Stories – Aimee Makeup Artistry

Bridal trial | a romantic and timeless look for Gabby

romantic waves and understated glamour makeup Gabby asked me: "I want to look glamorous for my wedding, but also natural, is that possible?" I was thinking "Hmmm... sounds a little tricky," because what it means is she wanted me to find that perfect balance where her makeup does give her a WOW factor, yet soft and understated and allows her beauty to shine through. I have to say I can't do this for every face. For some faces, it's best we go straight for smoky eyes. For some faces, it's best we keep it clean and simple. But as soon as I saw Gabby, I knew her request would be possible! She has the right eye color and depth, plus the right bone structure for that "natural glamour" as she wished for. Loved working with this very pretty, sweet and super mellow bride-to-be!

Bridal Trial | Youthful, radiant, super natural finish

natural makeup, low messy updo What can I say about this wonderful client of mine? She's intelligent, down to earth, fun to talk to, love to laugh and ... DOESN'T LIKE TO FEEL LIKE SHE'S WEARING MAKEUP, especially lashes. And what's my role? Her wedding makeup artist! LOLOL My job is to deliver a look or a makeover that's most comfortable for my client, yet still make her feel enhanced, and most beautiful. She was super happy here. However, she wore this look to go do her Engagement Photoshoot at Lands End, and her photographer gave my bride an honest feedback, "You may want to consider wearing more lashes for your wedding day because it doesn't show in photos at all." I hope Cindy will approve of this! The lighting in my studio shows the makeup so well but on a real wedding day under bright light, your makeup will barely show up in pictures. What can help transferring to photos are your eyeliners and lashes = gives dimension. My job is to make my brides happy and feel comfortable in her own skin, but as Cindy said it herself, "the sweet spot is when you feel slightly uncomfortable with the amount of makeup." Can we make it the golden rule? And "slightly uncomfortable" is still subjective by the way!

City Hall Bride | Modern, radiant and effortless chic …

radiant skin, rosy cheeks, with stronger eyeliner and lashes I had a great pleasure beautifying this kindhearted, fun and sweet bride, Roberta. These are some photos from both her trial and her wedding day. Yes, "modern, radiant and effortless chic" was what she asked for in terms of the overall look and feel of her hair & makeup. With her very short and super fine hair, we still managed to whip it up into a clean and chic chignon. On her wedding day, she did ask for a few minor tweaks which was less foundation, but that was it. Her hair grew so fast so I could also make it into a much nicer bun, similar with one of the updo style Roberta originally asked for. Seeing her very bright and happy smile on the day of her wedding, after I was done with her hair & makeup, was the best feeling!

Bridal Trial | Smoky eyes & a romantic low updo for Beth

Radiant and sexy makeup paired with timeless elegant updo Beth had me at hello! One of the most cheerful person I've met met my entire life! She had this huge smile on her face the moment I came out to greet her. I knew right away we'd be a great match. Our communication was just super easy! It's the understanding between the artist and the client's preferences and personality that makes the final outcome from good to great. I would always try to understand where's my client coming from. Honestly it was a lot more mental work to do than me just going with what I want to do for a client in front of me. Even when I had super easy clients who told me "just do what you think is best for me," I'd still ask them questions and check in throughout the process. Here we had Beth telling me she loves drama and smoky in the eyes, but the rest she is happy to let me choose whatever I think is best. For hair, Beth really wasn't quite sure which style would suit her the best. With the photos of 3 favorite hair ideas she showed me, I gave her a quick preview on all 3. With limited time for the trial, if a client can not make up her mind with hair up or down, then we can not go for a fully finished, well-pinned and long lasting style. I can only show mostly the front and pin the back quickly. Her big YES moment was when we had the low updo. The last 2 trial photos are the ones we tried prior to the low updo and as you can tell, those did not help enhance her facial shape and features. --- Update: I've included a few of her gorgeous wedding photos here. I've made her updo more relaxed and effortless, compared to the trial. Head over to my blog later on tomorrow to see more of this wedding (5/23/19)

