Real Wedding Wednesday ~ Chad and Rachelle Ball 8.1.2010

We have known the Ball family for years, so it was very exciting when we found out their son was getting married.  It was even more exciting to find out that she was just a lovely person, inside an out.  She is always a pleasure to be around.  Rachelle asked Marissa and I to do the makeup for her wedding and we were honored.  Here are a few pictures of the day of.  There are more on our website ~ http://www.bliss-makeup-artistry.com/.  Enjoy!

Getting Ready

Cute!  On their way to the venue!

Bridesmaid and Bride

Sister-in-laws!

Beautiful Bride

Cutting the Cake

Oh no!!





Makeup Stayed!





Beautiful, Happy Couple!





Tanning for the Cold Seasons

  Okay, so it has been a while.  But a lot has been going on!  Not only have we been crazy, crazy busy for the months of September and October, but half of the Bliss Team moved to France!!  So we have been adjusting our duties and continuing to move forward.  It has been a little bit of a transition, but we are doing it!  Anyway, enough of that, how about some tanning? 

I don't know about all of you, but as the seasons get colder, I get whiter.  And not a pretty Nicole Kidman white.  Like an ashy ghost white.  I never feel very pretty when I am stark white, or thin for that matter.  And I am the Bliss half that is living in France, so needless to say, I see the sun even less!  So here are some of my tips to get that sun-kissed glow during the coldest months of the year. 

1.) Spray Tan!  Hello, this is the best possible way to do it.  I know that people are daunted by the idea of the spray tan because of many orange pictures you might have seen.  Well there is a reason they are orange.  Either they are getting the airbrush too much, or they are getting a color that is wrong for their tone, or the tanner just had a bad solution.  Find someone you know and trust who you know the solutions work for your skin and stay faithful.  It won't look fake. 

2.)  Apply a good tan extender.  You can find some at any tanning salon or online.  I am sure you can get some tinted moisturizing at any drug store too.  Just make sure you watch as you are applying it.  It is meant to help your tan fade smoothly, you just don't want to have it turning you orangey looking!

3.) Moisturize.  Even if you are white as a ghost, there isn't anything worse than being ashy white.  Like flaky and everything.  So if you get a good cream-like moisturizer that you apply daily, you will be good to go.  Combine moisturizing with the spray tan, you are golden.  Literally!

4.)  Bronzer.  But not too much.  Applied wrong or in excess, it could be the problem for the orange.  But if you get a good bronzer and you apply lightly on your face and neck, it helps a ton. Christian Dior has a good bronzer. 

Those are my main tips!  Now get out there and get bronzed!  But do it right, because people will know if it isn't done right.  Stop in for an airbrush tan when you have time!



Real Wedding!

You have got to check out this wedding we did, over a month ago, now!  Wow, how time flies.  I love this wedding because it is different and fun and totally reflects the bride and grooms individual style.  The photographer, Evan Guston, was so kind to send us these digital images as well as some printed for our portfolio!  Thank you, Evan!  Enjoy the pics from this wedding!

 

Real Wedding Wednesday ~ Lindsay & Tony Antenucci ~ July 17, 2010

 

Don't you love weddings?  Most likely if you're reading this and in the wedding business, I am going to guess the answer is yes!  I do too.  I love getting all dolled up and share in someone's special day.  I also love making the bride feel like the most beautiful she has ever been.  Hence, I love my job!  It is always even so much more special when you get to be a part of someone's wedding who means so much to you.  About a month ago, I got to do just that.  My best friend from high school got married!  She was the most beautiful bride.  It was a beautiful wedding.  I really felt so honored to be a part of the big day.  Here is a peak...

 

It was a beautiful night for a beautiful couple!  Congratulations Lindsay and Tony!!

The wedding was at Lost Canyons Country Club.  The beautiful photography was done by Smitten Photography.

HD foundation by Makeup Forever

Makeup Forever HD Foundation

This is definitely a plus side of our job!  Since we are in the makeup business and we want to always use the best products available, we want to share those products with you!

We use airbrush makeup for our brides that is flawless, full coverage that goes on lightly.  Just ask anyone who has tried it!  But we wanted to be able to add a foundation that is just as effective, but not airbrush, for a different option.  After attending the makeup show in Los Angeles in January (I think), we heard a lot of buzz about Makeup Forever's HD quality foundation.  Since we are dealing with bridal beauty, and they obviously have to be camera ready, we need to make sure that all of the makeup we use is HD compliant.  Part of the package.  At the Pasadena makeup show we tried a few of the shades and loved it.  I mean ❤LOVE❤ it!!  We fully intended to buy a few shades for our makeup case.  But... the line was 3 HOURS LONG.  Needless to say, we didn't wait in that line.  Luckily, we live in the greater Los Angeles area and were able to go to Nigels later that week and buy a few shades for the same discounted price... yay!

