Bridal Portrait Session: Amie Decker Makeup and Hair Artistry

At the Photographer workshop last week, we also did a Bridal shoot that Kelley and I were asked to style.  The beautiful bride, Lauren, had her wedding this past summer and I was so excited to do her makeup again for this shoot. It is so fun to come up with a completely different makeup and hair look for a trash the dress or bridal portrait session.  For the shoot, we used different colors for her makeup than on her wedding day and on her wedding day she wore her hair half up.  She also accessorized with different jewelry and we added a hot pink flower to her hair.  This way she got the chance to have some photos in her gown but also had a totally different look and feel to it.

 All of these photos were taken by the amazing Stacy Richardson.  Thanks so much for asking us to be a part of the shoot!

Engagement Photos at the Bay

As promised here are a few of the amazing images taken at the Susan Stripling Photographer workshop on Friday.  These photos were taken by the wonderful Annapolis based photographer Stacy Richardson.  Kelley took care of the hair and I had the pleasure of doing the makeup.  The engagement couple, Jen and Brent, were actually married a couple of years ago but they agreed to "pretend" they were engaged :)

I think it makes such a difference to have your makeup done for your engagement photos. Since most couples choose to get their E-Pics taken outside, most people do not know how to do their makeup for natural lighting.  By getting your makeup professionally done, you can still look like your natural beautiful self but your features do not get washed in the natural light. Doesn't Jen look stunning?  Anthropologie add right here folks!

Thank you Jen and Brent.  You were adorable as always!

Makeup and Lighting

We have another Susan Stripling workshop today that we are styling.  And today we get to work with two former brides so it is especially exciting because I love seeing my beautiful brides again!  I just wanted to share an amazing photograph taken by Susan from last weeks workshop, which shows her master of lighting and photography.  More photos to come!

This is not me

So I recently googled myself to see what came up (don't pretend like you have never done it) and I realized that there is another Amie Decker who is a model.  So I decided just in case there is any confusion out there I would clear things up...... This picture below is NOT ME.

Although I am sure my husband would not mind it if I posed on his motorcycle in a tube top, I have never attempted it.  Thank you for letting me clear this up :)  I hope you all enjoy this beautiful day!

Hair & Makeup for Annapolis Photographer Workshop

Our team had the most amazing time on Friday when we took on the task of styling the shoot for the Susan Stripling Workshop in Annapolis MD.  Susan Stripling is an Award Winning photographer who travels all over the country to train photographers through her workshops.  Part of the workshop included a shoot in downtown Annapolis with an engaged couple and a bride, and I was overjoyed when we were called to do the styling.  We were given complete creative freedom (which is an artist's dream) and I loved how everything turned out.  JoAnna and Melanie worked on the Bride (who is my friend Stephanie) and Kelley and I worked on the engaged couple Sara and Jonathan.  Yes, Jonathan was also styled (hair cut and beard trim).  These pictures are from Jamie Roberts of Roberts Photographers.  Jamie was one of the photographers who attended on Friday and he took some beautiful images.  It was so fun to meet so many talented photographers and hang out with some I already know and adore.  Check out Jamie's website to see more of his work and we will have more workshop photos coming soon.

 Sara and John were the cutest couple and madly in-love.  They are getting married in October and all of the photographers warned them that they will be crashing the wedding.

Sara seemed to like John's freshly trimmed beard, courtesy of Kelley.

Stephanie's styling was so fun!  Melanie did her hair and JoAnna did her makeup and we went for an "Alice in Wonderland" Black and White Whimsical inspiration.  She looks so hot!

And I even jumped in for a little modeling.  Oh my.

I am still working on my serious face.

Susan Stripling is coming back next Friday (March 26th) for another workshop and we may still need an engagement couple to model.  So if you are interested or know someone who is then shoot me an email.

Sneak Peak

I have a huge post to make from an amazing photo shoot we styled but here is a "sneak peak" of what is to come!!!!

photo by Robert Photographers

Makeup and Hair for Headshots: Carla David Design: Meaghan Elliott Photography

These are not your ordinary headshots.

I was so excited when Carla of Carla David Design asked me to do her hair and makeup for a session she was doing with Meaghan Elliott Photography for headshots for her website.  I think it is so important for clients to see a face of who they are going to hire when they go to a website.  It is amazing how I feel so much more comfortable hiring someone when I can see they are a "real" person.  Meaghan Elliott is a phenomenal photographer at capturing someone's personality and not making photos look stuffy(which is what most people think when they think headshots).  And Meaghan worked her magic once again.  Don't these photos make you want to hire Carla David Design?

