I've posted this on another site, but since I found Ellen through The Knot, I wanted to post this here too. I just cannot say enough about Ellen! I got married in August 2010 and Ellen did my makeup and my best friend's makeup, and we were bo...th thrilled.
Before the wedding date, I did a trial and Ellen was so IDEAL for someone like me: I did not want to look super "made up," or like I had a lot of makeup on. But I wanted to look good too. To complicate things, I wasn't really sure what I wanted exactly (in terms of what eye make-up I wanted, or what precise lipstick shade would be best, etc.)
The trial was great. Ellen listened to my list of must-haves, as well as my "deal breakers" (e.g., NO caked on look). She suggested a few things she thought would work best in the photos, given the time of day and the kind of minimal look I wanted, and she did the trial quickly, and I was really happy with what she did.
On the morning of my wedding, Ellen came to my apartment (which saved me about an hour of salon travel time). I had decided to change a few things from what we had decided at the trial. Everything I explained I wanted was "no problem," which was one of the best parts about Ellen's approach.
Looking back on that day, after having used a lot of vendors for the wedding, I think I owe my biggest debt of gratitude to Ellen. Her ability to deal with the bad lighting in my apt, and to just....do her work in such a tight timeframe, was amazing. She even gave me a powder before I left to go se the photographer. My makeup looked flawless, and held up all day & all night. When I look at my photos, it hardly looks like I had any makeup on at all, other than lipstick. And yet, all my uneven skin tone was perfectly covered up with Ellen's effortless magic!
It's worth noting that as a general rule, I NEVER look good in photos. And I was dreading the wedding because of that...I just don't take good pictures generally because I'm just not photogenic. But I actually looked good! Without looking like I had a ton of makeup on. All of this, in the middle of August in New York!
I didn't think it could go as well as it did and now I have such nice pictures for the rest of my life. I owe it all to Ellen. I highly highly recommend her to any bride. Thank you Ellen!!