Testimonial Time

I had the pleasure of travelling out to Wetaskiwin this past Saturday to make up this lovely bride, Melissa, for her big day! She has written an incredibly kind and sweet testimonial on my Facebook page and I wanted to toot my own horn and share it here! Thank you Melissa!

“A photographer can take beautiful pictures but a bride needs a entourage to get ready for those perfect moments. I had the great pleasure of having Gillian there for me on my big day. I have nothing but great things to say about her work! Not being the youngest bride around she took all my flaws (that I feel I have) into consideration while working on my makeup. Not one bag under my eyes all day haha!
While Being professional she also was very kind to all the ladies I had with me that day. She showed up in a timely manner ready to get started knowing how a timeline needs to be met.
Corresponding over email she was very prompt in answering any questions I had.
She went over and above any expectations I had for her service and I thank you so much for making me feel more beautiful than I ever have!”

Photo by Aislynne’s Images Photography

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Smoke & Mirrors

I am not necessarily one that refuses to leave the house without makeup on. I often run errands bare faced, and when I am running a bit late for work I will only do the necessities…bronzer, eyebrows and mascara. However, …

Some girls are born with glitter in their veins

Alright…I think the title of this post may be a quote from Paris Hilton, and for that I sincerely apologize. However, I thought it was fitting as this post is all about this glitter eye makeup I whipped up! Whenever I do makeup …

five top five – Makeup by Gillian ML

Helllloooo,

I am a very happy girl because YegWed has posted an interview with me! It was so fun to be able to share my ideas about weddings, my favourite beauty products, and rave about some of my go-to places in Edmonton! Be sure to also check out the rest of YegWed’s website for some great ideas for your own wedding!

Do it yourself!

Hellloooo again… Like pretty much everyone else in the world, I am an Instagram addict. I am currently following 340 people, and most of them are Makeup Artists. The Makeup Artist talent on Instagram is insane and inspiring, and these artists …

It ain’t easy being green!

Here I am again…I have neglected this little blog project of mine for about a year! I truly apologize to the potential clients who are checking out this blog to see my work. I will do my best to update …

In my friend, I find a second self.

Well, I have just been the worst beauty blogger ever. It has been months since I last posted! I have done some really fun makeup on some really lovely clients since then, and I am looking forward to sharing them with you!

Up until the end of September, I had been keeping very busy with my beautiful friend Ursula’s wedding. Ursula put me to WORK for her big day! I was a bridesmaid, the master of ceremonies for her reception, and I also did the makeup for her and her adorable mom, Martha. I was really honored that she entrusted me with such important duties on her wedding day. Along with Ursula’s other bridesmaids, we planned a super fun Mexican themed bachelorette party (Ursula is originally from Mexico and was unable to get married there, so we wanted to bring her home to her) and had a blast on her big day! I did the makeup for Ursula’s engagement photos, her bachelorette party, and her wedding day.

It was a different experience working on Ursula because she is severely allergic to makeup. She can tolerate some makeup on her eyes for a little while, but it cannot be applied anywhere else on her face or she will have an allergic reaction. I am totally devoted to a foundation, concealer and highlight and contour routine, so this was definitely a change for me. I wanted to make Ursula look glamorous and play up her features, but I had to make sure I didn’t send her to the hospital! For her wedding day, we decided to go with a soft gold eye with subtle definition and a flick of some old Hollywood liquid liner. I would have killed to put some MAC Ruby Woo on those lips, but alas I had to honor the allergy.

l I have posted some of the pictures below, I hope you enjoy them!

Makeup by Gillian ML
Hair by Kate Slemko
Photo by Giane Fernandes

Some cute snapshots of Ursula and her new husband, Cesar, from her engagement photo session with Giane!

Ursula and her mom, Martha, on her wedding day

A couple of images from the wedding at the Devonian Botanical Gardens, a lovely venue!

Ursula with her bridesmaids (that`s me on the far right!)

For anyone wondering, the title of this post is from a quote by Isabel Norton.

A thing of beauty is a joy forever.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to work with Sarah Seinen of Starseed Photography (my favourite!) on a creative shoot she had scheduled with a beautiful local model, Christine Robinson. Christine has such stunning exotic features, and her eyes just pop. I hope I did them justice! Take a look at the photos below, they took my breath away!

I love when a photographer gets a photo of me in action. I have shown up in a lot of wedding photos, and some of them have not been very flattering and I’ve been less than thrilled by them. Somehow Sarah knows exactly what angles are flattering and she is pretty much a magician/genius of photography. I love these ones!

For anyone wondering, the title of this post is from a quote by John Keats, and I think it is so beautiful:
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever: its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness.”

Makeup Kit Must Haves!

As a Makeup Artist, I have a TON of different products and brands in my makeup kit. I consider myself an equal opportunity artist; if a drugstore brand product can prove itself then I will certainly use it on myself or a client. Same goes for high end department store products; if they don’t live up to the hype, they get the heave ho!

I have never worked in cosmetic retail before, so I really don’t consider myself faithful to just one brand. However, MAC is genius and offers a PRO discount (40% off HOLLA!), which means I get a lot of my product from there. All of my eye shadows are MAC as they are really pigmented and they have such a large variety of shades and finishes.

