I recommend cleansing your skin twice a day to ensure proper skincare penetration and clean pores. One of the first questions to ask yourself when purchasing a cleanser is whether you like a sudsy cleanser or a creamy cleanser. - Stephanie

Ageless Total Facial Cleanser
A daily, universal body and facial cleanser that exfoliates, gently removes makeup, and tones for ultimate skin balance.


The Max Stem Cell Facial Cleanser
Description: A daily, acid free, sulfate free and paraben free gentle cleanser to balance and optimize skin’s pH. Plant derived stem cells as well as plant extracts nourish and protect skin from environmental pollutants. Sudsy Cleanser. A favorite amongst men.

Ormedic Balancing Facial Cleanser
An organic-blend gel cleanser that lifts away makeup and impurities, balances the pH of your skin, and eliminates the need for a toner. A harmonizing blend of organic chamomile, green tea and oat kernel extract delivers essential nutrients to restore the skin’s natural balance. Leaves skin soft, hydrated and clean. Paraben free. Sudsy Cleanser.

Vital C Hydrating Facial Cleanser
A pharmaceutical-grade, high potentency Vitamin C hydrating facial cleanser that gently removes makeup and impurities. Essential antioxidants and vitamins soothe dry, dehydrated and rosacea skin. Paraben free. Creamy texture.

iLuma Intense Lightening Cleanser
A daily sulfate free gel to milk cleanser designed to gently and effectively remove surface impurities while brightening skin complexion and tone. This oil-based cleanser contains plant derived stem cells as well as botanical lightening agents to help fade dark spots and discolorations. Provides optimal preparation for other Iluma lightening products. I use this daily to remove makeup.

Clear Cell Salicylic Gel Cleanser
A daily sulfate free gel to milk cleanser designed to gently and effectively remove surface impurities while brightening skin complexion and tone. This oil-based cleanser contains plant derived stem cells as well as botanical lightening agents to help fade dark spots and discolorations. Provides optimal preparation for other Iluma lightening products.

As summer gets into full swing I suggest using Image Skincare’s combination day moisturizer with broad-spectrum sunscreen high UVA/UVB sunscreen. I use these products every morning depending on my skin’s needs.

Prevention + Daily Hydrating Moisturizer SPF 30
Long-lasting, deep moisturizer for dry/dehydrated and sensitive/rosacea prone skin combined with a broad-spectrum high UVA/UVB sun protection. Sheer formula spreads easily and evenly without any residue. Enriched with a blend of anti-oxidants, vitamins and green tea as an anti-inflammatory agents. Provides ultimate protection and prevention against the aging effects of the sun. Paraben and chemical free high sun protection.

Skin Types: Sensitive, rosacea, dry/dehydrated.


Prevention + Daily Matte Moisturizer SPF 32
Daily, oil-free and broad-spectrum UVA/UVB critical wavelength high sun protection mattifying moisturizer. Incorporates microsponge technology to absorb surface oils and leaves skin with a matte, shine-free finish. Contains a next generation blend of anti-oxidants as free-radical scavengers to decrease damaging effects of the sun and environmental exposures. Paraben Free.

Skin Types: Combination, oily, acne prone.

Prevention + Daily Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30
This daily tinted moisturizer with a built in broad spectrum UVA/UVB high sun protection provides an even skin tone and healthy glow. Contains a next generation blend of anti-oxidants as free-radical scavengers to decrease damaging effects of the sun and environmental exposures. Lightweight, sheer formula absorbs quickly without any residue. Paraben Free.

Skin Types: All skin types, uneven skin color and tone

Prevention + Daily Ultimate Protection SPF 50
This ultra-sheer, lightweight moisturizer with a built in broad-spectrum high UVA/UVB sunscreen provides skin with ultimate protection and prevention. Next generation technology combines a physical sunscreen ingredient transparent zinc oxide with effective antioxidants to prevent free-radical damage and to protect against environmental exposures. Contains plant-derived stem cells to delay the aging effects of the sun on skin cells. Suited for post-procedure skin. Paraben Free

Skin Type: All skin types, highly exposed skin, sport activities, post-treatment skin.

