You already have your stunning dress, the perfect shoes and maybe your grandmothers vintage pearls. You wake up feeling excited  to marry your best friend and pull the curtains back to reveal your worst nightmare: rain.

We’ve all heard the saying, “April Showers Bring May Flowers,” signifying the spring cycle of renewal, the return of animals and of course, blooming flowers. Who wouldn’t embrace this transitional time? Anyone getting married, that’s who! After months of planning, the last thing a bride wants to think about is their special day getting rained out—even if old wise tales say rain on your wedding day is good luck. Don’t panic! Here are our tips on what to do if it rains on your wedding day:

{Hire a Plan B}

Hiring a wedding planner or day-of-coordinator not only is beneficial in helping a bride relax knowing she’s in good hands, but can be crucial if your day gets rained on. Wedding planners are trained to expect the unexpected and always have a Plan B up their sleeve! They will already have checked the forecast, contacted tent services if your wedding is outside, and can supply you with any essential tools to help keep you dry and calm.

{Invest in Non-Traditional Wedding Accessories}

If you can’t have a coordinator save your day, prepare yourself with the essential tools like umbrellas and rain boots. Not as glamorous as a whimsical head piece or killer Louboutins, but think of them as an additional themed accessories! If you’re planning on getting married outside, make sure you contact a tent service well in advance so you won’t have waste your relaxing morning on the phone contacting companies. It’s always best to be over-prepared.

{Utilize Your Resources}

One of the first things brides think about when they see a few drops of rain is their dress and their hair and makeup. Have no fear! A professional hair and makeup artist is always equipped with the best water resistant makeup and will advise you on how to wear your hair so it doesn’t get ruined.

{Singing in the Rain}

Don’t let the weather rain on your parade! You’ve already developed a relationship with your photographer so now you need to have faith in their expertise. It won’t be the first time they’ve shot in the rain, so prepare yourself with a list of additional rain shots and props. We’ve collected some adorable rainy day photos for you to choose from:


As Always,
Xo Muse Artistry

Photo Credits:

We’ve been waiting with bated breath to talk about Lauren’s bridal shower, and now that the surprise-theme day has passed, we’re allowed to spill! In homage to Lauren’s love of top designers and Audrey Hepburn, we came up with the concept of, “Breakfast at Laurens” complete with Tiffany & Co. blue everything! Guests sipped champagne while enjoying the array of silver platter breakfast options of mini-French toast, mini-fruit parfaits, and quiche. The game winners took home custom made, “Mini-Mani in a Jar” and everyone left with an organic body scrub jar tied up Tiffany style!

*This event was only possible because of the amazing Bridal team!

As Always, Happy to share =)
Xo,
Muse Artistry

Check out our YouTube video DIY details explained

Why should I book a Professional Hair and Makeup Artist for my wedding?

With the explosion of Pinterest, the desire to have a perfect wedding accompanied by “repin” worthy photos has brides-to-be around the world constantly on the hunt for a hair and makeup artist to accomplish this feat. In our home base of Las Vegas, there are hundreds (over 200 on WeddingWire.com alone!) of choices for wedding hair and makeup. But the loaded question remains: Are you hiring a professional makeup artist or a YouTube 101 expert? Here are our quick, yet important tips on why you should book a professional hair and makeup artist for your wedding and how to navigate finding the real from the faux.

Beware of false advertising

With the easy access to advertise services on social media and wedding websites, these days anyone with the access to YouTube can claim to be a hair and makeup artist. But heed our warning eager brides-to-be, and do your research while following our mantra: YouTube tutorials a hair and makeup artist does not make! We shudder to think of all the luscious locks being destroyed by untrained “professionals” like in the now cleverly hidden YouTube video, "My hair just burnt off."

First and foremost, a professional hair and makeup artist is defined as a licensed cosmetologist. For example, all of our artists at Muse Artistry are licensed cosmetologists, meaning we paid to spend 1800 hours in school learning and being tested on all necessary skills in hair, makeup, skin, nails, and most important, safety and sanitation! Sure workshops and certifications may teach how to perfectly couture a nose and hide blemishes, but they don’t teach how to properly tackle a brides stressed out sebaceous glands! Any licensed cosmetologist has this education and knows the tricks to ensure a glowing pre and post wedding face instead of leaving you with a bacteria-ridden honeymoon mess! Be sure to inquire about education before you book for your big day.

