We are podcasting!

Beauty Tips & Bullshit

Hey Friends! If you didn't hear, Kat St John and I are podcasting! We have a little show called Beauty Tips & Bullshit where we talk all things beauty and a little nonsense...and more nonsense.

Episode Two

The week we are recapping our crazy New Years Eve nights out, and whoa be ready! We have 4 product reviews on items we LOVE! And we are hitting each other again with a few more intriguing questions. Sit back, grab a coffee and hang out with us for 20'ish minutes 

Show links and shout outs!

Last week I styled a 'Snolopement' up on Mt Baker with two of the best destination wedding vendors I know, The Greatest Adventure Weddings & Elopements and The Foxes Photography

Erika and The Foxes are two of the best in destination weddings, they all love the outdoors and will do just about anything to make your elopement unique!

+Pictures coming soon+

Kat's favorite products for the week over on her blog! She is loving a deep cleaning mask and a little kit from It Cosmetics that will leave you all aglow.

Shop my favs I covered in the show!

Dr Dennis Gross Hyaluronic Marine Dew It All Eye Gel

Atomic Beauty Cosmetics!

Sabina Kelly and Michelle Davis have teamed up to bring you all the gorgeous glam with Atomic Beauty Cosmetics, this is my new favorite red!

Shop here

4 really expensive days exploring Iceland!

You know the old saying, work hard play even harder? If the saying is true, then I am due many more vacations like my recent trip to Iceland. It all started with planning a week long trip to London, I was so excited to get back to the land of serious breakfast and cider! Pub pies, theater and oh all of that incredible stylish shopping. London is packed with beauty brands I adore and fill my suitcase with every time I cross the pond. Wanting to make sure I kept all of my airline miles within the Alaska Airlines family I booked my trip to London on Iceland Air and took advantage of their "stopover deal" So on the way home from one of the best weeks I have ever had in London I stopped over in Iceland. In a few words, Iceland is a beautiful island of natural wonder, viking pride and is shockingly expensive! 

Happy Exploring 

xoxo

Anne

Downtown Reykjavik, vibrant and colorful buildings line the streets with endless shopping. Iceland winters leave little daylight, on our trip the sun rose around 11 am and set promptly at 3:30 pm. Normally little daylight would leave me feeling a little blue but the holiday lights were a perfect companion to the darkness

Gullfoss Waterfall! I haven't 'toured' many waterfalls but this was incredible to see. The cliffs of ice and snow surrounding the falls totally had me thinking, winter is coming...

Geyser! The island is very active, one of our stops along the Golden Circle

Our last stop on the tour, once of Iceland's many quaint churches. I loved the architecture of the island and its simplicity 

The was the one thing I was most excited about doing in Iceland and we spent the entire day in the Blue Lagoon! Absolutely gorgeous, we opted in for the VIP package with complimentary extras like robes, beers and mud masks

I met these Swedes in town on holiday, cheers!

Just me in the Blue lagoon, cider in hand and a face full of silica! My skin felt amazing after, super soft and I was able to try all 3 of the mask offerings that day in the lagoon

I had the chance to try both of these masks and loved them! if you are a face mask junkie like me you will appreciate how little you have to use to achieve baby soft skin, link in the bottom of this post if you want to check them out!

Every trip I go on I make it my mission to find a beauty item that is local! As I have said before I come back with extra suitcases filled with products, and after a fair amount of research I found BIOEFFECT! Here is the short story, BIOEFFECT is the result of scientists using new technology in the stem cell world specifically EGF which stands for Epidermal Growth Factor. The company discovered their work not only led to potentially saving lives BUT they had tapped in to cellular regeneration...aka they figured out how to turn back time (cue Cher) 

The serum is really unique and not like anything I have ever tried before, I stopped at one of the best boutiques in Reykjavik, Aurum and chatted with the store manger Laila about the entire line. I love talking with other skin care pros about cellular turnover and product penetration (beauty nerd alert!) BIOEFFECT is super unique in both regards, the serum sits on top of your skin it actually doesn't even penetrate because the molecule is too large BUT what it does is magic! The proteins basically act like rulers of your skin and send signals and energy below to new skin cells to increase the speed in which it grows and how- freaking skin science! The entire line is created in Iceland from sustainable barley, and science! Karl Lagerfeld swears by the BIOEFFECT line and I am pretty sure he is in his mid 100s and looks fab!

The shopping was incredible, shops filled with local designers and crafted goods and all the street art! 

OK!! Here is the really 'spendy' part of going to Iceland, it is eating out! keep in mind I have been to JAPAN!! Iceland is by far the most expensive place I have ever traveled to in regards to restaurants, no joke but the food is some of the best I have ever had. Our first night in Reykjavik we wanted something simple, not fancy and opted for a burger place with great reviews... two burgers and beers later left us paying $80 and guys they were good burgers but we did have a little sticker shock. This would be my one good heads up for visiting Iceland, be prepared to either be more creative with your dining choices or just dive in and pay- we chose to dive in and it was a delicious but expensive experience 

So I gave Beauty Counter a try!

So we all have a friend selling some kind of makeup or vitamin right? Years ago I did it myself, interesting experience and at the end of the day I always say I don't want to sell a product! But one product that keeps coming up in my social feeds is Beauty Counter, like a quiet friend just asking you to try something out- no biggie! I have been on the hunt for clean makeup, makeup that is free of compromising and carcinogenic chemicals, makeup that is vegan and cruelty free because, this is what my clients are asking me for more and more.. but here is the thing, most makeup lines that meet those qualities lack pigment, wearability and overall they are SO boring! 

That was until I checked out Beauty Counter! Let me start by saying, overall the line is super pretty but its not going to rock your world if you have been wearing Damned by Kat Von D, winged liner to your ear lobes and love a heavy contour- it is not that brand and there are plenty of brands for YOU!

Beauty Counter IS pretty, the pigments are gorgeous and saturated with color! It is all about glowing natural skin, defined features and easy products to use. Beauty Counter's story will inspire you and also make your blood boil a little when it comes to our own FDA standards on chemicals in cosmetics read it right here.. and do give it a little read, its fascinating!

This was literally a quick 10 minute makeup I busted out on Meghan just to play with the products and I LOVE them so much! Every product was easy to work with, totally busy person friendly makeup. I applied powder blush with a sponge and it looked like a soft natural glow

Ok here is what I loved most!

1. Plumping Facial Mist!  A superfine hydrating mist that plumps your skin to minimize the look of fine lines and dry skin

2 Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer Imagine walking out of the spa with that perfect hydrated skin but it stayed all day...ya this is it!

3 Touch Up Concealer Pen  Very similar to YSL Touche Eclat but actually conceals and covers

4 Ultimate Nudes Eyeshadow Palette So many gorgeous colors and loads of payoff in color, just a perfect collection for anyone

I really enjoyed the Beauty Counter Products so much I have invited Meghan to my December makeup parties so you can all play and check out the line! Come meet her in person, play with Beauty Counter and watch me demo a few pieces that I love! I won't personally be selling it (remember not seling products!) but if you want to shop with Meghan here is her link https://www.beautycounter.com/meghanmcmackin

For more info on my December Beauty Bash Class Go Here for Classes!

I love you Tokyo!

This past March my son Braden and I took off to Tokyo, it had been a dream of mine to take him for years. It was the first time either of us had been to Japan, a country I just had a doozy of a crush on since I was a little girl. Growing up at my house we had one magazine subscription and it was to National Geographic. Each month I would wait for my dad to have the first look then it would be handed down to me. I would look at all the photos and day dream about leaving my home of Vashon Island and visiting all of the gorgeous locations. I longed to travel as a kid, I would literally sit out on the cliff at the end of our property above the puget sound watching the planes take off at Seatac Airport and wonder what cool adventure everyone was going on??  Nearly every year National Geographic would do a story on Japan, and my fav was when it was on the Geishas! To me, the art of Geisha makeup and dress is the perfection of beauty and art, and my love of Japan bloomed from there. From Geisha and The Bad News Bears go to Japan (1978) to one of my fav movies Lost in Translation, books, Travel shows and ooooh Bourdain (you know you all crush on him!) I had to get there! So take a peak at my photo journal, its a lot of food, beauty and love for this great city! 