I wanted to share some of my favourite products with you, ones that I use both on my clients and myself. Next time you go makeup shopping take this list with you, and you will come home with some new favourites of your own! By the way…I just image searched google for these product pictures; I did not take them myself. A big thank you to whoever took these pictures and made them public!

Favourite foundation:

I really like MAC’s Studio Fix Fluid Foundation. It comes in a wide variety of shades, and I can always mix them to match a client’s skin tone perfectly. It is also buildable, which means you can have medium coverage or a heavier coverage. In the summer I like to cut it with either a face moisturizer or a fluid illuminator to have a lighter coverage. A little pro tip: You can use the foundation that builds up at the top of the bottle and in the lid as a concealer!

Favourite Illuminator:

I have a few liquid illuminators in my kit, as I love mixing them with foundation. They make your skin look really fresh, glowy and radiant. An illuminator is a must have for a bride! My favourite so far is the Josie Maran Argan Illuminizer, it gives your skin a “lit from within” look. For a lighter but still radiant look, you can use this alone on cheeks or collarbones!
I also think an illuminating powder is a must have. I brush this on top of cheekbones and along the bridge of the nose to make them pop. It is the final touch of a highlight and contour routine. My current favourite is Hard Candy’s Bronzer in Tiki. This is a drugstore product that proved itself! You can buy it at Wal-Mart and it is super affordable.

Favourite Concealer:

I use the Kryolan Dermacolor 16-shade concealer palette on all my clients. I have the light skin tone palette as well as the dark skin tone palette, and let me tell you, they are a godsend! They conceal absolutely everything – dark circles, blemishes, tattoos, age spots, scars, etc. I use them to conceal and highlight, and you can mix them to make the perfect shade for every skin tone. They are really thick and pigmented and will last you forever, so I like to cut them with a little bit of eye cream or my liquid illuminator! If you are looking for something a little easier that doesn’t require mixing, I really like Benefit’s Erase Paste, I use it on myself every day. It’s really thick and pigmented as well, but super blendable and works great as a highlight.

Favourite Blush:

I looooove blush! There are so many gorgeous colors and textures out there it is so hard to pick just one. I decided to choose the ones I have been using the most on both myself and my clients. I used to be faithful to NARS Orgasm (who isn’t?!), but lately I am all about MAC’s Sheertone Shimmer Blush in Plum Foolery. It is a gorgeous plum shade with a gold shimmer. It looks good on everyone! I also love using MAC’s Harmony Blush for contouring. I probably wouldn’t use it as a blush on the cheeks as it could look muddy, but it is my absolutely favourite for contouring. Swipe it under your cheekbones to provide some sexy definition to your face!

Favourite Bronzer:

I only like to use pressed powder bronzers, not loose powder. Loose powders are messy and get on everything! My current favourite bronzers are the NYX Matte Bronzers (drugstore fave!). I really like my bronzers to be matte so that you look natural but sun kissed! A little pro tip: Apply bronzer to the areas of the face that the sun would naturally hit to keep it looking natural!

Favourite Primer:

I cannot say enough about Urban Decay’s Primer Potion. It is literally as it claims, a magic potion. If there is one product you must buy, this is it. It will make your shadow last all day long and stay crease free. It comes in 4 different finishes, but original is my favourite. If you have oily eyelids, the matte version is a good choice too.

Favourite Shadows:

Like I said earlier, I swear by MAC shadows. While I have at least 60 different shades, there are a few that I use constantly and am always replenishing.

• Nylon: I use Nylon as a highlight on the inner corner of the eye and on the brow bone. It is bright white gold with a frost finish. It really brightens and opens up the eye.

• Satin Taupe: A beautiful, super soft, almost indescribable color. It’s a mix of brown, silver, taupe, and grey. A great choice for makeup beginners as it’s super blendable.

• Expensive Pink: I don’t usually wear pink eye shadows, but I am obsessed with this one. It is a coral pink with gold shimmer, and looks so beautiful with gold and brown shadows and really makes eyes pop. Another great choice for beginners as it is really blendable.

Favourite Lipgloss:

I may get shunned from the Makeup Artist community for saying this, but I am not a big fan of lipstick. I much prefer filling in the lips with a liner and then coating with a pretty gloss, and most of my clients prefer that too! My favourite glosses are Plushglass from MAC. They are really soft and shiny and don’t have glitter in them which I love. I hate that feeling of glitter on the lips! My favourite Plushglass colors are Fulfilled and Ample Pink!

Finally, here is my face dolled up in some of my faves! If you have any questions or recommendations for me I would love to hear them!

Wedding time!

On July 6, 2013 I had the pleasure of doing the makeup for Danielle and her beautiful bridal party. Danielle and her bridesmaids met in High School and are still the best of friends! They were a lot of fun to work with and there were lots of laughs that morning. These girls are all naturally beautiful and would look great even without makeup, so it made for a pretty easy day at the “office”!

Have a look at some of the photos from Danielle and her new husbands beautiful wedding. These photos are by Sarah Seinen of Starseed Photography, who always does the most amazing work!