Susie's wedding hair and makeup

Susie was such a fun bride to make over, very clear on ideas for her vintage inspired wedding, her request 'I'd like my hair in a styled into a bow', an unusual request, but I felt confident I was up to the challenge!

Susies makeup was also inline with her vintage theme, strong eyeliner with flicks and false lashes for that extra bit of glam to make the eyes pop.

'A quick note to say a huge thank you for yesterday.  We all felt so beautiful and confident and everyone loved you and Casey - you made the day so fun for us.  My hair was quite literally the hit of the entire day and it didn't move *at all* despite some really strong winds.  I can't thank you enough for all of the work you put into making our wedding day completely amazing.

Best wishes,

Susie'

Acceptance

For as long as I can remember, every waking morning I have taken a look in the mirror, and watched my face and my body change. I would like to say that this process has been welcomed and I have lovingly accepted the aging process. Most of the time my thoughts are filled with, "really should cover that spot! ooo those dark circles!...mmmm my hair could do with a cut, wow get my roots done! should I lighten my hair?" This never ending quest to improve and change the way I was naturally made.

My main passion about making a decision to become a makeup artist happened some 16 years ago. It was my high school formal, I was amazed at how the makeup artist transformed my face right before my eyes...all with makeup?! This to me was a miracle, right there in the makeup artists chair I felt my confidence grow with every freckle and every spot on my face she managed to conceal. I felt beautiful, and I wanted to know how to help others feel beautiful. And that is what I have spent the majority of my career doing, transforming peoples faces to enhance confidence, I have felt very blessed that I have been able to do this.

Although I have realised that with covering up the imperfections it has instilled a belief that flaws should be covered, changed, removed, cut out, botoxed out, whatever you do don’t accept. So I wondered, what would happen if I didn’t look over my face and body with judging eyes, If I stood in front of a mirror in all my nakedness, no makeup, and thought – this is me, this is the way I have been made, and I lovingly accept the way I am. Almost like looking at yourself as the observer, not so attached to what you see in the mirror, just a body like everyone else, and accepting the beauty in all its uniqueness, feeling gratitude that no one on this earth will ever look like this. Remembering the amazingness that is going on beneath the skin, your beating heart that allows you to receive oxygen and breathe, your nervous system that allows you to feel and touch, your digestive system that prcoesses the food we eat to give us energy, the billions of cells tiresely working 24/7 just to keep everything balanced and working, it truly is a miracle to be alive.

Living with grace

Well this is my intention – to move through the year with grace, focusing on one task at a time, and enjoying the process. Making time for passions.

As we start moving forward into the new year, all our goals and plans rushing around once again and that ambitious energy starts to speed up. Thoughts start to creep in, am I on the right path? Am I doing all that I can be doing? this endless thinking about the future can bring about feelings of anxiety.

I have to remind myself how lucky we are to live in a country with so much freedom, freedom to create ourselves in anyway we choose. Although it would seem with more freedom of choice, the more we feel we should be doing or could be doing, and for most it brings about a feeling of anxiety, It seems this freedom comes with a price, a price of trying to get it all done.

There is hope in remembering this, there is never a stage where its ALL done, there will always be new tasks to accomplish, more emails to respond to and hopefully a new day to wake up and choose how to best spend our time. The choice is there to live with grace, although too often we turn the other way being consumed with repetitive thoughts wishing things be very different or just wanting to be somewhere else in another dreamt up moment. This can be described as the path of struggle, its a fighting against the moment and constantly living either two steps ahead or regretting/reminiscing about the past.. By stopping and paying attention to what we are doing, living in the fullness of this moment, whatever that may be, we start to realise there actually there is nowhere to get to - we are now here.

Being free isn’t about having nothing to do, for me it is feeling free whilst doing, that means letting go of outcomes and expectation and all the judgements we come up with, focusing on one task at a time and being present with the individual steps.

By simplifying life down to moment by moment I start to notice I can choose to enjoy doing it all.

I started this blog as part of the 'free to dream' project a close friend created. It's to help raise awareness and funds for those who have ended up in circumstances where they aren't so free. Human trafficking is a problem across the world, with people still living in slavery..you can read more here http://free-to-dream.org/