#JomarAndJulieBTS: Hair and Makeup

Looking for a makeup artist was supposed to be a no-brainer. After all, my checklist was simple:

1.      I need to look like myself, and I want my future grandkids to look at our wedding photos and see ME, not some hyper-made up and glamourized version of me, so severe contouring was definitely out of the question. It will be so weird if I hear them ask "Lola, who's that?" while thumbing through our wedding album. So goodbye, Hollywood-sanctioned straight nose and hollow cheeks! Not that I really want those hahaha :)

 

2.      My skin tans easily, which means I need someone who can perfectly match the makeup to my changing yellow-brown skin tone. I didn’t want to like a mumu (ghost) extra for Shake Rattle & Roll nor a bronzed Egyptian goddess (a staple look in Philippine magazine covers). The same goes for my bridal entourage's makeup, especially since their skin tone varies from morena to mestiza. 

3. If I can't find anyone, I will just do it myself. After all, how hard can it be, right? I've done my makeup dozens of times before, and surely I'll have enough time to practice before the big day. I seriously considered this until I realized how different professionally-applied makeup is from my amateur handiwork. Case in point:


 



Under professional light though, this would look so different. It'd most likely appear washed out, as if I didn't put anything on.

"Easy-peasy," I thought to myself, "I'll probably find someone soon!". But as I scrolled through pages and pages of too-pink lipstick, super thick brown eyebrows, and oddly-sculpted noses c/o the Kim K. School of Contouring, I began to lose hope. I slept quite late those nights, only to keep bumping into dead ends and ending up with bumps on my forehead (so future brides, stick to your schedule and always get some rest!). The makeup artists that I managed to track down were either very expensive to hire or never responded to my inquiries. Miracle of miracles, a mere TWO months before our wedding, I came across Kris Bacani among a thousand websites I surfed through that night. I noted that she was morena, so I thought to myself that she probably knows first hand the sad plight of being morena in a white-complexion obsessed country (sad, I know)? After all, this is the land where the once beautifully tan Jennilyn Mercado became porcelain-skinned after being tucked beneath Vicki Belo's wing, and Maxi Peel flew off the shelves after an endorsement by the lovely, naturally light-skinned Kristine Hermosa (who has most likely never needed to use those horrid chemicals!). Crazy trivia: I was messaging my cousin about updates, and casually mentioned that I was eyeing Kris for my makeup. She said that her parents were friends with Kris' parents and that they actually went to her (my cousin's) wedding! More crazy trivia to come soon :)

Image taken from krisbacani.com

 

Kris working her magic on moi

krisbacani.com
https://instagram.com/krisbacani/
http://brideandbreakfast.ph/tag/kris-bacani/
https://www.facebook.com/KrisBacaniMakeupArtistry/

I knew Kris was THE ONE for me. I quickly messaged her while uttering a quick prayer, and got a reply that she was free on our wedding day! Woohooooo! I added her on Facebook and soon after, we started on our back-and-forth about my hair and makeup inspirations. I told her I wanted the glowing, natural look of Jessica Alba and a curly braided updo like Cheryl Cole's (I originally was toying with the idea of a side swept curly half-pony but nixed it once I realized it would have been annoying since we would be dancing).

Jessica Alba photo by Michael Buckner on Getty Images

Cheryl Cole photo by Steve Granitz on Getty Images

She said she can do both and asked if I wanted traditional makeup or airbrush makeup. I've had former brides tell me to pick airbrush makeup since it has a more "flawless" look, and though I was a bit hesitant at first, I bit the bullet after seeing it on myself during my trial run. I met up with her and her partner-in-crime hairstylist, Alex Leyson, a few days before July 18. I won't show you my picture because I was getting a little hangry and it shows (imagine me, with full bridal makeup and hair, walking down a long distance with my Ma under the unforgiving noontime sun, just so we could get a cab since my brother's van broke down an hour after he dropped us off at Kris' studio) hahaha, but needless to say a lot of my stress flew out the window after they were done- I knew I was in good hands. Two more crazy/funny tidbits: the night before my trial run was my cousin's husband's birthday, which Kris attended! And one of my bridesmaids, a makeup junkie, told me that Kris used to go to her former school and that she knows Kris' work is "pulido" (flawless). All of these coincidences were maybe not coincidences anymore, I honestly believe that God listened to my many prayers and knew that hearing these newly-discovered connections and great feedback were what I needed to decrease my anxiety levels at the time.



Alex doing my hair

http://brideandbreakfast.ph/tag/alex-leyson/

https://instagram.com/alexleyson/

I LOVE the work our makeup team did on me and my wedding entourage. Along with Carmie Locsin and Cha Vicuna (my bridesmaids' makeup artist and hair stylist, respectively), they arrived on time, were highly professional, and with their expertise made our natural, God-given beauty shine! Ladies, please remember: keep the atmosphere light and fun, so that your hair and makeup stylists won't be stressed out. Yes, you are their client, but don't be the über-demanding bridezilla that will be talked about behind closed doors. As long as you pick the right people who fit your need, tell them what you want ahead of time, and let them feel that you trust them, you and your bridal party will look absolutely gorgeous :) 



Mama's reaction when she saw me getting my makeup done <3



Makeup with natural light and awkward gaze lol (posing jitters)

   

 

Carmie Locsin in action

http://www.carmielocsinmakeup.com/

http://brideandbreakfast.ph/tag/carmie-locsin/

A lot of talking and laughing while they do our hair and makeup :)

Wherein I look like a supervisor lol



Alex doing Mary's hair

My husband and his beautiful mom and lovely sisters

My husband's lovely family

Makeup with flash photography



My pretty ladies/girl squad!

