Cassandra Kennedy Beauty blog

Feb 10 2013

Timberline Lodge Winter Wedding

Just when I had sworn off doing Timberline Lodge weddings in winter (my car can’t make it in all the snow), along came Kara. Her enthusiasm and excitement was infectious…even via email. She was absolutely certain she’d find a way to get me there and not to worry. And so I left the Portland rain for a day and got to experience a true White Christmas after all.

Timberline Lodge winter wedding

We hadn’t met before but we were able to look at a few inspirational pictures and create a lovely updo for her chin-length bob. A floral comb and a section of hair that longed to be free completed the look. Classic makeup enhanced her beautiful face.

bride putting on her gown

The biggest treat of the day was trailing behind the 6-ft. tall bride as she breezed through the lodge for her bridal portraits. Skiers and guests and tourists froze in their tracks when she walked past. Jaws dropped. People stopped talking mid-sentence. She really was a sight to behold!

I love love love these portraits in the snow! I’m so glad they went for it. I used a weatherproofing spray on her hair and so I was able to just dust off the snow and water with a fluffy makeup brush when they were finished. Her hair was completely unaffected by the snow and lasted clear through the night. Yay!

Kara, I’m so glad you got the cozy and romantic wedding you wanted. I wish you and Ryan a lifetime of happiness together. Thank you so much Tor Studios for sharing these gorgeous pictures. It was a pleasure working with you and seeing you in action that day. Also an extra big thank you to my chauffeur Ron who helped make it all happen!

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Sandy Kennedy Brumnett - February 10, 2013 - 11:46 am

Gorgeous Wedding!

Jan 22 2013

Siren in a Silver Dress: Kristen’s Jenkins Estate Wedding

I loved getting to know Kristen and enjoyed some really fun quips back and forth before we even met. The peachy tones we chose for makeup with a hint of shimmer combined with her obvious happiness really made her glow on the big day.

She delighted in ribbing me about the insane amount of bobby pins used in her updo, emailing me the exact number. Hey, I want it to be secure! I love the comb she chose and I love that her photographers captured it so beautifully.

Little girls love to look at the beauty kit and all of the makeup and hair products but her daughter REALLY loved it. It reminded me of myself at that age. I believe we may have a future makeup artist on our hands. How sweet are they together?

The picturesque Jenkins Estate was the sight of their nuptials and the joining of their families.

I couldn’t wait to see her in the silver dress she told me about. It was perfect for her and draped so beautifully.

A huge thank you goes out to Altura Studio for sharing these images with us. I also want to wish Kristen and Rob and their family a very happy life together! xxxooo!

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Sandy Kennedy Brumnett - January 23, 2013 - 12:50 am

A lovely wedding. The little girl is especially adorable.

Nov 10 2012

Lake Oswego Wedding | Hair and Makeup | Beenish + Malik

It was a lovely spring day when my gorgeous, smart, and stylish bride Beenish finally tied the knot with her long-time love Malik.

She hadn’t moved to Portland yet so we shared many makeup and hairstyle ideas back and forth over email as we planned for her engagement photos and civil wedding ceremony. I loved seeing it finally come together so nicely! We got ready that morning at the groom’s family home in Lake Oswego. The mood in the house was festive, the smell of spices wafted upstairs as lunch was cooking and the sounds of Bollywood played in the background. Ladies showed us their mehndi as people snuck in to take a peek at the bride and offer their congratulations.

The bride chose plummy shades for the eyes and a nice warm pink flush on the cheeks. Skin was airbrushed and lips were rosy and glossy. Her hair was swept into a side chignon, leaving height and volume on the top and sides.

I especially loved her veil with removable netting. Everyone ooh’d and aah’d as she descended the staircase in her gown.

The couple took some amazing portraits around downtown Portland before the wedding. I wish I could post them all!

There were tears all around as the couple read their heartfelt vows to one another. Old traditions mixed with their modern style made the day uniquely their own.

It is always wonderful to see a couple surrounded by such a loving family. Best of luck to the both of you as start your new life together here! I’d like to give a huge thank you to their talented photographer Shakil Noorani for sharing all of these beautiful pictures with us!!!

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Oct 13 2012

Modern Vintage Bridal Shoot | Portland Hair and Makeup

It was such a joy collaborating on this styled bridal shoot. Many brides today want vintage elements in their wedding yet want it to still feel modern.

I love the way talented stylist Angie Sarac re-imagined this Victorian era dress by opening up the back and tying it with a simple piece of lace.

Bre’s hair was tousled and loosely twisted to the side. Her foundation was airbrushed and matte shades of purple eye makeup were softly blended for a sueded look. Lips were kept subtle and close to her natural color.

Petalos could not have made more perfect bouquet that captured the feel and colors of the shoot. Nothing says Victorian like Queen Anne’s Lace, the touches of wheat were a nod to the farm-like surroundings,and the stems were wrapped in burlap.

I’d like to give a huge thank you to Jennifer Pacurar of Spotted: Stills Photography , the mastermind behind the shoot and talented photographer who generously shared these images with me. I love how they turned out!

