Photos (From Top to Bottom, Left to Right) : Courtesy Grant Photography ~ Courtesy Ashley K Photography ~ Courtesy Grant Photography
Texas brides are SERIOUS about looking spotlight ready on their wedding day. Which is why so many of them flock to Houston’s Makeup Texas for their bridal beauty regimen. Remember last week’s featured bride Meredith—the gorgeous blonde with the white horse? Yup, that understated-glam look was a signature of makeup artist Christen Hobbs and her in-demand hair-and-makeup studio, which is known for amazing airbrush makeup artistry and warm, attentive service. Beautiful, right? We’re huge fans of Christen’s work here at HWB, so naturally we were thrilled when we proposed to her (you know, that she drop in and share her bridal beauty secrets), and she accepted.
Bridal beauty begins with good skin. “The key to a flawless wedding-day complexion lies in your diet, exercise and skincare regimen. This is not a well-kept secret, but somehow we always fail to follow through with these four simple rules:
1. Get plenty of rest. A well-rested bride lacks bags under the eyes and has a radiant glow.
2. Drink plenty of water. Rinse out those bad toxins from your body with good H2O.
3. Cleanse and moisturize your face every morning and night.
4. Exfoliate once a week. This helps remove dead skin cells and leave your skin looking fresh.
If your eyes are rolling as you read this, have no fear. For every bride that has seven million things to do the night before her wedding and has to drink Champagne for all those rehearsal toasts instead of water, airbrush is your best friend. Airbrush makeup is applied with a compressor that sprays thousands of tiny makeup pixels onto your skin, to give you a glowing, flawless look without the heavy makeup feel. Unlike traditional makeup it doesn’t sit on top of your skin in a creamy consistency, but appears to come from within.”
Natural doesn’t mean nude. “When your photographer takes your pictures on your wedding day, a good portion of your makeup will disappear with the flash and lighting equipment. A photograph is a two-dimensional art piece and it is our job, as your makeup artist, to create shadows and dimensions with contour, so that you appear as three-dimensional as possible. We always tell our ‘au naturel’ brides to be prepared to wear a little more makeup than usual. Don’t compare your everyday makeup to your wedding-day makeup. You are in the most glamorous dress of your life and your makeup should reflect that beauty. We still want you to feel like yourself, just more glamorous.”
A lush lash is a glamour-girl’s best friend. “For our extra-glamorous ladies, we always recommend false lashes. They are the best invention since the push-up bra! They give your makeup that last touch of drama. For each client, we measure their eye width and match their eye shape with the perfect lash size, for the most comfortable fit and posh look.”
Don’t forget your touch-up kit. “Lip gloss or lipstick is essential to have in your wedding handbag. After a good smooch at the altar, every girl needs a quick retouch on her lips. For our extra-glowing brides, a couple of tissues to blot excess oils from the skin are also a must. There are a lot of blotting pads that are on the market these days for similar purposes, but some can have a negative reaction with your makeup composition. Tissues are always a safer bet, and they’re versatile. They can also be used for catching those happy tears!”
Lastly, Christen reminds brides to preview their bridal makeup in natural light, which makes it much easier to see tiny details, “and harder for shadows to conceal imperfections!” And don’t forget to have your photographer or a friend snap a few pix: “A good makeup artist knows that after a wedding the most important piece of evidence a bride has of her beautiful day are her pictures, so applying makeup that is picture-perfect is the way to go.”
To schedule a Makeup Texas consultation, call Christen at 281.394.2922 or e-mail!