You Can’t Always Get What You Want...?

Just like friends, professional hair and makeup artists come in all shapes and package sizes and hiring one not only will pave your way to Pinterest glory, but help you look picture perfect from every angle. But how can you achieve such glory if you’re still waiting to get your photos back from your photographer?! This is an understandable gripe majority of brides have and every qualified artist knows the equation is simple: zero fly-aways + a perfectly contoured face = the less photo shopping your photographer needs to do. Looks like Philosopher Jagger was wrong, you really can always get what you want! And in record time.

Don’t believe the hype

If you see a mono-brand makeup kit, beware! A professional makeup kit is more versatile than Madonna over the past couple decades. Unless you specifically are looking to book a MAC makeup artist, professional makeup artists are trained to know more than just the difference between NW and NC, and their kits will reflect it. Don’t hesitate to ask what brands your makeup artist uses because like a fabulous piece of couture, one size does not fit all!

In conclusion, we’d like to leave you with a little bit of Muse Artistry wisdom: A wise woman once said that every morning when you wake up, you say a little prayer. Wedding days are filled with butterflies and excitement, but the praying should be left to Sunday church goers, or those who didn’t book a professional hair and makeup artist.

As always, happy to share

Xoxo, Muse Artistry

Now that the decorations are down and the parties are over, if you’re anything like us, you’re still scrambling to find a new year’s resolution that you can actually keep up with throughout the whole year. Most people wake up January first with the motto “new year, new me!” and have an excited and renewed passion to find and resolve to stick to something that will benefit them in the long run. To have a fresh start. Let’s face it, most people don’t last past February with their resolutions! (We would know… the gym… oh yeah! The gym…) In our quest for an actual lasting resolution, we couldn't’t help but notice the price our skin pays during the holiday season. Think about it: long days and nights with little sleep, lots of booze, traveling, unhealthy eating… All these things can wreak havoc on your skin! Instead of making a resolution, this year we decided to devise a skin challenge and below are five easy ways to get your skin back on track to becoming and staying flawless throughout 2013!

1. DRINK MORE WATER

It may be a new year, but there is nothing new about this tip and we’re the first to admit that there are times when we find ourselves not drinking enough water. Water acts as a natural moisturizer to the skin, preventing it from drying out, helping to maintain its elasticity and giving it a general healthy, glowing appearance. You’ll find your makeup will go on smoother, your eyes will look brighter, and your skin will stay clearer. Our easy pro tip: If you have a hard time fitting your 8 glasses quota in, try this great trick we found on Pinterest! It will help you stay on track with your water intake all day.

2. NEVER SLEEP WITH YOUR MAKEUP ON

After a long day strutting around in your fabulous makeup, does this sound familiar to you: “I’m too tired to wash my face tonight... One night sleeping in my makeup won’t kill me, will it?” Well, no, it won’t kill you, but it will clog your pores, irritate your skin and dum dum dum, cause unnecessary breakouts! Not cute and so preventable! Our easy pro tip: Invest in an emergency stash of makeup remover toweletts. They’re gentle, easy to use and full of moisturizing benefits. At a cost of $5-10 a pack, there’s no excuse to ever sleep with your makeup on again.

3. CLEAN YOUR MAKE UP BRUSHES

As professional makeup artists, we understand the importance of habitually cleaning our makeup brushes, but do you the average person doesn’t follow this important rule. Cleaning your brushes prevents bacteria from accumulating and transferring to your face and makeup products. Our easy pro tip: Skip the pricey sprays and solutions and use a gentle shampoo. Run your brushes under warm water and work the shampoo in in a circular motion. You’ll be amazed when you see the rainbow of colors disappear down your drain. Bye bye bacteria, hello constant clean skin.

4. EXFOLIATE

The older we get, the longer it takes for dead skin cells to be eliminated from your face and body. Not only will exfoliating  give your skin a glowing, polished look, but your makeup will go on smoother, look more even and increase the penetration of anti-aging products. Our easy pro tip: Combine 1 teaspoon of raw sugar with a ½ teaspoon of honey and scrub away! And don’t forget to pucker up! No one should strut around rocking an amazing red lip filled with cracks and peeling particles.

