Make-Up Artist | Make Up By Katy

Wedding–Debbie Gibb

April 14, 2011 By Katy Messer Leave a Comment

This was a wedding I worked on last year that was booked so far in advance, it almost felt like it would never happen!

Debbie was very specific from the start with what she was after and the brief was ‘natural’ and as much as I love a dramatic eye, it is something I can do, when I set my mind to it!

Sometimes however, someone’s idea of natural can differ quite a lot from your own and this was the case with Debbie. I always try to explain to brides that natural can still be natural but that when it comes to definition, we need to step in up, even half a gear. Photography can wash out contrast, and so that soft taupey wash of liner that you use can in a photograph, dissapear. This can leave you looking un defined and sometimes, a tad washed out. So between myself and the lovely Debbie, we worked together to find a look that pleased both her (as the bride!) and gove me confidence that it’d stand up to the camera.

The morning of the wedding was fun, I travelled up with the extremely talented Cassandra Rizzuto who did the hair for the bridal party. We arrived early, as all good bridal services should and had one of the best coffees of my life! The venue was the Crazy Bear hotel in Stadhampton, Oxford and is a gorgeous alternative style venue. Well worth checking out.

So here are the pics, I hope you like.

Photographers just lurve taking pictures of my brushes. I like this one!

The bridesmaid after make-up, just relaxing in her dressing gown with champers dahling.

Cassandra putting the finishing touches to Debbies Hair and accessories.

Thanks for reading,

Until next time,

Katy xx

Filed Under: Make-Up, Make-Up Artist, Photography, Wedding Make-Up

So…Have I missed much?

April 12, 2011 By Katy Messer 3 Comments

Hi All,

I know I briefly posted a post last week but I thought I’d swing on by and fill you in on what’s been happening with me so far this year.

Well, first things first, I’m really happy to say that there has been a valid reason for my absence, in that I’m now 3 1/2 months pregnant. This has been a huge reason in me taking a step back from blogging. I am wiped out! Thankfully, I’m coming out of the quagmire of exhaustion now and am going to be back, full steam ahead with my usual offerings.

So, thank-you for sticking around and reading. It means a lot.

This year so far has been filled with, not only nausea but some beautiful weddings and e-shoots, boudoir and portrait shoots and some out of this world shoots that have literally fired up my creative juices to the max!

Firstly, here’s a sneak peak of a shoot I did a few weeks back, the actual article will be in a later post.

Isn’t she a beaut?!!

Hair created by the very talented Severin Hubert of Hepburn Collection and photography by Nick Ray.

You may recognise the model as Kathryn Jones who I worked with on my Tantrums and Tiaras shoot. However, I only posted a sneak preview of that so I will put more of the images up when I actually post the whole thing!

Looking forward to getting back into the swing of things.

Lots of love

Katy xx

Filed Under: Bridal Shoot, Make-Up, Make-Up Artist, Photography, Wedding Make-Up

Wedding–Danielle at The Langham

January 19, 2011 By Katy Messer 6 Comments

One of the most daunting yet honourable asks is to be another Make-up artists make-up artist! Especially for her wedding! This is what the lovely Danielle asked of me and I was so happy to oblige. Not only is she beautiful, she is also a really nice, sweet girl. I love her dry sense of humour and her unashamed glamorous take on weddings. This affair was a traditional Jewish wedding held at the beautiful Langham in London. I worked with Danielle, her mother, mother in law to be and her grandmother in what was quite possible the most crowded hotel room I’ve ever been in! Lanham, take note, your rooms are tiny. Add in a make-up artist, an assistant, a hairstylist and then a photographer, you can imagine. Intimate to say the least!

The photographer was a very talented guy called Chiko who I’d never met before. I was so pleased with the shots he showed me that day on his camera, I was really hoping I’d get to work with him more. True to my wish, the next morning at another wedding, he showed up again!

For now, enjoy these photos and pop a comment underneath if you‘d like to let Danielle know what you think?

I hope you liked them

Yours,

Filed Under: Freelance, Make-Up Artist, Wedding, Wedding Make-Up

Boudoir Shoot–Nikki at Modern Wedding Ideas

January 17, 2011 By Katy Messer 1 Comment

This is a boudoir shoot I worked on recently with the fabulous Cocoon Photography ladies. A slight twist to the usual in that this was a collaboration of sorts… Nikki is the editor of the brilliant Online Mag Modern Wedding Ideas which is a hive of information and brilliant weddings and the like. She also blogged about her Boudoir experience here.

This was a traditional smoky eye with a twist. Not so much black and grey but dark jewelled plums and shimmering coppers to really make the green in her eyes stand out.

I love how Nikki changes her whole look with first a sexy birdcage veil/hat and then a bright red bobbed wig! Glam or what?!

Take a look and enjoy. Oh, and this has almost convinced me to buy myself a corset.

Isn’t she stunning?