Wedding Day Diary | Smoky eyes

glam and smoky, glowy skin, neutral pink lips, #iphonephotos My client trusted me and decided to book without a trial although I tried to convince her that she should. To tell you the truth, I'm always nervous if it's an all-day wedding, with a mix of indoor/outdoor activities & no trial. The longevity of the makeup is important and photography will be done in various lighting situations. With city hall weddings, I think the trial can totally be skipped, but not for full day/big weddings. Although I'm flattered I'm trusted with my skill, I do not trust that I know my client's likes/dislikes thoroughly and if we speak the same "language" when it comes to makeup and hair terminologies. Anyhow, back to this wedding, my bride was very happy with the final result, but we did have a little bit of hiccup on the hair. It's been a while so I can't recall all the details of the communication that day, but honestly I did sweat a little trying to understand my client's preference for this updo. Here's the thing: makeup and hair for your day is very important and it's quite personal. No matter how "easy to please" you think you are, having a trial will help both of us be on the same page and lessen the stress level for all.

Bridal Trial | A soft glam smoky-eye makeup paired with chic elegant chignon

#smokyeyes #elegantchignon One of my favorite faces to paint last year and the kind of clients I absolutely love to work with! She's organized, professional, well put together but doesn't take herself so seriously. Oh... and not to mention how photogenic she is. As I started to work on her makeup, I asked her questions to further understand her comfort level with makeup and what kind of look would she envision herself in. She basically said she trusted my vision and would just leave that up to me. The one thing she knew she wouldn't mind is smoky eyes. She normally doesn't wear makeup, but she is not afraid of a more glam up version of herself. I ran with her idea for smoky and suggested we go for a clean updo to match her 2 dresses. The result was something she and I both loved. Some women just have the right face/bone structure for makeup and that's her! But of course, she didn't take it too seriously :)

City Hall Bride | A soft and subtle glow for Sylvia

Romantic side chignon and half up with braids hairstyle Glad I've met this wonderful lawyer whom surprisingly withheld such a vast knowledge about health, human body form and posture, and how muscles work. She also is very passionate about Yoga and Pilates. She taught me a few important stretching exercises to help with my constant neck, shoulder and lower back pain due to the nature of my work. Ok, enough about body health haha Let's talk briefly about her makeup + hair here. Sylvia had me do her makeup and hair for 2 days: the updo is for her city hall wedding and the half-up hair is for her post-wedding photoshoot the next day. For her city hall wedding, I gave the look a golden rosy tone overall. For indoor photography, I do know that the photographer will have more shadow so the makeup won't look washed out, therefore no need for heavy contour or deeper color tones. However, for her next day mid-afternoon 3-6pm photoshoot, I gave her darker color for eyeshadow and a tad more mauve on the lipstick too.

Bridal Trial | A radiant, elegant and subtle glam for Meg

A Natural Look Like most brides, Meg wanted to look like the best and prettiest version of herself, but still on the natural side, and not glamorous. With a small face, balanced bone structure and a bright beautiful smile to boost, of course it wasn't difficult. As long as the skin, the eyeliner and lashes were done nicely, even without much shaping or contouring, she'd still going to be so photogenic. Please check out Meg and Evan wedding day photos on our blog and you can see how the makeup/hair shows up in full day light situation and through a professional DSLR's lens (photos by Jasmine Lee). Keep in mind that most of your wedding photos will be captured in half-body and full-body shots, unlike the trial where I would take photos mostly in portrait style, which would show your makeup more. Please check out her wedding via our Blog. Look for Meg+Evan wedding.

City Hall Bride | Warm tone makeup for Fall

dewy and airbrushed skin, golden brown for eyes, a hint of red for lipstick Happy brides are the prettiest! Beautifying Jennifer, again, was the easiest and the most fun. She loves makeup and doesn't mind to be glammed up for special occasions. I've done her Engagement makeup session already and we went for a more fierce and smoky look for that; but today, we did a total bridal style: elegant, dewy, with a touch of glam (that pop of red on the lips to brighten up her complexion). I've learned a lot about her features and likes from the Engagement session last time, so the wedding day look today was pre-meditated. Skin: airbrushed. Eyes: a shimmery golden shade and brown eyeliner. Lashes: natural. Lips: a mix of nude and red blended together.

