As you may recall from our July blog post, “Practice Makes Perfect: A Real Bride’s Trial Wedding Makeup Experience,” our real bride, Stephanie had her first experience with professional makeup and was preparing for her beautiful August wedding with Carmina Cristina as her makeup artist.  After happily marrying her prince charming, Stephanie now wants to share with you her wedding day makeup experience and of course…her before and after photos from the big day!

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We had chosen an outdoor wedding in early August assuming it would be hot, dry and sunny. But on our wedding day, life threw us our first curve ball which also included torrential downpours, gusty winds and swirling black clouds that looked anything but “bridal.”  The humidity and dampness of the day, combined with a fair share of tears could have been a wedding day makeup disaster had I attempted to do it myself. But I was fortunate to have the skill of a professional and the positivity of a friend to help make the day as flawless as I could have hoped.

Carmina arrived early with an entire studio’s worth of makeup and tools neatly organized in her kits. By the time I had finished with my hair, she was already set-up and ready to begin right in my apartment. Carmina’s on-site makeup allowed me to stay close to my family and friends who were also at my apartment getting ready. Her makeup application was exactly what I had remembered from the trial and even went a bit quicker since we had planned in advance the color and techniques we would use. From start to finish, Carmina was absolutely thorough! I first received a vitamin skin treatment before any makeup to give my skin and extra dewy glow. Then from eyes to skin to lips, Carmina completed my look at a comfortable pace and even ahead of schedule.

The Finished Product:

My finished bridal look was everything I could imagine! I felt confident, beautiful and still like myself. I was most pleased with how comfortable the makeup felt and I knew that no matter what the rest of the day had in store, come rain or tears, my makeup would last through anything!

carmina walking to apartmentCarmina arrived early to set-up everything onsite

She had everything neatly organized and laid out in a matter of minutes

vitamin skin treatmentWe started with a vitamin skin treatment; it was truly a pampering experience!

long lasting eye makeupNext Carmina created a natural and romantic effect for the eyes, using warm earth tones to add depth and shadow

wedding day lash extensionSubtle false eyelashes added just the right amount of drama

airbrush makeupNext came the flawless skin I asked for! Carmina skillfully airbrushed on a velvety smooth layer of foundation that lasted all day

Never one to wear much lip color, Carmina hand-picked the perfect hue to keep me natural, but to still add “something special” to my look

Not even an hour later, I had an entirely finished look for my wedding day. It was the exact makeup I had hoped for!

An Emotional Downpour:

We had planned to take all of our posed photos before the ceremony, including the very special “first look” photo where Scott would see me all dressed up for the first time. On our way over to the farm, the rain steadily poured down and my heart sunk. This isn’t what I had envisioned at all. Would we even be able to take a single photo outside? Our photographer came over to the car and said “Scott’s been standing in the rain waiting to see you for over an hour.” I started to cry. On a day where nerves and emotions are already running so high, the rain amplified how we were feeling. I knew Scott was likely worried about my disappointment with the weather and the rest of the day’s plans and I had to see him to know it would be okay. I got out in the rain and with the help of my family and several umbrellas, I made my way to Scott. As he turned around to see me for the first time, we both broke down. The weather wasn’t perfect, but being together and knowing that no matter what we would be married in just a few hours reminded us what the day was really all about…

long lasting bridal makeup in Mechanicsburg PAEven through tears and rain, my makeup never budged

Luckily one hour before the start of the ceremony, the clouds broke and the rain stopped. We were able to still have our outdoor wedding as planned! By the end of the night our guests were dancing outside under the stars and it became the magical scene I had been envisioning for the past 7 months.

A Lesson for All Brides:

Even the most organized and scheduled bride can’t possibly predict some of the unplanned circumstances that will crop up on her big day. Carmina’s calmness and confidence helped to make my wedding day makeup a relaxation and not at all another added stress. It’s important to surround yourself with positive people throughout your entire wedding experience and Carmina is one of these people. As she did my makeup, I faced the front window and could clearly see the storm clouds building and then the rain pouring down, but her reassurance – along with my family and friends – helped me to stay calm and stay focused on what the day was really all about…marrying my prince charming!

I highly recommend Carmina Cristina’s professional makeup talent for all brides and for all occasions. The weather and my emotions absolutely put her work to the test. With only one touch-up before the ceremony, I was able to celebrate early into the next morning feeling just as fresh and beautiful as I did 12 hours earlier!

Words From Carmina Cristina

It’s always been my belief that every bride will look their most beautiful on their wedding day. This isn’t dependent upon their hair or skin color, natural beauty or age – it’s the joy and happiness which shines from within that creates the signature “bridal glow.” And Stephanie was no exception. I always try to learn who the person is before I do their makeup. For Stephanie, she wanted to look polished, elegant and to be a more naturally beautiful version of herself. She wanted the look of flawless skin to last through the entire day and most importantly she wanted her makeup style to reflect her personality. I truly believe we achieved all of these things!

What I uniquely bring to the table is my own collection of 10 high-quality makeup products which I use on all of my brides. This allows me to blend the sophistication of the Big City with the natural beauty of Central PA and to give each of my clients a truly signature look that they then have the ability to create every day.  Every bride also receives a hand-selected Carmina-Cristina Lip gloss from me on her wedding day – something to keep her glowing long after her honeymoon! Most exciting is that within just a few weeks I will officially launch my workshop series where everyone – bride, mother, sister, grandmother – are invited to learn the trade secrets of beautiful, every day makeup. Stay tuned for more information about my product line and my workshop series or visit www.CarminaCristina.com!

A special thank you to the other talented vendors who together helped make Stephanie and Scott’s wedding a beautiful memory:

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