blog Archives - Page 3 of 7 - Behind the Blush

Flower Girl Hair Ideas

As a second part to the styled shoot of Pastel Hair Magic we took two of our adorable kid models to create some fun hair looks to showcase some styles that could work amazingly for flower girls or junior bridesmaids. To see even more flower girl hair ideas, and a unicorn, check out our previous post here. To start with both of the girls hair was colored using Joico Color Intensity semi permanent direct deposit colors in purple and pink. On Jessica we curled her hair using the GHD creative curl wand and then did two dutch braids to meet in the back to almost create a half braided crown. We left the pieces out in the front to create that soft pretty look. For Juliane’s look we curled her hair also with the GHD wand and then twisted the front side section of hair onto itself and then added in the stunning tropical flowers from FaBLOOMosity. Both of these looks paired so perfectly with these The Skinny dresses that Erinn provided for the shoot! All photos by Carmen Freemark.

Whoever invented braids and braiding was seriously a hair god. We all have memories of when we first starting to braid. I remember as a young child when I finally could style my hair using braids and lived an entire year braiding pigtails with a very stylish bandanna, or zig-zag part. They were, are and always will be, cool! ….when done correctly! 😉 That’s why I wanted to write this post with some easy braiding tips, and it is the season of weddings, events and vacations- and a cute braid can amp up your look 10 fold! The options are truly endless when talking about braiding styles. You have the cornrow, the side braid, fishtail braid, 5 4 or 3 strand braid, french braid, upside-down braid, milkmaid braid, dutch braid… you get it! We have seen a rise in using braiding for up do’s for weddings. And pinterest really has expanded everyone’s ideas of just how many different types of hairstyles using braids there are. A braid really is the simplest way to amp up your everyday look. And let’s be honest- one of the easiest workout, post work-out or just greasy 3 day old hair fixes ever! Here are some easy ways to amp-up your braid with some braiding tips! Texture– Try adding some Davines “This is a Dry Texturizer” spray throughout your hair’s roots and ends before braiding. Even tension– When doing any dutch braids the key is even tension and equal hair portions in each section. This video is close up section on how to keep tension when braiding. The full tutorial is for our ” Braided Updo for Long Hair” and can be viewed on our Youtube channel. Volume– Try adding some volume to your roots before starting the braids. I recommend using something like Davines “This is a Texturizing Dust” powder and a back combing brush! If you can’t braid- please for the love of God don’t go back to the 1990’s where I remember purchasing my very own Conair quick braid tool… Instead? Practice! Or, better yet book yourself a private party with Janna and I for you and your closest girlfriends to get braided up, or even to get a lesson. Janna And I are always up for specializing a class or lesson that fits you- all you have to do is ask!

We are so excited to finally be able to share one of the three parts of our shoot day aimed to inspire some fun flower girl looks. Janine from FaBLOOMosity really outdid herself on this shoot day. I remember showing her a couple cute inspiration photos of a swing with some flowers and she transformed the idea into something out of this world. She came up with the most magical floral swing set for us to work with and even surprised us all by turning the pastel pony into a pastel unicorn! We all kept saying over and over again how cute the girls looked in the set. Erinn from The Skinny really pulled these little flower girl dresses out of nowhere! With a weeks notice for this shoot she was able to pull the most glorious flower girl tulle dresses that went so perfectly with the shoot. Carmen was the reason this whole third part of the shoot came together so perfectly. She somehow convinced her husband to create the amazing swing that Janine styled so perfectly, after clearing the spot a few times from the recent snow fall (thanks Alberta) picked up the ponies early that morning for me to come and color its hair (and then returned them after many hours of shooting), hosted us on her land, gave us snacks and wine and I don’t think stopped for a moment to breath until our light was gone! She really went above and beyond and the photos are proof of that! Janna and I really worked together as a team on this, and after I spent the afternoon coloring the little girls hair, she came right by my side and we did all the hair styling and makeup for a perfect flower girl look. This is definitely up there as one of our favorite styled shoots and we couldn’t be happier with how this turned out!!

