Makeup Monday

Smashbox primer water

Smashbox Primer Water

Good morning lovelies!!!! Mari here bringing this weeks makeup Monday. Today I wanted to discuss one of my new faves!!!! Here’s a makeup artist secret which is totally affordable too!!! Living in the Bay Area we know we must be ready for a sudden change in weather pretty often, hot sunny San Jose days or chilly foggy San Francisco nights! One way of keeping your makeup beautiful is with the new Smashbox primer water!!!! It’s amazing!!! Use it under makeup to prime the skin and then over your finished makeup as a setting spray. This is an awesome alternative to traditional primer which can feel to oily or have too much slip on the skin. Primer water will help seal in your beautiful makeup while refreshing and giving electrolytes to the skin. Perfect for long work days, weddings and of course your Boudoir Coterie photo session! Check out this product inside Macy’s or Nordstrom here in San Jose or the Smashbox website which I linked. Hope you enjoy it and send in any of your personal feedback on it!

www.Smashbox.com

Stay Beautiful!!! Xoxo Mari with Dolled Up Services

No Excuses! | San Jose Bay Area Boudoir Photography

Finally!

Early last year I had a few ideas for some promo videos. Unfortunately they have sat on the back burner for months and months. Finally, just over a week ago I realized that now was the time and I had the perfect person for my first shoot. I gave a past client, Miss F a call. It has been a year since she graced my studio but she had given me a full release and I figured she might be game. I pitched her my idea and what it would require from her(you’ll see), she laughed, paused and then agreed. Yay! We got together at the Boudoir Coterie San Jose Studio on Tuesday morning and with the help of my lovely assistant, Devon, shot everything we needed to make this happen. Of course the artist in me kept thinking of so many more things I could have done with this during the creation process but I am pretty dang thrilled with how it turned out!

This is the first video from my “No Excuses” campaign which will address some of the reasons I hear from women as to why they “can’t” book.

Can you guess what this video is addressing? Hahaha

So without further adieu, my video promo debut!

If you guessed nerves or embarrassment then you win! Yeah, so you don’t actually win anything but the satisfaction of being correct. Go ahead and give yourself a high five, smarty pants!
And now, click HERE and book yourself a session! I promise it will be just as fun as in the video and no, you won’t fall. That was totally staged, and she did a fantastic job at it, don’t you think!? Haha.
 

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Keep updated on all that is happening with Boudoir Coterie by joining our VIP Mailing list. You’ll also be the first to hear about upcoming events and specials, be privileged to VIP only offers, makeup and fashion tips and much more! P.S. We do not share or sell your info and you can unsubscribe at any time!

 

 

Makeup Monday | San Jose Bay Area Makeup Artist Photography

I would like to introduce myself to you since I will be bringing you Boudoir Coterie’s Makeup Monday! My name is Mari, owner of Dolled Up Services in San Jose . I have over 12 years of experience as a Hair & Makeup artist! I’m excited to get this started so please comment on what you would like to read about in regards to makeup, beauty or even skin!

I have received many questions regarding highlight and contour and let me start by saying you DON’T have to look like Kim K to achieve mastering this technique! LOL highlight is achieved by adding a lighter tone(two shades lighter than skin) to the areas you want to bring out or accentuate , such as over brows, under brow bone, over cheek bone, cupids bow and over nose bridge. Contouring is a blend of a warmer bronze tone and a neutral brown(two shades darken than skin) to sculpt and create shadows in the face which will make the areas appear slimmer or more defined, such as near hair line, sides of nose bridge and tip, under cheek bones, chin and neck line. Now the million dollar tip for you is to accentuate and sculpt the part YOU want to bring forward or the part YOU want to slim or diminish. You do not have to highlight and sculpt every area unless you want a very defined and made up outcome. Hope this helps dolls!!!!!

San Jose makeup artist Bay Area

Hair and Makeup by Mari

 

Please visit my website if you have any questions and drop me an email! www.dolledupservices.com
Stay beautiful , Mari <3

Boudoir Session | San Jose Beautiful and Sexy Portrait Studio

This is Miss K. She is sweet, funny and daring. She also ROCKED her boudoir session.

