my KPW Photo Shoot - No. 1, Getting Ready

It's time to reveal hair and makeup tips for one of our four my KPW photo shoots that we had so much fun doing back on August 19th in Portsmouth, NH. Not only was it a great time to spend the day with some of our fantastic vendors, but we learned quite a bit, as well!

Here are just some of the details about our 2pm shoot. More to come about the story behind the photography, the choice of dress, and the flowers created by Apotheca Flower Shoppe.

Time of Shoot: 2:00pm
Bride: Kate
Hair: Hair that Moves - Lena Hartford

Makeup: Joya beauty - Joanne McDonough
Photographer: Claris Photography
Accessories: Occasions Bridal and Tuxedos
Location: selected urban areas in Portsmouth

Kate's shoot was at 2:00 in the afternoon just like many day ceremonies are, and the team wanted to give Kate a mod look during the day since her location was an urban setting. With the right techniques and careful thought of makeup, hair, dress, and flowers, the mod look pulled together just the right way for a day wedding. Here's how the team handled hair and makeup!

Lena for Hair that Moves shares with us her inspiration for Kate's hair and how she created the look...

With Kate, she has a short hairstyle and fine hair, so I had to come up with a hairstyle that can be utilized by many others brides who have the same hair type. I heard that her pictures were going to be taken in downtown Portsmouth and she was going for a mod look, so I wanted to do a popular angled bob to create a 40’s style and feel.

First, to create some volume, I used a curling iron to shape pieces of her hair (spraying them with hairspray before curling) and then I let the curls set for a little bit.

Once her hair was curled, I brushed back her hair to loosen the curls and shaped her hair into a bob (teasing some pieces to keep a little fullness). Once smooth, I took some smaller pieces and added a little extra wave with a curling iron.

On the sides, I created braided rosette shapes to add a little extra detail and excitement. These little details are always good to have, even if your head piece covers them because you’re most likely going to take that head piece off at your reception.

Joanne for Joya beauty shares her expertise on Kate's makeup and how she envisioned her 40's look...

The concept for Kate's makeup was based on a 40's inspired theme. This is a popular request by the more adventurous bride and perfect for an evening wedding. Kate's face was perfect for the creative with her large eyes and voluptuous lips. I started with an opaque matte white cream eye shadow to create the perfect canvas. The eye makeup for this look has to be very clean and emphasize the lash line.

The white made the perfect backdrop for the sweep of the eye lashes I chose for Kate….feathery, flirtatious and mysterious. The crease is a tigers eye loose shadow with just enough color to create a contour and set the whole eye with a loose mineral white shimmer. Both shadows are original Joya beauty custom colors.

Kate's skin was airbrushed for a flawless finish and her cheeks were brushed with the slightest hint of pink.

Her red lipstick completed the look and is also a custom color I created and named "Deception".

Now that Kate's hair and makeup is done, Lena sits Kate back down to fit her with her birdcage...

Once the hair style was in place and makeup done, it was time to adorn her with the birdcage. Before you begin pinning the cage into your hairstyle, you want to consult your hairdresser, makeup artist (if you have one) and the person you bought the piece from to ask for their suggestion as to where to place the head piece. Sometimes, certain veils or cages call for a particular style hair and makeup, so you want to make sure the placement of the headpiece meshes well with the look you are going for. Since Kate's look was more mod, we had fun placing it in a way to accentuate her makeup, especially her crazy blue eyes.

And here's the final look for Kate's hair and makeup. Lena and Joanne definitely hit the mod look! Stay tuned for more photos of Kate's shoot in her beautiful gown running around Portsmouth!