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Sep 26 2012

Ainsworth House Wedding | Hair and Makeup | Cassie + Cruz

I’ve never laughed so much at a wedding as I did on this day. The bride and her friends had me almost crying for literally the entire day. In addition to the bride’s hair and makeup, I got to put makeup on the whole bridal party throughout the morning. It was hard to keep a steady hand when the gang was up to some seriously crazy shenanigans! I kept saying “You guys! I can’t go on…”

I also got to accompany them to the wedding at Ainsworth House and Gardens in Oregon City and do makeup touch-ups throughout the day. I’d like to say that Cassie was in rare form, but I suspect she is always this cool.

We had a nice spectrum of makeup looks, from barely there natural to the more dramatic. I loved the different dress styles and everyone looked great in purple. Ryan, you were a dashing bridesman in your suspenders.

Cassie chose beautiful shades of purple for her eyes, natural skin, and a stained lip. Her hair was braided back on both sides and held a brooch that had been worn by brides in her family through the generations.

This cake is everything I love about her. ”One day when I was shopping at Safeway I saw them spraying this rainbow on a cake and I thought ‘Oh my god, I want that.’” Awesome.

Cassie and Cruz had an epic Portland to Portland journey for their honeymoon in Maine. I wish you two all the best as the journey continues. Muah!

A huge thank you to Daniel Finucane of River Rock Weddings for sharing these great images with us!

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Aug 29 2012

McMenamins – Edgefield Wedding | Hair & Makeup | A Family Affair

It was such a joy to return to McMenamins – Edgefield in Troutdale, OR after living on the east coast for a decade. The grounds were gorgeous and there were so many new things to discover. The best part was spending a very entertaining day with Keely and her family doing hair and makeup for her wedding.

Keely has such a beautiful face with no makeup on and gorgeous bone structure. We worked together to create a makeup look that had just the right amount of oomph but still seemed natural.

I fell in love with the romantic hairstyle – her straight hair curled into waves and loosely pulled back into a slightly messy chignon. Loved her flower headpiece too!

If I’m lucky, each season I get to know a family that is so wonderful I find myself hoping they will adopt me. This is definitely that family! Loved them all so much! I got to do hair and makeup on each one of the ladies. Each has their own distinct style and personality. It was a fun variety pack.

Oh those sisters were something else

It was so nice to see Keely’s beautiful vision for her day come to life. The succulent plants she described, the purple and green colors, the vintage touches all came together wonderfully. Thank you to Powers Photography Studios for sharing these enchanting images with us.

Keely and Andy I wish you the very very best. Love to both of you as you begin your journey as husband and wife!

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Aug 06 2012

Oregon Barn Wedding | Hair and Makeup | Shy Lovebirds Take Flight

Postlewait’s Country Weddings in Canby, OR was the site of this intimate, heartfelt wedding and one of my favorite bridal portraits of all time. I love how naturally beautiful the bride Jennifer looks, the colors of her bouquet, the tall grass surrounding them, the afternoon light, and how this one picture captures the beauty of the day so well.

Jennifer wanted a very subtle makeup look for her wedding with colors that enhanced her natural coloring and textures that were close to her skin’s own texture. I loved all of her choices, especially the berry-stained lips. We curled her straight hair and added volume and a pretty waterfall twist in the back. She said “I wasn’t going to wear anything in my hair but then I saw that proceeds from buying this headband go to fighting human trafficking!” It doesn’t take long for you to realize what a kind and gentle person she is, caring about others more than herself.

As the two shyest members of their university’s Filipino Student Association, it took them several meetings before they even spoke. But as the saying goes, love will find a way

When doing her makeup I said “I’m not going to cover up this mole on your cheek unless you want me to” and she said “Oh no, don’t cover it up, that’s my family mole. My mother and grandmother have the same one on their cheek.” I loved seeing the three of them together and their similarities passed down through the generations.

So many elements of this wedding were made by hand with love. The barn looked so festive with all of the colors.

The day was captured so eloquently by June Lion. Thank you Kelly for sharing your talents and images with us! Jennifer and Paul, I wish you all the love and happiness in the world as you embark on this journey together!

1 comment

Ismael - August 6, 2012 - 8:54 pm

that was a beautiful event of yours. congratulations. your make up is simple but you look so pretty. I love your wedding.

Aug 01 2012

Everyone’s Raving About Laura Mercier Faux Lash Mascara!

I hadn’t seen my makeup artist BFF in nine whole months but instead of hugging me he froze and exclaimed “Oh my god! Did you get lash extensions?!”. Nope, it’s just my awesome new Laura Mercier Faux Lash Mascara (which he demanded to know all about and bought the next day for his kit). Truthfully, I’m pretty set in my ways when it comes to mascaras and I like to stick to my tried and true ones for clients and myself. But when my Sephora peeps RAVED about it in unison and begged me to try it and then my Nordstrom Cosmetics Department Manager friend asked me THE VERY SAME DAY if I’d tried it yet, I knew I had to give it a whirl. Wow. Just wow. This is not one of those one swipe mascaras clean definition mascaras. This is for the person who takes a minute to really build and comb through the lashes with several coats. This is for va-va-voom looks, not light and natural. The makers claim there are no fibers in it but it totally looks like there are (I guess they are teeny pieces of wax). It’s long-wearing and also performs a little better after a week or two of use. In short, I’m in love.

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