You've Got Somewhere to Be — Let's Get You Ready!
Whether you're attending a wedding, heading to a gala, going to prom, having photos taken, celebrating something special, or simply have somewhere you want to look and feel fabulous, we're excited to get you ready! Most of our special event appointments take place at the Cotton Rouge & Company studio, although on-location services may be available depending on your booking.
Whether you're seeing us for makeup, hair, or both, a little preparation beforehand gives your artist the best possible starting point.
If you're only receiving one service, simply skip the sections that don't apply to you!
THINK ABOUT THE WHOLE LOOK
You absolutely do not need to know exactly what you want before your appointment. That's what we're here for!
But it helps your artist tremendously to know a little about where you're going and what you're wearing.
If you have a photo of your outfit, bring it! Or better yet, wear it if that makes sense for your plans after the appointment.
Things like your clothing color, neckline, jewelry, overall style and even the type of event can help us understand the finished look you're envisioning. A soft daytime garden-party look and a dramatic black-tie evening look may both be "glam," but they can mean two very different things. Tell us about the occasion and let us help you put the pieces together.
BRING A FEW INSPIRATION PHOTOS
Inspiration photos are always welcome! A few photos are plenty. They don't even have to show exactly the same look.
Maybe you love the eyes in one photo but the lip color in another. Maybe you love the texture of one hairstyle but want the front to look more like another.
Tell us what you're responding to in each photo. That's often more useful to your artist than simply showing us the image.
Look for inspiration that actually relates to YOU.We know it's easy to fall in love with a gorgeous photo online without realizing how much the model's individual features are contributing to the overall look.
For makeup, pay particular attention to skin tone.
If you have very fair skin and lots of freckles, showing us a deeply bronzed inspiration photo may not create the result you're imagining. Bronzer, blush, eyeshadow and lip colors can all look completely different against different complexions.
You absolutely don't need to find someone who looks exactly like you, but try to include inspiration from people with a similar skin tone and coloring.
The goal isn't to recreate someone else's face.
It's to figure out what you love about the look and translate it beautifully onto yours.
For hair, consider color, length and volume.Hair color can dramatically change how a hairstyle appears in a photograph.
Individual twists, texture and pieces are often much easier to see in highlighted or dimensional hair than in solid, darker hair. That doesn't mean you can't have the style! It simply means the finished result may read differently.
Length and density matter, too.
If you have shoulder-length hair and your inspiration has curls cascading halfway down her back, we're probably looking at extensions or significantly more length than we're starting with.
Don't worry — you don't have to analyze the photo like a hairstylist would. That's our job!
Just keep the obvious differences in mind, and your stylist can help determine what will work beautifully with your hair.
HOW TO PREP YOUR HAIRClean beats dirty.We're going to bust this beauty myth everywhere we can:
Dirty hair is NOT better for styling.
We prefer clean over dirty, although that doesn't mean your hair needs to be freshly washed immediately before your appointment.
A good rule of thumb is to aim for somewhere around the middle of your normal wash cycle.
If you wash every day, the night before is usually great.
If you wash every other day, the morning before may work perfectly.
If you wash once a week because your hair is very dry or porous, a few days before may make more sense.
When in doubt, err on the side of clean.
We have professional powders, waxes and texture products that can give clean hair all the grip and texture we need.
We cannot make dirty hair clean — and despite the name, dry shampoo doesn't actually shampoo your hair.
Please arrive with DRY hair.Unless something different has specifically been discussed with your stylist, your hair should be completely dry when you arrive.
If you normally blow-dry your hair, blow-dry it.
If you love your natural curl pattern and want us to work with it, prep and dry your curls the way you normally do.
Light prep products are fine.Your regular lightweight prep products, such as a volumizing mousse or volume spray, are absolutely fine and can even be helpful.
Try to avoid heavy oils, creams, gels or hard-hold hairsprays that leave the hair coated, greasy, stiff or crunchy.
And please don't flat iron your hair unless you already know from experience that your hair curls well after being straightened.
For most people, flat-ironed hair becomes much more resistant to holding curl, and unfortunately there isn't much your stylist can do to reverse that once you arrive.
Bring any hair accessories.If you're planning to wear a comb, pins, headband, bow, flowers, extensions or another hair accessory, bring it with you!
HOW TO PREP YOUR SKINClean + moisturized.That's really what we want!
Arrive with clean skin and complete your normal skincare routine beforehand. Your everyday serums and moisturizer are perfectly fine.
Well-hydrated skin is happy skin for makeup application.
What we don't recommend is suddenly adding extra layers of skincare or trying new products because you have a special event.
Stick with products your skin already knows and loves.