As an esthetician one of my jobs is to recommend skincare products to clients. I want all of my clients to be confident in their skin and their skincare routine. Below I will share some of Image Skincare’s Nightly Moisturizers that I have found to be beneficial for many different skin types.


Image Skincare The Max Stem Cell Crème with vectorize-technology

Description: This revolutionary night time stem cell crème delivers unsurpassed antioxidant properties to your skin. New stem cell technology derived from herbaceous alpine plants supports natural skin defense mechanisms. Contains a maximum concentration of peptides to smooth wrinkle formation due to facial expressions and to support collagen regeneration. The MAXimum benefit is achieved through a high concentration of botanical ingredients without the use of chemical preservatives or fillers. This steme cell crème is formulated to regernate skin and support natural defense mechanisms. Paraben free.

Skin Type: Aging, dehydrated skin, lines and wrinkles due to facial expressions, compromised skin due to environmental damage.

Stephanie: This is my favorite moisturizer and I use it nightly. It makes my face feel tighter, nourished and rejuvenated. I suggest this for all my clients who want to prevent and correct issues with aging.

Vital C Hydrating Repair Crème

Description: An ultra-hydrating anti-oxidant repair crème. Vitamins A, C, E nourish and protect skin daily for ultimate anti-aging benefits. Paraben free

Skin Type: Rosacea, aging, dry/dehydrated, post-peel/post-operative, sun damaged/sun burned, sensitive.

Stephanie: My sensitive skin clients absolutely love this product. Rosacea clients truly find healing and comfort with this product.

Vital C Hydrating Intense Moisturizer

Description: An ultra hydrating intense moisturizer crème that immediately replenishes moisture for intensive skin improvement and all day smoothness and hydration. This silky formula restores youthful resilience for perfectly polished and glowing skin. Paraben free.

Skin Type: Any skin needing extra hydration, dry/dehydrated, sensitive.

Stephanie: I recommend this product nightly for anyone who needs moisture. It prevents aging, has a silky finish and leaves your skin glowing.

Ormedic Balancing Bio-peptide Crème

Description: An organically blended biopeptide crème that delivers essential anti-aging nutrients and vitamins to the skin. Organic Japanese green tea, aloe vera, chamomile and grape seed restore and balance skin.

Skin Type: All skin types, teen skin, mature skin, sensitive skin

Stephanie: My clients who have combination skin have really benefitted from this nightly moisturizer. Pregnant women, men and teens will love this moisturizer.

Wedding season is here! Every year brides arrive at the salon glowing with excitement and nervous that they will leave “not looking like themselves.”  Jenny and I want our brides to feel as though they are the best versions of themselves on their wedding day. A lot of brides feel overwhelmed once the trial arrives because they have been so inundated with everyone telling them how they should wear their hair or makeup. My fiancé, my mom, my best friend think I should do this…. But I like these photos…. I want to look like a glamorous version of myself… I’m not sure what to do. These responses to your wedding day trial are fine! Jenny and I are here to create the perfect look for you and help you feel confident on your wedding. Be ready to sit back, relax and tell us all your ideas.

We recommend arriving at the salon with clean dry hair, a clean face without makeup and a shirt that is the same color as your wedding dress. Some brides will meet with Jenny for both hair and makeup, while others will have Jenny for hair and me for makeup. Either way we try to schedule trials so that you will walk out with a complete look. Once you arrive we take the time to discuss any photos you have sent or brought with you. We talk about your concerns and decide on the goals we want to attain. This is the time to experiment and try things you may want but have never tried before. We can always change things the day of the wedding if something does not suit you during the trial.

Once we do the consultation and decide on our goal we begin working. We may stop to ask your opinion or clarify your wants. But, typically we create a complete hair or makeup, show you the look and then modify any needed changes. This is a great time for us to get to know you, learn about your style and hear about your wedding.

