Arizona Crazy Bridal/Pre-Wedding Photo Shoot Part II

         Well, I guess I will have to upload these pictures before you guys start hating me!!!

         I will upload a few of my favorite ones from different locations and advise what you will need to do from my experience. 

         IT'S SHOW TIME!!!!!!!

ANTELOPE CANYON:

        Definitely a great place to visit.  However, the shoot was quite a challenge.  First of all, I had to wear wedges because I was so short and it was very difficult to walk in sand with your sandals.  But the sand is super soft and fine.  They didn't get on my dress at all!! Haha.  

        Second of all, the lighting is essential as we all know for photography.  If it is not because of Holly's skills and our lovely Navajo tour guide, this task cannot be accomplished.  Jackey, our tour guide, literally helped us to find the right spot to take pictures and with natural light, one minute or two of difference in time can change the entire look of the same chamber.  

       Third, there are more than two hundred people inside this little cave. YES, I mean it!  It is very narrow and if you are not careful, you will bump into the walls and it is very painful if you do. :)  Jackey was being very nice to hold people off from coming into the chambers so we can catch these beautiful shots!

This is the crown jewel of the shoot.   I was sitting on this little piece of rock with Petrus holding me up!
However, it's so Vogue looking in my opinion.  lol

Around 11AM, the beam of light will start getting into the canyon, however, you will need to throw a bunch of sand to reflect the light to see the beam.  So, we copied Jacky and played with the sand.  It looked magical 

Ok, this is my solo outside the canyon.  It was  a natural move caught by Holly.  It was too hot so I lifted my hair.  Anyway, I specifically use a bluish-pink to high light my lips that compliment my grey dress

Horseshoe Bend: It is only 20 minutes away from the Antelope Canyon.  It is breath taking, but the hike was challenging for me, again, with the dress and everything.  We got there around noon, and it was not the best time for light.  The sun was too strong for photos.  Besides, you cannot get the entire view by standing up. Anyways, not highly recommended for pre-wedding photoshoot.

Colorado River!!!

Remember I said the sun was too strong so Holly had us hiding under some rocks.  Petrus said they looked like Dinosaur poops from afar.  Hahaha

Haha, I am at the top of the world!!! Just kidding!  You can see the sun was direct on top of me, NO SHADOWS at all. 

MONUMENT VALLEY: Two and half hours away from Antelope Canyon and this is where we stayed for the night.  We stayed at the Monument Valley Inn, which is 30 minutes away from the MV.  So, we rushed back to MV to catch the 5 o'clock to 7 o'clock light before sunset, which was 7:30pm during the days we visited.

Before we can head over to the MV, I had to change my makeup, hair and put on my white dress!!!!  I will have to tell you if I do not already know how I wanted myself to look and prepared everything for it, I cannot finish this within 30 minutes.  Yes, that's all the time we allotted for me. :(

Now, there is a trail in the Monument Valley park that you can drive along to see those rocks.  We drove down a little bit and picked out our fav spots.   If my other dress was causing some "wows" from other tourist, this white gown was causing too much attention.  People would be honking and waving at us to give us their blessing for our marriage!  Awww...we felt the LOVE!!!!

My absolute favorite!!!!!  I think that there is not much I will have to say about this!  You got the idea

This one is closer to sunset and you can see the sun cast shadows on this vast land and turned it into red!!
 B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!!!!!  Btw, can you see the details of the dress?
For photoshoot, everything needs to be a little bit exaggerated 

AHHHH!!!!  My 12 ft long veil is flying!!!  Thank goodness we decided not to cut it.  Bride-to-be's, if you want a veil like this, contact me because not all the veils can fly.  We tested and learned from the hard way.

Ok, Monument Valley is very pretty.  Honey, you deserve a little kiss on the cheek!!!  lol

BONUS location!!!!!!  Remember that I told you we went site seeing and got a little surprise from our small trip???   It was the CHAPEL OF HOLY DOVE!!!!   This little cute chapel is actually very famous and many  people were married here and signed their names on the wall for good luck.  Holly spotted it on the way to the Grand Canyon and we decided to do a BONUS shoot on the way home.

Well, we are inside a chapel, correct?  I should do a more formal style so it goes with the spiritual, solemn vibe.  Luckily, I also brought the rhinestone headband, the crystal hair piece and my veil. They can all be incorporated together for this shoot.  Yay, a different look for me, although in the same dress.

Notice the couple on the left, they were married in this very chapel 37 years ago.  They came to visit the chapel every now and then,
We felt extremely special for them helping us in this shoot!

Finally, thanks for watching!!!!  Hope that you feel the LOVE and dedication we put in!!  Thanks for Holly for her most aesthetic photographic skill, for Matt being the driver when we all got tired, for Raymond being the most important personal assistant and behind-the-scene photographer.  Some funny pictures and behind-the-scene pictures will be uploaded soon!!!!!!!

