Category: BLOG

It’s About More Than the Makeup and Hair

At roughly ninety percent of the weddings we do, the question is always asked “why do you guys do makeup?”  More often than not, the question comes after a mother of the bride finds out what Meghan and I do for our full time jobs.  You can just see the thought process.  It’s like that cartoon bubble appears above their head…your parents, all the schooling, doctorate degrees, and you do this.  I really can’t tell you how we answer every time. It probably depends on how far into wedding season we are and how long we’ve been doing makeup that day when the question is asked.  I think it generally goes something like “we love doing makeup and being creative” or “we love being part of women’s special day” or “we love making women feel beautiful.”  All of these things are true.  However, yesterday I gained a better understanding of exactly why we do this.

Rewind almost a year.   I was laying on the beach in Outer Banks enjoying the perks of doing a destination wedding, when I got a Facebook notification that I had been tagged.  A woman who I knew from CrossFit had tagged me in a post regarding a young lady needing wedding makeup that fall.   A quick glance at the young woman’s picture and I realized she was not only beautiful, but that she also did CrossFit.  I love a good CrossFit Bride (they do call us a cult), so I immediately reached out to her.   Turns out we had recently done a charity CrossFit competition together and that her mother was one of the amazing group of women from Annapolis, who I not-so-secretly idolized, that were preparing to bike across the United States.  I so wanted to do this wedding with these awesome women!  I had another wedding that day on the Eastern Shore in St. Michaels.  But the stars aligned so that I could make it Kent Island in time to do her and her mother’s makeup.

So I set up a trial for my CrossFit bride.  We tried a couple different looks at the trial, and thought we found a winner.  I suggested that she take some pictures at her bridal shower that day and see how she felt about her makeup in photographs and after wearing it for a while.  I’d love to say it was love at first sight, but it wasn’t.   She wasn’t in love with the look.  What I have found from being in this business for a bit of time is that every bride has her “thing.”  What I mean by that is that us women are generally picky about at least one makeup item.  For me it’s eye base…and maybe eyeliner too.  For Meghan it’s concealer.  For many women it is a certain application of eye liner.  When applying makeup, if you don’t get that one item just right, we will not be comfortable in the makeup.  Well in this case, it was mascara and it just wasn’t perfect.  My CrossFit bride also wasn’t so sure about how she wanted to wear her liner.

I would never allow our bride to feel unsure going into her wedding day.  So we set up a second trial.  This time we were able to try a bunch of different looks, get the mascara perfect, and figure out what she was going to love.  This is also when I learned the amazing love story that was the backdrop of her wedding.   At 18 years old, she decided to bike 4300 miles across the United States to raise funds for young adults with cancer.  A young man who was battling brain cancer at 23 was the ride director.  He had temporarily lost his ability to drive as a result of his surgery and taken to riding his bike to cope.  They began training together, riding their bikes 60 to 120 miles together a day and grew closer.  On a training ride to Ocean City, they shared their first kiss and the rest is history.  They road their bikes across the US together and fell deeper in love.  It did not take long for them to get engaged and now they were excited to get married and start the next chapter of their lives together.

As a makeup artist, I am get choked up when I hear stories like this.  In fact, I am again choked up writing this blog about it.  I am beyond honored that I get to be play a small part of such an amazing love story.  This story is obviously incredible and unique.  But, every bride we work with has a love story.  Every bride has first kiss, a moment when she knew he was the one, the feeling of him asking her to spend the rest of her life with him.  I love that I get to help each and every bride feel beautiful the day that they memorialize their love story and make their dreams come true.

If you’d like to read more details about this love story go to http://www.bayweekly.com/articles/people/article/love-story

Spray Tanning Tips for Brides to Be from The Tan Cabana, Annapolis’s Premier Luxury Airbrush Tanning Salon

BY: The Tan Cabana Staff

The Tan Cabana is Annapolis’s premier spray tan salon in the area, and is so excited to have been invited by the Dorsey sisters and Dorsey Beauty Onsite Artistry to talk today about spray tanning tips for brides!

As an award-winning professional airbrush tanning salon (check out our flagship location in Jacksonville Beach, Florida!), The Tan Cabana has a lot of knowledge and experience when it comes to helping our brides look and feel bronzed and beautiful before their big day.

A lot of brides worry beforehand about receiving a spray tan, how the process works, whether the color might look too dark, not dark enough, or just plain orange, whether it will rub off on their dress…so many questions, and The Tan Cabana in Annapolis is here to answer them:

  1. Always schedule a trial spray tan before your big day to perfect that color! (And relieve any of your anxieties about the overall look.)