Once you are done we recommend taking photos so you can see how the hair and makeup show up in pictures. Makeup definitely translates differently in photographs because it takes a heavier application to show. We want you to be comfortable in the look but also like the way it photographs.  We recommend spending the day in your look and thinking about it for a few days. Once you decided if you want any changes please email us and we will be able to adjust anything. Your hair and makeup trial should be a fun and enjoyable stepping stone toward walking down the aisle.

Wedding Season has arrived and with that numerous brides are planning, strategizing and completely overhauling parts of their life for the Big Day. Brides focus on the perfect venue, menu, guest seating and dress, but what about one of the most important details… The Brides’ Skin!

The first step is to plan ahead and begin a skin care routine. A skincare regimen will optimize your glow, radiance and overall skin health. I would suggest at the minimum to start with a cleanser, day moisturizer, night treatment moisturizer and a product to exfoliate. I use Image Skincare and we sell it at Mockingbird Heights and it is a serious game changer in the skincare world. Many people understand the importance of washing and moisturizing, but many skip the exfoliating step. Exfoliating the skin will remove dead skin, blackheads, and impurities from your face and body, your skin will be left glowing and ready for flawless makeup application and wedding photos.

The second step to the perfect bridal skin is to receive regular facial peels. Many skin imperfections are the result of acne, clogged pores from dead skin cells, sun exposure and aging. These imperfections leave the skin with scarring, uneven skin tone, a dull complexion and fine lines. Receiving regular chemical peels can drastically improve the appearance of the face and neck. Peels will leave the skin smoother, healthier, fuller and tighter. Every Bride’s wish!!!!

Chemical Peels:
The initial chemical peel that I perform on all clients is the Signature Facelift Peel. This preps the skin for more intense peels and gives a starting point to learn my client’s skin sensitivity. I recommend starting with the Signature Facelift and then receiving 6 treatments of the treatment that will address your chief complaint. For example: Signature Facial followed by 6 treatments of the Wrinkle Lift spaced 2-4 weeks apart to achieve optimum results for anti-aging.  The Perfection and Beta Lift both require a 4 week space between treatments because they are more powerful. Three treatments are suggested for this series.

Signature Facelift:
Vitamin C and fruit enzymes blended in an organic aloe vera base visibly reduce redness and brighten the skin while hyaluronic acid provides superior hydration.
Skin Type Indications: Redness-prone, smoker’s skin, tired/dull, post-microdermabrasion, oily/acne.

Ormedic Lift:
Organic ingredients with medical effectiveness work to rebalance, regenerate and restore skin while comfrey stem cells boost cellular turnover.
Skin Type Indications: Unbalanced, irritated, sensitive.

Lightening Lift
Lactic acid blended with kojic acid and a cocktail of brightening agents to reduce all forms of pigmentation.
Skin Type Indications: Pigmentation, aging, dry/dehydrated, uneven skin tone, age spots, redness prone.

Wrinkle Lift
Ultra-resuracing blend of glycolic acid combined with retinol to visibly reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Skin Type Indications: Aging, wrinkles, rough complexion, uneven skin tone, smoker’s skin, tired/dull skin, oily/acne.

Acne Lift
Blend of AHA’s and BHA’s with protective agents to effectively treat all grades of acne.
Skin Type Indications: Acne, oily, acne-prone, aging

Beta Lift
This powerful non-blended salicyclic acid treatment quickly and effectively targets and improves moderate/severe acne.
Skin Type Indications: Acne, oily, aging.

Perfection Peel
This distinct blend of active exfoliants works synergistically to visibly reduce the appearance of fine lines, correct uneven skin tone, smooth rough texture and reduce acne blemishes.
Skin Type Indications: Aging, pigmentation, acne.