I’d been following Tegan and Lindsay and their blog/instagram Treasure and Travels for years now and I’ve always loved their aesthetic and the different products they promoted. When they joined their Aunt to help with Pink House I knew I wanted to reach out to try and work with them and test their products out. The company was started by two sisters, Tracy and Karen, with the aim of bringing all natural products to women everywhere and when Tegan and Lindsay’s mom, Karen, passed after a battle with cancer they stepped in to help their Aunt Tracy with running the company. Their story and desire to bring natural products that are made with love and actually are amazing drew me in. As an artist and a beauty product junky I was drawn to their glow sticks and dry shampoo’s and they graciously sent out samples for us to try out on our European trip this past May and June. All the products were used and loved by all four of us ladies and I used all the glow stick shades to create a JLo glow on our bride Kim in Positano Italy as well as our engagement session client Kailey in Nice France. I loved how the glow sticks meshed with foundation and didn’t melt away after a long, humid and hot day shooting. I used the Copper shade as a bronzer/contour shade and then alternated between the Rose and Rose Gold shades for blush and lip color and then the shade Ice was the perfect highlight to layer under the powder highlight I brought to last all day. The dry shampoo comes in two shades Blondie and Hot Chocolate which worked out so perfect since half of the people were blondes and the other half were brunettes so we got to use both shades. The powder absorbed any and all grease and made our hair feel so fresh and clean even after having sweaty hair from walking up hundreds of stairs in Positano. Knowing their products have no harsh chemicals in them and lasted so well on so many skin types and skin tones I couldn’t recommend their products enough! We are going to be stocking their products very soon and in the meantime check out their online store here. ** the first two behind the scenes photos were shot by Nicole Ashley!

In the month of May the weather has started to heat up and we are also currently in Italy for an elopement we were hired for so we decided to share some of our favorite products to help beat the sun and heat! Supergoop Setting Mist SPF 50 – This setting mist is a life safer for anyone trying to reapply sunscreen throughout the day but is also wearing a full face of makeup. It has an SPF 50 rating and protects against UV rays while also keeping your face matte in the summer heat. The rosemary mint scent is also super refreshing when you are really hot. If you live in Canada you can pick it up at Anthropologie in their beauty section or if you live in the US you can get it at Sephora. – Review by Janna Davines Su Hair Milk– This hair product is what I always recommend to people going on a hot holiday! It’s a light weight leave-in treatment that protects hair color and also helps to keep your hair hydration during sun exposure. On a recent trip to Palm Springs Janna’s beautiful pastel pink locks were getting so sun bleached until she started using this product! Pastel is hard to maintain on a regular basis and when you add chlorine and sun bleaching you have nearly no hope of maintaining the perfect pastel or blonde until now! Thanks to the anti UV-A and UV-B filters your hair is protected and left feeling soft shiny and weightless. I also recommend wearing a hat to protect your hair even further and prevent any scalp/hair parting sun burns. – Review by Stef MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation – When I first tried this foundation I hated it but to be fair I tried it during the winter when my skin was much more dehydrated. Then when one of my friends who was getting married raved about this foundation I knew I had to give it another chance. I tested this foundation on my oily skin in the summer months and was blown away how it didn’t budge at all on my skin and was true to the waterproof claims. I have even jumped in a pool and my makeup stayed perfect because of this foundation. The best part about this foundation is that MAC just expanded this color range so there should be a shade for…

We recently attended an amazing event hosted by Kit and Ace featuring four different professionals in creative fields who have businesses that have them traveling a lot for work and that got us thinking of what our travel tips would be! For Behind the Blush, 2017 is the year of travel as we go across the globe to places like Montreal, Italy, Nice, Croatia, London, Banff, Jasper, Emerald Lake, Whitehorse, Vegas and Palm Springs! So we thought we would talk about some of the tips and tricks we we live by when traveling for work! When we are traveling for a clients wedding or any kind of hair and makeup booking we always have to check our bags. We have so many products that we bring along with us including liquids that make a carry on only nearly impossible. Any of our more fragile items of our kits like powders we bring in our carry on to ensure they end up at our destination without any damage. The amazing duo of Fieldwork Co. created the perfect carry on kit bag as it can convert from a messenger bag to a backpack and they customized the size to fit a small makeup kit bag. We couldn’t recommend them enough to create a bag or accessory for you! Pro Makeup Kit Packing Tips If you haven’t met your client yet have them send a photo of themselves as well as any inspiration photos of what kind of look they want. From there you can ask them what their skin type is and if they have any skin concerns and that should help you decide what to pack. If it is for a destination wedding with only one or two clients you can also ask your client to bring their own personal favorite foundation and concealer. I still bring a few foundation and concealer options that I can mix in case if I find maybe they got tanned while they’re on vacation. Primers: Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer and the Cane + Austin Prime and Protect Mattifying Primer with Broad Spectrum SPF 50. Foundations: MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation in shades NW20 and NC35 (the shade that I am and then a darker more yellow toned one to mix with it). The MAC foundation was also featured in our May favorites post here. Cover FX Custom Cover Drops in N20 and G60 to mix in with…

