Ivory and White 2014 Shoot

I'm sharing with this post the photos and behind-the-scenes for the shoot last month I did with Ivory and White Bridal Store. For those who haven't heard it yet, Ivory and White is a bridal boutique based in Quezon City that sells ready-to-wear bridal gowns at a fraction of the cost of what usual designer gowns cost. Now couples have that extra money to spare for the honeymoon, a new TV set or oven, or whatever they want to buy in order to start their new life together.

Our model for the shoot is DJ/stage actress Carla Dunareanu (coincidentally, I was listening to her radio show on the way to QC for our shoot). You guys might have last seen her in the stage play Grease where she portrayed one of the Pink Ladies. I saw her first in The Kitchen Musical,a TV series in AXN, which I regularly followed.

I upgraded my candy pink palette that I had back in 2011 for something that's more neutral, like the bride is naturally glowy and rosy. Loose and big curls for effortless beauty. Veil optional for breezy garden weddings.

This look is more classic bride, like she can look back in her photos when she's 80 and go like, "Wow! I must be a hottie when I was younger!" I see a lot of smokey eyes in brides lately in weddings being posted in Facebook. For brides who want emphasis but still want the classic look overall. In other words, brides who go, "I want to look natural but I really want my eyes to pop out."

I recommend this look too for weddings at night or with receptions done in hotels, where there's mood lighting and light makeup can look washed out.

Oh, I also did hair in this shoot. Here's a close look on the updo I did. It's a classic low bun with loopy hair.

For the third and last look, we included a rose accessory which inspired me to change up the look altogether.

Pop of color for bridal? Why not? Red lips made a lot of difference. I made the features warmer by additional contouring and added a bit of eyeliner to tie the eyes with the lips so the eyes don't look that lost . The red by the way, is Collection Cosmetics Queen of Hearts. For those who have it, you guys agree with me on the staying power, right?

Carla's three looks. Each one is very different from the other. Awesome how makeup can change things.

It seems like we were whisked off at a faraway place for this shoot. We shot at Studio Namu in Quezon City, and this studio is quite popular for prenup sessions where the couple would want a lot of layouts without travelling away from the city. They've got a lot of layouts to play along in one big studio too.

Thank you everyone! It was such an awesome day and the first shoot of the year.

Official Photo Credits:Photographer: Niel Ong
Model: Carla Dunareanu
Clothes: Ivory and White Bridal
Makeup and Hair: Me!
Location: Studio Namu

Bridal: Cheriza

Cheriza is one of my first pole friends when I first started out doing pole. She gives us tips and tricks in nailing our pole moves and we bond outside the pole studio in her house for pole-jamming, and of course, eating really yummy food. As she gets married to her longtime love, I couldn't be happier to take part in her special day, which she planned herself, and made sure everything was perfect.

As most brides, they want fresh looks usually on their big days. Cheriza had the same, but told me that she wanted neutral colors and peaches instead of rose and pink. I put an emphasis on her eyes because according to the groom, he loves her eyes.

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I used moderately thick lashes to get that right subtle smokeyness without black liner during the ceremony

 Love the details of her Veluz RTW gown! She really looks like a princess that day!

Photos: Mark de Guzman
Hair: Lei Ponce
Venue: Edsa Shangri-La Hotel.

Bridal: Vevette

Vevette was referred to me by my pole teacher Myla. She's all sunshine personified from our trial up to her wedding day - all happy and smiles.

She personally wanted neutral makeup for herself with just a tad of emphasis on the eyes, while her entourage would have smokey eyes and red lips.

It's almost going to be a year since her wedding last year but this was one of my most memorable 2012 weddings with an awesome crew, awesome people, and having such a fun-filled happy day.

