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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What a bride wants

Here I go again…it’s been over 4 months since my last blog post! I am really just terrible at keeping up with this. However, in my defense, it is wedding season so I have been working like a mad woman …

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 …

Is the makeup artist for my wedding ripping me off? | Nikita Pere

Hello lovelies!

This is an excellent article that a Photographer friend of mine brought to my attention. If you are thinking of hiring a Makeup Artist for your big day you should definitely check this out!

Is the makeup artist for my wedding ripping me off? | Nikita Pere.

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.

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!

Sister Sister: Alex’s Big Day!

Since I started makeup school in 2007, my big sister Alexandra has been my biggest fan. She constantly asks me for makeup advice, sits pretty while I use her face to practise, and recommends my work to everyone she knows. I have done her makeup too many times to count, and it was an unspoken agreement that my gift to her on her wedding day would be my services.

The big day was on May 25, 2013 which we sufficiently prepared for with two trials (side note – when hiring a makeup artist for your wedding day, always book a trial beforehand! Your wedding day is going to be one of the most important days of your life and you will want to ensure you have booked a makeup artist who will give you what you want and make you feel comfortable on your big day).

Trial #1 was a dark, smokey and sexy look. While she looked beautiful of course, we felt it was too much for a summery outdoor wedding.

Trial #2 was a golden, shimmery and bright look fit for a goddess! It made Alex’s blue eyes pop so we knew it was a keeper!

I was also her Maid of Honor, which I thought would be incredibly hectic and stressful combined with being the makeup artist, but it wasn’t. It was relaxing, fun, and so rewarding to see my big sister looking so beautiful and happy.

Take a look at some photos from the big day below (which were taken by Sarah Seinen of Starseed Photography, who is an incredible photographer with such great vision. I would recommend her to anyone in the Edmonton area!)