recipe for F U N

Not only do we share the same Irish grandparents; our lovely Mommas are sisters ~ we happen to have many other commonalities...

• We both prefer to work-it behind the camera (no, really)
• We both have backgrounds rooted in fine art
• We both like to play dress-up and giggle
• We both enjoy making people feel extra special


Recipe for F U N:

In the location of your choice, combine ker+mer
add a dash of humor
smidge of glamour
throw in lots of talent
get naked (always an option)

Blends well.


Meredith Mascola
Photographer

Kerry Crawford
Makeup Artist

Portrait of a Lady

A few weeks ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to do makeup for my gorgeous friend. Once again, the talented Meredith Mascola (meredithmascola.com) worked her magic behind the camera. We had a successful day creating an array of different makeup styles and images ~ ranging from fun personal portraits, to sexy boudoir images, to the classic head shot. She was transformed from a peaches and cream "girl next door" to a smokey eyed "smoldering sex kitten" in no time! At the end of our day, even her adorable doggies hammed-it-up for the camera! Here's just a glimpse of some beauties from that day...

All images © Meredith Mascola Photography (click on image to enlarge)

e·lope (ĭ-lōp') : To run away with a lover, especially with the intention of getting married.

On May 9th, my boyfriend and I eloped in NYC! To all you brides-to-be out there, I highly recommend it ~ it was so much fun!

So, I just want to share some images from our day and gush a little about who made it pretty d a r n memorable.

Photographer: Meredith Mascola Photography
http://www.meredithmascola.com
Meredith captured fantastic images of our fun day, while providing some big belly laughs along the way! Our choices are endless. We feel so fortunate. I could go on and on, but I think I'll let her work speak for itself. (a-mazing!)

Stylist: Brynn Carhart Coleman
brynncarhart@gmail.com
Brynn has a brilliant eye for fashion and is a very resourceful lady. I gave her an idea of what I was looking for and she helped me pull it all together. That dress, those shoes, the pretty head piece...could not have been more perrrfect for me! She also gave a ton of great suggestions for the groom-to-be.

Officiant: Sharon Guasconi
sg1216@gmail.com
Sharon is a non-denominational ordained minister. She created a personal, intimate and moving ceremony for us, then gave us an album of the entire transcript to keep ~ sooo sweet!

Hotel: The Bowery Hotel, NYC
http://www.theboweryhotel.com/
What a cool hotel! The staff was incredibly kind. The decor and atmosphere was the perfect backdrop. Our corner room was gorgeous ~ that bathroom, to-die-for. P.S. We also loved our meal at Gemma!

Thank you all for making our day something we will never forget! It was just like a dream.

All images © Meredith Mascola Photography.

WOW!

Yesterdays bridal makeup trial presented me with a little challenge. My client had gotten an airbrush spray tan 2 weeks prior and she was left with some remnants of the faux tan on her neck. Since she desired that sun-kissed look for her wedding day, I decided to match the darkest part of her neck to her face. Below is the dramatic before/after image. Take notice of her brows and dark under eye circles. All makeup ~ no retouching!












Click on image to enlarge.

Just for FUN!

This is Eva, my boyfriends daughter. She'll be turning 13 this June. I noticed she started experimenting with eye makeup last summer. She's a multi~talented creative girl, who excels in singing, acting and drawing. Recently we spent the day playing with makeup. It was a great way to connect and do something just for fun! Since she is so young, I wanted to make sure I didn't go overboard and stayed within an "age appropriate" boundary, while still taking into consideration her personality and her interests. We decided to go with an edgy look(notice the blueish-green streaks of color in her hair). I did not apply any foundation. I only applied some blush and a bit of a shimmery highlight on her cheekbones, nose, chin, corners of eyes, and forehead. For her eyes, the shadow I chose was a subtle sparkly gold, applied from lid to brow. I added a tiny bit of under eye concealer. Then, I lined the inner lid w/ black liner. I continued to line the upper lid, extending it thicker towards the outer corners of the eye, finishing it with a winged-out pointed end. Her lips ~ just a bit of nude gloss. Finished with a bit of mascara. I have a funny feeling this is just the beginning of our makeup play days together. :)

KILLER dimple Eva!