Arizona Crazy Bridal (Pre-Wedding) Photo Shoot Part I - Planning and Preparation

Way before Petrus and I decided to get married, I always wanted our pre-wedding bridal photos taken place in a desert.  For some reason, I like the color contrast of the blue sky and golden sand.  Beach is cool and very common, but not my type.

Besides, I got inspired by a girl-friend of mine, who had hers done in Beijing at the Great Wall and a desert (of course, her desert is very different from mine; the color of sand is whiter).  Thus, I told Petrus about this crazy idea and he came up with the Arizona shoot.  He went to school in Arizona a few years ago and visited many of the cool places there.  He is the master mind behind this whole project.  Here are the locations he picked out: Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Monument Valley. 

Horseshoe Bend:  A great place to visit, but not so recommend for bridal/engagement shoot

Antelope Canyon: we did have some cool pictures inside the cave, but it is very challenging because of lighting and high traffic

Monument Valley:My absolute favorite for the scenery and the time and lighting we picked out is just right!

Later on, I met my AWESOME photographer, Holly Hoyt and she happily accepted the challenge.  Hence, we started the planning of the photo shoot.  BTW, I highly recommend Holly.  Her style is very natural and LOVE the way she directed the shoot.  I am a very critical person when it comes to photo shoot since I've worked with so many different photographers.  I have to say that I cannot ask for more for my own bridal shoot.  I'll explain to you in a makeup artist's opinion how to find your perfect photographer in a later blog!!!)

As the stylist and bride of the shoot, I have several challenges.
1. the color scheme of the shoot: blue sky, golden/coral tone desert, green succulents.  What color of outfits would go with the above elements?  I thought a natural color, i.e. black, white, grey, would do.  Or, a complementary color, i.e. purple, navy blue, could be fine as well.  

As I was shopping around, I came across with this elegant light grey chiffon evening gown with gold embellishment, which would be perfect to stand out from the background.  I fell in love with it once I put it on and decided to bring it with me to the shoot, Yay!!!!

     On the other end, Petrus and I went through his closet and found a light grey suit, a pair of dark jeans, and borrowed a casual dark grey blazer and a pink shirt from his brother. 

2. I also found this beautiful ivory wedding gown for a bargain of price.  (haha, I kinda show you my third style of the shoot, which is also a bonus)

Another bonus item: I D.I.Y. the bouquet with white/yellow flowers and a touch of green from the succulents.

3. With the two dresses, what are the accessories should be incorporated into the shoot?
    a. What kind of accessories can go with it?  
So I prepare a DIY hair piece(bottom right), a simple rhinestone head band(bottom left), and a beautiful flower piece with lace and crystals(top).  A bonus accessory is a cathedral length ivory veil. 

    b. My hair is only in shoulder length.  What hair-updo would look good in the shoot and easy for me to style?  To incorporate the hair pieces that I prepared, I decided to start with wavy hair do, then a messy bun and finally a more formal up-do.  

     c. On the other hand, I was asked this question many times: "Are you doing your own makeup?"  Yes, for the Arizona photoshoot, Yes.  On my big day, I will have help from a really good friend and artist!!!

Now, we have all the elements ready for the shoot and Flagstaff, here we come!!!!!

More sneak peaks will be uploaded soon...

Review Clarins Shaping Facial Lift Serum-#1 Seller in Asia

Last month, Clarins has finally launched the Facial Shaping Lift Serum in selective stores at Macy's.  Being the account development specialist of Clarins, I got to receive the first hand information on this MAGICAL facial shaping serum. 

I am going to tell you this: I LOVE THE PRODUCT!!!!!!

It does deliver what it promises: remove water retention, reduce excessive fat and contour your face--All in One!!!!  

Since age of twenty-five, I started to see my nasal line being more prominent and my jaw lines become more blended with my neck (I gained 10lbs since then).  Thus, I become very self-conscious about my face shape and always wanted to get rid of the few pounds I gained so my face will become more contoured for photograph again(as you all know, we appear 10lbs heavier on pictures already and being a makeup artist, you want to look in your best at all times). 

This Facial Shaping Lift Serum works in just a day.  I remember I put it on one time at night and one time in the morning, my mom can already tell my face became less puffy the next morning!  And I can see that my jawline becomes more defined and the shape of my face is more oval than ROUND.   Also, it gets rid of toxins.  I fell in sick for a week and I didn't use this serum during that time.  My face became very puffy because of sickness and medicine.  My co-worker reminded me to use it again.  A day later, my face became contoured and lifted.  

Application: Clarins has a special method for you to apply the product so that it will be more effective.  I typically use it twice a day, AM and PM, before any serum.  It is a serum before serum.  Then, I apply my other serum followed with a day/night moisturizer. 

My skin is soft, even and luminous.  

