Do good while you look good!

Youngblood’s Pink Hope Lipgloss in stock and on sale for the month of October
Just $20 a tube!
A portion of each sale is donated to non-profit National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Swing in and get yours today!

We are halfway through our 2011 wedding season bookings and I am waiting (not so) patiently for the photos from brides filter in. When I leave the bride on her wedding day it is long before the big event starts, often even before she gets into her dress. The bridal party donned with gorgeous hair and makeup in their jammies, the bride scurrying around to finish up details in her complete bridal look (sometimes even the veil!) in her rhinestone studded bathrobe. So it is easy to imagine how anxious I get to see how it all came together once the gowns went on, the violins began playing, and the groom waited for his bride at the end of the aisle.

So wait, wait, patiently wait I will…. In the meantime, here are a few super sweet reviews from brides this season.

The text is so tiny! Give your eyes a break – read them on weddingwire

This bride was so spunky and fun! Her bridal style was classy and elegant and together we created a look that incorporated both her taste and her personality. The outcome was amazing!

Her chic hairstyle was created by my partner and sister, Lauren Kelsay. Lauren works wonders with hair and really got to show off her skills by creating an updo for Katherine, even though her hair wasn’t updo length! With a lot of talent and a few tricks Lauren and Katherine’s creation turned out stunning.

Katherine and I created a look for her wedding day makeup that was smoky and sultry but maintained a classic and relatively timeless feel. Her eyes stood out in colors of taupe and grey, her cheeks were a perfect bridal pink and her lips balanced the look with a soft gloss. The result, paired beautifully with her gown and jewelry, was a super hot but still ultra elegant bride.

The break taking images were taken and provided by Diana Miller.
Diana did a wonderful job capturing the essence of Katherine and Juan as a couple, their fun loving spirits, and infections smiles.

Congratulations Katherine & Juan!

Congratulations Katherine & Juan!

April 29 2011  ::  Jacuzzi Family Vineyards, Sonoma Ca
Wedding Coordination by Michelle Klaff, Sacramento Ca
Flowers by Julie Stephens Floral Design, Sonoma Ca
Cake by Fleur de Lisa, Santa Rosa Ca

I love working with local love birds! I see so many brides come and go from other parts of the country (and world!) that it is so fun to work with a bride from our own little area. Megan and Martin were stunning together on their big day and it was joy to be invited to be part of it.

Megan and I created a look together for her wedding day that was smoky and sexy while still staying very clean and bridal. Focusing on her beautiful eyes I used shades of muted purple (her fave!) and grey to give them that pop. Cheeks and lips were more subdued with a soft pink, glowy feel.

The beautiful photos of this couple’s big day were taken by local photographer Chris Gonzales.  I met Chris briefly on the wedding day and was impressed with his ability to capture the special moments while maintaining a very discreet presence in the background.  His work of Megan and Martin is beautiful, enjoy!

Congratulations Megan & Martin!

May 21 2011  ::  Sonoma County, Ca

Bridal party hair and makeup by the ever so talented Betsey Oliver, Serendipity Salon

Truth be told, Pinterest and I are having a love affair. I’ve been completely sucked into this one of a kind site for for both personal pleasure and as a professional tool. I’ve spent more than a few long nights in front of the screen, unable to tear myself away, just one more pin! My favorite is compiling boards to help brides hone in on their personal style when it comes to hair and makeup for their wedding day.

One of the most difficult parts of creating a wedding day look with a bride is finding a starting place. One of the things that sets me apart from others in my field is the attention I pay to each individual client. Each bride is unique to me with her own likes, dislikes, dreams, and vision for herself as a bride. It is superbly important to discover and bring out exactly what she is wishing to convey with her look on this very special day.

In order to get the creative process started we need to find our starting place. Even with the web as accessible as it is with laptops, iPads, smartphones with huge screens and the like, quality photos of real brides with unique hair and makeup looks are actually quite challenging to come by. Until now.

Below are a few of my favorite styles from my hair and makeup inspiration boards thus far…visit the site for more and more and more inspiration. Just beware, you may not be able to tear yourself away.

I am thrilled to announce my new location – Copa Vida MedSpa in Santa Rosa!

Operated by a highly trained staff under maxillofacial surgeon Dr Tony Chu, Copa Vida immediately felt like a fit for myself and my clients. The atmosphere is that of a luxury spa, with the level of clinical professionalism only a medical setting can offer.

My menu of services will remain the same as will my commitment to helping you look and feel your best. But now you can come to one location for all of your esthetic needs!
Copa Vida offers a wide range of services including
Botox® • Restylane® • Radiesse™
Latisse®
Laser Hair Removal
Medical Microdermabrasion and Chemical Peels
IPL Laser Photo Treatment Rejuvenation  (for acne, scarring, and sun damage!)

