Beauty Tips by Lisa Hoffman

Lisa Hoffman of Ceci New York is stopping by today and is taking a complete departure from her usual stationery themed features to give you some tips on hair and make-up. Sounds crazy, I know…BUT, Lisa just got married in a destination style affair, doing her OWN hair and make-up, so she has some great tips in her back pocket.

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Hi SMP readers! I’m back from my wedding and honeymoon and I can honestly tell you getting married is the best thing ever! I cannot deny it, I am truly and entirely blissfully happy. As dorky as it sounds, it’s all completely true. All the hard work, frustrations, arguments, emotions and stresses that you have to deal with all the wedding planning, all pay off in a fantastic way on your wedding day. You will see. It is the one day that is planned entirely for you and your husband-to-be so try and remember to hang in there and enjoy it. It’s worth it!

For today’s post I want to share with you my real bride tips and advice all about beauty.

photography by Mel Barlow

I admit, when it comes to make up and hair, I had it a little harder than most since I chose to do a destination wedding and didn’t have the luxury of a personal traveling make up artist or stylist. Finding someone you trust in a foreign place, can be pretty daunting. So when it came to who was going to do my hair and make up, it didn’t sit well with me having someone who I didn’t know style me on the biggest day of my life. I couldn’t take that risk. So I decided to go out in search of the perfect do-it-yourself regimen. One that I could expertly pull off by myself, nerves and all.

Step 1. Find the right products. All you have to do is go visit various make up counters and tell them you’re getting married and they will instantly take extra special care of you! Make overs are typically complimentary so you don’t have to break the bank trying to find your perfect beauty products. I sampled as many as I could until I found the right ones that suited me. Once you find them, buy them instantly and try them out at home before the wedding to make sure it wasn’t just the lighting in the store that made you fall in love with the product. Also a good idea is to carry with you pictures of your dress and wedding inspiration details. That way you can easily communicate to the stylist what you’re looking for.

Step 2. Learn how to use them. Have the make up artist write down for you the instructions so you can remember the proper application technique. Have them label everything so you can remember later. Get their card in case you have questions, they’re always happy to help you learn.

Step 3. Practice. This is especially important for those who don’t normally where make-up. Make sure you test out your skills and your confidence level. A good idea is to try it before your dress fittings. That way you could see how the make up will look with your actual dress. If you’re on the fence about which lipstick shade, bring all three and try them on in the fitting to see which one you prefer most. The sales consultant will be more than happy to give you honest advice too. Definitely helps to get an outside opinion.

Up next…we get to see exactly what’s in Lisa’s Beauty Bag!