Me and B, aka the love of my life my son

"Piss Alley" don't let the name fool you, this is Tokyo street food at its best. Right outside of Shinjuku Station is a maze of delicious yakitori stands and after a 10 hour nonstop flight we needed food and wanted to get local

Kirin Ichiban for me please! 

Yakitori is like Japanese Tapas, a common after work stop for many working locals- I didn't eat one I didn't like... more Ichiban please!

So here is the thing, I travel all the time but mostly within a 6-8 hour time change give or take. Japan, is a +17 hour time difference from Seattle, so this lady had some rough Jet Lag. Thank you Tokyo for your endless green tea offerings, I still make a cup each week to this day!

Yes you can buy nearly everything in a vending machine, and no we didn't see a single machine selling panties (for real) But we did find warm delicious canned Tully's and other coffees! This was a freaking blessing, because Tokyo is NOT an early bird- you will be hard pressed to find a cafe or place to eat before 8 am. So drink the coffee from the machines, They come out perfectly hot and they only cost a Yen or two (under $2)

Japanese dessert crepes, no other comment needed.. well, except for my sons rad TOAST shirt! He gets so many compliments on this gem he bought in Harajuku 

Japanese CC creams give me life!! I have never been a fan of American CC or BBs, they just don't do much and I want to see some change when applying makeup! So what's the big diff? They are medium to full coverage with a soft dewy finish only Sailor Moon had until now! All that plus a high broad spectrum SPF. I bought so many CCs and gifted them out to my friends when I got home, but this was my personal fav! Sekkisei White Kose CC Cream

Have a Beautiful lips! The packing is half the reason you buy the products! 

Ok hold up! So for most of my fellow makeup artist friends out there, you know what eyelid taping is or you have at least heard of it. I spent a year working in San Francisco where I was introduced to this cultural makeup technique. For those who don't know, eyelid taping or glueing to create the look of a deep crease when one does not have one is SO popular! I keep the little tapes in my kit just in case I have a client who likes that extra touch

I went to nearly 12 stores looking for this mascara and found it! Japanese beauty is all about super clean gorgeous skin and that glow- aaand the guys are totally in to it as well!  I may have drove my son a little crazy dragging him around shopping for makeup, but it was well worth a little eye rolling on his part. Tokyo is full of top industry makeup stores from Shu Uemura, MAC Pro, Anna Sui and more. Even the fashion district of Harjauku is a gold mine of makeup by my last day I was rushing around to buy another suitcase to get it all home.

Below are some of my favorite finds that made it back with me, except the Mario Bros Shu Uemura that is a recent order from Japan!

I never liked curry until I had Japanese Curry and please I don't wanna hear it! Indian curry just is not my thing, now butter chicken and Naan you have me! Since my discovery of the Tokyo mainstay I have made it at home so many times since! This was the first recipe I tried back home and its super easy! Japanese Curry with Chicken

HOW TO ORDER AND EAT RAMEN! 

Its simple, walk up to a machine outside the ramen shop, select and pay for your ramen. Next walk in to the shop hand over your ticket to the host and take a seat! Each shop was a blast to visit and most have some signs in english to guide you along your way to slurping up some yummy ramen!

SO pretty! High placed blush and soft features could be seen everywhere, and looks so pretty in person!

If you make it to Tokyo, I highly recommend going late spring to see the cherry blossoms. We spent a morning in Shinjuku Gyoen, a city park hundreds of years old filled with gardens, tea houses and cherry trees, most over a 100 years old. The heighth of these trees and vivid color will blow your mind #treelove

I put Braden in charge of a Yelp search to find breakfast after our morning in the park and he found gold! One Tokyo's most popular breakfast spots is Cafe Aaliya, they are well known for Japanese Fluffy French toast and holy mama I could have ate this all day long!! Cafe Aaliya is right outside of Shinjuku Gyoen a perfect stop after walking around getting hungry looking at Cherry Blossoms! I still dream of making this and recently found this copycat recipe, I have yet to make this but shall we all give it a go?  Fluffy French Toast Recipe! 

We came for the sushi, right? Bourdain once said that there is Before Tokyo and after.. This city will change you, the people are incredibly kind and hospitable. Tokyo takes beauty to a new level and they love to share it with the world. 

Below is one of my favorite Bourdain shows, Tokyo After Dark!

Anne + Kat's 2017 top 10 makeup favs!

Hey friends! 

If you didn't know, Kat St John is one of my favorite people in all the land. We share a strong love for Twin Peaks, tattoos, bold lipsticks and late night online beauty shopping with good wine- cheers and if you don't have a glass of wine right now.. go pour one, sit back and warm up your credit card

Let me start off by saying 2017 was nuts! We styled well over 150 weddings, worked on dozens of commercials, endless beauty house calls (yes that is a thing we do) and even worked on a couple of small film projects! It has been one jammed packed year in the beauty biz and nonstop shipments of makeup and trips to Sephora! So here is our own little Oprah moment, except we won't be giving any of them to you- I know, we just are not that cool..... yet

SKIN CARE WE LOVE

Hydrate!: We both picked  Kiehl's Cactus Flower & "Tibetan Ginseng" Hydrating Mist. It smells amazing and its super hydrating for dry skin. Skin prep is the #1 step in creating flawless long wearing looks, so its no surprise we both love this so much and its in both of our kits

Anti Aging: I am all about good anti aging products, if it works I will spend the money! I have been a HUGE fan of Dr Gross for years, so I was thrilled to discover the Ferulic + Retinol Wrinkly Recovery Peels..Yes!! its a skin smoothing peel with a skin firming chaser, I absolutely love these! 

Quick Clean: So I swear we don't judge you (much) if you don't wash your face at night, I am pretty sure the smokey eye was born from last nights cat eye so its OK... but please treat your skin well and if you can't hustle up the energy to take off your makeup grab a Make OFF Remover Wipe by Alcone and clean it up! We LOVE these, and we give them to our brides in their touch up kits to help remove their airbrush makeup! And don't worry, these are not like those eye burning MAC wipes we have all used in our life #sorryMAC

Cleanser: On one of our trips to Portland this summer, which happened to also be at the exact same time as the Nordstrom Anniversary sale funny that! Kat picked up this little gem of a cleanser by Mario Badescu if you need clean smooth skin and are prone to a few break outs this is your friend!

Moisturizer: you all know we LOVE LOVE LOVE some Ebryolisse Concentrated Lait Cream! It is nearly the perfect skin prep and provides the perfect dewy skin that doesn't get oily during the day

NOW THE MAKEUP! 

We are both heavily obsessed with the NARS liquid blushes, they are so gorgeous and easy to use! 

Concealer: One of the top questions we both get is 'what is the best concealer' and its a case by case favoritism! For weddings and when there will be some hard tears, I LOVE Bye Bye Under Eye concealer by It Cosmetics! It is pure waterproof full coverage magic.

AND we always say yes to NAR Creamy Radiant Concealer, its a classic and so far nothing compares- We love you!! 

New fav!! No this is not YSL its Beauty Counter and very similar to the classic Touche Eclat but Beauty Counter brings better coverage

Kat's Pick!! The Neo Bronzer from Kevyn Aucoin is one of the smoothest blends of summery light you will find! 

Ok lets talk lips!! I moved the entire NARS Audacious line in to my kit this year, these lipsticks are loaded with pigment, long wearing and super creamy. Kat's fav is Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick and all of the reds are gorgeous! Check out the Everlasting Liners they are the perfect match.

Below are a few more of our favs! 

The OUAI hair oil smells like summer, leaves your hair with a gorgeous shine and tames those little frizz outs!

