Wedding make-up look

Loveaudrey asked me to share the details of my wedding make-up look. While it might not be suited to everyone's expectations and style, I decided to choose this vintage glamour look and was really happy with it myself.

I went for a makeover at a MAC store even though I wasn't entirely satisified with their customer service (see my rant post here). The MUA definitely took a lot of time (I've never seen someone take so much time to apply an eyeliner) and effort to create the look and it really showed. The only drawback was that it certainly wasn't waterproof and because my eyes got very watery during a photoshoot, the foundation and blusher on one of my cheeks were ruined and I had to conceal the damage myself.

If you're planning a makeover using MAC, I'd recommend that you take some extra care choosing the products. Depending on your skin type, the base and foundation can make a great difference in the wear of your make-up, e.g. while Prep and Prime made my oily skin mirror-like in less than 3 hours, their Matte base held really nicely. Also, don't be afraid to say 'NO' to some of your MUA's suggestions if you feel what they offer is not your style or doesn't match your expectations and needs. Most brides tend to go for a rather neutral look, but I chose something completely different despite the MUA's suggestions and I do think it looked great and complemented the dress and hairstyle really well.

Just for giggles, I thought I'd share some of the comments on the look that I heard from our guests. My mum, who went with me to the MAC store and waited while the make-up was applied, was stunned how big my lips looked with a red lippy on. My godmother claimed I looked like a movie star. Some others said I seemed older, which is not bad provided that without make-up I look maybe 18, and my husband always looked much older than me even though there's just a year and a haf difference between us.

For reference, the foundation used was MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW35 powdered with MSF Natural (no idea which shade though). On my eyes, I'm wearing Painterly Paint Pot, Brule all over the lid, Wedge in the crease, Vanilla for highlight, and Blacktrack Fluidline. The lipstick is in the shade Cockney.

Hope that was helpful to some of you. Have a great Friday night, my lovelies! xxx

Wedding photoshoot

I think I kept you waiting for long enough, so here goes a couple of photos from the shoot before our wedding, which took place in the park surrounding the reception venue and in one of the rooms. It was a rather cold and terribly windy day, and we feared rain any minute. Hopefully, there was no rain, but still I managed to ruin my make-up as my eyes got very watery from the wind and at some point I had a trail running across my cheek. Oh well...

The photos haven't been properly edited yet, but I still like the atmosphere and feelings they convey. Somehow, in the majority of the photos taken from the day everyone is smiling. I think this is how I'd like to remember my wedding day, no stress, no last moment changes, no problems, just fun and joy among the people close to our hearts.

My hen's night

I finally settled on chronological order in my ramblings, I thought that might be easier to follow, plus, I'm trying to build some drama here before I show you the photos from The Big Day.

My hen's night took place one week before our wedding. It was a total surprise party, I wasn't even entirely sure who was going to be there, and one of the biggest surprises was that my mum-in-law was not only the participant, but one of the main conspirers.

The evening started in my high school, which is the place where I met my husband, at that time, a senior. I was forced out of my clothes and into this cheerful outfit (honestly, I'd seen that coming):

You wouldn't believe how many guys think such an outfit looks attractive.

The only time I'd been allowed to drink something alcoholic in the high school building.

The girls were dressed as my 'gang' in hats, black trousers and white shirts, so we certainly drew a lot attention walking on one of the main streets in Warsaw with me interviewing male volunteers on the aspects of married life (that was after having climbed a 5 metre wall, breaking a nail and drinking lots of champagne on the way). The questions included: 'What does a good wife do for her husband?' (answers varying from 'Everything', 'She has to cook him a spaghetti/ an Apfelstrudel' to 'Nothing'), 'Will I be a good wife?' (after some intense evaluation of my looks: 'Sure you will') and 'What advice would you have for my future husband?' ( 'Go out with your wife, she seems such a party girl').

On duty.

That's me, vodka and tea.

Then we headed for a pub in the Old Town, where I was put to the test if I know Mateusz well, and if I answered wrong, I had to drink a shot of vodka. Of course, the quiz was very tricky and I drank a lot... But after completing that competition I was given a backpack full of presents, some a bit obscene, some made by the girls themselves. These were my favorite: a decoupage decorated breadboard, a customized recipe book, a 'Good wife's guide' and a photobook with the photos of me in every possible situation, thematically ordered and commented. I was properly moved, I think I've never been given so many beautiful, carefully thought-out and prepared gifts.

The night ended in Platinium, a high-end night club near the National Theatre, where I could burn some of that alcohol by dancing my butt of. I collapsed into bed at about 3.30 am.

