In 15 years of doing weddings, the number one cause I have seen of getting off schedule is found at the beginning of the day: hair and makeup. There are so many reasons to hire a professional hair stylist and makeup artist. But one of the top reasons is staying on schedule! The talented artists that do weddings every weekend (not just work in salons) know how long it will take to do each girls' hair and makeup, and they are great at working with the brides to schedule enough time to get everyone done before the photographer is ready to shoot formal portraits.
One of our favorite companies to work with is Hair & Makeup By Paulina Perez. Our brides love working with Paulina and her team! We constantly hear how wonderful they are. In addition to doing fabulous hair and makeup, the team is fully licensed and insured - something that is very important these days! They also have an office in Savannah now, and are on their way to world domination.
I personally had Paulina do my makeup for my recent headshots, and I concur! Not only did my makeup look amazing, it lasted for hours in the heat and humidity of a Florida afternoon! Here's a little interview with Paulina where she shared all sorts of great tips and tricks!
What makes your team different from other hair/makeup artists? I think the main thing that makes us different from every other artist in town is that we are literally a one stop shop for our clients and most vendors that refer us! Not only are we all licensed estheticians and cosmetologists but this is a team of some of the hottest artists in North Florida! I think clients and vendors like that they know they can refer our team for hair, makeup, and tanning services and that they know the chances of us turning them away due to not having enough artists is most likely not going to happen!
Also we pride ourselves in the fact that we do have some of the best artist in this region all under one roof! Although the company is named after me (when I started out I never imagined getting to the point of having a team, so the name made sense) I am blessed to not be the only “name” in the company. The girls on my team all have a resume on their own that would be extremely competitive to any other freelance artist. My girls have done hair and makeup for the Emmy’s and the Golden Globes, for contestants on the voice, featured in national and international magazines, are staple artists for Wal-Mart, and even were seen in Russia’s Next Top Model which was filmed while we were doing Miami Fashion Week! We are really blessed with the talent on the team and all get to learn from everyone’s personal experiences which keeps our team continuing to grow! Their sweet personality is just the icing on the cake! ;)
What's your favorite beauty product that you personally use? I have two tools that I can’t live without!!! The first is my Clarisonic brush!! I keep it in the shower and use it with my face wash everyday!!! It really keeps my skin glowing and keeps it from getting dull!! If you don’t have this little device it will make an amazing Christmas present this year!!!! The first time you use it your face will feel like a clean you have never felt before!! I know that sounds weird but to the people reading this that have one they are probably nodding their heads….and now laughing at how true this is!!!
My second favorite tool is my Beauty Blender Sponge! I use it to apply and blend my foundation. I kept hearing about this sponge from all of my makeup artist friends and finally caved in to this…..well, sponge! I was skeptical as I had been taught to only apply foundation with a foundation brush and how sponges are the worst for foundation application. I read how this sponge was SO DIFFERENT and life changing! I read how it was patented and how it wouldn't absorb your foundation like most sponges do. I finally put it to use…. And let’s just say it was like a little piece of heaven on my face! I loved my foundation even more with this little pink egg of a sponge….. and I loved taking picture on Instagram…..with NO FILTER! I swear! They sell these sponges at Sephora just in case you wanted to run….. I mean pick one up!
What is the most important thing brides should consider when choosing someone to do their hair and makeup on their wedding day? Aside from the obvious like making sure you do a trial and are happy with the end result….. also make sure your artist is professional. An easy way to do this is by reading their contract. If they don’t have you sign a contract that would raise an immediate red flag! Two other really important factors to consider is to make sure your makeup artists is at least an esthetician and that your hairdresser is a cosmetologist! These licenses are required BY LAW. Last making sure they have liability insurance. You want someone who takes care of their business as it shows how they will take care of you. If your artist knows all the legal ins and outs and requirements of his/her business and is licensed and insured then you know it is someone who is looking at this for the long haul and not to make extra money on the side as a hobby. Professionals will take the time to invest in their company.
What should brides avoid in the days leading up to their wedding? Honestly in a perfect world the bridal party would not be hung over from their rehearsal dinner and would come wedding day with 8 hours of sleep….. but let’s get real! Rehearsal dinners are full of friends you haven’t seen in years that flew in, family your fiance has not met, and and a family reunion that has not happened since Aunt Carol got married 10 years ago! There will be a party the night before and nothing or nobody will stop that! Hopefully your artist comes prepared with either a hydration mask (depending on the severity -LOL), tons of moisturizer, and if need be oxygen infused facial mist…. My favorite is from Bliss! This with the right formula concealer will make you look like you got 8 hours of sleep you were hoping for!!!
As far as facials go…… most spas will not (or maybe I should say SHOULD NOT) give you a mud facial the week of. Any facial where your impurities are being drawn out WILL and I repeat WILL break you out! Other than that if you just go in for a relaxing facial or massage you should be fine! Just let them know your big day is coming up and you don’t want anything that will bring unexpected friends to the surface!! But go ahead and pamper yourself that week!! With all the wedding duties you have had you deserve it!!!