Shu Uemura is my go to brow pencil The Brow Sword creates a fool proof brow that looks natural yet strong

Can we all take a bow for The Peach Palette? If you don't own this run out and buy it now.. well just order it online, its been a solid bridal fav all season long- and yes, its smells like peaches! 

Lastly, the Makeup Forever Aqua XL waterproof pencils have replaced all of my other eyeliners in my kit- these are the true 'cry all day party all night pencils'

Please check everything out, lets us know your thoughts!

We loved working with all of these products over the season and each one has passed our tests of long wear and  

Well Hello friends!

Hey Guys!

Let me tell you, when I logged on here and looked at the last time I have sent a blog I was like whoa really??... I promise all of you,  I think about writing all the time, like most of us with a passion project of painting or drawing or what have you, time just passes us by, schedules are busy and then you turn around and there IT is staring you in the face screaming, come on now! But don't worry because I have so many stories for you all. I had one really busy summer of logging miles running all of over the place styling brides, commercials, film, professional clients, seniors, boudoir and more.. so you know I have some stories coming your way like one on bridesmaid-zillas (why so many?) Self esteem, what to pack when you travel...aaaannd Kat St John and I have our 2017 lists of favorite beauty products-with a giveaway! 

For now I am just checking in to say HELLO! and let you all know that I opened up my books for my super fun Girls Night In parties! Below are the last weekend dates I have open for 2017 to book your in home beauty party with your friends! These parties are super fun, its the perfect night to invite your girlfriends over, pour the wine and have a blast while me and the team walk you through new tricks and techniques while each of you get a personal lesson with us. 

November 5th
November 11th
November 12th
November 19th
December 9th
December 10th
December 16th
December 17th

http://www.annetimss.com/buyit/girls-night-in-group-makeup-lesson

XO

Anne

Hey its me! 

The worst beauty advice I have ever heard

The other day I was spinning through social media looking at all the makeup posts from companies and people talking about the most ridiculous tips and tools, you know just a normal morning internet coffee session. But it got me thinking about all of the stupid beauty tips I have heard or read in my life, and there are a LOT of them! 

Over the last 20 years of working in makeup I have heard some stuff! And I am not just talking about the pedestrian tips like how my mom told me to put the skin from the inside of an egg shell on a zit to clear it up.... I am talking about things like, cut your eyelashes to make them grow faster (no, this does not work) or tone with peroxide to keep your skin clear- never mind you now have bleached eyebrows and an orange hairline. 

One thing I know for sure, there is a lot of bad advice out there and we have all heard something that makes our eyes roll. I reached out to longtime friends who are makeup artists on all levels of the industry and asked them, what is the worst beauty advice you have ever heard? Most of their comments I can share with you, some are a little dishy, a few stories need to stay in the vault for now only to be tempted out over a good happy hour and a few the names had to be changed to protect us from former employers. 

Tears of a clown?

"I was convinced to use a matte blue eyeshadow to create a triangle on the top of my eyelid directly above the iris and then an upside down triangle directly below underneath the bottom lash line" Michelle, San Diego

Buyers regret

"My old trainer was talking to me about stepping outside my box and selling lip combos I wasn't used to...She told me to put plum lip liner with rococo (light peachy tan) lipstick..every old lady at Mac Dillard's arrowhead left looking like a chola from south Phoenix...I remember my counter manager laughing so bad in the back like, she couldn't actually believe I listened to her" Anonymous in Texas 

Fish sticks

"making a fish face to contour- I hate it! If you show a client where their cheekbone is and place your finger along the bottom and then ask them to make a fish face they are like 'ohhhhh'. I mean seriously- it pulls your cheekbones and face down!" Lillian, Phoenix AZ

Gas products are best!

"Petroleum Jelly all over my face..I was told to use this for dry skin. By the same person who sold Mary Kay. My face was never the same" Kat St John, Seattle WA 

Pump it up!

"It always makes me eye twitch when people say "don't pump your mascara because it dries it out". So instead, you're supposed to turn it inside the tube...which actually just widens the wiper and causes the wand to get clumpy. The wand and the wiper are the same size, you can't pump air into it UNLESS you widen that wiper...its the worst advice on extending the life of your mascara. It shortens it. I once had a client tell me they put contact lens solution in their mascara when it's dried out. No. Please...no" Bryana, Phoenix AZ

Rules, rules and more rules

"I think it's the rigid rules people find in beauty rags that don't actually apply--like you can only wear certain colors of shadow depending on your eye color" Kate, Phoenix AZ

"The worst on a serious note... Is when I have been told you should do it this way. Omit those words "should" many approaches to get to same look. You have to pay attention and do what is best for you" Gerard, SF CA

Your cleaning supplies are best!

"Worst ever was a customer who used Pine Sol on her face for acne and I had a woman tell Me that the best moisturizer is the fat of a lamb, she would boil it and save the fat for her face.... ew... " Trina, Cincinnati OH 

"Working for Lauder, I approached a customer. Gathering information trying to determine her skin type, I asked "what cleanser are you currently using ??".... wait for it..... Tide!! I fell to the floor" Sylvia B

"I have heard to wash your brushes in the DISH WASHER. That made me real angry lol" Kate, Honolulu HI

The IG inventions!

"I would say in general hearing people advise on techniques that were developed with an older makeup technology (baking, sandbagging, etc) for older film,print,etc should stop being the word of god" Tony, NYC

"I had a guy try to give me pointers on highlighting the other day and he told me to highlight underneath my nose, not the bow of my lip" Michelle, San Diego CA

ok.. STOP!!

"Urine facials and shaving cream as a foundation primer" Kristel, Seattle WA 

"Using hairspray to set your makeup" Kelli, Seattle WA

Sister love

"When I was 13 my older sister told me to take off my makeup and I should use baby oil! She said it would make my skin soft! It took me 3 days to get it outta my eyes! Then I broke out in zits so bad...Then At 15 my other sister Brenda told me to put Lanacane foot cream under my eyes so they don't get puffy. I looked like a burn victim for 2 weeks, lesson learned to stop listening to my sisters for beauty advise!" Suzzaynne, Seattle WA

Oh the 80s!

"I think the worst was being told "I'm a winter" and should always stick to colors with cool undertones. Pretty sure it was at Lauder counter in the mid 90s" Tara, Phoenix

"How about when my first MAC manager suggested I get CURRANT lip pencil when I went in for my first shopping visit with my discount. I said I wanted a pencil that went with everything. Did she suggest Spice? Nooooo. Did she suggest Oak?? Noooooo! CURRANT! and the launches at the time were Lady Danger (All reds and plums, okay I get it) and Merry Macmass. With a color that was Tanarama in glitter frost crack and a frosty lavender lipstick. I wore currant with both of those like a damn fool!" Lillian, Phoenix AZ

Lillian, I feel you! someone at MAC once sold me Stone (grey) lip liner and Explicit lip glass (grey with a sparkle) I looked dead... 

Last but not least, the worst beauty tip I have heard in years was this doozy! To make your lips big and full I give you the lip enlarger suction tool.. 

Comment below with your own stories! We have all heard them

XOXO

Anne

5 Tools Every Makeup Enthusiast Should Be Using

Hello Friends!

It has been a minute! Between wedding shows, illnesses (that flu!) classes in Seattle and Hawaii and life it has been a busy month for me! Thankfully January is over, February really kicks off the 2017 season for me with early spring weddings tucked in intimate forest settings to big city affairs like the one I worked on last week with New Creations Weddings with Erika Hernandez at The Arctic Club in Seattle! Just wait until you see the photos Alante Photography shot from this one, seriously my gorgeous bride Elise was a knock out! the 2017 season has me booked in some really show stopping locations this year, I hope you stick around to see all the beautiful weddings I will be a part of from Iceland and Napa to Kauai and New Orleans- and a personal trip coming up next month to TOKYO its going to be an amazing year!

Blah blah blah Anne! enough already right? let's chat beauty and the 5 things you really should have in your personal makeup kit

Number one on my list and its a must have for great skin, is your skin prep!  Of course, I have my all time favs for moisturizer, eye cream and more but as long as you are using great product that YOU love and agrees with your skin you are winning! 

