my KPW Photo Shoot - No. 3, Getting Ready (take two)

Sue was such a beautiful bride to work with, and as you can see, her smile is contagious! It was so much fun watching her turn into a total evening diva.

Time of Shoot: 4:30pm
Bride: Sue
Hair: Hair that Moves - Lena Hartford
Makeup: Joya beauty - Joanne McDonough
Photographer: Brea McDonald Photography
Dress and Accessories: Occasions Bridal and Tuxedos
Flowers: Apotheca Flower Shoppe
Location: Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, NH


Sue's photo shoot took place at 4:30 in the evening to represent a look for a night wedding. The hair and makeup team wanted to give Sue a more formal, polished look to take here into the later hours.

Here's how Joanne from Joya beauty started the look...

Sue's look needed to be more dramatic since she is representing a bride getting married in the evening. This look can support high intensity and a smokey eye looks fabulous in candlelight.

I started with the new "Dolce & Gabbana, The Makeup" quad of color...Ice and Smoke. I took black eyeliner, of course, and smudged it into the inner lash line for a sultry look.

Sue's base was airbrushed for a flawless finish and dusted with a custom mineral finishing powder to set. Contour and highlights look great in evening light. Don't be afraid of bronzer to create definition and a stronger high color on the cheeks. Anything less would wash out and appear faded in photos.

Sue's lip color is also a Joya custom color that I call "Material Girl"...a beautiful deep, rosy pink with just the right amount of blue to make those teeth sparkle in the candlelight.

Now Sue is ready to sit down with Lena from Hair that Moves...

Sue has long healthy hair with bangs, and she requested that I keep her bangs down which is very popular right now. So I wanted to show brides that you can create a very formal look without having to pin back the bangs.

Without using a hair iron, I first smoothed any fly-aways with product. Then to create a bit of volume at the crown, I pulled back a section of her hair then pushed up slightly to create the height and secured it with pins.

Next, I wanted to incorporate a braid into her look since it's quite popular right now. So what I did was braid a little section of hair from underneath and wrapped the braid around her crown to create a classic, formal look.

Once the braid was done, I criss-crossed sections of hair and created a looped affect securing each of the sections with pins. And when creating a more formal look, it's really important to make sure the style is secure and smooth to give the hair a shiny, finished look.

To finish Sue's look, a head piece and veil were used to accentuate her hair style.