KiKi L'Italien - DC Freelance Makeup Artist

Makeup

Yes

Yes

Yes, trials are $50.

Yes, when it is within 30 miles of Alexandria, VA. Otherwise, there is an additional fee.

I work out a schedule for the bridal party depending on when they have pictures scheduled. If there are more than 4 additional people, I may bring along an assistant.

I advise people to book at least four months in advance because weekends fill up really fast with photo shoots.

Cancellation of services must be made within three weeks of the wedding date. If services are canceled after that, 50% of the services agreed upon, will be paid by the bride.

I have a list of hairstylists that I can recommend, but I do not do bridal hair. If you would like to ask about hairstylists, please let me know.


False eyelashes supply an automatic dramatic change to your usual look and can glam up any occasion. They can also be a bit tedious to apply and so I was inspired to write a few words about them.

False eyelashes come in a variety of styles and you can buy them as strips or as individual lashes. The thing you need to remember is that all false eyelashes require a steady hand, practice, and patience.

The brand that you will find at most drugstores is Ardell and there are dozens of styles to choose from. If you want to play it safe and buy strip lashes that don’t scream "FALSE EYELASHES" when you’re wearing them, get the #53 set and some clear eyelash adhesive. The #53 set will still likely need to be trimmed a bit, but they are realistic and will blend in to your natural lashes really well.

Another brand that you might be interested in is Makeup Forever. Their lashes are reknowned for being beautiful. They also have a fantastic variety and if you want outlandish feather or hot pink saloon girl lashes, you should try them. I also use their sets of individual lashes for my personal use and have found them to be quite nice.(Note: Halloween provides the perfect excuse to try out a crazy pair and to test yourself at application.)

Depending on the shape of your eyelid and how close your lashline is to your eye, you may decide to go for strip eyelashes rather than the individual lashes. Here are some pros and cons to both:

Individual lashes - PROS
1. More natural looking
2. Once the eyelash adhesive dries, they will stay for the day.
3. If one does happen to get pulled off, the others will still be there and the eye makeup will not be ruined.

Individual lashes - CONS
1. Difficult to apply
2. Less dramatic than the "diva" look some strive for
3. These can be a poor choice for people who have natural lashlines set super close to their eyes.

Strip lashes - PROS
1. Good for those with very light or sparse lashes
2. High drama
3. Good for people with lashlines very close to their eyes. You can apply strip lashes just above the natural lashline and have them blend in using eyeliner for a sexy look without irritating their eyes.

Strip lashes - CONS
1. Most strip lashes need to be trimmed with scissors before applied so that they will stay put and not curl up at the ends.
2. If one side starts to pull away from the eye or lacks enough adhesive, the entire eyelash strip may have to be reapplied and eye makeup will need to be touched up or even redone.

**Words of wisdom regarding false eyelashes: The adhesive used to apply lashes is meant to hold those suckers on all day, so it is very strong. The fumes may seem too strong to you when you are applying lashes. Keep some Q-tips nearby to wipe away any moisture from your eyes produced as a result of the fumes.**

Before applying lashes, I like to start out by lining the upper eye, so that the false lashes blend in easier. To further aid this, you should use clear eyelash adhesive (rather than black) so that you have more flexibility if you have to make a change. (Note: Some eyelash adhesives come out white and dry to be clear.)

Use the plastic tray that your lashes come in and pour a tiny amount of adhesive on it. Then, take your lashes and run the base (just the base) through the adhesive. Blow on the lash base lightly so that the glue gets a bit tacky before applying it to the upper eye right along the lashline. For individual lashes, use a pair of tweezers, dip the base into the adhesive, blow on the glue, and place within your lashline filling in any sparse areas (usually aiming for the outside of the eye - applying 4-5 individual lashes for each eye).

Finally, after you’ve let the lashes set for about five minutes, run over them with some mascara so that your lashes blend in with the false lashes. Once you’ve done this step, it should be difficult to differentiate which lashes are yours and which are false.

I hope that you feel inspired to try your hand at false eyelashes! There are a million varieties out there and they are a great way to glam up your makeup for any special event.

Cheers!

KiKi