Photo GSquared Weddings 

We must talk concealer, I work with so many clients who skip this and please don't! A little concealer goes a long way. Once you have prepped your skin like a pro, concealer will serve as your new "less makeup BFF!" I am a HUGE fan of NARS Creamy Radiant Concealer and they just came out with a new one, Soft Matte Complete Concealer. I love the finish, this is great for anything you want to cover, correct and hide on your face but don't swap this for the Creamy Radiance keep that bad boy for under your eyes and use the Soft Matte elsewhere- they are a great team! 

Seal the deal! ok, not that deal but your makeup! Why spend so much time working on your face to only have it wear off mid day? two of my favorite setting sprays are Urban Decay All Nighter and PPI Blue Marble SELR Sealer Spray oh and click that link, happy makeup shopping you are welcome! 

Photo Rick + Anna Photography 

To create beautiful makeup you need good brushes! period and my favorite way to collect them is the super affordable month brush club from Morphe Brushes. For $20 a month you get at least 3 brushes a month shipped to your door click HERE to check out the club its SO worth it! 

Photo GSquared Weddings

These pink little egg shaped things are your makeup BFF! use them damp to perfectly apply your skincare, foundation, concealer, cream blush and so much more! I have tried them all and I swear by the actual Beauty Blender brand hands down above all the knock offs! Shop HERE

Tacos and Tightlines!

No matter how divided we are all feeling right now there is one universal language that brings us all together and that is good food! I spend a lot of time with both Shyn Midili and Kat St John, two of my favorite people in all the land. I love these ladies hard and have mad respect for their artistry skills and passion for our community. When we hang out we drive our men crazy 'talking shop', they often run off in to the other room when we start chatting about the best new eyeliner or blush, we can't help it!! It is also a huge benefit that they all get along, and can bond over beer and music. But the truth is, each one of them can tell you what a bad contouring job looks like, so they listen

The makeup industry brought the three of us together but we also discovered we all shared a love, wait no.. an obsession with cooking really good food! In the summer time all three of us nerd out on what we are growing in our gardens, when to plant (current convo) we've taken many field trips to Sky Nursery, local blueberry farms and jumped on my neighbors boat to go salmon fishing. We have shopped smokers and BBQs, set up late night dinner parties and back yard hangouts that our passion for makeup almost becomes second. We had been talking about doing an official monthly cooking night, with a specific focus and finally we found some spare time in our busy schedules to make it happen. Our goal is to share with you what we love, show that community and friendship is king and show off some of our cooking skills! But like the perfect wine pairing we had to throw in a little makeup too, because as we are cooking along we are still nerding out on the newest and latest.. so I give you, Tacos & Tightlines! its perfect right? 

So each month just sit back and let us entertain you with a monthly Food & Makeup post

Buen Provecho!  

About 5 years ago I was in Forth Worth Texas visiting a friend and we had THE best tacos at Torchy's, have y'all been? If ever in the Lonestar state drop in and try any of their tacos. My personal fav was a monthly special called the Tuk Tuk, it was a thai beef taco and damn it was good! The best marinated beef, loaded on to a flour tortilla and topped with pickled onions and carrots, cilantro, Hoisin and Sriracha.. yep! 

Pickling your own garnishes is super easy, follow the recipe below

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Mix of the first three ingredients, slice your chosen veggies, stuff them in a jar and pour the brine over. Let set about 30 mins and you are ready to go! Make ahead of time and keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks. I used the leftover onions last night in a salad for an extra little snap of flavor

Oh and that beautiful jar of corn relish was thanks to Kat's mama, more on that with Kat this summer when she unveils her secret project! 

The star of the Thai Beef Taco

Marinade

1/2 cup of light soy sauce

1/4 cup of fish sauce

1/4 cup of toasted sesame oil

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger or you can use the paste but skip powdered

3 chopped cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons of Sriracha or your fav hot garlic and chili paste

1 pound of flank steak

Mix and marinade over night, the longer the better. After you have all your toppings prepped grill or BBQ the meat then slice thinly

More division to deal with!!  flour or corn? Your choice, I prefer flour I think that it goes well with beef but do what ya like no judgement here

For the toppings you will need

Cilantro

Chopped peanuts

pickled onions and carrots

fried garlic, you'll find this in any Asian grocery and hey you're welcome!

Avocado

Sriracha

Hoisin

Grill your tortillas up in a dry pan and then load them up how you like, me I like extra Sriracha!

We all added something to the meal, that is what we do, we make some fine food when we get together! Kat made some of the best damn chili verde i've had in years, topped with her mamas corn salsa and sharp cheese? Stop drooling already! 

Shyn made this super yummy roasted green salsa, and I was floored how quick and easy it was! Read Shyn gush about how much she loves us (who she loves the most) and her roasted green salsa recipe HERE 

We are not shy about drinking, we like to drink! We work HARD especially during the full swing of wedding season so its always nice to have the perfect little cocktail to end a long week, or day!

Mango Margs! First, take out that fancy bullet blender you got when you swore you were going to make those healthy green smoothies that is pushed in the back out your pantry. Now kiss that baby and tell it that you will give it the life it deserves blending smooth strong drinks! 

Fill the blender cup with ice

3-4 count pour of your fav tequila

fill nearly to the top with fresh mango juice

2 tablespoons of agave or more if you like em real sweet

Blend, pour and top with fresh mango slices and candied oranges (trader joes for the win!)

So you are probably thinking, what on earth? When three artists hang out, we can't leave you without imploring you to try something new in your makeup routine! Tightlining is one of the best little tricks in your makeup bag, its a perfect little kick to pop open your eyes without doing much at all. It is not eyeliner, or even lining the waterline (the rim of your eye) it is adding liner to the spaces in between your lashes to give you a fuller lash look! 

Aaaand its super easy! 

Here I am using a the super black Minorque Khol liner from NARS and all you do is gently roll your upper eyelid up and smudge the liner in between your lashes, not above or below. You can use a gel liner and brush, a power shadow and brush and even a liquid liner felt pen. Give it a try and let us know what you think!

Thank you for stopping by, I really hope you have enjoyed this little Friday night post! Stay tuned for next months topic, Cannoli's and Cat Eyes! We are giving a huge hug to one of the all time goddesses Sophia Loren 

Thank you Kat and Shyn, I love you my dear friends! and for all of our followers please check out all of our pages, we often work together and always refer each other when we can't take a job.

XOXO

Anne

Shyn Midili with Pacific Brides 

Kat St John Makeup and Styling

All photos PNW Portraiture   

Studio Sessions:Chapter One|The Sweet Life with Lauren Anderson

Have you ever seen that funny meme floating around about makeup artists? The one that shows all the different exaggerated perceptions about working in makeup? no? Well here ya go, this meme always cracks me up because its kinda true. I mostly wash brushes, lots and lots of them every week and sometimes I am lucky to work on a semi famous face but its mostly wonderful everyday women and a few men from time to time

I wanted to think of a way to pull back the curtain a little to share with you what the full time life of a makeup artist looks like and also introduce you to some of the amazing people I am lucky to work in the creative community with. So today, I am kicking off a fun series called Studio Sessions, my own little hang out time in the studio with other creatives and strong entrepreneurial women in the PNW where we talk about building a business, our own attempts at work life balance (giggle), struggles, success and yes, we play with lots of makeup! 

For my first session I invited Lauren Anderson to hang out, she is the owner and lead baker of Pacific Northwest Cupcakes and seriously she makes the most beautiful and delicious baked goods! Lauren's cupcakes are not only works of art but also are organic, she uses locally sourced ingredients and has gluten and dairy free options!

YUM! In the summertime you can find Lauren at the Snohomish Farmers Market, where she has long lines and her tasty treats sell out every weekend

I connected with Lauren online this year through various wedding industry groups and we finally got to meet in person a few weeks back and decided to make this happen. With the help of my very talented friend and wedding photographer Kate from GSquared Weddings we had a date! 

