This week we had the pleasure of chatting to the amazing Sandra from Eternal 2 Elegance about creating the perfect hair & makeup to tie in with your wedding dress, Parisian style and that perfect pre-wedding glow! Sandra is a wealth of knowledge and it’s been a blast doing this interview.
You and your team have such wealth of experience: fashion, film, television, working with celebs, what is your favourite thing about weddings? My favourite thing about weddings is that I’m part of a bride’s special day and I’m part of the special journey from the conception when I first meet them and get to know them, and together we create and design a look that transforms the vision they had of how they would look into reality. Something I get excited about every time I meet a new bride is when they recount their love story, and tell me how they met their partner and fell in love and you feel the emotion of how excited they are about their wedding day and I get to be part of their journey on their love story. I also love doing these weddings as I get to see the most divine wedding locations across Australia and Europe.
We gather that you have a crew on the ground in the most romantic city of all – Paris! In your opinion, are there any differences/ similarities with how the stylish Parisian brides walk down the isle compared to back home? Yes we also have a presence in Europe, and the team is based in Paris. From Paris we cater for brides across European countries such as Spain, Italy, England, Germany, Austria, and Sweden.
The different wedding seasons in Europe and Australia allows me to split my time between Europe and Australia. It’s almost impossible to resolve the great mystery of a Parisian woman and how she does her makeup. It’s all “au naturel” while in essence nothing is natural. The art of beauty in France is to take care of yourself while giving the impression of not taking care of yourself.
The main difference between the Parisian brides look and that of an Australian bride is that the Parisian women focus on creating a look where the makeup looks “chic” and “au naturel” and avoids spray tans and acrylic nails.
A unique aspect of Australia is the multiculturalism, which influences the makeup appearance and hairstyles. As a makeup artist it is a delight to create a look drawing on all these influences.
They say beauty starts from the inside – do you have any recommendations to get that perfect pre-wedding day glow? I think the most important thing is for a bride to be happy, excited and not too stressed which in turn leads to the bride radiating a pre-wedding glow. If you’re happy the inner beauty is reflected. On a more practical level a few easy tips are to:
Drink at least two litres of water a day
Eat foods that are high in omega 3 such as salmon, nuts, avocado
Try to sleep 6 to 8 hours a night, preferably be in bed before midnight
Hit the gym
Regular facials every 4 to 5 weeks; hydro facials, microdermabrasion, skin needling, skin gym etc.
Body scrubs or body wraps
Teeth whitening
If necessary injectables
Regular love making ……with the groom preferably
An optimistic view on love and relationships
Brides are faced with so much pressure to create the ‘perfect’ look for their wedding. Do you have any advice of how to tackle that daunting endeavour? My first piece of advice for the bride is to remember that your partner has fallen in love with you when you look at your worst and best, and that your partner will think you’re the most beautiful bride the moment they see you on the day.
Some hints to minimise the pressure though are to:
Have a wedding theme in mind, picturing how the colours from flowers or setting and theme all combine with makeup and hair look.
Book specialists such as photographer, makeup artist, hairstylist, florist well in advance as the best of these professions are in high demand.
And don’t forget to be yourself and don’t strive for a hair and makeup persona that you’re not comfortable with.
Have reference images as different people can interpret looks in their own way.
Last but not least, have fun planning the most important day of you and your partners life
Where would you say does the wedding day theme and the dress fit in with hair & make-up? Most girls grow up with a dream of how their wedding day will look, so I think this dream or vision should be part of their theme as each persons dream is unique.
Hair and makeup and dress should be the essence of this theme combining with the colours and look to bring this dream to life. Trust and work with your makeup artist and hair stylist to achieve this theme.
When is the perfect time to have a hair & makeup trial? If you’re confident and trust your hair and makeup artist three to four months is an optimum time to allow you to try different looks.
If you’re still trying to find the right hair and makeup artist for you I’d suggest six to eight months.
Everyone should know this: One of the most important things is to never wax your eyebrows one or two days before your wedding. On a side note eyebrow waxing in not something I’d recommend, instead pluck or thread. If you wax your eyebrows you remove the first layer of your skin preventing the foundation blending.
I would suggest if you’d like to wax your eyebrows to do so one week in advance and your makeup artist can apply touch ups on the day of the wedding.
Break one industry fad: It doesn’t have to cost thousands of dollars to achieve the perfect hair or makeup look. The greatest pleasure for me is when a bride thanks me for being part of their day, making new friendships, and the joy I get when they send me updates on their honeymoon or when they have their first baby…it’s something I value and treasure through my work.
On a side note something important to me is to remember that the wedding day is about you and your partner and that the experiences and journey after the wedding day should be just as magical.