We can’t believe its already our fourth anniversary! We couldn’t be more proud of everything that we’ve accomplished since our start in May 2013. We are also so happy to be celebrating our fourth anniversary with the addition of Caitlyn and Diane to our team! None of our success would have been possible without the amazing support from our clients and consistent love from Edmonton professionals! To celebrate our 4th year in business as Behind the Blush we are doing an AMAZING giveaway!! One lucky person will receive $400 of hair and makeup products catered to your hair type and skin type. To enter the draw just follow these four steps: LIKE us on Facebook FOLLOW us on Instagram SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel TAG friends on the instagram post to increase your chances to win! Best of luck to you all! **winner will be drawn and contacted on May 19 at 12 pm MST. Contest open to Canadian residents only. We will then contact the winner to find out their hair and makeup needs to build a customized prize worth $400.

April has seemed to fly by so fast!! This time for our April favorites we are featuring the best/only highlight you need to own by Dior, stunning cream eyeshadows from Milk Makeup that are finally available in Canada and a red tinted Davines conditioner to turn your blonde the prettiest pink or to help maintain your red hair! Florals by FaBLOOMosity. Dior Nude Air Luminizer Powder – Dior created the perfect highlighter and it has a shade range to suit every skin tone! I personally use Nude Glow and I find it gives the perfect shimmer that looks like glowing skin without any visible shimmer or glitter. It lasts all day on my oily skin which is a feat in of itself. I find it has a better glow and lasts longer than the famed Becca Champagne Pop – sacrilegious I know!! It is on the pricey side but the powder would last you almost a year at least! -Review by Janna Davines Alchemic Conditioner Red – My love for the Davines Alchemic Red Conditioner runs deep. I love being able to amp up a beautiful blonde to a fun pink and keep my amazing red clients a perfect shade! I also used it on some of our child models from a styled shoot coming out soon! It’s simply a red pigmented conditioner that is safe for both adults and children. If you have a little girl whose blonde is so light that it turns white when in the sun- your little girl could use conditioner to have fun pink hair for a week! Blonde locks that you want to have some fun with? This is the perfect take home product! The Alchemic line has many colors to choose from including red, chocolate, copper, tobacco, silver and golden! The Davines Alchemic Red conditioner is available for purchase at our studio, and also our online store (if you live in Edmonton use the code “Edmonton” to do a free pickup of any online purchase)! -Review by Stef MILK Makeup Eye Pigment – Finally the brand MILK is available at Sephora in Canada and I can sing their praises!! I bought some of their products when I was in USA and loved them but didn’t feel right review something a fellow Canadian could not purchase. These little tubes hold the most long wearing beautiful cream eye shadows. I have the colors After Party…

These days lying out in the sun for hours on end to achieve the perfect tan can be dangerous with harmful UV rays and skin cancer scares. We are both certified airbrush spray tan artist and can help you achieve that perfect glow for your wedding, grad, special event or even fitness competition without any sun damage. We offer several shades of tan to suit any skin tone from pale to competition tan. We offer the service in Stefanie’s home salon or we can also travel to you with our portable spray tan booth. To book in visit us here for our pricing and contact info! Photos by Nicole Ashley

March means most of us are desperate for any signs of spring! This time around our favorites are spring focused with products to take your hair and makeup game into warmer months and prep you for the upcoming summer! As always let us know if you have any products you’d like us to review! Marc Jacobs Air Blush Soft Glow Duo – I have the color in Flesh & Fantasy and have found it to be the most perfect nude peach color that flatters so many skin tones. I’ve used this on myself as well as dozens of clients and it has looked amazing on so many skin tones. I love that it blends flawlessly as well as builds up the color slowly so you don’t have to be scared you are putting on too much blush. It also gives you the most beautiful glow on the cheeks that doesn’t look like glitter or frost. This blush is a must have in my books for spring as you can pair it with any eyeshadow look or lip color as it is in the nude family. If you are going to buy one blush this season be sure to check out this one! (Review by Janna) Davines This is a Sea Salt Spray – There is something so beautiful about voluminous beachy waves, and a sea salt spray can give that to you no matter the climate! “This is a sea salt spray” is perfect for all hair types and works on both wet or dry hair! You only need a small amount of product on normal hair types. Just let your hair air dry after spraying the product in and you will love that beachy texture your hair is left with! A must have for any holiday in the sun, or everyday tousled volume. (Review by Stefanie) The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% Serum – So an acid serum sounds scary but in this case it really isn’t! This serum is for dry and dehydrated skin to help lock in moisture after the dry winter months. I use this serum as the first product after I wash my face and I have found it to help reduce any dry patches as well as it helps to plump up your skin before you put makeup on. The best part about this product that it’s $6.80. You read that right. It costs less than…