Let's start off with a little honesty here, she really doesn't need me.. I mean come on, Lauren is one of those naturally gorgeous women we all envy but she wanted to learn some new makeup tricks!

So here is how it started...

Me "tell me about your makeup routine"

Lauren "hahaha I wear mascara, but I want to learn to maybe wear more makeup!"

Like girls in a candy store! 

I love a good start up story, why people chose to work for themselves because 99.9999999% of the time it is never about money...Mine is simple, I have blogged about it before I just have a hard time with not being able to travel when I want (queue the small violin) and knew that on my own I could make the same or more money in less than the required 8 hour retail shift.. and then travel more!... but this is not my story today its Lauren's I hope you enjoy this maiden voyage and come back to see who I will interview and style next!

Q I feel like nearly everyone has that first career before they find their creative click, what was yours?

I've done dressage for 12 years , been riding 15 years and I originally moved out to Washington to pursue my dressage riding career (equestrian). I also worked retail at Gap and H&M

This was not only Lauren's first experience getting her makeup professionally done, but it was also her first time experiencing airbrush..she said "it tickles"  I wanted Lauren to experience the same makeup application I use on my brides, so airbrush had to happen

Q What was the spark that drove you to baking and specifically cupcakes?

 I have always had a love for baking, but my business started after I did cupcakes for my son's first birthday, and all of our friends and family LOVED them. So, I just kind of went on a whim and did it! I did it very loosely on the side for a good year, and didn't get super serious until last summer. I only did cupcakes for the first year, and then incorporated small cakes because couples were requesting a small cutting cake, and then discovered I LOVED cakes, so then I offered cakes of all sizes. This fall I launched artisan gourmet brownies. And this year I have plans to launch rustic pies, macarons, and a few other confections. 

I recently bought the cult fav Tom Ford Beauty eyeshadow quad in Nude Dip and I am SO obsessed!! For Lauren I wanted to focus on her gorgeous blue eyes, so using a natural palette with a silky shimmer did just that

Q What is the best part of working for yourself?

The best part of working for myself is being able to be with my son so much, and the flexibility to create my own schedule

Blend blend blend! I am using one of the Morphe rose gold beauties here to blend out the shadows to give a very soft yet smokey look 

My tools! I belong to the Morphe Brush club it is a monthly subscription program. For $20 a month you get at least 3 brushes mailed to you and its the best way to grow your collection on a budget! Click HERE for the deets! 

Q What was the moment you knew this was going to work? 

The moment I knew this was going to work as a full-time gig was the first time I did one of my specialty cakes - a semi-naked spiced pumpkin cake with salted caramel buttercream, salted caramel drip, dressed with 23k gold leaf and floral. It just hit me. I had a specialty, and that combined with being the only bakery in the area to use only locally sourced organic ingredients, I knew I had something good with a passion I loved.

 

I gave Lauren glowing skin and smokey eyes, on point!

Q You have so many unique flavors, I swear every time you post on Instagram I am looking at my phone drooling! Where do you come up with the flavor profiles?

Flavor combinations were what set me apart from other bakeries before my aesthetic became a focus. I just have this wild skill for coming up with amazing flavor combinations that really hit your palate. Sometimes they're inspired by non-cake desserts, sometimes by drinks, but also they come from meals I've had at favorite local restaurants. I have come up with over 150 flavor combinations, and I am always coming up with more, occasionally rotating some out. It's what my clients find me for and repeatedly come back to me for! It's who I am

One of Lauren's many gorgeous creations, she may have started in cupcakes but she creates some of the most unique wedding and celebration cakes you will ever see!

Q What sets you aside from all of the other bakeries and pastry artists out there?

Everything I do is very unique; I have a very niche aesthetic - everything I do is focused around the natural beauty of my ingredients and the pacific northwest, so you'll never find fondant in my shop, and the only food dyes you will find are all natural. Everything I touch has floral in mind!

Because who secretly doesn't want Victoria's Secret hair? I used a large conical curling rod to give Lauren these bombshell waves

Cookie dough is my kryptonite and of course she knew it, she really didn't but... and it was SO GOOD!

Friends, if you are ever in the north sound reach out to Lauren, follow Pacific Northwest Cupcakes on Facebook and Insta she is always posting something delicious

Thank you Lauren for hanging out with me, it was so fun spending time with you in the studio! Thank you Kate for the amazing photos and check back in to see who I hang out with next!

Pacific Northwest Cupcakes

Web http://www.pacificnorthwestcupcakes.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pnwcupcakes/?fref=ts

lauren@pacificnorthwestcupcakes.com

GSquared Weddings 

Web http://www.gsquaredblog.com/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GSquaredWedding/?fref=ts

Kate@gsquaredweddings.com

Congrats to MEGANN NIELSEN you won!! Please send me an email to anne.timss@gmail.com so we can coordinate getting this amazing basket to you!!

I will do a fun giveaway every month, so stick around! 

XOXO

Anne

Brows part 2

A few weeks ago I posted on how to create the perfect brows, and I loved all of your comments! It feels great that I can share anything that is helpful, that is my #1 goal with this little page of rambles. But that was just the start, there is SO much more to talk about when it comes to brows including products, waxing and advanced services like micro-blading (its coming up soon) Throughout the year I plan to revisit the topic of brows often, share product reviews and together we will all master the art of our own brows

Browless from the start! me age 8ish

This week I called up an old friend, Leslie Mcalister, who is the brow master behind Browz located in Downtown Seattle in the Medical Dental Building. I met Leslie years ago when she worked for Anastasia of Beverly Hills doing brow services in the Flagship Nordstrom store. She took care of my invisible brows, yes invisible hairs that still needed a little waxing and shaping. Since then she has moved in to her own studio right next door, literally attached to the same building! 

Here is what Leslie has to say about trends, taking care of thin brows and more

Q For the last few years brows have been super strong, overdrawn and bold, is that holding on or is the trend changing? "As far as brow trends go less seems to be more right now meaning a groomed brow with less trimming, less filling and more tinting for color and depth followed by a little gel to set and polish the brow"

One of Leslie's clients 

Q Biggest mistakes you see with brows? "The biggest brow mistake is still over tweezed and wide-set brows"

Q For my brides or clients who have never had their brows waxed how often should they come in after their initial visit? "3 weeks for maintenance would be ideal" 

Q For someone who got a bad brow job, what is your advice to fix it?  "It can take time to correct an over tweezed brow so getting to a professional as soon as possible would be your best bet and every persons growth is different but to prevent someone from going overboard with the tweezing"

Q Microblading is a huge trend right now, what are your thoughts? "I think microblading is great for someone who is lacking brow hair, you do still have to shape what you have and microblading is not a permanent solution it does still require maintenance and needs to be re-done every year or so"

Thank you Leslie, it is always great to get a pros view on beauty techniques!

I love her little studio, much better than a broom closet at a nail shop some of you are going to..oh I know you are!

Go see Leslie, your brows will thank you!

Lash Envy

I love a good lash, who doesn't? From killer mascara like YSL, Armani and Chanel to fluffy gorgeous strip lashes from House of Lashes I love it all! However, the really sad truth for so many of us is deeper than a quick lash fix.. many of you like myself are totally lash deprived, its a beauty epidemic ladies and gents! Personally I struggle with mascara, my lashes are fine and short so short in fact that the cult fav Dior Show mascara brush is way too big to use on my eyes (yes boo hoo!) I've thought about lash extensions over the years, and I tried them once before but they took over 2 hours to put on and they fell out fast, after that I was not a fan! Plus we have all seen so many bad extension jobs, and in my line of work you can multiply that times infinity! 

Over the holidays I threw a little in home candle party with the amazing Kelli Marie Design and in walked my friend Laura and all i could see were these stunning lashes, I don't think she even got her coat off by the time I was all up in her business checking them out- I knew right then I would totally give whoever did hers a shot and that Lash expert is the one and only Carol who owns Lashes by Louie in downtown Edmonds WA (visualize the Wayne's World bow right here, so not worthy)

Photo Kat St John 

For those who are not familiar, lash extensions are individual silk or mink hairs adhered to your own lashes with a semi-permanent glue. They last anywhere from 3 weeks to a month depending on how you care for them. You start off with what is called a full set and then you go back in for a fill. 