Best bay area Boudoir Photographer

I am so thrilled to be able to share the majority of her images. Although, like many others it kills me a little to not be able to share the super sexy, semi naughty but still very tasteful(hehehe) nude sheet set! So for all those freaking out a little about privacy and whether you have to share images, I take it VERY seriously!!! You do not have to share anything. Being able to show boudoir session images is fantastic for both me, so I can show off my work, the client, who get’s ooh’d and aah’d over and for potential clients who want to say everyday women looking amazing!

Miss K knew exactly what she wanted when she arrived at our San Jose studio. She was well prepared with fabulous outfits that fit her beautifully and highlighted her amazing curves!

The funny part is that it took her almost a year to finally book and it was well worth the wait! You look gorgeous Miss K and thank you so much for allowing me to share your fabulous Boudoir Coterie photo session!

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Sexy boudoir photo shoot in San Jose

I love this Dollhouse Betty outfit!

Best Bay Area boudoir Portrait Photographer

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I LOVE this baby doll and how we glammed it up with jewels. She exudes sexiness and confidence! You go girl!!!

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And of course that sweet and natural sexy “girl next door look”. 🙂

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Did I mention that this beautiful gal has already hinted to wanting to schedule another shoot? Hehehe. I don’t blame her, she looks hot as hell.

Now that’s how you work a boudoir session!

Thanks again Miss K!

Sexy Portraits San Jose Bay Area

Sexy Photos San Jose Boudoir Photographer

 

 

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Keep updated on all that is happening with Boudoir Coterie by joining our VIP Mailing list. You’ll also be the first to hear about upcoming events and specials, be privileged to VIP only offers, makeup and fashion tips and much more! P.S. We do not share or sell your info and you can unsubscribe at any time!

 

 

Fashion Friday – Update & Scandalous Loungewear | San Jose Boudoir Photography

Before I get started with the fun stuff, I wanted to give a quick update to my bra-fitting PSA post from a few weeks ago (this one).

After wearing my new bra from Nordstrom for a few weeks, I really wanted to purchase a second one, but couldn’t stomach spending another $70 right away. I had what I thought was a brilliant idea and headed to Nordstrom Rack to see if perhaps they had something similar to my bra in an unpopular color or older style or something. I mean, that’s how “outlets” work, right? (I’m being somewhat sarcastic here).

When I got to Nordstrom Rack I found a very similar looking Natori bra for $30 and figured it was probably a previous iteration of the one I bought at Nordstrom. I was in a rush, so I grabbed it without trying it on and was on my way.

Well, when I got home I was really disappointed to see that what I bought appeared to be an inferior copy of my $70 bra. The fabric is different, cups are molded into an odd shape, seams don’t look as nice as the more expensive one, etc. I was a little bummed but figured as long as it felt the same it didn’t really matter that much. Wrong. After wearing the $30 bra for a few days, I can say with certainty that the more expensive bra was absolutely worth it. The Nordstrom Rack version doesn’t fit as well, gives me a weird shape, has an intolerably scratchy tag (which I keep forgetting to cut out), and just all around isn’t as comfortable. While I’m the first one to love a good bargain, this is just further confirmation that you get what you pay for, and when it comes to bras, it’s worth the extra money!

Okay, so that ended up being longer than I anticipated, but I really want to make sure no one makes the same mistake I did. Instead of being out $140 for two good quality bras, I’m going to be out $170 for two good quality bras and one crappy one.

Now for the fun stuff!

I’m a little behind the times, but my husband and I started watching Scandal, the ABC drama staring Kerry Washington, a few weeks ago and are totally hooked. It started one night while we were browsing Netflix looking for a movie to watch. Per the usual, we couldn’t agree on one, and had a conversation that went something like this:

Me: I’d like to try watching Scandal one day.

Husband: I wouldn’t mind watching it. Let’s try an episode.

