Something Blue

For my Jenn’s wedding in Pasadena, California, we wanted her makeup and hair to tie in to her whole wedding vision. The wedding vibe was romantic, vintage, and playful- yet still had this traditional feel.

One thing I love about being a Los Angeles Makeup Artist is the countless venues and areas that my brides get married in! We got Jenn and her girls ready at an adorable house in Pasadena- not too far from the Quaker Meeting House.

For Jenn’s makeup look, we did airbrush makeup for her complexion using Temptu. I do the WHOLE complexion (foundation, bronzer, blush, highlight) with airbrush makeup for extra longevity. Let’s be real, I just imagine everyone crying LOTS of happy tears.

To create this gorgeous eye moment, I mixed Half Magic Beauty “Sky Juice” with a touch of concealer, and packed a silver-y highlight from Danessa Myricks on top. We did a small cat eye, also referred to as a “kitten eye” by me, and topped the eyes off with subtle individual lashes. I always feel like coral tones go well with baby blue, so I did a coral glossy lip and warmer coral toned blush to compliment the pink and coral colors in the wedding color palette.

I love how there is a consistent theme with color, and everything in this wedding ties so beautifully together!

One of my favorite things is that Lauren, my hairstylist, pinned Jenn’s hair so she could take it out for a second look without the curls being crazy. She added a headband, and I adore the final look for makeup and hair.

Congrats Jenn + Chris!

-Desiree Penaloza, Los Angeles Makeup and Hair

This wedding was planned by One Darling Day: Claudia Casanova

All images are by Taylor Mosby Photo

Venue is The Orange Grove Friends

Hair styling by Lauren Rebelo

Wedding Advice from a Bridal Makeup Artist... based on my OWN wedding

When doing makeup and hair for my clients, I get asked a lot how my own wedding turned out… How I had my own hair done, how I did my makeup (yes, I did my own makeup!), where it was, what my dress was like… etc.

I love how all the details turned out. Our wedding was so much more DIY than I could have anticipated, but being able to be in charge of every little detail resulted in a wedding that was so much more authentically US.

Don’t get me wrong… I love weddings. But there will always be the weddings that just feel more generic and like a performance. We wanted to focus on having a big party, celebrating our love, but with amazing music, food, and keeping the tequila flowing. Needless to say- it was one hell of a party.

Be true to yourself… not what you think you “should” have or do.

Follow your heart and do what makes you happy! This day is about you and your partner’s love, and things that make you both happy. I battled with feeling like I should have a wedding dress that was more rustic since our wedding was at a vineyard with a barn… yet I found myself in a crepe white dress from Louvienne, with a beaded bodice. I had a custom fringe jacket made that I wore with my dress, adding that rustic flare, and I felt like this combo was very much ME.

For my makeup, I used Danessa Myricks Color fix in a pink/copper chrome on my lids. It was so fun that people could notice in person up close, but you can’t tell in photos! I tell my clients this all the time, because people are often afraid of color for weddings. If you love color- go for it!!!

My hair I wanted to just be like having a perfect hair day. My business partner, April, from D+A Bridal did my hair for me. She put it in big rollers, and gave me these big waves, adding little gems. It was so special having her style my hair for me.

Don’t sweat the small stuff before the wedding… and Hire a Pro Makeup and Hair Team!!!

While we were getting ready, I was a bit of a nervous wreck. Because my bridesmaids were all pros in the beauty and fashion world, I opted to just have them get themselves ready. As a pro myself, I should’ve known this was a bad idea. After splurging more on our food (one of the top priorities for us), I couldn’t afford to have a team get all my girls ready, and I also waited till the last minute to consider hiring a pro makeup and hair artist for my girls.

Even though my bridesmaids and family is skilled at getting themselves ready- it was chaos having such a large group of women ALL fight over mirrors and outlets to get themselves ready. The best thing about having a pro makeup artist and hairstylist for your wedding, is that they keep everyone on time, and stagger everyone so no one is fighting over space to get themselves ready. These little details were something I didn’t totally consider, since this scenario wasn’t something I had witnessed before.

So basically, take it from me, and hire yourself a beauty team (like myself!).

I also was in such a weird head space over some drama that happened the night prior. Basically, none of this mattered AT ALL once the ceremony began, and it was still the best day of my life. Lesson: don’t sweat the details that you can’t control on the wedding day. Things are already rolling in motion, and just soak up every moment!

Get a second outfit for dancing!

Wedding days are LONG. Can’t recommend getting a second outfit enough.

After cutting the cake and doing our first dances, I ran off and quickly changed into white sequin pants by “Made with Love Bridal” and a satin 70s style top from Isalis. I felt like this second outfit really matched our decor in the barn, which was very disco inspiried! We had our disco ball, and handmade bright colorful fringe. We also had a custom neon pink sign over our bar.

Have a flower girl!

And if you have no children at your wedding, have a friend be your flower girl. This was a last minute decision for us, and having the bright pop of flowers in our ceremony photos made a HUGE difference. I really love how the red rose petals stand out, but add to the overall aesthetic.

Most of all… just have fun with it.

We wanted a photo booth- so we got a VW bus booth! We wanted the barn to feel like one of our favorite bars in San Francisco where we met- the Makeout Room, mixed with other fringe decor I saw on Pinterest. We wanted the best tacos anyone ever had. We wanted a mariachi band. We wanted people to dance their asses off!

And all of that happened. If you want it- go for it!

Cheers, and happy planning.

XO

Dez

All photos by Gage Allen, Gaging Life.

Florals by The Floral Parlor

Location: Private Ranch in San Miguel, CA

Dress: Louvienne

Butterfly earrings: Untamed Petals

Fringe Jacket and custom Groom bolo tie: Opal Milk

My Effortless "Cool Girl" City Hall Look

It was an honor doing my dear friend, Kirsten’s, hair and makeup for her City Hall Wedding.

I always say that I want to make clients look and feel like the best version of themselves! In her day to day life, Kirsten hardly ever wears foundation. She loves to have her lashes pronounced with no liner, and wanted to have matte, warm tones on her eyes.

With her minimal Asos wedding dress, I thought this natural, effortless look would be perfect for her!

We wanted a chic updo, that would have some natural, effortless curls falling to frame Kirsten’s face. This look is great for brides who want their hair up, and don’t want to worry about it! Even if some pieces end up falling out, it adds to the look.

I did some twists in the back in multiple sections, and gave her a low bun. I really love how the whole look came together!

Note: Add colored glasses that match your bouquet for extra cool vibes!