Wedding Makeup and Grooming by Shu Uemura [Happy Details]

Now that we have finally posted about our happy day, it's time to talk about the details. If you've been following this blog since we got engaged, you probably noticed that though we had a ton of stories to tell, we didn't really post about the specifics. That's because we chose to keep it all to ourselves so our wedding could still have the element of surprise. Well, we can talk about everything now, yay! p.s. Please read our note about suppliers.

Even until now, one of the questions we are asked the most about our wedding is who did my makeup, and what kind of makeup was used. That was one of the few details we didn't have any trouble sharing on this blog, but of course a lot of people didn't know that we posted about it, or didn't have access, or simply just didn't get to visit the blog until after the wedding. Makeup and grooming was also one of the last things we booked, and because it was crunch time then, we didn't get to post a proper "Checked!" blog entry.

We went with Cindy Pineda Dela Cruz of Shu Uemura Rockwell with Avril Seguin for the bride's hair and makeup, as well as the groom's grooming. We discovered them through our friends Anabel and Carl, who first got their services for their own wedding. [Note: Aleq and I chose a lot of suppliers whose work we had already seen for ourselves. We didn't want to take risks for our wedding, so we went with tried and tested people.] We decided on a separate team just for us, and another one for our families for efficiency. I contacted Cindy through Facebook, and she was really easy to talk to. We reached an agreement quickly, and after a reservation fee, we were good to go.

My trial session with them served as my makeup for our prenup shoot, which went really well. They did my look at the Shu Uemura store in Rockwell, and it was fun and a half. See the behind-the-scenes post from the prenup shoot for a blow-by-blow of the day.

Here's a rundown of the makeup Cindy used on me for the wedding. (The photos of the makeup and tools are from the day of the prenup.) Everything is Shu Uemura. 

• puRENovate Intense Pore Perfection Solution
• Face Architect Liquid Foundation in 754
• Loose Powder in 7yr light
• Hard Formula Eyebrow Pencil in Walnut Brown
• Limited Edition Chocolat Donna Eyeshadow Palette
• Drawing Pencil in Matte Brown
• Calligraph:Ink Liquid Eyeliner
• Mascara in Black
• Tokyo Lash Bar False Eyelashes
• Glow On Blush in Soft Pink 336
• Rouge Unlimited Lipstick in pk376

We used a MAC orange lipstick for the reception, and it was the only non-Shu product of the day. I actually bought an orange Chanel lipstick before the wedding, but we went with Mac instead. I wanted something loud and bright!

Cindy and Avril did my makeup at the hotel during preparation time. They came with their awesome pro cases, and were on time, fast, efficient, and just overall lovely people.

Here's a peek into the process on the day itself. I went from looking like a geisha of sorts to being a bride. 

I decided to have my hair down for both the ceremony and the reception because I don't really like having my hair up. A lot of people told me it's customary for the bride's hair to be up, it's the classic look, etc, but that was one of those times when I just had to say, "It's my wedding, period." We went with tight curls for the prenup, but we loosened them up for the wedding ceremony, then loosened them up even more for the reception. 

As for makeup, we decided on neutral and polished. Pink and natural shades all the way. I let Cindy choose the the pink lipstick for the ceremony because I wanted a sweet look, but it still had to be strong because that's me. I told her I wanted orange for the reception though, because it's one of our theme colors, and it's my favorite lipstick color. Plus, it's fun.

Avril went up to Aleq's room for his grooming. It was so simple -- Avril just lightly styled his hair and dusted his face with some Shu powder -- but it came out terrific. Aleq says he felt like he looked like a million bucks, and he did! Grooming is really a must for grooms, if only to help look a little more polished for one of life's most important days. 

We had a retouch session in our bridal suite at the reception before the festivities started. Here's a behind-the-scenes photo of it, taken by our venue, The Pergola. 

At the end of the night, my lipstick was still as orange as Aleq's tie, and Aleq's hair was still as nice as it was when the day started. We still looked super fresh!

Cindy was really meticulous and is truly a trained pro, while Avril has a deft styling hand and knows his craft well. Needless to say, we were very happy with everything!