We also bought some for ourselves.  I can't tell you how awesome this product is.  Now I am not in the spotlight and don't need to be HD ready all the time, but it is the most flawless, smooth coverage I have ever had.  At the end of the day, I look in the mirror and I am still surprised with the coverage.  Definitely a must have.  Sorry Laura Mercier, I have a new love in my life.  I think it is time we go our separate ways.

Here is a little about the product:
The line was originally created to make actors look flawless in 6x magnification of High Definition cameras.  The goal is to perfectly correct the skin and improve skin aspect.  The products innovated formula with ultra fine granulometry meet the highest standard of professionals and everyday woman.  The extremely fine texture is subtle and easy to apply.  It is enriched with moisturizing agents and it leaves the skin soft and radiant.  It is so natural it won't look like you are wearing makeup at all.  A little goes a long way, which is always good!

Makeup forever also offers a primer to go with this product and sells brushes that are used to apply it.  They also have a powder for the final finish.  Seriously, you have to get check it out.  I am pretty confident that you will love it!  Click here to go to see this product on Makeup Forever's website.  It can also be found at a Sephora near you!

This is not a paid review.  These are my own opinions after using the product for about a month, I was not paid or compensated in any way to give my opinion. 

Real Wedding Wednesday

In honor of my 3 year anniversary the real wedding that I am featuring today is... you guessed it, my own!  Three years ago today I married the best man I know and I am so happy to say that three years later I still love him!  He is perfect for me in so many ways and he is always working to be a better man.  What more could a girl ask for?  He's from Nassau, Bahamas and I'm from Simi Valley, California and we met at a small private college in Valencia, California, who knew?  We had a rough go at it while dating, but we knew if we could make it through that, we could make it through anything.  It has been a wonderful three years and Lord-willing I'm looking forward to many, many more!

Now to a few wedding details.  My colors were Tiffany's Blue and orange.  I know, it sounds a little funky.  But I loved Tiffany's Blue and having a fiance from the Bahamas, he wanted only bright colors (as you can see from the photo on the top right, his family).  I think it was a beautiful combo and different too, just like us!

I would have done a few things differently.  I would have been more involved in the planning.  My mom did a lot of the planning and I kinda just tagged along.  I gave my opinion when needed, but she handled most of it.  I have never been a real girlie-girl so I thought it didn't matter.  But looking back I realize this is the one time in your life that it is all about you and that is okay.  Take advantage of that!  Have fun with it! 

Our beautiful wedding invitations done by The Pomegranate Basket

So happy anniversary to me and my wonderful husband!  Dinner and a movie tonight to celebrate, no kiddos involved!!

Bright, Cheery, and just plain Happy!

I was perusing around the web today looking for some kind of inspiration to get to typing.  I found a few beautiful inspiration boards, but one in particular that caught my eye.  Now I know that everyone is different, but to me it is beautiful.  Sometimes I wish that I could get married over and over again to have different color schemes and use different ideas.  But then the stress of planning an entire wedding every year or so rules that idea out.  I will leave that to the wedding planners of the world and just blog about them instead.  

I think the color yellow is beautiful.  I chose it because I haven't seen it done a lot and it is perfect for the fun summer wedding.  It is bright and cheery and happy, just like your wedding should be.  I would especially like those earrings... :)

I'm happy just looking at it!

Thank you Wedding Blog by With this Favor for the lovely inspiration!  Visit their blog for more inspiration boards, they have some beautiful color combos and lovely creative ideas!

Grand Opening

Okay Bliss supporters!!
We need your help!
We are having a Grand Opening party for Coco Beach in Simi Valley and want to get as many people out as we can!!  We want Bliss to be represented in a big way, so spread the news! 

We will be having music, either a live band or a DJ, food, vendor booths including custom invitations from The Pomegranate Basket, discounted designer jeans, makeup booths, hair stylist and much more.  We will also have some awesome prizes like free tanning party, free tanning package, gift cards, movie tickets etc.  we cannot wait and would love for everyone to be a part of this.  We will be donating any profits to a charity, undecided as of yet.  We just want everyone to have a good time.  Even if you don't live in the area, come on by!  You can try a free airbrush and sun angel!  We would love to hear from you all.

Any ideas or hook ups are welcome, just e-mail us at info@bliss-makeup-artistry.com

Blogging, Branding, and Balancing

Guess where I was last night...

I'll give you a hint, I had a bad-ass time.

If you have read any bridal blogs in the past 3 years you know who I am talking about!

Yep, you guessed it...

The Broke-Ass Bride!

Don't you love it?  I do!  I feel so honored to have met her and Fresh Hubby.  It was a great night with also some great networking too.

