Ben and Katie: A Southern Affair

I'm happy to say that my brother and I played match-maker to the beautiful couple that this blog is about. Katie, being one of my sorority sisters, and Ben being Sam's pledge brother are a match made in Greek heaven. It was a quaint, southern wedding at Primrose Cottage in Roswell, GA and happily, a college reunion of sorts! I was employed by a few of the bridesmaids to do hair and makeup and couldn't have been happier to be a part of the wedding festivites! Take a look at the gorgeous girls below!

I created hair and makeup styles for the three bridesmaids on the left.

A closer look at Hannah:

The 'do held up through dancing!!-- This picture was taken at about 10pm, I had styled it at about 2:30.

And a closer look at Liz: 

and at Vanessa!: (I didn't remember to take a picture of the back of her hair, but it was a half french braid :) )

Vanessa is on the right.

I loved having 3 different hair challenges with this bunch, Hannah's being color treated, Liz's being very short, and Vanessa's being resistant to curl! With the right products, I was able to create staying power for each different hair texture and skin tone. It was a joy to be involved in this celebration of Ben and Katie!

Katie Corsetti: Bridal Barbie (accessories included)

Here's a toast post well both a toast and a post to my roommate and bride-to-be Mizz Katie Corsetti! She's gracious enough to let me play with her hair and makeup on a weekly basis, to hone my craft.... and create both elaborate updo's and everyday fabulous looks!
She's also gracious enough to share with the world what she looks like before: a secret only revealed to me and her fiance....

Here's the lovely Katie before:

The first look of Katie's I'll share is a Kate Middleton inspired up-do... lovely for weddings or special events...I wanted Katie's look to be a little more fun and less formal than Kate's. (since, in real life, we were just going to Wild Wing for drinks that night :) )

 Here's a look at the Dutchess:

and then have a look at the soon-to-be Mrs. Pandolfo:

Katie has a gorgeous complexion that looks fantastic in pinks and purples....I wanted the makeup look to be soft, dreamy, warm and flawless. Which I think with her gorgeousness, was easily achieved!

Just enough, but not too much! My absolute favorite result!!

Katie's second look is just a "going over to the in-law's for dinner" everyday look! I've straightened her curly hair to have a lot of bounce and volume by pulling the straightner upwards, versus straight down. It creates a fabulous bend and bounce! I also tried the new Almay eyeshadow made for blue eyes and I think it makes them pop!

Here's Katie's everyday look:

Cheers to the Dutchess of Roswell!

My Favorite Things

Check out my Top 5, Can't Live Without Beauty Items

http://creativebeautyconsultant.blogspot.com/p/product-reviews.html

Anne-Miller's Debutante 'do

Each year, my hometown hosts a Debutante Ball for Greenwood's most upstanding community members... My friend Anne-Miller debuted her sophomore year in college and goes back every year to commemorate and CELEBRATE! This past year, she asked me to try my handy work on her hair, giving me full reign to create whatever I wanted! Check out the creativity that ensued! (I am still just in love with this hair, if i do say so myself ;) )

I must admit Anne-Miller has a DREAM head of hair to work with. It's thick and it does whatever I tell it to.... so you know,  it wasn't ALLLL me ;)

Side view. Pretty cool, but wait for it....

CHECK OUT THAT BACK VIEW! HAYYOOO!!!

Emme: A Tan Transformation

Emme is one of my dearest friends and greatest dressup dolls of all time! I can't count the number of times I've done her hair and makeup since I was 16, but I know it's been at least twice for pageants, twice for proms, and (as my former roommate) almost every day for fun!
Emme is a Diva in the absolute best way possible! She loves to try anything from red lips, to bright purple shadow and any sort of teased hairdo I could come up with.... as long as she's not applying it. :) Over the years, I've managed to teach her how to have a few different pallates to apply, and she's got a great basic makeup routine.

For her cousin Maggie's wedding, I was beseeched (with the promise of a fantastic reception  :) ) to come and do her hair and makeup. There's just one little catch... Emme was suffering from a severe case of BS..... Bad Spraytan.
No  worries! CBC to the rescue!! I was able to blend out the orange and make her look like the Diva that she is!
I also ended up doing last minute hair and makeup for one of the other bridesmaids, Robin. She had a case of  "AHHH my hair is too short to do anything with, and it's an hour before the wedding!"
your hair is too short?? This is no challenge that CBC can't handle with a can of spray and a few bobbies!

See Emme and Robin Before (on either side of the bride):
*notice short 'do and splotchy McGee**

And see the fabulous ladies AFTER!: (in what are some of my favorite bridesmaid's dresses of all time)

Because of the nude color of the dresses I wanted the colors to be bronze, tan, and nude for the makeup. In essence I wanted the girls to be one smooth, glowing ball of Diva-ness.