Another thing I highly recommend for any person considering getting head shots taken, is to get your makeup professionally done.  I think many people are afraid to get their makeup done because they are worried they will not look like themself.  Or worst case scenario, look like a clown (I have heard of that fear on numerous occasions).  But as you can see, Carla looks very natural and very pretty.  All of her features stand out and her makeup is done in a way that you truly see HER and are not distracted by shine, uneven skin tone or dark circles (not that Carla has any of those problems :)

So the day we shot was FREEZING and the girls were major troopers.  I happened to have left just in time because it started hailing when I drove away.  I know, I am a lucky girl.  So after I left they moved inside for a few shots to thaw out.

I love the B&W shots that Meaghan does.

 Thank you girls for including me in all the fun.

If anyone is in need of a fabulously talented Graphic designer/ Invitation designer/ Event designer make sure you check out Carla David Design.

And you all know how much I love Meaghan Elliott Photography.  To see Meaghan's blog entry about the shoot click here.

Washington Post Article: Wedding Makeup & Hair

I just received a message from Casey, one of our fabulous brides who was married on March 6th, that the Washington Post just did an article on her and her husband Matt!  Not only is it a super sweet love story to read but the post also displayed photos from the beautiful wedding that I have been dying to see.  Everyone should check out the story here.  The story is titled "Falling in love with somebody......you've never met".  I cannot wait to post some gorgeous pictures from Casey's wedding in the next week so stay tuned!

Award Show Inspiration

Since all of the award shows are just wrapping up I thought I would post a few of my favorite hair styles from the award show season.  Be inspired!

Taylor Swift from the People's Choice

Miley Cyrus at the Oscars

Jessica Stroup at People's Choice

Julie Bowen a the Golden Globes

Zoe Saldana at the Golden Globes

Jenni Garth at the People's Choice

Jennifer Lopez at the Oscars

Kristen Bell at the Golden Globes

Hair and Makeup Trials

I have been receiving some great questions from brides recently regarding trials and I thought it would make an informative blog post.  This is my response to an email I received recently and I wanted to share it with the rest of you. If you think this information is helpful then leave a comment and let me know and I will think of some way to incorporate it into the website.

Let me explain a little about our set up.  We are a team of freelance makeup artists and hairstylists who all specialize in weddings.  Weddings are  a special niche because it really takes a certain amount of knowledge and talent to give the bride and her family exactly what she needs and deserves.  Plenty of hair stylists can give a great cut but cannot do an updo if their life depended on it.  And as for makeup, the balance between looking natural in person and still photographing beautifully can be a challenge.

Our team is comprised of women that I have had the privilege of knowing who are impeccable at what they do.  They have all been personally trained by me and are artists that I would trust to do my hair and makeup on my own wedding day.  When I got married over 6 years ago, I was surprised by the great need for professional makeup and hair artists that would travel to a bride’s location.  I decided that it is a luxury that every bride should have, so that is when I started my company.

Since all of us come to your location our company does not have a salon.  Some of us do the trials in our home and others travel to the client for the trial.  So the trial location may change based on which artist you are working with.  I do my trials at my home in Sykesville (I know, quite a hike) and Kelley, who is a  hair stylist,  does trials at her salon in Annapolis or her home in Crofton.  The factor of a travel fee comes in when the artist you are working with has to travel more than 40 miles round trip for the wedding.  We try and pair brides with a stylist and makeup artist that are close to them so they do not have to pay a travel fee but sometimes based on availability or request, the travel fee cannot be avoided.

We require a signed contract to reserve the date.  A deposit is due at the time of the trial and it is up to you when you decide to have your trials.  Some brides want to do a trial before booking and others do the trial closer to the wedding.  I recommend doing the trial about 4 weeks before the wedding.  When the trial is done close to the wedding, the bride looks most like she will on her wedding day.  Her hair length and color are not going to change drastically, along with her skin type and tan and weight (all which effect the makeup application).  Also most brides have not put much thought into their hair or makeup and what style/mood they are going for until closer to the wedding date.  So what is meant to be a trial run through of the wedding hair and makeup ends up being just a “tryout” for the hair stylist and makeup artist, when it would be more useful closer to the wedding.  This being said, I completely understand why some brides want to do a trial before signing a contract so they feel more confident in their decision.  If a Bride is interested we always offer an additional trial, that she can pay for, so she can have a trial before booking and another closer to the wedding.