And if you're coming directly from work or another commitment and can't reasonably arrive without makeup, don't panic. Let us know — we can remove your makeup and prep your skin before your application.
IF YOU'RE GETTING A SPRAY TAN...If you're planning to be spray tanned for your event, make sure your tan has had the appropriate amount of time to fully develop before your makeup appointment.
And if spray tans aren't normally part of your routine, please don't make the day before an important event your first experiment with one.
Your makeup artist will match and balance your makeup to the complexion you have when you arrive.
BEFORE YOU SIT IN THE CHAIR...We lovingly offer the same reminder we give our wedding parties:
Brush your teeth. Blow your nose. Check for eye boogies. 😂
Take care of anything that involves rubbing, wiping or splashing your face before we get started.
If you wear contact lenses, putting them in before your makeup application is usually easiest, too.
WHAT SHOULD YOU WEAR TO YOUR APPOINTMENT?If you're heading directly to your event afterward, wearing your event outfit can actually be helpful because your artist gets to see the entire look together.
If you'll be changing later, consider wearing something that's easy to remove without pulling it over your finished hair and makeup.
A button-down, zip-up, robe-style top or something with a wide neckline can save you from performing a very careful wardrobe escape later. 😉
And if possible, show your artist a photo of what you'll be wearing so we can keep the overall look in mind.
BRING A LIP PRODUCT FOR LATEROur makeup artists use professional, long-wearing products, but you're still going to eat, drink, talk, laugh and live your life.
Lip color is the product you're most likely to need to touch up.
Bring a favorite lip product or something you know you'll be comfortable using throughout the event. Your artist can use yours or help choose a longer-wearing product in a similar shade for your application.
We also recommend having a powder or blotting product available if you tend to get shiny throughout the day or evening.
Beyond that, bring whatever you already know you tend to need during a long day or night.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, TALK TO YOUR ARTISTYou don't need to know makeup or hair terminology.
You don't have to know whether you want a "soft smoked liner" or exactly how much texture should be in your updo.
Just talk to us.
Tell us where you're going. Show us what you're wearing. Show us a couple of things you like. Tell us what you don't like, too!
If you never wear eyeliner, tell us.
If you feel naked without a full-coverage foundation, tell us.
If having hair around your face drives you absolutely crazy, tell us.
And while you're in the chair, if something isn't feeling quite right, speak up! You are never going to offend us by asking for a little more, a little less or an adjustment.
Our job isn't to turn you into the person in your inspiration photo.
Our job is to make sure you leave feeling like a really fabulous version of yourself — ready for wherever you're headed next.
Whether you're seeing us for makeup, hair, or both, a little preparation beforehand gives your artist the best possible starting point.
If you're only receiving one service, simply skip the sections that don't apply to you!
THINK ABOUT THE WHOLE LOOK
You absolutely do not need to know exactly what you want before your appointment. That's what we're here for!
But it helps your artist tremendously to know a little about where you're going and what you're wearing.
If you have a photo of your outfit, bring it! Or better yet, wear it if that makes sense for your plans after the appointment.
Things like your clothing color, neckline, jewelry, overall style and even the type of event can help us understand the finished look you're envisioning. A soft daytime garden-party look and a dramatic black-tie evening look may both be "glam," but they can mean two very different things. Tell us about the occasion and let us help you put the pieces together.
BRING A FEW INSPIRATION PHOTOS
Inspiration photos are always welcome! A few photos are plenty. They don't even have to show exactly the same look.
Maybe you love the eyes in one photo but the lip color in another. Maybe you love the texture of one hairstyle but want the front to look more like another.
Tell us what you're responding to in each photo. That's often more useful to your artist than simply showing us the image.
Look for inspiration that actually relates to YOU.We know it's easy to fall in love with a gorgeous photo online without realizing how much the model's individual features are contributing to the overall look.
For makeup, pay particular attention to skin tone.
If you have very fair skin and lots of freckles, showing us a deeply bronzed inspiration photo may not create the result you're imagining. Bronzer, blush, eyeshadow and lip colors can all look completely different against different complexions.
You absolutely don't need to find someone who looks exactly like you, but try to include inspiration from people with a similar skin tone and coloring.
The goal isn't to recreate someone else's face.
It's to figure out what you love about the look and translate it beautifully onto yours.
For hair, consider color, length and volume.Hair color can dramatically change how a hairstyle appears in a photograph.
Individual twists, texture and pieces are often much easier to see in highlighted or dimensional hair than in solid, darker hair. That doesn't mean you can't have the style! It simply means the finished result may read differently.
Length and density matter, too.
If you have shoulder-length hair and your inspiration has curls cascading halfway down her back, we're probably looking at extensions or significantly more length than we're starting with.
