Hi everyone! I have a little something different for you guys today. My lovely friend Sara (who happens to be a genius makeup artist!) is sharing some much-needed skin and makeup tips, just in time for your holiday parties, but especially for you brides-to-be. <3 I asked her to give us some of her wisdoms because, I don't know about you guys, but I'm kind of lost when it comes to what to do with my face other than slap some mascara on my invisible ginger eyelashes. Please check out Sara's MUA page for some of her work, and be sure to bookmark her cute blog Beehive Behave. ;) Thank you so much Sara for helping a lady out this holiday season!!

(Photos below are Sara working with the gorgeous Kaelah on her wedding day! Click here to see Kaelah + Mike's beautiful day!)

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Let's talk a little bit about makeup. I kind of love the stuff. The colors, the packaging, the silly names, the possibilities. My obsession goes way back, elementary school style. I'm Sara, a makeup artist (and wife and mama) in Nashville, where I do a variety of work ranging from weddings to fashion shoots to celebrities to film and tv. But I have to say, my brides are so special to me - I absolutely love being a part of such an important and wonderful day!

In preparing for your wedding day, consider getting any facials or facial waxing done the week or two before. This is to give a nice buffer of time in case your skin reacts to the treatments…the redness, breakouts, or peeling should have disappeared after a week. And its one less thing to think about during crunch time (the last few days). If your skin tends to be on the dry side, I do recommend getting a hydrating facial - they are heavenly. So relaxing.

When you are choosing your makeup artist for the day, go with someone that you not only admire their work (and they should provide a portfolio of work for you to reference), but you also feel comfortable and enjoy hanging out with. You will appreciate having people around you on your big day that bring only love and a positive vibe.

Usually, a makeup artist will provide his or her rates, which might include several package deals. A typical package will include the brides wedding day look and a prior run through (where you get together with your artist a few weeks or months beforehand and try on your makeup look), but can also include the bridesmaids, mothers, and flower girls. Decide on whatever package fits your style and budget. The artist may bring an assistant - if so, the assistant's fee will be included in your package price.

Now, you might be thinking, "Hmm…I'm not a Kardashian, so why would I hire a makeup artist for my wedding day? I'll just do it myself!" I totally get that. 10 years ago, not many brides would have insisted on hiring a makeup artist, however the camera on your smartphone is better than the gear that most professional photographers had back then. The quality of even the most casual snap shot is incredibly detailed and will be all over social media without your consent before you've even stepped off the alter. You want to be at your very best!

Hiring someone to do your hair and makeup for your wedding day is also a nice gift to yourself. The hours and minutes leading up to that moment when you'll take the first step down the isle are precious ones. Planning a wedding, no matter how big or small, is stressful, and to have the opportunity to just sit and be pampered while you savor the special time with family and close friends is priceless. I've witnessed some very cool moments between mothers, daughters, sisters, and best friends. Think about allowing yourself the time and energy to enjoy those pre-ceremony hours, however that may look.

Anytime you want your makeup to be extra fine and (most importantly) to last, theres a few easy tricks to making it happen. 1: Prime. Just like you prime a wall to fill in the lines and cracks, creating a smooth surface for the paint, so it goes with primer before foundation. Some come with a built-in moisturizer (to cut down on steps), others help tame extra oily skin or reduce redness. Find the best one for your skin type. 2: Sheer layers. This is not 1920, or even 1950, so caked on makeup just ain't pretty anymore. Its best to only use a product where you need it -as in, conceal under the eye, around red noses, to cover up spots. Also, start with a very sheer layer of foundation or tinted moisturizer in the center of your face and work out, only using it where its nessesecary. 3: Blend blend blend. And then blend some more. Find the best brushes or sponges that you can afford, and smooth it all out! This goes for face and eye color, make it soft and make it pretty. Setting your face makeup with a translucent microfine powder will help it stay put. 4: Consider doing your eye look before concealing underneath the eye, that way you can clean up any eye shadow or liner fall out with out ruining the makeup and having to do it over (and causing your sensitive eye area to get red.) 5: For weddings, or any special occasion, or even if you're just PMS-ing, don't forget the waterproof mascara! There is also some pretty fab waterproof eyeliners available as well. 6: Teeth whitening strips. I know, kind of random, right? But they make a woooorld of difference if you're a chronic coffee drinker like me. They're so not fun to endure, but the outcome is totally worth it.

So that should get you gals started! Many congratulations to you blushing brides - I hope your wedding day is everything you've dreamed it would be! xo