I was greatly touched by the effort the girls made to prepare everything and I think we had an amazing time. What was the most memorable situation you had at a hen's party?

Seating arrangement

Just a quick post to share with you what I've been working on all day - and I have seriously enough of printing, cutting out and gluing on.

You could probably order something prettier in a printing house, but I decided I prefer to save some money and do it myself. The 'frames' are made of special paper I bought in artists' supplies store and this color is called 'Cinnamon'. Speaking of colors named after food, the font's color on the cards for the tables is called 'Chocolate'. I'm sold.

My fiance arrives tomorrow and I can't wait to see him again. Hope you're all having a fantastic evening, ladies, and something nice is awaiting you tomorrow as well :) xxx

Little something for my girlies

Today is my surprise hen's party. The only thing I know is that I have to be ready to leave the house at 3.30 pm, eat my lunch before that and preferably wear a white bra.

But my girlies are wrong thinking they're the only ones having secrets :) I prepared surpise gifts for them and this is how they look like:

I bought these heart-shaped boxes in a dollar store in Vancouver and filled them with Rafaello pralines, heart-shaped bath bombs and candles in a form of an angel (photo below):

Then I printed little cards saying 'Monika's hen's night', the date and 'Thank you girlies!' on a special pearlescent paper. I used a fabulous font I found online called Covent Garden, I really like the retro feel of it:

I cut the cards out and attached them to the boxes using a double sided tape. Voila!

I had a lot of fun making these, quite relaxing indeed compared to some other wedding-related activities. How do you like my little surpise boxes?

MAC wedding makeover

Caution: lengthy rant! You've been warned...

After doing some research, I decided that I'd like to have my make-up done at one of the MAC stores in Warsaw. The fee is 150 PLN, quite a lot comparable to other brands, but redeemable on products, which is always a huge plus.

So on Monday I happily trotted to a MAC store, hoping to walk out with a gorgeous, long lasting make-up on my face. It was my first professional make-up application ever, but I think I was well-prepared, I took photos of the dress, the hair, a piece of fabric from my wedding dress... When I walked in and asked for a lady that I was supposed to have my appointment with (I asked specifically for her because she's been recommended by another MUA), she told me she's very busy and another person has to replace her. It was a bit odd, but I agreed.

Together with a MUA we decided that I wanted focus on my eyes rather than lips, I also said I have VERY oily skin and then let her pick the products for me. At this stage I began to be feel even more suspicious, because she went for Prep & Prime SPF 50 (I thought SPF reflects light in flash photography and is not recommended) and after covering my face in Studio Fix Fluid, didn't conceal any blemishes showing through. At the end she also went for some super glittery orange blusher that was not only gone within an hour from application, but also emphasized the shine on my face.

The strangest thing however was my eye make-up. She went for orange (Paradisco, I think, but I'm not sure since I wasn't given a face chart at the end) on the lid and dark purple in the crease and then she heavily applied some shimmery highlight shade under the brow bone. For my lips she chose one of the Slimshines, and the color she picked looked on me like Softlips lipbalm I put on BEFORE I do my make-up; it did abslutely nothing for my lips.

Here's the finished look:

My face got shiny within 2 hours, and, as I said, the blusher was gone even earlier. The shadow placement was uneven on both eyes as was the liner. Also, I don't think she used a waterproof mascara or liner (Blacktrack Fluidline) because it came right off with some cleansing water. But I think what pissed me off the most was the fact that the whole style of doesn't match the style of my dress or hairdo at all. FAIL!

Basically, I let her finish and told her right away I didn't like it and that we have to go for something entirely different. I suggested 40's inspired make-up with dramatic, reddish lip to match the retro style of the dress. I spent al least 15 minutes with 2 MUAs choosing a lipstick (they wanted me to get a lipgloss, but with the veil on my face I'd rather avoid having it glued to my lips). I settled on Cockney; somehow I have a soft spot for Lustre finish, and also got a Blot powder in Medium Dark, which still looks very light, so I hope it's a good shade. They booked me in for another quick makeover on Wednesday just to try a different eye look.

So I went there today again and despite having an appointment, the same MUA who booked me told me she was busy and had to hurry up because she had another client in half an hour. She was so rushed that she only took off the eyeshadows I applied in the morning and left my eyeliner and mascara ('Oh, you've already got the eyeliner, I don't have to apply it again'), then I told her specifically which colors I wanted and it took her maybe 3 minutes to do both eyes. Voila!

