What impressed me about Lisa, besides her wildly talented skills with a blending brush, was her passion for her trade. Not only does she love make-up, but she feels truly privileged when a bride hires her for the most important day of her life.

In her words, it’s about revealing your most beautiful and confident self. And I can testify to the metamorphosing power of a few well placed strokes of light and color.

For my birthday last year, Lisa applied my make-up and I was blown away when she revealed my new look. I couldn’t believe it was me!! Of course I asked if she could move in so that I could feel that glamorous every day, but alas, I am not that fortunate. You can click here to view the photos.

Lisa has also been kind enough to offer make-up lessons to those that struggle with make-up application. And that would most certainly be me. She has spent hours guiding me with blending, colors and products.  And while I feel that I have improved, I have also realized that what she does is truly artistry.

I can’t believe that I am actually posting this before and after photograph of one of my make lessons, but if Oprah can do it, so can I! Whenever I get a compliment on my make-up, I always refer people to Lisa. Because without her, my face would look like the image below. Yikes!

One of the reasons for this post is because Lisa just launched her fabulous new website, and I am so honored that she is using my photographs to showcase her work. Check it out: http://www.kiss-and-makeup.com Not only is she available for weddings and special occasions, but she also offers lessons!! So fun and absolutely worth it!

I feel so strongly about Lisa, and the need for every bride to get her make-up professionally applied for her wedding, that I am now including her services with my eight hour package. SO EXCITING!!

It was intimate and tender, and I’m sure their parents were thrilled to be a part of it, especially Kristin’s mom.

Even Kristin’s niece knew what a special event she was witnessing.

I urge couples to consider seeing one another prior to the ceremony as the moment is much more intimate and special than seeing each other from across the church. Kristin and Mark took their families with them to take photos prior to the ceremony. As a result, there are many photographs including the people that are closest to them. Taking photographs prior to the ceremony also relieves pressure/stress that can sometimes be present when rushing around to get photos after the ceremony. We were able to capture many, many photographs prior, but also spend more time with just the bride and groom afterwards.

As a result of the fact that photographs were very important to Kristin and Mark, they allocated time for photography. More time = more photographs. Wonderful!

I wear SPF daily and protect my skin from the sun because I don’t need any help advancing the aging process. It’s bad enough to notice fine lines because of age, but I certainly do not wish to accelerate the process. Not to mention the dangers of skin cancer.

Nancy and I connected and she was generous enough to stop over, give me a tan, and explain the process to me. You see, I justify such diversions in my work day by thinking that it is necessary to test these things before recommending them to my clients. A public service, if you will.

Anyway, Nancy is awesome and the process is pretty cool. She brings a portable pop-up booth and sprays away (in this case, we were in our garage). You can wear as much, or as little, as you would like. I took a before picture to show you just how pale I am, and had planned on taking an after picture to demonstrate the difference, but never got around to it. So posting the pale picture at this point would just look silly. And it might frighten you. But I will say that the tan looked great and I would definitely recommend giving it a try. If you’re getting married, you should probably schedule a trial a month or so prior to your wedding. The final tan should probably be done a day or two before your wedding so that it will last through your honeymoon. Mine lasted about a week.

Contact Nancy directly to schedule an appointment.

Nancy St. John – nancystjohn@comcast.net
412.889.3551

Wow, the choices were seemingly endless, one gorgeous linen after the next.

They have a host of beautiful and unique chair coverings.

If you are in need of linens for any occasion, I highly recommend checking out their website: http://www.partymosaic.com. They have images for inspiration, as well as a table top designer to assist in room layout for your event.