"Make Me Pretty"

This sweet-as-can-be-bride-to-be came for her bridal trial makeup consultation. She rarely wears much makeup and said, "just make me pretty". That wasn't difficult at all. Since I'm an Esthetician, I noticed she had some skin dryness/flakeyness and suggested that she come see me at the spa where I do facials. It won't take much to polish and hydrate her skin. This will only enhance how the makeup appears on her skin; flawlessly, undetectably, radiant. If you too are interested in getting your skin in shape for a special occasion, please visit this site, then call and book an appointment with me ! http://terraskycenter.com/

Once I was done with the makeup, she took a peak. Her reaction was the ultimate compliment. She started to well-up with tears and said, "I need to give you a hug....I have never looked this pretty...I feel like a movie star...I'm so glad I found you" I thought....this is exactly why I chose this path. I LOVE making people feel good.












Click on image to enlarge.

This is the email I received the following day: "Hi Kerry, I just wanted to thank you again for Friday. I felt so good going out on Friday night. Billy freaked when he saw me…he said that I looked like a model and he wondered if I looked too sexy for our wedding. That’s when I knew it was perfect :) My other friend who saw me that night loved it too and I think that she will be contacting you regarding her wedding (sept) now too."

"I wanna look like a ROCK STAR"

This lovely lady below wanted to look like a rock star. I decided that her AMAZING green eyes needed to be rocked-OUT! Her porcelain skin was pretty flawless, so not too much needed to be done with foundation. It was important to disguise her dark circles and then add a more dramatic full brow with brush and powder. Look how much bigger and WIDER her eyes appear. For her lip, I thought I'd stay close to her natural color ~ which happened to be so uniquely pretty. She is SMOLDERING!

Photo by : www.meredithmascola.com

Before/After

I had a couple requests from my bridal client during her trial session today. 1. She wanted her freckles to show through the makeup. 2. She wanted to make her close-set eyes appear further apart. So, the first thing I did was to apply a sheer, more transparent foundation, allowing her to celebrate her freckles in all the right places ~ rather than cover them up completely. Next, in order to give the illusion of her eyes being further apart, I concentrated on blending the shadow out towards her temples. Then the addition of lashes placed only on her eyelash ends really draws the eyes out even further. Since she is in the process of growing-out her eyebrows, I filled them in and shaped them with shadow. Another very important step was disguising her dark circles under her eyes. Once that was done, it really brightened her up. She looks fresh and luminous. We were both very happy with the final look! Check her out...

Bridal Trial Makeup Session

The look this lovely bride-to-be was interested in for her session was, as she put it ~ "cat-like eyes". After looking through some photos she decided she wanted a somewhat smokey eye in gold/bronze colors. With eyes like hers ~ this was a dream! I lined the entire inner eye with black/brown liner. The upper lash line was also lined with black/brown and then softened. I continued the bronze shadow from above, under the eye. Then lashes were added for more drama and to draw the eye upward and outward. I was light-handed with the foundation/powder, since her skin is pretty darn flawless. Then I freshened her up with a smidge of under eye concealer and blush on the apples of her cheeks. For her gorgeous full lips I stayed true to her natural color, just going slightly darker. We were delighted with the outcome. I think she looks like a Grecian Goddess!

GIRLYgirl PHOTOSHOOT

Last weekend I had the opportunity to collaborate with a very talented photographer, Meredith Mascola (www.meredithmascola.com). We had three beautiful ladies who were open to ideas and ready to play dress-up! The shoots ranged from sexy boudoir, to pin-up, to portrait style. I created the makeup for each look, as Meredith styled them and then rocked-it-out behind her camera. She is so creative, funny, and really has a knack for connecting with people and capturing gorgeous images. It was such a pleasure working with her.

Give me a shout if you're interested in having your very own shoot to create some cool images to give as a special gift ~ or even if you just want to look and feel like a celebrity...we can make that happen. (kerry@kerrydering.com)

Here are just a few images from our fun day (click image to enlarge)...