Eyebrows are an integral part of your wedding day because they frame your eyes and enhance the structure of your face. Please ensure that your brows are on point and discuss the shape with your Makeup Artist and Esthetician before the big day. Brows can be shaped in so many different ways to reflect your overall style and truly showcase your best features. A natural brow will have softer lines and a mild arch, while a dramatic brow will have defined lines and can have an arch that varies depending on facial shape and preference. When I wax my clients brows for the first time we converse about their brow goals, the current shape of their brows and how we are going to achieve their goals with their current brows.  If a client has been self-grooming or had a brow catastrophe it usually takes several appointments over 3-6 months time to achieve their goal. Clients who have grown their brows out for a few months can usually accomplish their goals within 1-2 appointments. I use a blue Cirepil hard wax to wax my clients and than tweeze to perfect the lines. A very important statement that I repeat to my clients vigilantly: “Brows are not twins they are cousins!” Our brows are not identical and will never truly grow exactly the same. As an Esthetician, my goal is to make your brows appear to be the same by attaining balance and harmony between them. They are definitely similar and with the correct grooming and makeup they can appear to be identical. For example, most people have a similar issue with the front of their brows; one will grow straight up and the other will grow on a slant to the side. My brows have this growth pattern and it is one of the biggest complaints that my client’s share with me. I fill my brows in with Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow because this camouflages the growth pattern and gives the brow a more sleek appearance.

Tips on filling in brows:
I use a small angled brush to underline the entire brow
On the top I line the top of the peak to the end of the brow meeting my bottom line
I continue with the same brush and fill in the front of the brow with small lines so that it mimics the look of hair

Grooming Schedule before your wedding:
Grow your brows out for a minimum of 3-6 weeks
Ideally start waxing about 6 months prior to your wedding with appointments spaced about 4-6 weeks apart
Wax  approximately 3-5 days before your makeup trial and wedding day

Tips for your Wedding Makeup

1. Please wear white or ivory that is close to your wedding dress color. This will showcase the makeup in a similar way as your wedding day.  Also, when choosing a makeup style consider the style of your dress and hair. If your hair and makeup are both boho, than a dewy natural look would compliment the overall style. If your dress is couture you may want to consider a glamorous smokey eye.

2. Please book a trial. We truly want to capture the perfect image of you. By booking a trial it ensures that we have enough time to create your wedding look that is the best version of you.

3. Please bring photos of your everyday look and photos of your desired wedding day look. We want to know if you are a glam or natural sort of lady. If you bring everyday photos it ensures we will not overdo or under do your makeup.

4. When choosing your wedding day makeup please look for photos with women of similar skin and hair coloring. The makeup will look drastically different on you than a woman with much fairer or darker skin. Another key factor to look for is eye shape. If the model has large eyes and you do not than the makeup will translate differently on your eyes. Be ready to discuss the photos with your makeup artist by explaining the pros and cons of each photo.

5. Please keep an open mind. We will be able to help guide you to the perfect look if you keep an open mind and experiment during your trial.  Also, keep in mind that you will need more makeup than normal if you want your features to pop in photos.

6. Please exfoliate your skin and lips to ensure a flawless makeup application. Having monthly facials for 4-6 months before your wedding will create smooth skin and lips as well.

7. Please have all your tweezing and waxing needs met before your trial and wedding day. Trying to tweeze or wax on your wedding day will just irritate your skin and make it red.

8. Remember to have lipstick and powder available for touch-ups on your wedding day.

Yes, yes you do. I would say this even if I wasn't a wedding planner. To become good at something you should do it over and over, right? Well, getting married isn't something you want to do more than once (ideally) so you should hire someone who has done it before. In addition to industry knowledge, there are some other reasons you should hire a wedding planner.

You want to make sure you don’t forget anything — there are so many details when planning a wedding. Checklists, timelines, budgets, contracts, it would be easy to over look something. Wedding coordinators have systems in place to make sure all details are accounted for and you have all your bases covered.

Your time is important and wedding planning isn't your whole life. Weddings take time to plan. It would blow most people away if they saw how many emails and notes there were in each couple’s file by the time the wedding comes around. Unless planning your wedding is your full time job, chances are you’ll want someone to help you with all the communication required.