MAC Brule e/s on the lid, Wedge e/s in the crease and Vanilla e/s under the brow bone and in the inner corner

This was taken after I got home, so my mineral foundation is melted, I've got nothing on my lips, the eyeliner should be thicker plus there'll be some falsies, but maybe somehow you get the idea.

I'm seriously disappointed with the customer service at MAC. I think it's simply unacceptable. Today I made sure I was booked to a different MUA for the wedding, but as I've seen before, it doesn't guarantee anything. If I had all the products I need and wasn't worried that I wouldn't be able to do my own make-up on the big day due to stress, I'd rather do it myself.

I guess I AM being very picky here, but that's what happens when you know too much about something and are able to follow closely what a 'specialist' does on you. I'm trying to be positive and think that if I tell them in detail which products I want on my face and which I don't like, it's going to be fine.

What experience have you had with makeovers at MAC?

The prettiest shopping bag ever

Just a quick post to share with you... yes, the prettiest shopping bag ever (if you're a bit of an artsy geek like me).

Anyone recalls this painting? It's "The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt, a XIX/XXth century Symbolist painter and a prominent member of the Vienna Art Nouveau movement (Vienna Secession). This particular art work is one of the most famous paintings from his critically acclaimed Golden Phase. As you may know from my Mucha inspirations, I definitely have a thing for Art Nouveau, so I had to get this shopping bag!

I heart it so much that I'm even thinking of converting this into a regular bag...

Then I also spotted this gorgeous flowy top at C&A for less than half price. You could wear it with a cami underneath, but for really hot summer nights, it's actually opaque enough to sport it on its own. These are definitely 'my' colors and it fits really nicely.

For those of you interested in my wedding updates, today I met with a florist to discuss the details of my bouquet as well as venue and car decorations. She turned out to be a really sweet, professional girl and I'm so happy to cross out such a big thing from my wedding preparation list! Tomorrow I'm having a dress fitting and a meeting with a fireworks man to see what 'special effects' he can offer for our big day.

Other than that, I'd like to thank all of you girlies for your super sweet and encouraging comments, especially on my last post, and say hello to my new readers! I really appreciate your support and enjoy meeting you through your blogs. THANK YOU! xxx

Updo hesitations

Finally I managed to cross something off my wedding preparation list! There's still some 50 to go, but I'm closer to getting there every day :)

I don't know if it ever happened to you, but I've had some serious problems booking an appointment with a hairdresser (for my wedding updo). I found the service at the saloon where my favorite hairdresser works quite impolite when I called and tried to book the appointment. I was told 'they don't know yet if she will be available', 'I might call later but, you know, she has her permanent clients', and generally 'This can be a problem'. This just reveals the reality of saloons were some customers are treated better than the others because they come more often and leave more money, and the most popular dates (like Saturday mornings, for example) are always reserved for them in advance. This really annoys me, so today I decided to cancel my trial updo appointment there and find another saloon (meanwhile, I also tried reaching 2 other hairdressers, but to no avail). I found one that had rave reviews online, and when I called them, the lady I spoke to on the phone was very nice and helpful. I hope that turns out ok!

It got me thinking about what kind of updo I'd like that would match my dress. First I thought of something more romantic with lots of messy curls, but while browsing the pictures, I actually liked another style the most... I've always been a big fan of French twist updos, and I found two styles that really caught my eye.

I really love how elegant yet a bit messy this looks. There's some volume at the crown and hair has a lovely texture. I actually think this is feasable on my not very long hair and would go nicely with the dress and delicate veil.

This is a bit more horizontal version of the classic French twist. It's still very simple, the hair seems voluminous and natural. Also perfect updo for the veil.

I'm undecided as to which one to choose... I think I like the first one a tad more, but that's probably because of the beautiful model with a long, swan-like neck. I need some advice... Which one do you prefer?

Wedding bands and shoes

After months and months of browsing through catalogues and fussing I finally bought our wedding bands!

If you remember my last post, it's traditional in Poland for the wedding bands to have a matching design, and, as Suka and Spice pointed out, the rings are worn on the right hand. Generally, the main difficulty was that having initially consulted some designs with my fiance, I was given free reign to choose the bands, and, with Mateusz still in Vancouver, I had to shoot what size to get him. I had a model band made by myself of aluminium foil just before I flew back to Warsaw, and that had to suffice. We'll see if it fits...

The purple 'dots' you can see inside are in fact rubies!