These photos are property of Miss Emme Yeargin

The gorgeous maids

With her mom (they don't look anything alike, right?)

A side view

The rest of the maids, not styled by CBC-- can you tell the difference?

Katrina and Josh

We'll call this the start of my "career" in weddings.... My cousin Katrina was blessed to find the mirror of her soul in her husband Josh. Katrina is one of my absolute favorite people, and she's just gorgeous to boot!! Katrina is a minimalist in style, both adorable and quirky, with hints of vintage and Zooey Deschanel. I knew that whatever I did had to reflect her natural style and not be too overdone, and it's still one of my favorite transformations ever!! Have a look at the beautiful bride!
**note photos were not taken by me and are on loan from the bride and groom

Before: at the rehearsal dinner

After: 

Hair, Makeup and veil placement done by CBC

Why I'm Here: The CBC Mission Statement

If there's one thing I know, it's budgeting. If there's two things I know, it's budgeting and weddings.
I'm at the stage of life where just about everyone I know is getting married and more often than not, I'm involved in the hustle and bustle of the planning, photoshoots, engagment parties and the actual Big Day. Now, all of my friends are fabulous and beautiful (yeah, so what, maybe I'm biased, but they're my friends!!) but let's face it-- it can be challenging to put your own hair in a fabulous updo that's worthy of a wedding or special event!

Since I was old enough to put my own hair in a ponytail (yes, this crushed my mom because I no longer needed her as my own personal hair consultant) I can remember reading everything I could get my hands on about how to do hair and makeup. I was reading Teen, Seventeen and CosmoGirl like it was my job. This progressed into me playing makeup at any and all times, buying more of it than I needed with the money that I earned from my lifeguarding job, and eventually being the "go-to" hair/makeup girl for high-school performances (yes, I was a show choir geek-- at least Glee is cool now) dances, proms and the like.

When I was a senior in high school and deciding what to do with the rest of my life, I came home and proudly told my parents that I was going to go to beauty school and become a hair dresser. That pipe dream lasted all of 10 seconds before my parents promptly told me that I would be going to 4-year college and if, after I graduated I still wanted to go to beauty school, then I was free to do that. Well, I did go to college and graduate with a degree in Public Relations and 4 years worth of student loans...Paying back my loans has been a task, and I'm certainly in no position to be incurring more debt for beauty school....
I'm blessed that over the years my friends and family have let me use them as my guinea pigs for everything from hair-cutting, hi-liting, dying, teasing, attempting cat-eye liner and everything in between, since, in the "educational sense" I'm not technically a cosmetologist.... :)

So, you ask?? "Why am I doing this?, Why am I here? Why CBC?"
Going back to my experience with special events and practically every single one of my friends tying the knot in the past 2 years and coming up in the next 2, I've seen hairstyles galore. Often times, I see styles and makeup that is gorgeous when it's first done, and then falls flat or fades 2 hours in.I've seen updos with WAY too much gel in them that stay, but stay flat to your head. I've seen styles where I'm convinced the creator, couldn't have had more than one day's experience with anyone's hair. ever. In my opinion your special day should be about you. It should reflect who you are inside, and bring that out in your hair and makeup. If you're a plain jane, obviously, gelled- Miss Texas hair is not exactly going to make you feel comfortable and confident. If you love bold colors and styles, a paired down style isn't going to say "Hello, Lover! I'm here and I'm fabulous!"

Most often, I see styles that in a few words are just "too. over. done."-- Not to mention, "TOO. OVER. PRICED." More than I love playing hair and makeup though, I love to see a woman's true beauty shine. I love to see the smile on the face of someone who absolutely LOVES the way they look. We all deserve to feel like a princess, and personally, I don't believe that fabulousness should cost an arm and a leg. The going rate now, for a wedding-like updo is about $75 to $85, and if makeup's included, I've seen the fee increase to $125.
Based on income (thank you tech support...) I could never afford this. Based on principle, I'd never pay it, even if it was in my budget. Based on quality and end result, I wouldn't pay $10 dollars for a salon style.
Because I know these styles and applications don't cost that much, CBC will never CHARGE that much.

Now that you know who I am and what I'm about,
Here's My Promise to You: I'm willing to work with any kind of environment, any kind of product (for example I'd be happy to provide my own, or if you have something that you love, but aren't sure how to apply for a special event, I'm happy to work with that too!). Depending on the circumstances, price is negotiable. You will look flawless in pictures, but not overdone in person. Your hair WILL hold it's curl! You will NOT look like "Miss Texas". You will look radiant and like the best version of yourself you've ever seen! If you don't like it, I'll re-do it. But Most of all, I promise you that your true beauty WILL shine on your special day.