Special Occasion | A soft glam for this beautiful mom

brown smoky eyes, glowy skin Gina contacted me for her family photoshoot with her husband and her two daughters. She has learned about my work through her photographer Jenny Soi. As soon as I know Jenny would be photographing her, I couldn't help but feeling super excited. If you haven't seen her work, check out https://www.jennysoi.com. Gina was so unbelievably kind and made me feel so at ease, even though it was our first time meeting. My job felt like the easiest job in the world. We discussed the look and I chose a light brown smoky eyes for her because it will photograph well yet more natural. She always has full and long natural lashes already, so the one thing I wanted to look more glam was her eye lashes, by adding 1 light strip just to add fullness and a few individuals on top as well. For the hair, understanding new moms always have these funky baby hair sticking out, I made sure to spend an extra 10m to smooth and tame them down. She was very happy and that made my day! #iphonephotography

Style shoot | a blushing bride in the making

#iphone, #behindthescene Before I start working on a face, I always try to quickly take a mental note on what's to enhance and what's to improve. Since Emily has this gorgeous and kind blue eyes, I wanted to make her eyes the focal point. I spent most of my time designing her lashes. Honestly with this beautiful set of eyes, I can throw in a bronzy smoky style, which is very in now, and use a full set of lashes and call it a day. And she would look even more captivating especially for photos with smoky eyes. Smoky eyes will always photograph very well when done right. However, with the mood board Jessica Song from Blushing Joy Events created and the look of the venue, I knew I must keep the look more fresh and timeless. If you're curious about the mood board and our overall theme, head over to my Blog and see. My model's skin looks quite fair with some redness and imperfections too, so that is definitely something to be improved. I tend to leave the lip color to last once I'm done painting the rest of the face. Looking over to the table set up and seeing the decor installation and the bright bouquet, INSPIRED, I then mixed this poppy pink + cherry red for her lips. What do you think? See more gorgeousness of this shoot in my blog.

Bridal Trial | Classy Smoky Eyes for Lindsay

clean smokey eyes and tousled waves This beautiful lady was a dream to work with! My team and I did her wedding this past July and the day was filled with fun stories, dance moves and laughters from beginning to the end. Her blue eyes were so easy to glam up with a clean smokey and I kept that as the focal point for the look. She told me she would be more tan on the day of her wedding, so I airbrushed her face a little tanner than her natural tone just so we figured out the color choices ahead of time (lips, blush etc). What was so special for me was that while she was on her honeymoon, she texted me to let me know how much she loved everything about our makeup + hair services for herself, mom & her 9 bridesmaids!!! Thank you Lindsay for being the most gracious, thoughtful and fun brides to work with!

Engagement | Big Sur photoshoot

Glam It Up! J was so much fun to work with! An introvert like me, but she quickly warmed up. Her matter-of-fact stories and comments made our conversation really fun! She openly told me she loves getting her makeup done and wouldn't mind going more glam and stronger for her E-session, instead of keeping it soft and natural. However, we save the softer glam version for her upcoming city hall wedding. For this look, I did brownish smoky with a touch of golden/bronze shimmer. I would very much love to style her hair all down and wavy, but given her location will be from 4-6pm shooting in Big Sur, she opted for a side bun to keep her hair in place and not causing any fuss. She sent me some sneak peaks of the shoot right way and she looked like a model stepped out of an Ad.

Engagement | Barely there makeup and side chignon

Individual lashes and natural, barely-there makeup My beautiful client here asked for "natural" look. I've learned through the years that a simple request like "natural makeup" can mean so many different things from different people. It's not THAT SIMPLE to understand without asking more questions along the way. Some clients said "natural" because they're afraid of getting heavy colors or contour on them, but they do want to be glammed-up. Other times, "natural" was to described having little makeup with very subtle enhancement. As an artist, I love to listen and always think of a way to deliver the result my client wanted, but I also offer my thoughts and concerns as how it would photographed, and then let them decide. Here, seeing that Cindy was happy when I chose a blush color that was more like a earthy peach and yields no pink tone, I knew her "natural" request was the real natural. Cindy was very happy about her makeover. She gave me a Yelp review right away. Thank you so much!