The Tan Cabana utilizes a professional spray tanning solution by Infinity Sun that is all-natural and is adjusted to your skin tone and desired look. Our spray tan specialists discuss your needs beforehand, and hand-spray the solution with our top-of-the-line equipment so that no spots are missed! A trial spray tan beforehand is essential for deciding whether you’d like to go darker, lighter, or love the bronze color as-is! We always recommend scheduling the tan before the bachelorette party, bridal shower or other event to enjoy it that much more.

The best part? The Tan Cabana offers our Glowing Bride package for $110, which includes TWO custom spray tans as well as our exclusive Shimmer Hydration treatment for the big day, so that your skin shimmers and glows as you walk down the aisle.

  1. When should you schedule your final spray tan before the wedding?

For best results, schedule your final Tan Cabana spray tan two days before the wedding (so you look golden for your rehearsal dinner!). We recommend coming in the evening beforehand and waiting overnight before rinsing off the next day. Wait at least 12 hours before showering to allow the solution to develop, though you don’t have to shower immediately at that time. Lots of our brides enjoy the cosmetic bronzer that the spray tan first provides, and hold off on showering for that extra pop of shimmery color!

**Remember, brides, that manicures, pedicures, facials and other skin/beauty treatments should be scheduled before your final pre-wedding spray tan to ensure the color doesn’t turn blotchy and develops correctly!**

  1. How should you prepare for your custom spray tan?

The Tan Cabana recommends that before both of your custom airbrush tans, you exfoliate with a non-oil-based exfoliator for several days beforehand. Avoid products by Dove, Bath & Body Works and Victoria’s Secret, as they all leave a film on your skin that can prevent the solution from developing evenly as well as causing the spray tan to fade more quickly.

Shave the day before your appointment and avoid any oil-based lotions/moisturizers. On the day of your appointment, do not apply any lotion, baby oil, deodorants, makeup or other products to your face or body before or right after the spray tan. As mentioned above, The Tan Cabana recommends that a spray tan with us is scheduled in the evening (and we are more than willing to accommodate your busy wedding appointment needs!), that you sleep in dark, comfy clothes, and rinse off at least 12 hours later.

For more in-depth airbrush tan tips, check out The Tan Cabana’s “Tanning Tips” page here.

  1. How can you ensure your Tan Cabana spray tan lasts through the honeymoon?

With proper moisturizing, your Tan Cabana airbrush tan can last between 7-10 days! The Tan Cabana offers several moisturizing products that are extremely effective in prolonging your spray tan—be sure to ask about our Glow on the Go and Hydrate Extend in the salon.

Other tips for brides wanting to prolong their airbrush tan:

-Avoid pools/hot tubs (especially chlorine-filled ones!), saunas, and excessive physical activities that result in perspiration. In the shower, use gentle soaps applied by hand, and dab your skin with a towel to dry off (no vigorous rubbing!).

Whether it’s your wedding day, prom, beach vacation or just a little pick-me-up, The Tan Cabana in Annapolis is always here to answer any of your airbrush tanning questions and get you scheduled! We are open 7 days a week by appointment only, and you can book online 24/7 here

or call/text Sara Lawrence: 410.456.6831. We can’t wait to see you!

 

Many thanks again to Melissia and Meghan for hosting us on Dorsey Beauty’s blog today!

 

Our Second Most Favorite Time of the Year

Everyone knows that a makeup artist’s most favorite time of the year is wedding season.  We spend every weekend in the company of women who are living one of the happiest and most memorable days of their life.  But what is our second most favorite time of the year? The holidays, of course.  But it’s not why you think.  It’s not because we give gifts and have an excuse to wear glitter nail polish that we would not otherwise be caught dead in.  No, its our favorite because its engagement season!!  And this season did not disappoint.

We have shed many a happy tears as we watched engagement after engagement unfold.  We have already had tons of calls from excited brides-to-be who want to create a special look for engagement photos and weddings.   So ladies, don’t neglect those engagement sessions.  It’s  a great time to get a feel for your makeup artist and hair stylist , do a trial for your wedding, or just have an excuse to have someone else make you look beautiful.  And it gives us to an excuse to dust off our makeup brushes a little bit earlier in the season.

 

 

So…It’s official.

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So we are finally making it official.   After doing professional makeup for over a collective 15 years, we have decided to put together a website and social media pages to showcase our wedding and special occasion makeup.  The Dorsey sisters have gotten our technological acts together!!!  Website – check. Insta – check.  Facebook – we’re coming for you next.

We hope that this website gives our current and past clients another place to reminisce about their wedding day and other special occasions.  We also hope that people will share this with their friends and family who might need our services in the future.  Most of all, we hope that this helps us continue to do what we love – make women look and feel beautiful on the most important days of their lives.  All the while having a great time doing it.  Stay tuned! Much more to come.