Venue: Manila Peninsula
Hair: Lorybelle Barretto

E-Session: Kris + Niki

Kris is one of my pole dance teachers. I still remember the day she announced that she was engaged. It happened during I think the first of April. I kinda sensed things because the Polecats were sending hearts and kilig expressions in her Facebook wall, but no final announcement yet. It was then that I confirmed my hunch when she changed her relationship status and posted a video of how Niki proposed to her. It was absolutely a cute and romantic video that had friends and family involved.  From that day on, Kris, despite the stress of wedding preparations, classes, Polecats gigs, and organizing plus performing at the Polecats third anniversary show was a picture of happiness and love. You could tell how excited she is. Being her student and her friend, I can't help but be happy for her.

I felt really flattered that I got to do Kris and Niki's prenup photoshoot. I've done Kris's makeup countless times already as she performs in many of their gigs and also our shoots. This time, the loud colors, glitter, and  heavy lip colors are replaced by neutral palettes enhancing her natural beauty and super-happy glow.

Usually, prenup photoshoots have a certain theme or concept or done at a remote place that requires the crew to go out of town. Kris and Niki decided to have their prenup right smack at Metro Manila with a very cute concept - it would be showcasing their future life together as a married couple.

What a pretty way to wake up in the morning!

I love that they are such a very laid back couple. Everyone was so relaxed in this shoot and enjoying every minute of it.

Dinner out. At this point, I pegged an Angelina Jolie look for Kris. I was inspired by her dress.

The shoot was awesome, pretty, and fast. Kris and Niki took care of us and fed us and I probably stuffed myself with five servings of pasta that day.

Niki and Kris got their friends Gino and Marco to help with the set up. They did such an amazing job! And yep, that's me hiding my makeup-less face with glasses and a default Hello Kitty shirt. :) 

Congratulations Kris and Niki! Thank you so much for trusting me to do your makeup!

Image Credits:

Photos: Bokehbug Wedding and Lifestyle Photography

Set Design: Gino Nacianceno and Marco Ortiga

Bridal Work: Kaycee

The day finally came where Mike and Kaycee finally tied the knot. Everything was beautiful, from the flowers, the details on the dress, and of course, our bride, Kaycee

During our prenup session, I discovered that Kaycee loves makeup too, she's got awesome gear that she specifically wanted to use. On her wedding, she got gear for the day. She had her foundation ready (MAC Studiofix, the holy grail of all foundations), her eyeshadow palette (Urban Decay Naked 2), and she had two choices of pink lipsticks - MAC Viva Glam Nicki Minaj and NARS Schiap. Since I wanted a bit of freshness, we chose the Nicki Minaj lipstick for her wedding lip, as I previously reviewed it before, it brightens up the face instantly for a fresh, youthful glow without looking too overpowering. we kept the rest of her makeup neutral - browns for the eyes and just a kiss of pink on the cheeks. 

Wacks busy at work. Photo from Kaycee's Facebook account

For her hair, Wacks decided to go with a loose and romantic updo, to fight humidity since it was raining so hair does not mushroom up or fall limp and flat. 

Artistic minds really do go together well. Kaycee and Mike designed and printed their wedding invitations themselves. Mike's a graphic designer. I love the vintage artsy effect of the invites. Their monograms were also reproduced into stickers on our powerpacks, which were snack packs given to suppliers so they are constantly energized. Thanks guys!

photo from Kaycee's Facebook account

For those getting married, they can design and print your invitations too! (Plug plug!)

Santuario de San Antonio provided an excellent backdrop for their photos. It was a rainy wedding day for both of them, but thankfully, there were no rains by the time the post-ceremony photos came.

 Bubbles! Bubbles! Bubbles! (Finding Nemo mode)


MIKE + KAYCEE | SDE from Kris Matanguihan on Vimeo.

Kris Matanguihan did an excellent job with their SDE. You can see most of the happenings there.

Thank you Mike and Kaycee, and have a happy awesome life together!