City Hall Bride | Classy look with Red Lipstick

Early call time for this gorgeous city hall bride of mine, 5am at my studio!!! Jessica was a dream client to have, so pleasant, so easy going. Keep in mind we didn't do a trial ahead of time. When we got to the final step: lip color, she was debating between red or neutral pink and she reluctantly chose pink. Somehow I could sense that what she truly wanted was red, but just nervous. Let's be honest, wearing red lipstick can be quite intimidating as the color has to go well with the skin tone and it could enhance or ruin the whole look if the undertone is off. You can easily wipe off a neutral lip color if you change your mind, but much harder for red. So, I started with the safe color, putting a little bit of natural pink on her lower lip first, then I step back and observe. I thought to myself, "pink looks nice but it didn't give her hazel eyes and her complexion a boost." So, with her permission, I went straight for red from there. Plus, her charming smile can carry a classy neutral red! Well, after the red color was on, her eyes lit up, and we had a winner! On to her hair, even though it was really short, we managed to turn it into an updo with soft strands in the front framing her face. I can't wait to see her wedding photos!

Bridal Trial | Neutral smokey eyes for Alice

romantic smokey eyes and peachy nude lips Alice has such a sweet and charming personality and it was my pleasure to be chosen as her makeup artist for her wedding day. Working with her was so easy because she is such a joyful, calm, and happy person inside out! Alice saw me for an Engagement session, then a few months later, she met me for the trial. Why did we choose smokey for her look? Because smoky gives her eyes more depth and with neutral tones that I chose, it would not look overdone or "clubbing". With just the perfect amount of smokey, the eyes will be photographed best. Of course there are other ways to glam up Asian eyes, but personally I find a tasteful smokey eyes with the right choice lashes will always instantly glam up any women!

Bridal Trial | Creative approach | Multiple makeup & hair styles for Thao

understated glamour How many bridal looks should one try on? Truth is although I can do a variety of looks, not every face can handle different looks like this bride here. In terms of hairstyle, your dress will play a big role in how you should wear your hair. But, the most important factor is that the hairstyle should flatter your face and helps your whole body look proportionate first, and then it should complement the style of your dress. I did an experiment here with a friend who was getting married last year. This was her real trial. However, instead my usual approach, my friend decided to sort of be my "model" and let me take on the creative direction and try different styles on her especially with the hair. I told her, just stop me whenever there's a "bingo" moments. She couldn't decide between having her hair down or putting it up in an updo. She was tilting towards sexy wavy hair down, but her fiance was really into the idea of her wearing an updo. So, let's try. In my own opinion though, after seeing her dress, I felt that she should wear an updo. However, that should be decided by my bride, not me! I told her I would try 2 makeup looks on her and maybe 3-4 hairstyles, starting off with bouncy wavy curls and then pinning it one side up, adding braids, and finally styled it into an updo. For her makeup, I felt that with her heart shape face and high cheekbones and elongated almond eyes, she can wear multiple makeup looks. However, she's a sweet girl, so I knew I would want to stay away from super artificially sculpted look because then that won't match with her personality. So, I started off with very clean eye makeup look, only adding a wow factor in the lashes and brighter coral-orangy lips. Then, I slowly added more lashes and lighten up the lip color to a pink when we get to the final look: side updo with braids. Which look do you like the most?

Engagement | San Francisco | A natural and sweet look for Elsie

Fresh, natural and romantic In Elsie's words, "I want to look fresh, natural yet elegant... I like braids too but I'm not sure my hair is long enough." Well, making her look fresh and natural was quite easy, so was some braids in her hair. The moment I saw Elsie, I automatically felt a happy and calm energy about her. She wore her pretty dress inside but with an oversized jacket outside. I could enhance her eyes way more because her eyes can carry more makeup, but I asked her, "between natural and glam, which way you would rather go for given you need more for photos?" She said, "Natural" with a smile, "because I don't wear makeup often." She sat so still and was just a perfect canvas for me to work on. Great session!

Family photoshoot | Fun and glamorous

bright-eyes, rosy cheeks, and photo-ready makeup What a great pleasure to have Claire back in the studio! Unlike her wedding day look which was a fancy high updo and glamorous lashes, this time we went a more fun and casual look with added braids for her not-very-long hair (below shoulder length). Claire has such beautiful features already, and noted the cute dimples. The only help she needed was just evening out the skin color, giving more depth to her eyes and pretty rosy cheeks. Knowing she would wear a bright yellow dress (last photo), and given the photoshoot would start much later at 5pm, I added an extra pop of pink for her lips and rosier cheeks. Makeup does settle in and gets lighter or blended into your skin as time goes by, so a little more than you think you needed at first is always a good idea.