 So I set up an appointment with Carol and with the help of my dear friend and photographer Kat St John  we spent an afternoon in Edmonds and left totally understanding why she has a two week long wait list to get in

After a quick Starbucks run we headed over to Carol's studio. Let me start by saying how cute her shop is! located above the boutique Rogue in downtown Edmonds WA. Carol has this little loft all to herself, which is nice because you don't feel like you are in a busy salon, you feel like a guest in her home.  Now, let me also tell you how clean and tidy her studio is, super important because we all know and have seen places that make you worry a bit! Carol is also totally adorable so kind and welcoming, I get why she has a long standing client list, she also has 10 years of experience- gold in my book. After chatting about how I like to wear my lashes and a few standard questions it was time to lay down and let Carol work her magic

Carol worked quickly while I asked her all the questions I wanted to be able to share with my brides

• Q How soon before a wedding would you recommend getting lashes applied? Carol suggests getting your first set two month prior to ensure you don't have any allergies to the glue, allowing you time to get used to the volume and length and then getting a fresh fill 2-3 days before your wedding day. I totally agree with this, and I went a little less on the full glam side and I already know that when I go in for my fill I will get those bumped up! 

Q Can you wear mascara on top of the extensions? Yes, you can wear a clear gel or traditional mascara from the mid of the lash to the tips

Q How can I make my lashes last as long as possible between fills? Start out by avoiding water and soap the first 24 hours while the glue sets, so yep you have to bird bath it if you plan to shower. Avoid anything oily near the eyes, oils break down the lash glue so those eye creams and eye makeup removers you will really want to be careful of. Less eye makeup is better, you can still totally rock that smokey eye but to get the most wear out of your set you will want to carefully remove your eye makeup. But here's the beauty of extensions, you don't need as much eye makeup on the daily, so that is why so many women opt for them. 

This is the final product, a full set of gorgeous lashes! and yes I am also brow challenged, read below to my brow post 

If you are in the Seattle area and thinking about getting extensions I highly recommend taking a drive to Edmonds to see Carol. She is so fun to talk with, very experienced and she only took 90 mins to put a full set on for me- bonus! Thank you Carol for having us and I will see you soon :)

Thank you again Kat for all the photos!! Kat St John Photography

Lashes by Louie

For bookings appointments and inquiries

524 Main Street
Edmonds, WA98020
1-206-920-6532

lashesbylouie@gmail.com

www.lashesbylouie.com

The one vendor a bride should always hire, besides me

Photo Alante Photography

Design and coordination by Erika Hernandez with New Creations Wedding Design and Coordination

When booking a client one of the first things things I do is to send over a little Q&A to get a better idea of what their styling needs will be. Its a quick 10-12 set of questions covering the basics like venue, total number of people who will need makeup and hair, the photographer they are working with and who will be paying for all the bridesmaids. All of this information helps me to get an understanding of the bride, her organization and the vendors she has chosen to make her day perfect!

So, that was my old questionnaire... Let me take a step back, a couple of years ago I was on Orcas Island styling a wedding. It was a gorgeous summer day for a cute little wedding at a small private vineyard. Upon arriving I was ushered into a tiny room with my assistant where we had to move every piece of furniture around to even find space to set up. Really no biggie, I can handle most situations with ease.. The bride finally arrives late, completely overwhelmed already at 9 am with table settings, the lunches she needed to order for everyone, the seating arrangements to balance a delicate dysfunctional family (no judgement, we all have them), who had the marriage license?, did grandma make the ferry?, and why the tasting room at the venue was open when it wasn't suppose to be!?.. the frustration wore on her face like a bad contour, it was heavy

One thing to know about me is that I pride myself in my timelines, I get you can't control time but I am not one of those makeup artists that gets everyone out late but here I was trying to wrangle my bride and get her to sit down, get her bridesmaids to show up because we were now running 30 minutes behind schedule. I could go on and on with all the craziness of the day, like the time the bride had to get out of my chair (one of 12 times) to find the bologna for the groomsmen sandwiches or when two family members got in to a screaming match over the seating chart...

But I wont, I will say I left that day adding one more question to my list, WHO is your wedding planner? Because this is exactly the kind of stuff that happens when you don't have one and let me explain the stress level of the bridal suite, it can be high! I mean reeeeeeally high! From 'momzillas' to 'bridesmaidzillas' things can go astray but when you have your own hollywood director who comes with their entire production team all of that just melts like butter! So now, I always ask WHO is your planner? It doesn't mean I won't work with a client who didn't hire one but it does give me a heads up to plan extra time, to understand that they will need a little more hand holding and things just might go off the path at some point. It tells me I need to book more time in the schedule for the unknown, and to get some extra sleep. When a client doesn't have a planner, I always suggest hiring one of our many talented pros even if it is for just the day of. I work with some incredibly skilled planners, these women are the masters of time management and just make magic happen. I reached out to some of my favs and asked what is it that you do that makes such a difference?

"I don’t like to generalize, but I have many a groom not understand why hiring a coordinator is so important. Which is why it was an incredible complement when one of my 2016 grooms pulled me aside before their grand entrance and said “I didn’t know how much we needed you until today and I thought my wife was crazy for wanting to spend the money. You were the best money we spent on this whole wedding. I still don’t know what exactly you did, but everything just magically happened how it was supposed to and I know you are the reason.” Alex Chalk with Taylor'd Events Group 

Photo Clane Gessel Photography 

"The biggest difference that coordinators make in a day is building the trust with their client that their day will be handled with the love and care that went into creating it. Becoming someone's "best friend through the process" is actually I title that I gained once and it was one of the most flattering things anyone could have said. That means I did my job right. They trusted me to take over one of the biggest days of their lives and guide them through those last hurdles leading up to it. The last two weeks of wedding planning is known to be the most difficult. Having someone to hold together the team of professionals (make-up, hair, entertainment, photography, catering, florals, etc) and be there for those last minute decisions and questions that come up is essential. The couples are always busy dealing with last minute family details so having someone to back you up is priceless" Angela Schoening with Love + Lemons Events

Photo Kelly Lemon Photography

"For most people, you're only married once (or YOMO as we say), so you don't necessarily know what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. That's where we come in. Not only do we help you with the logistical side of things, we help design a day that is authentic to your love story. No two weddings are the same, so we are on a mission to create a design concept tailored to you and your significant other...You give us the go-ahead and we work to finalize those vendor deals. We handle the logistics so all you have to do is sign on the dotted line and do a little happy dance that it's all coming together so perfectly. Think of us as your hype girls, your margarita drinking, bachelor watching girlfriends—we’re here for you." Bixby + Pine

Photography Tonie Christine 

but, seriously ladies and gents hire the planner if even just for the day because this should be the best day of your life, to celebrate with family and friends and not to worry about where someone hid the lunchmeat ;)

XOXO

Anne

BROWS: The good, the bad and the whoa...

One of the key questions I always ask a client is, do you fill in your brows? If the answer is yes, I know I can safely shape them to perfection! If the answer is no, then I take caution to not over-correct or over-step our line of trust

Brows are like the pushup bras of makeup, they change your entire look when you wax, shape and fill them in and that is why any slight change can throw you off. I have to admit, it is the one thing I will notice faster than anything else about your makeup.. and I am sorry!

You can have that unblended 'nana line' of makeup along your jaw and I will still go right to your brows!

But where do you start? If I were a brow styling newbie and took one scroll through Instagram and came across what we now have named Instabrows, you've seen those solid thick bars made of chocolate and tar adorning the eyes of many you would run.. and you should!! And if you are thinking that is a solid look, we need to chat..because its not!