A coordinator is like a producer of a large play with one chance to get it right. You deserve to have a perfect day and to enjoy it. Do you want to be checking the clock every 15 minutes to make sure your big day is running on schedule, that the DJ is going to play the song at the right moment to queue the start of walking down the aisle, or have the caterer come up to you at the head table to clarify which colors indicate salmon and which is vegetarian? I don’t think so. Coordinators react to and anticipate issues that arise during the event that you don't want to know are happening. Wedded bliss is what you should experience on the day of your wedding.

One thing to note is that some venues provide an amazing coordinator but keep in mind that this is usually to mange on site staff and not other details or vendors — so just because you have a site coordinator doesn't mean you have a wedding coordinator.

Oh Splendid Day would be happy to hear from you about your upcoming wedding and create a package that will allow you to enjoy one of the happiest days of your life.
Please feel free to reach out to us.

707.338.0164                                              www.ohsplendidday.com                                 ohsplendidday@gmail.com

Perfecting your wedding day look and style shouldn’t begin the day of your wedding. This is one of the biggest days of beauty women experience, so the preparation needs to start well in advance to ensure a smooth complexion, flawless makeup and perfectly arched brows. As an esthetician, I advise starting your in-salon treatments at least six months before your wedding day.

Facials and Facial Peels will definitely improve the overall youthful glow and health of your skin, while leaving a smooth surface for makeup application. Many women do not exfoliate on a regular basis because they were not taught the benefits. Exfoliating the skin sloughs off all the dead skin cells leaving healthy skin behind, which can help other skin care products permeate the skin. A facial will give you a deep exfoliation while targeting any chief complaints you may have regarding your skin. We can work on a spectrum of problems but most chief complaints include: acne, rosacea, wrinkles, acne scarring, dark spots and hydration issues. Allowing about six months before your wedding to treat any chief complaints can really improve the overall look and health of your skin.

I begin each makeup consultation with questions pertaining to the skin. I want to know if you have oily skin, dry flaky skin or tend to battle breakouts. Answering these questions will help me evaluate which makeup to use, but it will also allow me to personalize a skincare regiment that will fit your lifestyle. I can create a facial peel plan while advising you on products for your use at home. I use Image Skincare as my peels, facials and home regimen. These products effectively permeate the dermal layer and stimulate change within the cells. “Image Skincare is an evidence-based clinical skin care company providing professional skincare products and effective skincare solutions. The most innovative brand in the industry, Image Skincare consistently produces the latest anti-aging, hydrating and illuminating technologies to further its mission of helping the world ‘Age Later.’” My goal is to create the vision you desire on your wedding day for your skin, your makeup and even your waxing.

Waxing is another service I offer at the salon. I do a variety of waxes including all facial waxing, bikini to Brazilian, legs and underarms. I have one client that jokes that I wax her from her brows to her toes. Waxing your brows is definitely crucial to your wedding day prep. Many women forget to wax or shape their brows before their wedding day. I have had numerous brides in a panic asking if I have tweezers to fix their brows. Yes, I try to assist in these instances and create a beautiful arch despite the hair, but this is not ideal. Firstly, tweezing the brows the morning of your wedding will leave your skin blotchy and red. Secondly, there is not enough time to perfect a well groomed arched in the allotted timeframe. I advise all brides to start having your brows waxed six months prior to your wedding. This will allow you to attain the shape and arch you desire and also ensure that your skin is not sensitive to waxing.

Last week we discussed wedding trends for hair and it was clear that the bohemian vibe was  what this year is all about.  Since hair and makeup go hand in hand it's not surprising that there is a similar feel when it comes to this year's wedding make up trends.

Here are some make up trends for 2017:

LASHES

DEWY SKIN

PINK EYESHADOW

THE NATURAL LOOK

Be sure to follow along with our Wednesday Wedding features to see our brides of the 2017 season bring these trends to life.