Gorgeous ladies! <3 <3 <3

Thank you so much, Kris, Alex, Carmie and Cha for making us look picture-perfect on my big day! <3

 Love lots,

 

 

 



Grammar Tips

Two quick sketches I made eons ago concerning some grammatical pet peeves of mine. I've been meaning to polish them but never got around to it, so I'm posting them here in their hilariously ugly glory. Hahaha. As long as the message gets through, right? :)

1. Could/Should/Would HAVE (not "OF")

2. Lose vs Loose

Two things before I say adieu:

1. Yay for bed rest. I was feeling under the weather today from all the moving I've done these past few days, but I think I'm ready to go to work tomorrow :)

2. The jacket from my last post was sold for $255! A friend of mine in SFC will be donating the money plus all other donations we'll be collecting to Red Cross through her company, who'll match the amount. So it will become $510 :D And to think that three hours before the bidding ended, I was fussing so much about the top bid at that time (only $122) because it did not even hit the price I bought it for. But then I decided to just lift it to God and go to sleep since I only had 5 hours left until I needed to wake up for work the next day. Lo and behold, I checked my email the next day and saw that the bidding ended at $255. I was ecstatic, elated, joyous. That really and truly did make my day. Thank God for generous souls like the winning bidder plus the countless others who have poured their support and love for my brethren in the Philippines :) Mabuhay and salamat ng marami! <3 

P.S.

Please continue to pray for the health and safety of the survivors.

"The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’" - Matthew 25:40

<3,

Nothing much

1. This morning, I was about to wear a top that I bought in the Philippines (but had not tried on, because I was in a hurry then) when I realized that I could not get it through my head. I kept thinking that there was a button somewhere that I missed, hoping in vain that I will get to wear it. Alas, it seems that it will be an impossible feat, and I will never get to don it unless I rip the neckline to fit my gigantic head :(

2. Star Trek Into Darkness is one of the movies I'm looking forward to watching soon, but at the same time I'm dreading to see it. Why? Because my current favorite actor, Benedict Cumberbatch (from "Sherlock," "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" and "The Hobbit," to name a few), is the villain! Will I spew bile at his mercilessness or smile at the deep timbre of his voice? Ah, I guess I just need to remind myself that he is an actor by trade, and while he is amazing at it, he is but another person living on the other side of the world. (Watching Sherlock is making me want to try my hand at forensic chemistry, though.)

3. I used to hate my hands - or more specifically, my fingers. I would stare enviously at other girls' units, wishing they- what people describe as "candle-like", long and elegant - were attached to me, too . Mine are shorter and stubbier compared to my Ma's, and there were times when I was a kid that I would secretly give Pa the stink eye for dominating over Ma's genes and passing them on to me. That is, until I saw that the very same ones were on Pa's mother, my Lola Annie. She who bore 8 daughters and a son with my Lolo Manny, who cooked all their meals (with Pa as her constant companion at the wet market) and made sure that their school uniforms and work clothes were washed and pressed and neat. Not to mention, whenever I went to visit my paternal grandparents during my recent trip to the Philippines, she would always have food that she knew I missed laid out on their table, and with a smile would urge me to have some more. One of the best days I had was when I took the family out to Laguna for lunch. On the way home, she remembered that there was a store famous for its Buko (coconut) pie, and she stood in line, out in the heat for a long time just to buy boxes of it, while all of us waited in my cousin's van. The next day, I was greeted by more food prepped by Lola Annie, and like she promised, one of them was a dish I sorely missed and longed to eat for years (escargot and fern in coconut milk). "We already had some last night, and we saved this portion for you because you said you love it!" Squeals and thank yous rushed out from me, I kid you not. Now, whenever I look at my hands, I no longer scrunch my nose at them and try to superimpose those of hand models on them (I still appreciate nice hands though, but I'm ok with mine! In fact, I'm blessed to have them). Now, I smile and remember how thankful I am for Lola Annie. I may have inherited Lolo Manny's love for writing, but it is with the hands I inherited from Lola Annie that I write and type with.

Blasco-Borga Nuptials

So glad I was able to snag this dress at the last minute! I squealed when I got it in the mail, you won't believe how stressful it was for me to look for a light dress during winter season. Most dresses I saw were either too short, too big or made with heavy fabric. I already bought an orange dress but the fabric didn't feel formal enough for a wedding, and the fit was not that flattering (i.e. it requires a really tall and lean body, which I do not have).

 Here I am with the groom Raffy and my cousin Ting :) Forgive the awkward pose, I accidentally grazed my dress with lotion and the stain was very noticeable :( I didn't let it ruin my day though, because I was elated for my cousin :)