I personally was not blessed in the brow department (thanks mom) but because of my transparent superfine hairs and being an artist, brows are one of my favorite features to work on

INSTABROWS!!

I wanted to demo a strong brow to show everyone who might have a little IG tendancy in them that you can have strong brows that look real! I used some of my favorite products on my model Kristi (thanks girl!) This is a really easy 3 step brow that anyone who need a little help can recreate. Reach out anytime for a makeup lesson, including brows and I will help you take the fright out of creating some amazing brows

Here is the before shot, Kristi has a really nice natural shape to her brows 

With a fine pointed brow pencil I created structure to her brow, my favorite pencil to use for this step is Lingering Brow Pencil by MAC Cosmetics. One mistake most people make is buying a brow pencil too dark, I always use a color a few shades lighter than the natural brow hair

I could have totally stopped with that last step and finished with a little clear brow gel, which is usually what I do on Kristi...but, for those who want those big Cara Delevinge brows then let me tell you about my latest product obsession! Ardell Brow Building Fiber Gel is the trick to building what you don't have, now you get that pushup bra comparison don't you? This stuff rocks, you just brush this right in to your brow hairs and bam! you have thick brows! Finish off with clear brow gel and that's it!

What kind of bride are you?

When I meet with any client, my goal is to ask enough questions to find out their personal makeup style. I usually will start with some celeb examples, like are you a Gwen Stefani? The kind of woman getting married in a think winged liner and bold red lips? or are you more a Natalie Portman? you know..fresh skin, soft colors classic stunning beauty. Its my job to figure you out (at least in the beauty department) and put the foot down on bad ideas you might have ( to save you)  The last thing I need is a bride walking down the isle thinking about how weird her new eyebrows are making her feel, after I have tried to explain that 'Instabrows' are not super pretty in real life- I want to be one that gets a high five not a 1 star review!

Which leads me to a little advice for any bride on the hunt for a makeup and hair stylist

1. Look over artist portfolios, does their work match your style? 
2. Send an email, ask the questions you want to know- don't be shy!
3. If you don't click via email or phone chat and during the trial, book someone else. This is your wedding day
4. Have an idea of what you are looking for. Build Pinterest boards, load up your phone with screenshots, spend a Sunday morning tearing out magazine pages- take the time to have some idea of what you want. Make sure your artist is listening to your ideas and delivering the look
5. Lastly, there is no other way to nicely say this but, we all know you get what you pay for in life. You can find good artists in all price categories but the best of the best know their worth 

Here are a few of the 2017 trends for wedding makeup I have recreated to share with you, I hope you enjoy

XOXO

Anne

Trend: Classic and clean bridal

Minimal color, defined eyes and lots of lash but don't think this is makeup and time minimal. Classic clean makeup is by far artist level 11 on skill set!

By far the most popular of any style, it is timeless

Photo Credit

Model Amelia Carter

Trend: Classic and Clean

Perfected skin, highlights and subtle contouring pull this look together with a heavy dose on the lash and sexy pout

Photo Swae Photography

Trend: Color

The blushing bride because who doesn't love a little pink blush? Add pops of color to your cheek and lip, on the bridal runway they were bold and matched

Photo Kat St John Photo

Model Amelia Carter

Trend: Color 

Another example of that bright blush with a matching lip, here I took up the natural classic look with a bolder wing!

Photo Tonie Christine 

Trend: Bold and Smoke

Smoked eyes and deep nods to the 90s on the lips is a huge trend for the season

Model Amelia Carter

Photo Kat St John Photo

Trend: Bold and Smoke

All the emphasis is on the eyes, if your eyes are your favorite feature this might be your style

I would be this kind of bride, give me the black smudgy liner for days! I almost consider this the new classic, but thats just me because I am totally a 90s girl at heart

Photo Olivia Strohm Photography 

My top winter skin rescues!

Hello friends!

We are ALL going through some skin woes with winter, I can tell from all of your comments on my IG, text messages and Twitter that dry chapped skin is the 'winters beast!' I have been a makeup artist for 20 years, yes I am that old... Along the way of my crazy career I have studied skin, worked for some credible skin care lines and passed (with a nearly perf score) the Nordstrom Skincare Specialist certification

I feel we are a smart group here, and you all know you should be drinking so much water right now, and you all are riiiight? Ok, so yes there is technically water in wine, but lets be real its cold out, you have the dry heat cranked up and your skin is freaking out. So go refill that wine and lets get in to this!

Winter skin care is a lot different than summer, and the 4 steps you all should be doing right now is 

EXFOLLIATE
CLEANSE
HYDRATE
MASK

Step 1: EXFOLIATE 

Listen to me when I say this because it is the gospel of good makeup artists, you NEED to exfoliate your skin...period! You can't expect to put moisturizer and pretty makeup on top of dry, flaky uneven skin and have it come out looking flawless. Now, listen to me again when I say this (please and thank you) put the apricot or whatever seed scrub you are currently scratching your skin up with DOWN! I don't care if its luxurious made of the rarest of organic matter purchased at Whole Food- seeds are sharp and sharp things hurt our skin...period!

These are my top 3 favorite chemical or enzyme exfoliators, which sounds really scary I get it! But if you want an easy way to break down all of that build up and have even gorgeous radiant skin, choose one of these!

Fun note, try the Sonia Roselli Sexapeel and literally watch your dead skin slough off- head to toe!

Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel Pads have been my go to for years

Juice Beauty is great if you have ultra sensitive skin 

PS if you can get in to a reg exfoliating routine, I promise your makeup will wear sooo much better and longer through the day!

Step 2: CLEANSE

So simple, yet why do 50% of you skip this step- wash your face! 

Here are my favs for winter skin, starting with you busy (or lazy) babes grab a bottle of Bioderma and a few cotton pads and swipe the day away. Sensibio is a lot nicer than those makeup wipes you are using once a week, so step it up! oh and click that link, I know what kind of shopper you are ;)

For me, the holy grail of skin cleanser by far are the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oils they take it all off (YES eye makeup too) and leave your skin soft not itchy and tight 

If you like a good foaming cleanser to use with your Clarisonic then Kiehls Ultra Facial Cleanser is the one.

Last but not least is the Bobbi Brown Extra Balm Rinse, smells like fresh oranges and melts away even the toughest makeup

Step 3: HYDRATE

This is my favorite category, because they all feel soooooo good when your skin is dry, but don't think you can skip steps 1 and 2 and jump to 3 to get the same results.. You asked for help, and these are the steps!

Everyone has a favorite go to moisture cream or lotion, and these are just a few of mine. Personally, I am a La Mer girl.. I swear by that magical jar of 'turning back time'.. and let's hope you all love me for years to send me work to pay for the stuff! but seriously it is worth every penny in my opinion!

New kid on the block is Waterbalm from Sonia Roselli, i have been going hard in the studio with this goodness in a jar and I am sold! 

For those who really need that extra kick of hydration, I love Josie Maran's Argon Oil- just a few drops will add that extra layer of comfort

Lastly don't forget those dry lips!!! I just discovered the new Butterstick Lip Treatment from Kiehl's while I was out in Boston last week. My lips were to the point of cracking, nothing was helping and after a day of using this baby they were cured (can I get a hallelujah?) Also try mixing fine sugar and coconut oil for a quick lip exfoliating trick, home remedies are often the best!

Step 4: MASK

I don't know about you, but my grandma had beauty routines she stuck to. She passed in her mid 80s just after her weekly hair and nail appointment, there was no way she was going on with bad hair!  Her name was Florence and she was definitely my "Glam'mother"

Florence was really one of my earliest beauty influencers and this has carried on through the women in our family. My mother and I share the same love of luxury skin care, spas and pampering, which brings me to the mask! We are some busy people anymore, but we need to slooooow way down and steal back some time. I want to urge all of you to pour a glass of wine or tea or wine , put on a nice face mask and put your feet up! Even better, have someone rub them for you!

Is you are an easy going no fuss kind of person, grab a hydrating sheet mask..peel open the package and throw it on. Just make sure you warn anyone who is home, you might look a little like an 80s horror movie star!