I chose a very simple design of matte white gold with a shiny stripe. My band is 4 mm wide, Mateusz's band is 5 mm wide as he's got way bigger fingers that mine. I bought them from a Polish jeweller Red Rubin ('rubin' is Polish for 'ruby') and their signature feature is to put a tiny ruby inside each band as a symbol of good luck and prosperity. Also, I've had our names (mine bears the name of my fiance, and fiance's ring bears my name) and the date of our wedding engraved on the inner side. All in all, I'm really happy with them!

I'm usually not a fan of this heel shape, but somehow it goes well with the shoe. I also like the white soles and how soft they feel inside...

Also, I had to get myself a pair of wedding shoes because as you know, the dress fitting is impossible without the shoes. I visited dozens of stores, establishing that a) shoes designed specificaly for the wedding are twice or 3 times more expensive than usual shoes for lower quality and cheaper materials, b) the designs were fashionable 10 years ago, c) most of the pairs I tried on were terribly uncomfortable, d) the heels are mostly too high for me to even walk in. Finally, I came round the fact that I won't be able to find my perfect wedding shoes or even if I could find them, I refuse to pay ridiculous prices for something I'll wear once in my life. I decided to get this simple design; it's not the most beautiful shoe in the world, but the color matches with my dress, the heel is right height for me, they're comfortable, and they were very reasonably priced. Actually, they look really nice on my feet as well.

Have you had similar problems finding your wedding shoes or am I just too choosy?

Wedding traditions

Even though we're currently being submerged by American culture, Poland still retains some interesting and unique wedding customs which I thought I could share with you; you never know when you're going to be invited to a big Polish wedding! ;)

Just a side note, not all of these are respected or even known in different regions of Poland. Moreover, this is by no means an exhaustive list.

Superstitions

In terms of an engagement ring, a ring with a pearl is considered bad luck as pearls are a symbol of tears. It's also a bad sign if the precious stone falls off the ring and even worse gets lost (and I've heard of such cases!).

On the wedding day, the bride is supposed to have with her something new, something old and something borrowed (not blue!).

Wedding bands

Bride's and groom's wedding bands must have a matching design. There might some variation as to width or precious stones, but they have to form a 'set'. (More on our wedding bands coming soon...)

Blessings

Before the wedding ceremony, a young couple asks for their parents' blessing. This usually takes place at home of the bride (in our case, probably the reception venue, as this is where all the guests will be lodged).

Church ceremony

Most Polish weddings take place in a Roman Catholic church. Before the ceremony, the young couple waits for their guests outside the church (near the porch), and once the time comes, they walk together to the altar with the guests following them. However, the custom of the father of the bride accompanying her to the altar becomes more and more popular, but I prefer the more traditional way of doing things.

After the church ceremony with exchanging rings, 'first' kisses, rice-throwing and all that, the newly-weds take wishes and greetings from the guests outside of the church. They're accompanied by the bridesmaid and the best man (who are both called 'witnesses' in Polish, as they testify to the wedding) who collect flowers and small gifts or envelopes with money.

Then the couple is transported to the venue. In my family, the driver is usally the father of the bride. And, just a purely family tradition, my great grandfather first took his daughter (grandma) and her husband (grandpa) to a dead end street, explaining that it symoblises a straight path of life together without losing the righteous way, and therefore started a new tradition. I know a dead end symbolizes something entirely different in Anglo-Saxon cultures, but this customs's been in my family for 2 generations and I think we should keep it :)

In towns or villages there's also a tradition of the guests forming the 'gate' (bramka) so that the young couple can't pass unless they buy themselves out by giving some vodka to the gate-keepers.

Reception

The young couple is greeted at the reception venue with bread, salt and vodka. The bride and groom have to drink each a shot of vodka and throw the glasses behind themselves so that the glasses brake, which is a sign of good luck in marriage. It has now become customary for the couple to have a first dance, a signal that the party can start.

At midnight, there's a special ceremony called 'oczepiny'. The bridesmaid helps the bride to take the veil off, which symbolizes she's now a wife and becomes a part of her husband's family. Then some games involving the bride's team and the groom's team follow, and the last element is throwing a veil or a bouquet in the air so one of the unmarried female guests can catch it.

The party lasts till dawn and is followed by a brunch on the next day. The remaining vodka from the wedding (and there must be some vodka left!) is kept safe until the couple's first child baptism day.

As you can see, many of these customs involve vodka, vodka and even more vodka :) It's actually true than in Polish tradition all big events are celebrated with some strong alcohol, but it's not uncontrollable drinking as some may think. Poles are very much capable of holding their liquor :)

Hope you liked my rundown on Polish wedding customs. Do you have any interesting ones in your family/ country of origin? I'd love to know about them! xxx

Back home and wedding invites

I'm back in Poland, still a bit jet-lagged and a busy bee; there's just so many things I have to take care of before the wedding!