The location change starts for your appointments June 20th and after.
I’ll be contacting clients to confirm already booked appointments and at which location they will take place.

I am so excited to welcome you into this new space.
I just love the way it feels and I know you will too!

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to work with this amazingly beautiful couple who’s wedding I took part in last September. We did a PR shoot for the newest wedding venue in Santa Rosa, DeTurk Round Barn. The building has a charming history (it’s over 100 years old!) and has been beautifully restored with all the modern day perks engaged couples are looking for.

Kellie and Johnny played this ‘second wedding’ perfectly. They looked just as dapper as they did on their real wedding day and they still have that newly wed sparkle, so in love with each other!

It was an amazing compilation of talent, here is a run down of my fellow contributors –

Hair  ::  Lauren Kelsay, Hairspray Beauty Lounge
Flowers & Design  ::  Sarah Clark, Bloom Floral & Event Design
Rentals & Design  ::  Sarah Warner, Big 4 Party Rentals
Photography  ::  Sara Wilbur, Left to Serendipity Weddings (photos soon to come!)

This is a sneak peek at the professional shots from the day

And a few of my own from my handy phone!

Being a mom myself I know the highs and the lows of motherhood first hand. It is stressful and trying then in the next moment oh so wonderful.

One of my highest highs is each year when I get to celebrate being a mom. When my husband and my children treat me like a Queen for the day and I get to relish in all that has passed and all there is to come in this life long journey of motherhood.

Show the mother in your life just how much you love and appreciate her by extending that highest high. Mother’s Day keeps on going when you treat her to a little time to herself on a would-be ordinary day.

A gift certificate created for the Queen is just the thing

2011 Mother’s Day Special  – $60
60 minute Yonka Le Grand Classique Facial
   deep pore cleansing, restoring and relaxing facial  (regular rate $80)

2011 Mother’s Day Facial & Massage Package – $120
60 minute Yonka Le Grand Classique Facial
   deep pore cleansing, restoring and relaxing facial  (regular rate $80)
           &
60 minute Massage with Claudia Yebra 
   deeply relaxing and rejuvenating  (regular rate $80)

This is really exciting! Anti aging products and treatments are the basis of the skin care business and yet those of us in our 20’s and 30’s are often ignored.
The big guns are great, but too big for our needs.
Prevention is key but we want something to address the fine lines we are starting to see now!
Our in-between-ages hormones haven’t quite given up breakouts but are drying us out too.

For those of you who share this unique need with me – help has arrived!

Coupled with a treatment room service, Yonka’s Vital Defense Crème helps our skin to remain youthful, oxygenated, and glowing.

Vital Defense Facial  – 60 minute service $90
Vital Defense Crème – 1.7oz home care $65

Treat yourself  &  your skin  *  Schedule today

Pollution, cigarette smoke, exposure to UV rays, climate variation, and more: your face encounters harsh environmental factors every day. These damaging factors generate a large quantity of free radicals*, overwhelming the body’s self-defense system: this is oxidative stress, which is responsible for premature aging of the skin and causes a dull, muddy complexion. Specially designed to fight this stress, Vital Defense Crème helps the skin to remain youthful; the skin is oxygenated, stress-free, glowing.

*Free radicals play a major role in tissue balance. When present in excessive numbers, they attack cell membranes, altering the communication between cells. At the cutaneous level, they trigger premature aging.

This is what I call my ‘no makeup’ makeup look. I rock it on a cozy weekend day. For those who think they don’t have time for makeup in the morning and leave with none (gasp!) this is for you. Appear feminine and polished without adding much time to your busy morning.

My two tricks – perfect skin & bright eyes

Step 1: Perfect skin
Start with a high quality mineral powder. I love Youngblood Natural Mineral Foundation – loose or pressed, which ever tickles your fancy. Both will leave you perfectly even and glowing in just one step. Brush it on with a big, fluffy brush. Blend well.

Step 2: Bright eyes
Start with a light, satiny shadow at the base of your lid. Blend evenly from lash line to just under crease, no higher. MAC’s gleam, retrospeck, ricepaper and naked lunch are a few of my faves.

Add a nude shadow to your upper lid, crease to brow bone. Blend well.

Curl your lashes  (psst, don’t skip this step)

Apply mascara and allow to dry. Comb through lashes with a dry mascara brush and curl a second time. Apply another coat of mascara.

Steps 3&4 : Finish up with cheeks and lip
A quick brush of color on your cheek bone will do wonders. Youngblood Pressed Mineral Blush in petal or blossom are my go to colors.

Fresh pink or sheer peach lip gloss are both great matches for this look. If you are a less-is-more kind of makeup girl you have my permission to go with a balm.

For help making this look work for you contact me for a complimentary makeup consultation.
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