5. MOISTURIZE WITH SPF

One of the easiest ways to ruin your skin is to skip the SPF. Even if you think you live where the sun doesn't shine, a moisturizer with SPF will protect you from wrinkles and age spots. Our easy pro tip: We love Neutrogena's Intensified Day Moisture SPF 15! At $12 a pop you will not only protect your skin from the suns harmful rays, but this hidden gem will provide a great base for mineral makeup application.

At Muse Artistry, we understand the importance of healthy skin and we hope you take this skin challenge with us and resolve to keep your skin flawless in 2013!

As always, happy to share!
Xo, Muse Artistry

*One more tip: Change your pillow cases regularly! Sweat and oils seep out of your pores while you sleep and guess where they wind up...

Whitney Green. If you live in Las Vegas, you know the name because she attends the best parties, models in top events and is a serious contender in 2013’s Miss Nevada USA pageant. Or maybe you’ve seen her on Bravo’s hit show, Millionaire Matchmaker, or caught her appearing on stage with Jake Owens and crew at this year’s American Country Awards. Ok, wer're bragging like a mother because we love her! Regardless of where you’ve seen her or how you know her, one thing always remains consistent: her remarkable style.

With a bridal stylist background and a fashion stylist present, we’re thrilled to have what E! Star, Laura Croft, say’s is “one of the most fashionable women in Las Vegas” as Muse Artistry’s in-house, Style Guru.  Whitney will be helping celebrity brides design their ultimate styled event while delivering you the latest fashion trends from Las Vegas’ elite wedding boutiques to runway couture showrooms and everything in between.

Trust us, if her show-stopping appearance today is any indication of the fashion gifts she has to bestow on us all, it's going to be the merriest year!

As Always,
Xo, Muse Artistry

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Pantone has revealed that a lively, radiant, lush emerald green is the Color of the Year for 2013! You may be wondering, who exactly is Pantone, and what does this mean? Pantone is best known as the color guru company who forecasts an annual color trend in fashion, beauty and home. What this means is, be prepared to be emerald green with envy next year as they predict you will be seeing an abundance of it!

At Muse Artistry, we like to challenge ourselves by keeping on top of all the latest trends in the beauty and wedding industry, and we’re positively thrilled that emerald green is going to be the Color of the Year for 2013! In honor of this sophisticated color, we found some great ways for you to incorporate emerald green into your 2013 wedding and lifestyle!

1. Bridesmaids Dresses



In June 2012, our Muse Bride Stephanie nailed Pantone's Color of the Year for 2012, Tangerine:

We can't wait for more brides to take Pantones color advice and deck their bridesmaids out in emerald green. As if emerald green isn't shocking enough, we love the idea of adding a burst of color like these lovely ladies did through their bouquets:

2. The Wedding Gown



Now here's a way to incorporate Pantone and look like an emerald green goddess!



This stunning gown is defiantly for a daring bride! But for the less adventurous bride, we recommend a green sash for your gown:



3. Your special Bridal Details





If you're not getting married, there are still plenty of ways to stay on top of the emerald trend in 2013! Accents in your house, personal style...










As Always, Happy to share!
Xo, Muse Artistry

The main challenge was the Muse wedding division had clearly out grown the salon division but I still needed to maintain both. After glass two I decided to dangerously mix drinking with Pinterest, and the answer to my problem appeared right before my eyes as I created a board and typed: The Muse Artistry Studio. I quickly filled it up with all kinds of office glam treasures, and mixed in the essential salon staples. Before I knew it, the bottle was gone and I was googling: Las Vegas office and retail space. Drink like a lady! (™)

The past month I’ve been a lady on a muse mission searching for the perfect space for the first Studio so I can create a one stop shop for bridal, pictoral and everyday hair and makeup, and the opening is only a few short weeks away! This journey has taken me all around Las Vegas and in and out of every craft store as I search high and low to fill the studio with style. Expect total glam, royal lattice prints, elegant mirrored furniture, plush salon chairs, cozy consultation corners… Stay tuned as I post pictures and DIY tutorials. As always, happy to share!

xo , Jennifer