Let’s not be rude here. My name is Andrita Renee and I am World Bride Magazine’s latest Guest Beauty Editor. I am an editorial hairstylist by trade, but I also moonlight as a writer quite a bit. My first day on the job brought me to Bridal Market Week here in New York City. As a beauty writer, my main objective was to check out colors, shapes and textures of designers lines to interpret how they may affect your beauty look on your big day. However, I was immediately distracted… So many of the designers showing at Bridal Market Week featured headpieces and hair jewels that can easily steal the dress’s spotlight. I also caught up with New York City bridal beauty expert, Gloria Espinoza, to get her take on all of this head action. Clearly, fashion forward updos are also having a moment. So here are a few things that made me go, “OOoooOOO” and some hair inspiration to go along with it.
“A veil is always placed on the crown if that is her only hair accessory. I look at the bride’s profile to find a balance of the crown to the chin to find the placement. It should always be about balance,” says Espinoza. But sometimes a full-on veil is just too much commitment … even though you still want to do a reveal once you make it to the end of the aisle. And that is why the world has blushers. Blushers are classic and elegant, but that doesn’t mean they have to be boring. Bloom Bazaar makes a sweet scattered floral blusher perfect for a minimalist bride. This blusher is perfect for a sleeker hairstyle, such as a ponytail.
Silver dominates in bridal beauty but sometimes all that glitter is, actually, gold. Gold hair adornments look best set against non- crisp white gowns. Ellen Hunter’s gold leaf headband here can work for both up-styles as well as textured wavy hanging looks. Gloria has some additional styling advice about this one. “If a bride is looking for a pulled back look, but it’s something out of their normal hair styling, keep it slightly loose, adding a part keeps it from feeling too harsh in the over all look. Soft is always best. I say 90% of my brides are always looking for an enhanced version of themselves.” Perfect for such a subtle accessory.
For the ultra glam bride, theres no such thing as too much sparkle. A jewel encrusted headpiece is not for the faint of heart, especially this one by Erica Koesler. This piece is the perfect topper for cascading curls, waves and straight styles alike.
You know how they say ‘Something old…’? A pillbox hat is a beautiful, retro accessory to your wedding day beauty ensemble. Bijou Von Ness offers this chic gem that would perfectly accentuate a shoulder length hair length or chignon. “Very loose ethereal texture’d updos, classic Hollywood waves ranging from 20’s-50’s are making a comeback,” says Gloria.
These Bridal Week trends may or may not be for you, per se, but Gloria leaves us with this final nugget regarding what is most important in your ‘above shoulder’ wardrobe- your glam team.
“To any soon-to-be-brides, don’t be afraid to use social media as an outlet to find your bridal hair and makeup artist. I’ve had a few brides find me this way. Visuals are always great, social media helps you connect with your local artist and seeing how active they are and see other work they do. Sometimes you can feel an artist personality by their images and style. Helps to know what type a person you’re going to be working with. It’s your special day and making sure the right people are around you make a whole lot of difference in how you feel that day. Key hashtags examples: #nyhairstylist #lahairstylist #nywedding
#(yourcity)hairstylist #(your city)wedding”.
Trust her, she knows her stuff.
Links to featured pieces:
http://www.bloombazaar.com/collections/blusher-veils/products/falling-petals-blusher-veil
http://www.ellenhunternyc.com/product/lindsay-band
http://www.ericakoesler.com/shop/a-5518/
https://bijouvanness.com/shop/bridal-pillbox-with-feather-flowers/
Special Thanks to Gloria Espinoza www.GloriaEspinoza.com