The next thing we know it’s 4 AM and we’ve watched all of Season 1 (which isn’t quite as many episodes as the others).

Scandal is currently in its fourth season on ABC, and the show has received all kinds of buzz over the years. One thing that seems to be a big obsession is the main character Olivia Pope’s wardrobe. She’s definitely one stylish lady, but what really caught my eye was her loungewear. Whenever there’s a late night knock on her door, she’s always looking exceptionally posh in various layers of neutral colored silks and cashmeres, while sipping red wine from her signature long-stem glasses (and probably munching on some popcorn too). She really puts my “cat-hair-covered yoga pants and Target tank top” lounging wardrobe to shame. Needless to say — I am envious, so I put together a style board of Olivia Pope inspired loungewear to share with you folks.

scandalous loungewear
While all of these pieces are perfect for relaxing at home and catching up on Netflix, I think they’re meant to be seen, and would also be perfect for a soft and sexy boudoir session. Now that the cooler months are here, there’s nothing sexier than a lacy bra peeking out from a soft and snuggly sweater!

Nicole

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Keep updated on all that is happening with Boudoir Coterie by joining our VIP Mailing list. You’ll also be the first to hear about upcoming events and specials, be privileged to VIP only offers, makeup and fashion tips and much more! P.S. We do not share or sell your info and you can unsubscribe at any time!

Fashion Friday – The Intimate Britney Spears | San Jose Boudoir Photography

Boudoir Coterie Portrait photographyHappy Friday, everyone!

So Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week was a few weeks ago, and I have to admit, although I blog about fashion (and watch Project Runway), *that* kind of fashion is something I know little about. Even when I lived in New York City all it really meant to me was a few extra crowds on my commute.

Anyway, I caught a snippet of news a week or so ago from Fashion Week that I thought was interesting, and filed it in the “I should blog about that” part of my brain. I nearly forgot about it, but thankfully it popped back into my mind just in time for this week’s post.

Ready (I guess you probably already know what it is from the title of this post)?

Britney Spears has launched her own lingerie line called The Intimate Britney Spears (pretty clever name, huh?). While I’ve never been a huge Britney fan, and she’s far from the first celebrity to have a lingerie line, I was very curious about her designs. I didn’t really know what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised. They’re cute, classy, fairly affordable, and appear to be pretty wearable too! Here are some of my favorites: This bra and panty are from the Angelica Story (story=collection) and I think the colors are so soft and pretty. My favorite part, however, is the back of this panty, which has Tushy Tuesday written all over it!   I also love this soft pink kimono, which is also from the Angelica Story, and is perfect for a boudoir session. It could be paired with a pretty bra and panty set underneath – or nothing! Taking a turn from soft and pretty is the Anemone Story, which is a bit more overtly sexy, but still has some soft touches. And finally, this set is from the Amaryllis Story, which is totally sexy and super timeless. You can’t go wrong with black lace and cream! The Intimate Britney Spears is available online and in a few select boutiques in North America and Europe.

In addition to boudoir-worthy styles, the line also features quite a few everyday basics too. What do you think of Britney’s new line? Let us know in the comments!

Nicole

Tulle Skirts on Fashion Friday! | San Jose Boudoir & Glamour Photographer

This is a sneak peek of a fun session to come. My girlfriend Devon(who you’ll see featured below) helped me make my first tulle skirt for the studio. It’s black and it’s really pretty! I have plans for at least two to three more(white is next, which will be amazing for bridal sessions!!!). These are pieces that will be available for use in the studio. We already have a few items and I’m excited to add some more glamour piece for clients to use. I’ve had one client wear the skirt topless with strategic arm placement. *wink, wink*

So many possibilities!

This first look is softer and brighter.

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This second look is a little more artsy.. in the hallway with an edgier processing. So MANY possibilities!

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So there you have it, a fun and fabulous skirt that is now available for use during your Beauty or Boudoir session.

Watch for more images coming soon!!

Sexy Portraits San Jose Bay Area

Sexy Photos San Jose Boudoir Photographer