La Mer again my fav is a powerhouse of skin firming hydrating goodness- even comes with its own spa inspired paint brush to apply. La Mer Lifting & Firming Mask

Being a huge fan of the Bioderma line I can't leave you without introducing you to this beauty budget friendly Sensibio Mask

Whatever products you choose to buy, the MOST important part is being consistent because you will see the results when you are

Happiest of Holidays!

Anne

The Red Dress Wedding, Sayulita Nayarit Mexico

The 2016 wedding season was by far the busiest year i've ever had. With over 80 weddings, including 4 far away destinations I was running on Redbull fumes and hope by the end. From local overnights to Leavenworth, Chelan and The San Juan Islands to logging 40k flight miles on Alaska Airlines to reach brides in Hawaii, Boston and Phoenix I was everywhere and my Zuca looks like a beat up old chevy!

The dress

photo credit Mandee Rae

Which brings me to La Gran Final, the wedding of Jessica and Ross (not Rachael and Ross)  aka my end game wedding of the season in Sayulita Nayarit Mexico. I met Jessica when she booked me for a commercial shoot and we quickly got to talking about her wedding... AND when a bride says to you "I am getting married in Sayulita Mexico this fall, I bought a red Vera Wang dress and its over Dia De Los Muertos can you go?" Hello, why YES I can! and there was a heavy emphasis that this was going to be one big party, how could I not? and then she books one of my favorite Seattle photographers to shoot the adventure, Mandee Rae

Before I go on, I always say planning a wedding is like writing, financing, directing, producing and starring in your own Broadway musical..now planning a destination wedding is like taking that show on tour. My small roll takes a lot of planning and some luck, especially when your'e trying to guess how humid is 90% really? how much frizz in the hair and shine on the face are we talking? 

Fast forward to 7am Sunday October 30th, it was one of those typical dark cold rainy Seattle mornings but who cares we were off to the land of tacos and tequila!

We arrived in Sayulita after spending a couple of quiet days in Puerto Vallarta getting our rusty Spanish tuned up, landing on the first night of Dia De Los Muertos and it was pure magic!

Destination weddings are not without their own little surprises, like the bumpy rustic streets all over town (not a lick of pavement) Quaint and rustic but my kit on wheels was not a fan, note to self travel with a backpack from now on! and if you go to Sayulita I highly recommend staying at La Esquina, it is right on the beach and the studio apartments are perfect for a casual yet stylish trip! 

My first bartering experience was with some local farmers selling 'tres piñas para cincuenta pesos" off the back of a truck... probably a little too much piña for me and Mandee but I was proud to own them!

It has been a dream of mine to experience Dia De Los Muertos in Mexico ever since I lost my own brother. I was living in Phoenix AZ when I lost my brother Ian 9 year ago and through some amazing friends I learned to celebrate the life he had instead of focusing on the grief. I was brought to the happiest of tears as we wandered around the small town square looking at all the alters and tributes to so many loved people who had passed

One of the many alters around town, created by hand over days and made with colored sawdust, candles and fresh veggies

My rule of travel is 'get local' skip the chain restaurants and the tourist traps..ok I mean, some tourist spots are classic and must be experienced like the Eiffel Tower and surf on the North Shore of Oahu but when you can try to get as local as possible especially with food. Here is Mandee getting ready to dig in to her first bite (ever) of elote- SO GOOD!

The town was lit up until midnight then everyone and I mean the entire town, followed the path of the colorful flags that led to the cemetery where the party when on until dawn

When a makeup artist with a full kit and a photographer who can hold her own as a model find a little down time, photoshoots happen!

This was my Francois Nars moment, styled and shot by me

Look at this food!! For real, this was the freshest avocado, fruit and tastiest chilaquiles ever! So this was how I started off the wedding day, with a big yummy Mexican breakfast...again, eat local! slap your own hand if you try to order a burger or anything remotely familiar

The bride and groom rented out Casablanca Sayulita and hosted their wedding party, if you're going to do destination then make it count! 

Photo Mandee Rae

Compete with your own private pool and unicorns!

Photo Mandee Rae 

Time for that hair to happen! So humidity was not my friend, but thanks to Oribe Dry Texture and Shine Light sprays and I won that fight

Photo Mandee Rae

All ready for that first look

Photo Mandee Rae 

Find your style as a bride because this is YOUR Broadway show and the curtain doesn't raise until you are ready to take the aisle

Photo Mandee Rae

First looks

Photo Mandee Rae

If you find yourself lucky to travel for work, take some time for yourself and enjoy the journey. Do a little research before you go to a new city, I love Lonely Planet guides they are a gold mine of little gems most people miss. Hang with locals, step off the beaten path and just get in to it. Mandee and I spend a week in Mexico, it was an experience that I will never forget, we became better friends and just wait!! we have so much more planned to share with you all

XOXO

Anne

For you I would count the salt under the sea

I just couldn't wait another day to share with you our Mulkilteo Lighthouse Wedding!

But FIRST the credits and what a team

Angela Dalessandro, Love + Lemons Events, Co-Creator, Design/Style angela@loveandlemonsevents.com                        

Anne Timss, Anne Timss Makeup Artist, Co-Creator, MUHA/Style Hello@annetimss.com   

Mandee Rae, Photography, rae.mandee@gmail.com

Jaffrey Bagge, Twelve Baskets Catering, Food/Beverage, Rentals, jaffreyb@twelvebasketscatering.com

Gather - Amy Kunkel-Patterson, Florals, gatherwestcoast@gmail.com

BHLDN, women’s wardrobe and accessories http://www.bhldn.com

Point No Point Studio, Bride and Groom Rings

Accessories Brittany Schooley, Fanciful Rentals, Specialty Rentals, brittany@fanciculrentals.com

Ellen Mauro, Ink Wellington, Calligraphy/Stationary, elle.mauro@gmail.com

Seattle Farm Tables, Bench rentals, seattlefarmtables@gmail.com

Models: Taina Rain Kanar, Bride

Cailey Kudrna, Bridesmaid

Garrett Hystek, Groom, garrett@shutterbusco.com 

Wine Country

Let's be real, as much as we all talk about how busy we are.. most of us thrive in the spin of a busy schedule. So when I got a call from Erika Hernandez in the middle of wedding season when my fanciest of outfits are clean hair and yoga pants and she asked me, hey how about doing a 16 hour day trip to Lake Chelan in 90 degree weather for a styled shoot at Siren Song Winery..my answer, HECK YEAH!! 

Venue: Siren Song Winery, Owner-Holly Brown

Design & Coordination: Erika Hernandez of New Creations Weddings

Flowers: Erika Hernandez of New Creations Weddings

Photographer: Angela Carlyle of Angela & Evan Phototgraphy

Dress: Mea Marie, Designer-Yolan Cris

Rentals: vintage Ambiance, Cort, La Tavola

Paper Goods: Water & Chalk

Cake: Honey Crumb 

HMU: Anne Timss

Model: Amelia Carter

CREATIVE: Marked by the ability or power to create

If you're an artist, you get what I mean when I talk about the force that pulls at you to create. As working artists our lives are generally filled with work that pays the rent, its not always the Wharholesque soul stimulating stuff we daydreamed of doing way back when...but being a working artist still kicks ass

For myself and my two clutch mates, Kat St John and Shyn Midili we work the wedding business pretty hard. One night over many glasses of wine and long group texts I am fairly certain we counted up a tally of weddings we are working on for 2016 that hits well in to the high 100s. So as much as we love peonies, blush&bashful and braided updos we have to find ways to stretch our minds and create

For this week, it was all about that golden hour of summer sun, you know that light.. its just before sunset and its magic! We grabbed that light by the horns and rode it in to the dark

We hope you enjoy and check back in on our adventures!

Clothing: Horseshoe in Ballard WA

Model: Taina Kanar with TCM Models and Talent 

Photography: Kat St John Photo

Hair and makeup: Anne Timss Makeup and Hair