Don't worry — you don't have to analyze the photo like a hairstylist would. That's our job!
Just keep the obvious differences in mind, and your stylist can help determine what will work beautifully with your hair.
HOW TO PREP YOUR HAIRClean beats dirty.We're going to bust this beauty myth everywhere we can:
Dirty hair is NOT better for styling.
We prefer clean over dirty, although that doesn't mean your hair needs to be freshly washed immediately before your appointment.
A good rule of thumb is to aim for somewhere around the middle of your normal wash cycle.
If you wash every day, the night before is usually great.
If you wash every other day, the morning before may work perfectly.
If you wash once a week because your hair is very dry or porous, a few days before may make more sense.
When in doubt, err on the side of clean.
We have professional powders, waxes and texture products that can give clean hair all the grip and texture we need.
We cannot make dirty hair clean — and despite the name, dry shampoo doesn't actually shampoo your hair.
Please arrive with DRY hair.Unless something different has specifically been discussed with your stylist, your hair should be completely dry when you arrive.
If you normally blow-dry your hair, blow-dry it.
If you love your natural curl pattern and want us to work with it, prep and dry your curls the way you normally do.
Light prep products are fine.Your regular lightweight prep products, such as a volumizing mousse or volume spray, are absolutely fine and can even be helpful.
Try to avoid heavy oils, creams, gels or hard-hold hairsprays that leave the hair coated, greasy, stiff or crunchy.
And please don't flat iron your hair unless you already know from experience that your hair curls well after being straightened.
For most people, flat-ironed hair becomes much more resistant to holding curl, and unfortunately there isn't much your stylist can do to reverse that once you arrive.
Bring any hair accessories.If you're planning to wear a comb, pins, headband, bow, flowers, extensions or another hair accessory, bring it with you!
HOW TO PREP YOUR SKINClean + moisturized.That's really what we want!
Arrive with clean skin and complete your normal skincare routine beforehand. Your everyday serums and moisturizer are perfectly fine.
Well-hydrated skin is happy skin for makeup application.
What we don't recommend is suddenly adding extra layers of skincare or trying new products because you have a special event.
Stick with products your skin already knows and loves.
And if you're coming directly from work or another commitment and can't reasonably arrive without makeup, don't panic. Let us know — we can remove your makeup and prep your skin before your application.
IF YOU'RE GETTING A SPRAY TAN...If you're planning to be spray tanned for your event, make sure your tan has had the appropriate amount of time to fully develop before your makeup appointment.
And if spray tans aren't normally part of your routine, please don't make the day before an important event your first experiment with one.
Your makeup artist will match and balance your makeup to the complexion you have when you arrive.
BEFORE YOU SIT IN THE CHAIR...We lovingly offer the same reminder we give our wedding parties:
Brush your teeth. Blow your nose. Check for eye boogies. 😂
Take care of anything that involves rubbing, wiping or splashing your face before we get started.
If you wear contact lenses, putting them in before your makeup application is usually easiest, too.
WHAT SHOULD YOU WEAR TO YOUR APPOINTMENT?If you're heading directly to your event afterward, wearing your event outfit can actually be helpful because your artist gets to see the entire look together.
If you'll be changing later, consider wearing something that's easy to remove without pulling it over your finished hair and makeup.
A button-down, zip-up, robe-style top or something with a wide neckline can save you from performing a very careful wardrobe escape later. 😉
And if possible, show your artist a photo of what you'll be wearing so we can keep the overall look in mind.
BRING A LIP PRODUCT FOR LATEROur makeup artists use professional, long-wearing products, but you're still going to eat, drink, talk, laugh and live your life.
Lip color is the product you're most likely to need to touch up.
Bring a favorite lip product or something you know you'll be comfortable using throughout the event. Your artist can use yours or help choose a longer-wearing product in a similar shade for your application.
We also recommend having a powder or blotting product available if you tend to get shiny throughout the day or evening.
Beyond that, bring whatever you already know you tend to need during a long day or night.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, TALK TO YOUR ARTISTYou don't need to know makeup or hair terminology.
You don't have to know whether you want a "soft smoked liner" or exactly how much texture should be in your updo.
Just talk to us.
Tell us where you're going. Show us what you're wearing. Show us a couple of things you like. Tell us what you don't like, too!
If you never wear eyeliner, tell us.
If you feel naked without a full-coverage foundation, tell us.
If having hair around your face drives you absolutely crazy, tell us.
And while you're in the chair, if something isn't feeling quite right, speak up! You are never going to offend us by asking for a little more, a little less or an adjustment.
Our job isn't to turn you into the person in your inspiration photo.
Our job is to make sure you leave feeling like a really fabulous version of yourself — ready for wherever you're headed next.