what she was doing.  She helped to keep me calm, made some good suggestions, gave me confidence, and above all gave me a flawless and natural look which lasted all day. Today we welcome Made Up For You who can help to make your wedding day a very special occasion.

Made Up For You is a Bridal & Special Occasion makeup business owned by Natasha Lythe and Wendy Fensome (mother and daughter) who are BTEC qualified in makeup artistry. 

We started the business in August 2010 but spent more time advertising, getting ourselves noticed at wedding fayres and creating a dynamic website rather than concentrating on bringing in the money for 2011. This has helped greatly and, with the added support of a Facebook profile, business page and group alongside Twitter, we are now widely recognised with enquiries and bookings coming in at a faster pace for the next couple of years. Natasha is based in Westgate-on-Sea, Thanet and Wendy is based in Ashford so this enables us to cover the whole of Kent without passing high travel costs onto our customers. 

We are always looking for ways to develop the business and to provide a better service which is why Natasha has now joined Mary Kay Cosmetics as a Beauty Consultant. This will benefit our customers with the same quality skincare and cosmetics but with the added bonus of being able to order the products used via ourselves. Other products used also vary in price range and we tailor make bridal packages at a discount so that we can keep our costs affordable to everyone. So whether you are planning a special night out or your ‘big day’, you can rely on us. We are ‘Made Up For You’!

You can contact Natasha and Wendy through their website, join them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Brides and Beauty

The run up to your wedding can be very stressful. It's easy for me (Mrs Lil'Guys who has hijacked the blog!) to sit here typing and telling you to chill out and stop worrying - and if I'm stressed about something the last thing I want is someone else telling me to stop worrying! Having said that, while you're planning your big day it is essential to factor in some time for you (and your groom!), there's very little point in making sure that everything from the flowers to the food is perfect if you end up feeling and looking a little ragged around the edges!  This week I'm delighted to welcome Joyce Connor at Brides and Beauty with the word on hair and make up for this year......

Bridal Trends for 2011

The look for 2011 is flawless skin. To achieve this I recommended a series of salon facials to get skin to its optimum hydration with weekly exfoliation at home in between treatments. Most salons offer consultations so you can get advice on what type of facial would suit your skin type! If the products you’re using now aren’t giving you the desired results then discuss this with your skin therapist during the consultation. It’s important to prepare hair and skin for the wedding day. The photos will show how great the condition of how your skin and hair are. If you’re unsure always seek advice. A salon therapist or hairstylist will be qualified to give the best advice. Images give ideas of styles but sometimes hair pieces or extensions are needed to get the desired look.

Make up will only look as good as the skin it’s on. A great skin gives the perfect blank canvas for the make up artist to apply her base to. The bridal make up look for 2011 is a natural or nude eyes with lashings of mascara or eyelash extensions. Lip colour is going to be big this year too. If you want to add colour to your eyes then go for pastels that can range from very pale to vibrant. Strong eyes go with neutral or pale lips and neutral eyes go with stronger lip colours. For lip staying power colour the entire lip in with a matching lip pencil and add your lipstick or gloss over the top. Vintage glamour is big this year too! The vintage style will go with the whole vintage wedding theme it might look out of place otherwise. 1940’s and 1950’s are a great look for this with red hot lips and long lashes being the key to achieving this style.

Hair styles for this year are varied. The messy updo is still in and so is the bouffant chignon. The natural look with loose bouncy curls is also in. The chosen style will all depend on the overall look that the bride wants to achieve. For vintage glamour large finger waves are to die for. Book regular trims if you’re growing your hair.

The groom should also have skincare treatments to get skin glowing. Men’s hands usually get forgotten and need to be manicured for the big day. Clean smooth hands with filed nails and soft cuticles will make all the difference to the wedding photos! Get short hair cut a couple of days before so that the cut settles into shape! Longer hair should be trimmed no later than two weeks prior to the wedding day. Don’t over do the hair styling products, the hedgehog look went out In the 80’s.

The best salon services a bride should seek are:

• Skin care therapist to get flawless skin
• Manicurist to get hands and nails into tip top shape and feet looking honeymoon gorgeous
• Spa therapies for body treatments prior to the honeymoon, body scrub, waxing, relaxing massage
• Hair salons to get your hair in tip top condition for the big day, regular trims and conditioning treatments

Our thanks to Joyce for her contribution to our blog, you can contact Joyce through her website , follow her on Facebook and Twitter and keep up with all things beauty via her blog!