Makeup Technique: Airbrush
Hair: Wacks Joaquin
Photography: Bobby de los Santos (solo photo of the bride and photo of the couple are his)
Videography: Kris Matanguihan
Flowers: Vatel Manila
Coordination: Tie-The-Knot

Rich+Kriselle

Kriselle was referred to me by my college friend Joanne, who got married two years ago. Kriselle texted me past midnight. She expected me to reply the following morning but super funny I was still awake at that time as I was reading Harry Potter. So the two of us were exchanging SMS messages, wide awake while the rest of our side of the world sleeps.

The shoot day was quite rainy and it was done on two parts. One would be done in Fort, and in the afternoon up to sunset, the team would be moving to Tagaytay. Kriselle had her trial makeup done at my house and I stayed on up until the Fort shoot.

Ian, the photographer was really game with the rainy day and worked with the weather. I guess this is what they mean when they say don't rain on my parade.

This picture was taken with rain drizzling on them. Panic mode for no makeup meltdown for me, but hey, with waterproof airbrush makeup, they stayed put!

My favorite shot of the two had to be this. Kriselle looks like a local celebrity here (guess who!!!!). Pinkish tones suited her minty dress. Her smile's amazing too. It was Kriselle's first time to wear falsies too so I chose natural human hair ones so they're super comfy (Mang Ed, your lashes are brilliant!).

Still rainy outside!

By the time they had to head out for Tagaytay, the rain stopped and the sun started to come up. Yay! So outdoor shoots were now breezy and no need to fear for rain-drenched camera gear. The sudden sunniness reflected in the couple's cheery smiles, yes?

I'll see Kriselle on her wedding day, but I'll be doing makeup for the entourage along with my friend Diana. But thanks Kriselle and Rich, for trusting me to do makeup for your prenup pictures!

Couple: Rich and Kriselle

Photographer: Ian Santillan

Makeup and Hair: Bambi de la Cruz Makeup Artistry using airbrush makeup

Bridal Work: Kae

Kae is one of my work friends and the sweetest girls I know. She's one of Yeoh's closest model friends that has been strutting catwalk after catwalk and gracing magazine and broadsheet editorials. I met her at a photoshoot and it was great that through Facebook, our precious memories are preserved.

One time, while at dinner, Yeoh told me that Kae was getting married and he asked me if I would be her makeup artist. I was really happy because Kae's really, really pretty and it's flattering to do a friend's makeup. In fact, I'm the type of girl that if given the choice, I'd rather be the wedding makeup artist than the abay and wouldn't mind if I played both parts. Why? Because I feel that I'm really part of it, it's like really an immersion.

Her wedding was really a romantic getaway. We were whisked off from hot and humid Metro Manila (her wedding was right after Holy Week, the summeriest of all summers) to cool and breezy Tagaytay. Going to Tagaytay, we all met up Christine at Sucat. Kae also got Christine to be her wedding photographer, and Christine's got two of our friends, Ryan and George to help her up with shooting the event.

I haven't seen Kae since the R2R fashion show since it was a busy busy time with Christmas looming through and all. So when we saw her, it was big hugs and kisses. It wasn't just Yeoh, Christine, and Ryan who were there. Kae got two of her close model friends as part of her entourage.

Doing makeup for Kae was a breeze. Yeoh also helped me to do her hair. It was a breezy half-up, half-down look with loose curls, since it's going to be a garden wedding. For her makeup, I inspired myself with the gunmetal gray and old rose motif, with a silvery subtle smoky eye and a neutral pink lip (my choice for her was MAC Viva Glam V, one of my favorite bridal lippies).

This is why I love Christine. Her wedding photos tell a story. She goes beyond stiff angles and templates.

The weather also cooperated that day. Knowing our country to have weather with bipolar disorder and this would be an outdoor wedding - wishes, prayers, and enchantments, if possible were called out for a beautiful clear sky.