Summer eye shadow 清涼眼裝

今天心血來潮試試看適合夏天的清涼顏色的眼影，這次運用三種顏色做漸層，金色眼頭打亮，再用淺綠色塗眼中，藍色塗眼尾，加上咖啡色眼線。我其實很少用亮彩色眼影，但是夏天本來就是要有清涼感，如果還是一直只用黑灰色就實在太悶了，大家不妨也作新嘗試吧💁

That Healthy Summer Glow

Summertime is in full swing and that means heat, lemonade, BBQ and bikinis!  However, we mustn't neglect our skin and fall victim to those so-called "healthy tans."  There is no such thing as a healthy tan. Luckily, modern science has perfected a safer tan that anyone can use right in the privacy of their own home.
So, I took it upon myself to try out a few different self- tanners and here are my newfound favorites.

Number uno, the golden standard, is Summer Color Self-Tanning mist by Banana Boat.

This is a terrific spray tan to utilize at home. It provides a beautiful golden glow without looking orange.  The scent is a pleasantly light citrus and the color lasts for a good week.  It won't leave stains on your furniture and dries super fast.

If you're looking for something that is more gradual and develops over several applications, try Jergens Natural Glow.

A handful of applications will be required over a period of about seven days to achieve the desired look but it is very natural and everyone will notice your new "tan." 

These are both drugstore brands and are found just about anywhere right now.  

So, a few tips when using....

1.  Always always always wash your hands really well with soap after applying.  This will prevent the dreaded orange palms look that is commonly associated with self tanner use.

2.  Let the stuff fully dry before you get dressed or sit on furniture.  They will streak otherwise and can stain clothing.

3.  I've found it best to apply them right after showering and on freshly shaved legs. This will prevent your flooring from being a victim to orange stains and shaving first keeps the application smooth.

4.  Rub them in really well to prevent splotchy spots and streaks.

5.  Use less around the knees and ankles.  These areas spot up easily and will look bruised up otherwise. I speak from experience.

6. Finally, break out those short shorts hidden away and rock out your new tan without the cancer risk!!

The Bou-Nacklie-Pelin Project

      Couple of weeks ago, I worked on a project with Michael Bou-Nacklie and Pelin.  I met them back in March 2012 when I did the "Nouveau Deco" bridal photo shoot with Blessed Event.

Very feminine touch

       Being a photojournalist for more than a decade,  Michael not only has the capability to capture elements happening around him but also to execute high quality work in editorial photography.  I really adore his work, his aesthetic vision, and his dedication to photography.  Many of his work were published in the Gulf and the Kingdom.  Some of his clients are Gucci, DKNY and Prada.  Michael is now a grad student in Ohio working on his Master Degree in Photojournalism.  I feel very honored to work with Michael.


Since our first meeting in March, we have talked about collaborating some fashion editorial projects together along with Pelin, one of  our most favorite models.  She's beautiful, fun, vibrant and energetic.  Working with her always gives me lots of inspirations.

Inspirational Board of the Bou-Nacklie-Pelin Project

                                            
        Michael favors the very classy retro style and/or a very simple composition that emphasize the femininity of a woman, i.e. hourly glass shape, wavy hair and natural makeup.  In our conversations, we both agree that a late 1950's look is one of the most flattering and feminine representation of female figures: big wavy hair, arched eyebrows, thick eyeliner, beauty mark, and etc.  All of these fashion elements speaks for the particular trend of the era/culture.


       From here, we have developed many other looks/themes we both like.  Hence, the Bou-Nacklie-Pelin Project was born.   Below are the product of our work.  As a makeup artist and hair stylist, our role in working a project like this is to facilitate and deliver the mood/theme we try to create.  Thus, thorough communication with the photographer is essential.  It not only takes one's skill to execute but also one's interpretation of the theme and model's features.  Before the project, I have done research on the era upon makeup, hair and fashion.  With better understanding the history, I was able to twig the makeup and hair according to the model to re-create the look.  The point is to re-create the vibe with a touch of modern fashion.  

MUA: JBX Studio-Annie Chen, Hair: JBX Studio-June B. Xu

MUA: JBX Studio-June B. Xu, Hair: JBX Studio-Annie Chen

This is my absolute favorite!

      

Review Bare Mineral Round The Clock waterproof Eyeliner

Now, here comes the BareMineral Round The Clock Waterproof Eyeliner.   It cost $14 and is very creamy.  It goes on like cream but sets like liquid.  You don't need to use anything to set the liner since it will set by itself when it dries.  Thus, if you want to create that smokey eyeliner effect, you better smudge it with a little sponge before it sets.  In addition, the pigmentation is really good too.  It glides on very easily without any stops(see below)

                                      

I applied my liner on the waterline on top and bottom and it does not smudge on me.   The pictures below shows how it really works around the clock.  By the way, the color I chose is called 8PM, which is black I believe.  

At 10:00AM, nice and fresh.    

At 2:00PM, it looks pretty good without touch up.

At 7:00PM, okay now, it is really looking good after almost 10 hrs.