Yours, as ever

Filed Under: Boudoir, Freelance, Make-Up Artist, Photography, Photoshoot

Teenage Shoot with Cocoon Photo

January 4, 2011 By Katy Messer 6 Comments

Hi All,

I work with the lovely Cocoon Photography ladies on a regular basis and was very happy to be asked to do the make-up for this gorgeous girl, Alex. Believe it or not, she’s not a model. But she most definitely should be! Look at that face!

As I sat her down in my chair, my main focus was to keep it light, fresh and young. Call me old fashioned but I really can’t stand seeing young teenage girls caked in make-up.

Alex not only had beautiful features and amazing red, glossy hair, she also had my favourite skin tone. Pale with light freckles. I’ve written about my love for freckles before on my blog and it turned out to be my most popular blog post EVER. But when I look at my stats, it’s from people searching for how to cover them or bleach them away! No!!!

I left Alex’s skin with the freckles showing through. I used Face Atelier Foundation in Porcelain mixed with a little Laura Mercier Illuminated Tinted Moisturiser in Bare Radiance in a very light sheer layer. The cheeks are Une Cream Cheek in B02. On the eyes, I used Benefit’s Skinny Jeans Cream Eye colour with Laura Mercier Rose Eye Colour through the crease and Elf Graphite Creme liner along the lashes. For the lips, I mixed 2 Nars Glosses – Turkish Delight with Sandpiper.

Isn’t she eye wateringly pretty? And, the best thing of all, she was lovely. Really nice and humble and not a clue how gorgeous she is!

Yours,

Filed Under: Make-Up Artist, Photography Tagged With: Cocoon Imaging, Cocoon Photography, Face Atelier Cosmetics, Freckles, Freelance, Laura Mercier, Make-over, Make-Up, Make-Up Artist, Nars, Photographers, Photography

Engagement Shoot- Laura and Rhys

December 9, 2010 By Katy Messer 4 Comments

Hi All,

This is my latest shoot done with the ever faboo David McNeil. I love working with David, not only because I’m guaranteed to get amazing images for my blog and website, but because he really appreciates a make-up artist. I get full creative freedom, even though we both love a really great ‘Eye’!

Laura is naturally very strikingly attractive, so when I did her make-up I kept the base to a minimum. She is also uber fair and I needed to add in a little white base to really match her properly. Her look was all about strong eyes (of course) and I rocked my new Elf Cream Liner in Violet with my Avon Gel Liner pencil in Black. The lid colour was a mix of Benefit Gossip and Stiletto Cream shadow with a Laura Mercier Bronze pigment washed in and Yaby through the crease…I think! Lashes were by Eyelure. Lips were a mix of OCC Lip Tar in Memento with a neutral beige gloss. Oh, and brows were a la the usual – Yaby powder!

Aren’t they BEAUTIFUL?!

I hope you liked them

Filed Under: Engagement, Freelance, Make-Up, Make-Up Artist, Photography, Wedding Make-Up Tagged With: Benefit, David McNeil, Engagement, Eyeliner, Freelance, Katy, Make-Up, Make-Up Artist, OCC, Photographers, Photography, smoky eye, Wedding Make-Up

Wedding Ideas Magazine blog behind the scenes at Tantrums and Tiaras

December 6, 2010 By Katy Messer 2 Comments

Good day to you all!

This is a quick link to another blog, the lovely Wedding Ideas Magazine teams blog. They have reported a ‘behind the scenes glimpse’ of the Tantrums and Tiaras Goodnight Sweetheart range.

See the trials and tribulations, the faffing and the freezing over here!

Thought I’d post this picture as it makes me laugh. The look of concentration on my face makes me look a little deranged. And although I look like I’m sticking my finger in her mouth, I can assure you I’m not.

Lots of love

Filed Under: Bridal Shoot, Freelance, Make-Up, Make-Up Artist, Photography, Wedding Make-Up Tagged With: Bridal Shoot, Freelance, Katy, Make-Up, Make-Up Artist, Photoshoot, Tantrums and Tiaras, Wedding Make-Up

Algarve Wedding–July 2010

November 28, 2010 By Katy Messer 5 Comments

Hi Girls,

I’ve been waiting to show you these pictures for an age!

The gorgeous Clodagh asked me back in late 2009 if I’d be willing to travel out to Portugal with them to make-up her and her bridal party. I absolutely said yes, of course! And I’m so glad I did because these photos will be a welcome addition to my portfolio and I had a real fun time being involved in it. Clodagh is a gorgeous girl, with a lovely gentle nature and her family are an absolute hoot!

My challenge was to give them all a look that would stand the intense heat and compliment each other and their own natural beauty. There were 3 sisters in total but one wanted to do her own. Not ideal for continuity but I’m never one to force their hand! Over-all, I’m thrilled with how it turned out and it goes down in history as one of my favourite weddings of all times.

Just looking at these make me smile, not only because I remember the lovely warm sunshine and even the memory feels good on this freezing cold evening but Clodagh put SO much hard work and effort into planning this and on the day, she was so excited, it was worth it all.

