I had the opportunity to work with Christina per our plannerâs recommendation (planner was the amazing Denise of Denise Lillie engagements). I completed a makeup trial with Christina (as well as a hair trial). I did not really know that I cou...ld ask for different looks during the makeup trial â I would encourage you to do this to compare / contrast a few different options. In any case, Christina took her time and created a natural glowy look for me that lasted all day.
On the wedding day, due to a miscommunication with my planner *oops*, Christina ended up at the wrong place (ie up a mountain at the venue when I was getting ready in Palo Alto). Despite this, she rushed back with a great attitude and made it to the hotel in time to work through her list of people. She quickly set up and got to work. My makeup looked flawless all day and I ended up amping it up just slightly to create a more va va voom look without going overboard. I was particular about choosing a makeup artist that had my skin color as there are nuances to working with certain complexions that I did not want to risk. The only word of advice I have is for unaware brides like myself, it would be helpful if she gave some info about the trial process (since I had no clue I definitely did not make the most of it) so folks know to ask for different looks etc. But that is also on me, so I canât knock her for it, I just think it would be a nice touch ď
Definitely select inspo images and try out a few looks for your trial. Make sure your bridal party all has inspo images so you donât burn time on changing their makeup. Also highly recommend getting lash extensions. Iâm pretty low maintenance, however, Christina recommends these (she also provides this service). Since I live in NYC, I got extensions from someone that was recommended by a friend and it was the best âtreat yo selfâ thing I did before the wedding. Not only did I wake up looking GREAT the week of the wedding and the week after during the honeymoon, I was able to wear no makeup most of the time (with the exception of our welcome event and the wedding itself). Great for my complexion and an amazing secret when youâre short on time and running around like a mad woman. While I cannot speak to Christinaâs skill here, her reviews are great and I recommend giving it a try as it looks much better than false eyelashes, feels more natural, and can look good for at least a month if youâre careful.
I supplemented Christinaâs service with Julie from A List, who did the rest of my bridal partyâs hair and makeup (looked amazing but not as warm and cute as Christina). As for hair, Christina partners with other artists to make this happen. I was extremely disappointed with my hair trial. The girl who did my hair didnât even let me see the style before undoing itâŚwhat? Nor did it look like the inspo image I showed her. Luckily it worked out in the end but had I not had a friend who did hair (and it was epic so it worked out!), it would have resulted in me having to book another trip to SF for a subsequent hair trial, which would have been terrible! I suggest you save your hair trial fee and look to a company that specializes in hair (one where you can see some previous work going into it).
In any case, Christina is lovely and wonderful to work with, super calming and friendly on the day of when you need it the most. I highly recommend selecting her for your makeup needs!