There were some great tips that I was able to take with me for the night.  Some things I already knew but might not have been very good at it.  For example, consistency.  I am horrible at being consistent.  I guess I am not a very scheduled, organized person so it takes a lot more effort for me.  I have a lot of things going on in my life and I want to do all of them all the time.  I have a hard time balancing all of my activities.  She made some good points about scheduling her days and making time for everything. 

So here are my resolutions:

I am going to blog consistently.  Maybe pick one day write my blogs and schedule them for the week. 

I am going to set aside time during my day for my particular activities and plan days better.  I am going to be consistent with what I plan through my day and sticking to the schedule.

Get more sleep!

Read other blogs to get inspiration.

You know and a ton of other things.  And I am going to do them all right the first time and be instantly successful!  Right? Don't burst my bubble please...

Any encouragement is appreciated!!  I need a little kick in the butt or push in the right direction.  Follow me, comment to me, advise me!! I would love to listen.  Stay tuned because I'm gonna be consistent!

New Tanning Product

We have more awesome news... in addition to setting up shop at Coco Beach Tanning we now are adding a new line of tanning products.  We (mostly Marissa) have been doing a ton of research on different tanning solutions and what works best and why different products work best.  We figured out what ingredients are more likely to have an orange-y hue to them and what ingredients won't.  I don't want to bore you with all the details of ingredients, but I do want to tell you that we found one.  And it is PERFECT.  It is Norvell tanning solution.  We just used the dark solution the other night on Marissa's sister-in-law, she was our guinea pig (but hey, she got a free tan!).  It looked incredible!!  Like she had just spent a week in the Bahamas or something.  We obviously want to be expanding our business and we were looking for new solutions so that we would be able to offer a variety of shades for different skin types.  After trying this one, I think we have it.  We used the dark solution on her and she has a nice olive skin tone.  I am more, how you say, white and so we are going to try to regular on me on Wednesday.  I cannot wait. One of the perks of owning this business... :)  We are also trying out some other products from Norvell.  They have a tan extender and a PH equalizer.  The extender does just that, extends your tan.  And the PH equalizer is supposed to balance out your skin before you spray the tanning solution on so that the tan is nice and even.  So far so good, but I think we need to test some more skin types on that one!  There are some other good things about this product.  It doesn't have a nasty tan smell, it actually smells kinda nice.  This is a relief for me and Marissa.  It doesn't feel sticky or dirty after it is done.  It is more comfortable to leave on the necessary amount of time.  So far we LOVE it!  So, if you are in the Simi Valley, Ventura County area, stop by Coco Beach and test it out.  I am sure we could give you some kind of deal...

Meet your new resident airbrush specialists!

Hello, we are Natalia and Marissa.  We started our company last October and recently really started pursuing the business aspect of our company in probably mid January.  As a company we have already done 6 weddings, have at least 4 weddings in the mix, proms, special occasions, multiple wedding shows, 4 tanning parties, and now we are adding resident airbrush specialist to our ever-growing resume!  We are so excited to now be the in house specialists at Coco Beach in Simi Valley.  We have our own room, which will be decorated super cute, and the best part of all is that we can now offer packages!  We have always known that 'double dipping' as they call it, is the best, most effective way to get the smoothest, longest lasting tan.  Double dipping is when you go in the bed for 5 minutes or so and then get the airbrush applied.  Now we can not only recommend this, but we can recommend a place to do it! 
We are highly motivated people.  In the short time we have been doing business we have accomplished so much and feel like this is just the tip of the iceberg!  So we have been looking for a salon to partner with that we know will be able to do their side as far as marketing and advertising our services for us.  We met with the owners of Coco Beach yesterday and were very pleased.  We think this is going to be a really great alliance and cannot wait to get started.  So if you are local, in the Simi Valley area, please stop by Coco Beach Salon in it's new location 1720 Los Angeles Ave #I Simi Valley, CA 93065 or you can call and make an appointment at (805) 520-7800.  If you do, make sure you mention the Bliss Blog and we will be able to offer you a promotion!  Please spread the news as well!  Make sure all your family and friends know that they now can have our wonderful tanning as well as a little time in the beds.  Thank you faithful followers, we are so excited for the direction our business is going in and know that we have so much more potential.  Please leave a comment of encouragement or motivation, we always love to hear from you!

This could be you!

If you can't tone it, TAN IT!

Last year about this time I tried airbrush tanning for the very first time.  I was a Matron of Honor in a wedding where I had to wear a pale yellow dress and I was not prepared.  I have pretty fair skin that can tan, it just takes a while, but I knew I had to do something.  So I went a few times in the tanning beds, which I honestly don't like to do too much because I don't want to look super old before my time, and then got the airbrush.  It was fabulous!  I don't know why I don't do it every week!  It was custom, no streaks, it didn't turn orange and I looked great for the bachelorette party and the wedding day.  Now Bliss also has an airbrush tanning machine and it is great.  Every time I get my tan I forget why I take so long to get it done!  Here are a few reasons I think you all should try airbrush tanning:

1.) Instant results!  The active ingredient in airbrush tanning products is DHA and it is clear.  So when tanning we add a 'guide color' as we call it.  It is for us to see where we have tanned and for the client to see instant results.  This guide color washes off I little bit in your first shower after the tan, but by that point the DHA has attached to your skin and you have the nice even look you were going for. 