Oh to be on that beach right now….

Yours, chilly

Filed Under: Bridal Shoot, Freelance, Make-Up, Make-Up Artist, Photography, Wedding Make-Up Tagged With: Bridal Shoot, Freelance, Make-Up, Make-Up Artist, Photography, Wedding, Wedding Make-Up

My Treasure the Dress Shoot

November 27, 2010 By Katy Messer 12 Comments

Hi Girls

This is a very different post for me. I’m not accustomed to being on the other side of the camera!

I was lucky enough to get a second chance to wear my wedding dress again by taking part in a Treasure the Dress shoot with the fabulous ladies at Cocoon Imaging. These are the same ladies who shot my headshots. We’ve also shot a Boudoir shoot together and a Bridal shoot before, so I felt very comfortable with them. A Treasure the Dress shoot is not the same as a Trash the Dress. I don’t have anything against them, I just love my dress to much to ruin it.

The gorgeous backdrop to our shoot is an incredible camp site in Essex called The Gypsy Camp in Wickhams Bishop. Part of the Canopy and Stars selection, this is an absolute gem of a find! If there is any chance in the world of getting ME camping, it’ll be to here. You can’t really see because the sky looked the most incredible shade of blue but it was freezing cold that day. All the way there, I was shivering and wondering if I’d be able to actually get out of my warm clothes, especially as I had to get changed outside.

Oh and when they state that they have Free Range Geese and Chickens on the site, they mean it. Those blighters got everywhere!

The Shrieker. Yeah, Geese can make a sound like a teenage girl screaming. Delightful.

Being helped into my dress by the lovely Kim. It had been over a year since I wore it and it was a tad snug. Spesh on the boobs…

See how my legs had started to turn a funny lilac colour? Those wellies were handy. Geese poo all over the place…

Here I decided to get changed into ‘the shoes’ (as in ‘the shoes I bought because I couldn’t find my actual wedding shoes!)

The return of the Geese. This time they send the one with the dodgy wing. I politely told him to Jog On. He screamed.

Here, me and my huge dress climbed into the caravan. That in itself was worth a picture.

Just for a change of scene, I put my Vivien of Holloway party dress on, sat down in the shade (froze) and tried a few chilled out shots.

And that’s a wrap!

Filed Under: Make-Up, Make-Up Artist, Photography Tagged With: Katy, Make-Up, Make-Up Artist, Photographers, Photography, Photoshoot

Lash Perfect

November 18, 2010 By Katy Messer Leave a Comment

Hi Girls,

This is something I should have blogged about ages ago but I totally forgot!

As part of my Bridal Make-up business, Make-up by Katy, I decided to give my brides and their bridal party an extra optional service. I now do Lash Perfect Lash extensions!

I chose Lash Perfect through a recommendation and I did my training course and I am now a certified Lash Technician. Woop!

It’s not something I do full time, I am far too into my make-up and being creative. Plus, the amount of concentration it takes for those 2 hours is a serious head and neck-ache inducer! However, I’m loving the finished product and my clients are too. It takes away the need for mascara on the wedding day which reduced the risk of smudging and also saves time. Then, on her honeymoon, she has fresh looking eyes even on the beach.

The different range of lashes they do also inspired me. Not only do you get to choose your length and thickness but also your curl level. The end result can be anything from a natural, slightly thicker, darker and longer than your natural lashes to full on ‘Wow’ lashes. I ask lots of questions beforehand in regards to what we select and I always ensure that I select the right, most appropriate lash style for my client.

It takes approximately 2 hours, which may seem like a long time but if you think, you’re getting an extra lash put on top of almost every lash, that should give you an idea of the detail that goes into it!

If you regularly maintain them, you can get up to 12 weeks wear, this would involve having a refill and top up every 2-3 weeks. After the 12 weeks, we suggest to have any remaining lashes professionally removed, leave your lashes for a week, and then you’re able to have another set put back on.

I loved mine when I had them done! However, seeing as I can’t exactly do them on myself and i haven’t found the time to get them put back on, I’m sporting solely natural lashes right now. Boo.

Yours, as ever

***Btw- There’s still time to vote for me in the Wedding Ideas Awards. I’m Make-up by Katy in the Best Special Touches category. I’d love your vote!***

Filed Under: Bridal Shoot, Make-Up Artist, Wedding Make-Up Tagged With: Bridal Shoot, False Lashes, Lash Perfect, Make-Up Artist, Wedding, Wedding Make-Up

Wedding–Debbie Gibb

So…Have I missed much?

Wedding–Danielle at The Langham

Boudoir Shoot–Nikki at Modern Wedding Ideas

Teenage Shoot with Cocoon Photo

Engagement Shoot- Laura and Rhys

Wedding Ideas Magazine blog behind the scenes at Tantrums and Tiaras

Algarve Wedding–July 2010

My Treasure the Dress Shoot

Lash Perfect

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