Many brides ask me this question. There are many things to consider when choosing a look for your big day.

1) When will pictures be taken? This will help you and the makeup artist determine how much makeup is necessary.

- morning/ early afternoon: the light is softer so a more subdued look is best

- early/ late afternoon: there will not be as much daylight so a slightly more dramatic look should be worn, compared to your every day look

- late afternoon/ evening: the sun will be even less visible and eventually be gone so a mix more dramatic look is needed to ensure your beauty shows up in pictures.

2) What is your daily look?

- Do you wear no makeup, little to no makeup or a full face?

- What do you wear on your eyes each day? Smokey eye, light eye makeup, just mascara?

- Is your hair worn curly, straight, wavy?

- Do you wear your hair up, down, half up/ half down?

3) You should wear a look that makes you feel like a princess but you should still look like yourself, a more polished version.

Once all of these questions are answered you'll have a much better idea of what you want.

Ever have those extremely dry and cracked lips? Or your lip color always looks blotchy?

If you want to purchase a product that can smooth out those rough lips try a lip scrub. One of my favorites is Fresh Sugar Lip Scrub.

Heading out for a big date and don't have time to head to the store? Try scrubbing your lips with sugar and a toothbrush.

After smoothing out your lips with a scrub make sure to lightly hydrate them. You want to ensure they're hydrated so your lip color will look even all over the lips. If your lips aren't hydrated the lip color will adhere to any and all dry patches.

Making sure you follow these steps will help you achieve kissable smooth lips.

During the summer I love my CC and BB creams however sometimes they just don't do enough for me. I really liked the idea of a powder so I tried many products to even me out that feel weightless but I've found that to get the coverage that I desire I end up with what feels like a mask. After trying many, MANY powders I found my favorite, Make Up For Ever    Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder Foundation!! It's light weight, long wearing and buildable coverage. You will never feel like you're wearing a powder, it feels like you're putting silk on your face. Also its mineral oil-free, fragrance free and great for any skin type. Make Up For Ever recommends to only use the product dry, using it wet ruins the integrity of the product. It comes in a wide variety of colors so there is a shade for EVERYONE!

Are you going to an event where you don't want to reapply your lip all day/ evening long??? Maybe for a wedding, cocktail party, prom or other special event? I have a lot of clients that look for the longest wearing lip possible. I have found that there are a number of lipsticks that claim to be long wearing but never fit the bill. I have found that lip stains work the best. Now there are many different brands and they come in many different finishes: matte, satin, glossy, semi-matte, etc. After trying several kinds I find that the Sephora Cream Lip Stains work FANTASTIC and for only $13, they're reasonable too! They don't have a large variety of colors but I have had great luck with them. I also like Yves Saint Laurent
ROUGE PUR COUTURE Vernis À Lèvres Glossy Stain as well, they are a little pricier at $35 but there is much more of a variety in colors. If you're not a fan of the mat feel just add a gloss. Try them out, you'll fall in love!!!

Why is this my new favorite? Well for starters my lashes looked longer than I've ever seen them before! This brush is very unique compared to others on the market, it is designed with 3 sphere shapes that are on top of each other so it grabs onto each lash, it even gets the tiny lashes in the corner of the eye! The only drawback to this mascara is the brush grabs a lot of product, I love to layer my mascara to get a dramatic look so to avoid having too much volume/ clumping, I always brush a clean mascara wand or a lash comb threw them. There is also is a fragrance in the mascara so if you're sensitive to fragrance this isn't the mascara for you.

Not sure of how to create a perfect lip? Here are the steps:

1. Exfoliate: Try using a soft toothbrush or I like Fresh Sugar Lip Scrub, exfoliate for about a minute and use a damp cloth to remove excess.

2. Condition: Lightly apply a lip treatment on your lips and blot the excess

3. Prime: Apply Bite Beauty Lip primer all over the lips

4. Line: Choose a color that is a shade darker than your lip color for definition

5. Fill: Apply the lip color you desire

6. Gloss (if desired):

The 1 beauty must have you would choose to have me would be I choose Smashbox CC cream. The reason why is because it lightly blends out your skin, has SPF correction and corrects any hyperpigmentation. This is a definite must have for a deserted island.

1. Complexion: Start with a light tinted moisturizer, apply to areas of concern (blemishes, redness, etc). Try: Laura Mercier Tinted moisturizer for normal skin, Tarte Amazonian Clay BB Tinted Moiturizer for oily/combination skin and Josie Maran Argan Tinted Moisturizer for Dry skin.

2. Shadow: Apply a neutral shadow all over the lid. Try: Benefit Creaseless Shadow in Birthday Suit for a fair complexion, Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Smog for a medium complexion and Make Up For Ever Eyeshadow in #129 for a deep complexion.

3. Mascara: Try: Make Up For Ever Smoky lash, available in waterproof and original formulation.

4. Bronzer: Apply along cheekbones. Try Benefit Hoola for a fair complexion, Tarte Mineral Bronzer in Park Ave Princess for a medium complexion and NARS Bronzing Powder in Casino for a deep complexion.

5. Lips: Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment. Try Petal for a Light pink, Passion for a red, Honey as a neutral or Original for a clear

My favorite lip products that feature the color of the year:

Stain: Yves Saint Laurent
ROUGE PUR COUTURE Vernis À Lèvres Glossy Stain, shade: #16 Pourpre

Gloss: MAKE UP FOR EVER 
Lab Shine Lip Gloss Diamond Collection, shade: D2

Plumper: Buxom
Full Bodied Lipstick, shade: Swinger


Mat: NARS
Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, shade: Never Say Never

Glossy Lipstick: Too Faced
La Crème, Shade: Lollipop