2.) No Sun Poisoning! Obviously we all know now, the more time you spend out in the sun unprotected the more likely you will have more trouble with your skin later in life.  Things like age spots, wrinkles, and skin cancer may creep your way.  With airbrush tanning, you don't have to spend a second in the sun and you can look like you just got back from Costa Rica!  Don't get me wrong, I think there can be a healthy dose of vitamin D for your skin, but laying in the sun for hours is definitely out.

3.) Smooth, Natural Looking Tan ~ When you have an airbrush tan there is a technician who applies the tan custom to your body.  This person should be practiced and trained and you will have great results.  There is another form of spray tanning called Mystic Tan where you stand in the both and it sprays you front and back.  This is okay, but since it isn't a person doing it, obviously it leaves a lot of room for error.  How do you get the sides or under your neck.  There are also a lot of self tanner lotions out there on the market.  Some are okay and some are good tan extenders (beware of them turning you orange).  But with applying these you can miss a spot or have hard to reach spots like the middle of your back.  And that might look a little funny, like a finger painting on your back! 

Overall, spray tanning is an awesome way to get out of the sun and still feel fabulous!  I might be a little biased, I mean I am hooked on it!  I feel like I drop ten pounds every time I do it.  Check out a salon near you and try it, comment and let me know if it works for you.

My Intercultural, Interracial Wedding

Hello all!  I recently just read a post from PlusSizeBride's blog about planning an multi-cultural wedding and it inspired me.  Check out the post ~ http://bayareabrideguide.com/planning-a-multi-cultural-wedding-2.  My husband and I have been married for 3 years on July 28, 2010.  I love him so much more today than I did 3 years ago.  

We met 8 years ago in a small, private college in Santa Clarita, California.  I played volleyball and he played basketball.  After 5 years of on and off and on again, we tied the knot!  I thought I had an idea of who he was back then, now I realize that I barely scratched the surface.  And if I feel that way after 3 years, then I can't wait for 10 or 15 or 25!  Although he is not a perfect man, he is perfect for me! 

Now to what I meant to write about in the first place... our intercultural, interracial wedding.  Going into planning the wedding I was very aware of our two cultures.  It was very important to me, maybe more than it was to my husband, to make sure both Bahamian and American traditions were represented on our day.  One of the ideas we got from the Bahamas is when the bridesmaids and groomsmen begin the walk down the isle they stop and bow and curtsy to each other before they come together to walk.  They are very proper over there!  We were able to integrate his church by having his pastor from his church back home perform the first part of the ceremony, then our current pastor of the church we attend in American did the rest and his pastor closed with a prayer.  One of the best things he said was "Two families, two people, two cultures, one God."  We try to remember that everyday.  His mother made sure that we had baskets and programs that were handmade in the Bahamas.  They were passed out to all the guests as a gift and representation of their country.  One of my favorite parts was our entry into the ballroom as they announced the bridal party and us as Mr. and Mrs. Simmons.  We entered into Junkanoo music!  Junkanoo is a festival in the Bahamas that is very popular, almost like Carinval in Brazil.  The music is like marching band-ish and personally wouldn't and don't just listen to it, but it has a beat.  The whole room was on their feet dancing and clapping and welcoming us to the reception.  So much fun!  I must admit something we didn't use.  Ceremonies in the Bahamas usually last about 2 to 2 1/2 hours!  I am sorry, but I just wanted to be married and party!  So ours was like 30 minutes.  Personally, the way they should be!

But, I must say, as the pictures below represent, my favorite part about my intercultural, interracial wedding would have to be that, besides the color, you couldn't tell which person belonged to which family.  Everyone got along, everyone mingled.  It wasn't like high school prom with the Bahamians on one side and the Americans on the other, to nervous to interact.  I loved it.  I love my interracial marriage.  I love that it is different, that it is hard and that we might have to work harder than others to make it happen, but it adds flavor to our lives!  Not to mention we visit the Bahamas every summer!!  hehe

 

My husband and my brother getting ready.

 

Me and my soon-to-be mother-in-law.

 

The moms and me.

 

Our beautiful flower girl.  She is half Bahamian half American.

 

The ladies of my new family.

 

My husband and my family.

 

The other half of Bliss Makeup giving me touch-ups!

 

One of the Maid of Honors and Best Men.

 

The baskets Lavar's mom had handmade.

The wedding party

 

One of my favorite pictures.  Kissing my husband!

 

Happily Ever After here we come!!