The ceremony was overlooking Taal Lake. By the time nightfall came, the temperature dropped so the weather was super cold I had to use the upper chiffon later of my dress as a shawl. On the other hand, I'm glad everything went well and Kae became as radiant as ever.

The best part was when Kae texted me the following day thanking me for being part of her wedding. It was my pleasure, and she was definitely awesome!

See You at This Weekend's Bridal Fair!

Hey hey hey everyone, just a heads-up! For (future) brides out there who have yet to hunt down suppliers, here's good news. This weekend (May 28-29, 2011) head over to the Rockwell Tent for the Power Weddings Bridal Fair!

"Power Weddings Bridal Fair is on its 7

th year of gathering the country’s most professional and sought-after wedding suppliers under one great event. Dubbed as the “Coziest Bridal Fair Ever!”, Power Weddings Bridal Fair continues its tradition of providing the most relaxed ambience to soon-to-wed couples so that they can take their time getting to know different wedding suppliers and deciding whom to share their wedding day with. Deciding whom to get can be quite overwhelming, but with Power Weddings, we have simplified your selection process by calling o

n the most dependable wedding suppli

ers and asking them to come up with special packages or price offerings that’s made available only to Power Wedding soon-to weds.

As a special treat, Power Weddings Bridal Fair Year 7 is giving away a WEDDING PACKAGE ABSOLUTELY FOR FREE to a lucky soon-to-wed couple who gets to register online and actually visit the fair. Included in this package are the following:

• Wedding Reception Venue from the historic place of intramuros
• Wedding Photo Service from GRUPPO i4i
• Musical Entertainment from STRADAVARIUS STRING ENSEMBLE
• Bridal and Entourage Bouquets for a total of 14 members from 15-58
Flowers and Styles
• On-the-Day Wedding Coordination Service courtesy of ANGEL’S WINK
• A professional Emcee for the Wedding Reception Program

Soon-to-weds who wish to qualify for this one-of-a-kind promo must register online via www.angelswink.biz.

Upon online registration, please print a copy of the EVENT PASS

and present this pass at the Registration Counter of Power Weddings Bridal Fair Year 7.

Your printed event pass entitles you to a RAFFLE COUPON. The winner shall be announced on May 29, 2011 at 7pm.

Please take note that our Wedding Package is non-transferable, non-convertible to cash and is valid for on

e year only.

We are also giving away a HONEYMOON PACKAGE for Two (2) that includes free Accommodation for Three (3) Days and Two (2) Nights at romantic Pearl of the Pacific, Boracay.

Please call us at 0919.4270794, 0915.9316092 or email us at angelswinkprod@yahoo.com for any questions which you may have.

ADMISSION IS ABSOLUTELY FOR FREE at the POWER WEDDINGS BRIDAL FAIR YEAR 7, the country’s “Coziest Bridal Fair”. Join us on May 28 and 29, 2011 at the Rockwell Tent, Rockwell Center, Makati City.

Power Weddings would like to thank this year's presentors - - Josiahs Catering, SmartShot Studio, Engaged Digital Photography, Edward Teng, Pearl of the Pacific in Boracay, We

ddin

g Republic and Gruppo i4i."

Bambi de la Cruz Makeup Artistry (hence me!) will be joining this weekend's bridal fair under iSnap Creatives, Inc., a one-stop shop printing and creative station that also includes photobooths, photography, and videography as part of their awesome awesome services.

Joining me in iSnap's pool of makeup artists are Nix Abaca and Gina Sapno. We will be there to give trial makeup to brides-to-be and answer their queries regarding the makeup they want for their wedding day.

For event coordination and hosting, Wonderful Occasions would be there with us as well. They're an amazing and hands-on team of wedding coordinators who know how to deal and take care of suppliers and make sure your event is in pristine condition from preps to finish. They show you how it's gonna be done and during your big day, they handle the stress for you.

We'd really love it if you guys would drop by in our booth. Just look for the iSnap Creatives booth. Hope to see you there!