I have to admit I did a bit of duty-free shopping in Vancouver at the MAC counter, and I was silly enough to buy my third MAC eyeshadow in Charcoal Brown just to realize at home that Annabelle's So Foxy is an exact dupe. So I gave the MAC to my mum, I don't think she was very grateful for the gift, and commented it by criticizing my make-up for the day. Ouch! On a positive side, I also got a lippie in Jest, and I really like it. I'm also after nailcare stuff and polishes lately, so expect some haulage :)

Today I went with my to-be-mother-in-law to a printing house to choose and order my wedding invitations. I had to choose from what they had because there's no time left for being overly picky. However, I really liked their catalogues and finally settled on a very classic, simple design:

The set doesn't include the organza and pearls :)

The paper is in a cream color with an opalescent gold effect, and the invitation folds in three parts. Because of that, we decided to include a quotation on the top part, and we went for Antoine de Saint Exupery: "Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.". We will handwrite the guests' names on our own, because it was substantially more expensive to have them printed, and I think it adds a bit of a personal touch. The print itself is warm brown and quite ornamental.

I really like the gold ornament, it's so elegant and timeless...

I think we did a pretty good job :) Next on the list are the flowers, sorting things out in the church and at the venue, and many more... Hope you're all doing well and thanks for stopping by! xxx

If I were to do my bridal make-up...

... It would probably look somewhere near this:

This look is massively inspired by Nicole Chapman's bridal tutorial for oily skin which you can watch here. I think it's absolutely beautiful, fresh make-up, and the not-so-obvious choice of the orangey lippie is a great idea to give it a bit of an edge. Of course I'm not wearing any falsies and my hair is crap in the photos, but you get the idea.

First I primed my skin with Sephora Zero Shine Base and concealed any imperfections with MAC Studio Finish. Then I buffed a minimal amount of mineral foundation into the skin and followed with CS G Bronzer/Blush under the cheekbones, on the temples and a bit on the chin and nose. I applied Dare blusher on the apples of my cheeks and Inglot pearlescent eyeshadow on cheekbones as highlight.

I primed my eyelids with Eye Poxy Primer, then added a matte cream-colored eyeshadow on the lid. In the crease, I used Illamasqua Forgiveness eyeshadow (matte again), followed by the same Inglot highlighter under the browbone and a lighter highlighting shade in the inner corners. I smudged some dark brown/ greyish eyeshadow on the lashline and applied loads of mascara. I defined my eyebrows following their natural shape with a bit of warm brown pencil loaded on the angled brush.

On my lips I am wearing NYX Indian Pink sheered down with a bit of golden lip gloss.

What is your favorite bridal look?

Vintage wedding

As you know, I'm getting married in September in a lovely, nineteenth century palace near Warsaw. Or, should I rather say, the wedding itself will take place in a neo-gothic church and the reception will then follow in the palace and the old park that surrounds it.

The venue, of course, has a vintage (or even historic) feel to it, but I had been wanting a retro dress even before we found it. In fact, it's quite a funny story :) You know how you usually browse through hundreds of wedding dresses' catalogues, find that unique one, go to a store where they have it, try it on and it looks just horrible on you?

Well... This is not my story :)I'd found my perfect dress in a catalogue like 5 months before even thinking about going to a store, and when we finally went dress hunting, it was the last one that I tried on and I promised myself not to try on anymore. And... it looked perfect, even another client complimented this particular gown saying I looked like a fairy. Here it is:





It's from a Spanish company called Lugonovias, which means I have to wait 3-4 months before they send it to Poland...

Anyhow, since it is such a Napoleonic/ Empire silhouette, I was wondering what kind of make-up look and hairdo would go nicely with it. As far as hair is concerned, I've found a hairdressers' manual containing history of hair, and it says that empire hairstyles were very feminine, with locks of hair pinned up to the scalp. Just like in a Polish film "Pan Tadeusz", based on a XIXth century book and featuring lots of examples of the Empire style:





This photo of Gladys Cooper, an Oscar-nominated English actress, offers a different solution:



Still, I haven't found any information as to the Empire make-up. Judging from various paintings, the complexion was usually very pale with a very bright, pink blusher on the cheeks and quite accentuated lips. Personally, I will probably go for a subtler look with the emphasis on the eyes instead of lips. What would you suggest?