Collaboration and Communication are Key for Hair and Makeup Success

What I love about hair and makeup is that I am able to get to know my brides on a deeper level. During the process, we'll chat about who you are, your hair and makeup vision, and any concerns or worries that you have for your big day. My goal for each of my brides is to make sure that they have a seamless yet fun beauty experience, address any issues I can, and be transparent about the process.

-Hi there! I'm Olivia and I help brides feel like their best self in the most comfortable way. My hair and makeup style is natural, authentic, and inspired by soft glam. I'm located in Baltimore and Connecticut, and serve the East Coast from Virginia to Massachusetts.

The Inquiry

My December 2024 bride, Cat, first reached out to me in August. In her inquiry form, Cat shared, "I kept unknowingly stopping on all of your photos on [the Instagram explore page]." This made me super excited to speak with her and get to know her better. The next day, we scheduled a phone call and the next week, we spoke over the phone.

The Phone Call

Like many of my brides, Cat shared that she was living outside of the DMV at the time. Before moving, her and her fiance lived in DC for 10 years and were really excited to have their wedding back home in the DC area.

During our call, I learned that Cat really just wanted to look like herself, "I'm on the paler side, but I really don't mind this." She was looking for something "very natural, simple, and elegant." She shared that she was drawn to my style because "not everyone on my page looks the same" but rather, "you do a really good job at enhancing everyone's features so they look like their best self."

She shared some of her concerns, "I've seen some pictures of brides looking a bit orange... or cakey," where their face makeup was heavy or didn't match their chest area. She could picture herself wearing very little eyeliner at the top but wanted the bottom of her eyes and lash area to be more bare. What made me really excited was when she said she wanted a "glowy, dewy" look because that is one of my favorite bridal looks to do.

Her other concern was that she didn't want her eyes to be too heavy. In the past, makeup artists created eye makeup looks on her that didn't make her feel like her best self. I reassured her that I work with all eye shapes, and that we would go for more minimal eyeshadow and lashes that would better suit her hooded eyes.

For hair, Cat requested "a loose, low bun." As we spoke, I learned that Cat usually wears her hair down or swept to the side for special events. However, for her wedding, she wanted an upstyle to complement her dress. She didn't want anything that was "too intentional though just effortless and like it 'fell out'."

The Bridal Preview

About one month before her wedding, Cat came to my home studio in Canton, Baltimore for her bridal preview. What many of my brides love about the preview is that they are able to experience the full hair and makeup look, making sure that everything is cohesive.

As Cat and I discussed her vision and comfort level more in detail, she learned that she might feel like herself more if her hair was in a down style- like she normally does for special events. She agreed that she might not like her look if she wore her hair up since she normally doesn't do this.

The Wedding Day Look

My philosophy about hair and makeup is that it is always a collaborative effort. We made some easy changes like using less bronzer overall, lighter lashes, and less brow gel. Even the most minor changes can make the biggest impact in making my brides feel like their best self. I'm so happy that Cat trusted me and came to me with feedback about her hair and makeup.

Because of her communication and collaboration, we were able to get the hair and makeup to match her vision- something, "simple, elegant, and natural," and for skin, "light, airy, dewy, and glowy."

Cat's Wedding Day Photos

A few days after her wedding, Cat shared the most stunning photos from her wedding day!! This is one of my favorite parts and literally makes me feel like I am in school again, getting a test back, waiting to see my results. I think from her smile, she really loved her look?!!

If you have any hair or makeup worries like Cat, don't worry! That's what I am here for :) We'll chat through everything about your hair and makeup vision and comfort level so that we can make sure you absolutely LOVE your look on your big day.

Ready to chat? You can inquire about my availability here and we'll get the ball rolling!

Team:

Photos: Dani Leigh Photography

Beauty: Olivia Lo Makeup Hair

Dress: Rita Vinieris