Wildly Beautiful!

I mean, This girls hair! I cannot tell you how excited I was to work with Lauren. Shes gorgeous, shes unique, and I have never worked with anyone with a look like hers. She was so fun to be around, so sweet and her shoot was nothing short of AMAZING! Here is her product breakdown....

For her eyes I used Soft ocre to prime her lid. From the Anastasia Beverly hills Modern Renaissance palette I used Red Ocre in the crease and Primevera on the lid. I used Bobbie brown gel liner in black to liner her lids and placed Mug black shadow over it to set it. I tightlined both the top and bottom lid with Marc Jacobs black eyeliner. I then smoked out her lower lashline with Red ocre and Burnt orange and used koko lashes in 501. 

For Laurens face I used Maracuja oil to moisturize. I then used Mac Match master foundation in 6.0 mixed with Tarte amazonian clay foundation in tan deep sand. For concealer I used Tarte shape tape in medium, I then set her under eye with ben nye banana powder. I used MUG Half hearted and bad habit to contour and Mac springsheen for blush. For a pretty glow I used Lorac tantalizer in bronze and becca champagne pop. For her brows I used ABH brown gel in Medium brown and powder in medium brown. Last but not least for her lips I used Mac lipliner in current and dose of colors liquid lipstick in brick. 

 

Lauren is stunning! Thanks for letting us share in this special experience! 

Sarah 

Curvy & Confident ::: Orange County Boudoir ::: Grace and Lace Boudoir

We preach here about having a healthy relationship with our bodies and being comfortable in our own skin.  It's sometimes a lot easier said than done to NOT listen to our inner voice that tells us "stretch marks are bad" "your thighs are too big" "these folds don't belong there" or the countless other negative remarks it says. 

I'm here to tell you to stop listening to that voice.  You and your body have been through a lot and will go through a lot more together in this lifetime. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we shift our focus from doubt and dislike to embracing and celebration?? Miss O (below) did just that! She realized how powerful her curves were - all of them -  the curve in the smile of her lips, the curve of her breast, and the dangerous curve of her hips.  And she showed all of them off proudly during her shoot.  We loved having her in the studio - her energy, charisma, and charm are so infectious! And her dirty jokes kept us laughing the entire session!!! :)

How old are you? 41

Are you from Southern California? If not, where are you from?  Originally Fremont, Ca but grew up back and forth in the Bay Area and Orange County

Are you married? Nope

Do you have any kids? Yes 2, daughter 17 and son 11

What do you do for a living? I work in the payroll department 

Have you ever had a boudoir session before? No 

Why did you decide to have a boudoir session with Grace and Lace Boudoir? 

I wanted to do something for me and my accomplishments in weight loss and feeling comfortable in my own skin

Has your session impacted you in a way you weren't expecting? If so, how? Yes, I love myself more lol

Did you have any obstacles or fears you had to overcome about boudoir? Just about being overweight but the feedback has been great

Did the session differ from what you were expecting? Not really but it was better 

Did you have your session to create a gift? If so, what was it for? No just for myself

We would love to hear about how you gave the gift and their reaction if you don't mind sharing!

What was your favorite part about the entire experience? ALL of it. From setting the appointment to receiving the products and seeing the outcome on social media 

Any advice for women interested in their own boudoir session? Just do it....don't hold back and have so much fun. Jeni and Sarah make you so comfortable and sexy!!

Thank you, Miss O for traveling all the way to Orange County from Oregon and trusting us to help you flaunt those gorgeous curves! You are an amazing and confident woman and we had a blast at your session!! 

XO, Jeni

We let our guard down even more the second time around ::: Grace and Lace Boudoir ::: Orange County Boudoir

When clients come back for a second time, I cannot begin to tell you how flattered that makes us.  It means that we did our job so well, that you decided you needed another day of pampering, another day hanging around in lingerie, another set of spectacular images! Maybe you just needed to get out of the house for the day, I don't know, but regardless, WE were your excuse and I'll take it! ;)

Cristina decided to come for her second time and wanted a completely different look this time.  My style of photography has evolved since she was here last (just over a year ago), as well.  I knew I wanted to push the envelope just a bit more than her last session because she already knew what to expect.  I loved that she never once hesitated when I posed her in more erotic poses.  

“I’ve had the absolute pleasure of getting to shoot with Jeni & Sarah twice now, and I can’t express enough about what a wonderful experience it truly was. Sarah made my hair and makeup look amazing both times, completely different looks which was so much fun to compare photos from both shoots. ”
“Jeni is incredible with helping pose and capture you in the most flattering ways. I was seriously in love with my photos more than I ever anticipated, because quite honestly I hate having my picture taken and do not consider myself to be photogenic by any means but Jeni completely proved that to be false, and made it incredibly difficult to select which pictures I wanted to have featured in an album as a gift to my husband. I felt completely comfortable, obviously enough that I returned to take more photos and push the bar even a little more the second time around lol! I recommend Grace and Lace Boudoir to everyone I know. ”
“This is definitely something that every woman should do for herself, and your husband will thank you for it! You will not regret trusting Jeni and Sarah to showcase your seductive side! You will leave feeling confident, sexy and empowered...and wanting more, like myself lol!”

Thank you, Cristina, for having enough faith and trust in us to strut around here half-naked, not once, but twice! XO

~Jeni 

A Little Edgy

This is Cristinas second shoot with us, yay! Her pictures turned out fantastic! This time around, I went with a totally different look for Cristina. I wanted to do more of an edgy smokey eye with a pop of color. Here are the products I used to achieve this look.....

For her eyes I used Soft ocre to prime her lid. I used Brule eyeshadow from Mac all over the lid. From the Anastasia Beverly hills Modern Renaissance palette I used Taupe in the crease and Cypress Umber on the lid. I then added Macs Blue brown pigment on top of that dark brown color. I went back into the ABH palette and used Red Ocre to blend out the crease. I used Bobbie brown gel liner in black to liner her lids and placed Mug black shadow over it to set it. I tightlined both the top and bottom lid with the Bobbie brown gel liner.  I then smoked out her lower lashline with Antique bronze and then went in with dark umber closer to the lashline. For lashes I used Koko lashes in Iris. 

For her face I used Maracuja oil to moisturize. I then used MUFE foundation and Tarte shape tape to conceal. I set her under eye with Rmca translucent powder. I used RCMA foundation to contour and set that with Laura Mercier translucent powder. I used the Anastasia Beverly Hills contour palette to countour further and Lorac tantalizer in bronze to bronze up her face. For blush I used Tarte Paaarty and for highlight I used Becca champagne pop. For her brows I used Smash box brow pencil and for her lips I used Jordana lipliner in rock n rose and Abh liquid lip in crush. I set everything with Fix plus and she was done! 

~Sarah

Old Hollywood Glam

Sarah came in and just had the most beautiful eyes! We had discussed before the session that she wanted to do either a pin up look or a bohemian type look. So I decided to do a little old Hollywood glam on her since it would be more versatile with her lingerie selection. 

 

I prepped her eyes with soft ocre MAC paint pot. For shadows I used Brule from MAC all over, and then for her crease i used the Anastasia Beverly Hills modern renaissance palette. For her lid I used stilas kitten eye shadow. I did a slight winged liner with the Bobbie brown gel liner and topped it off with mascara and some wispy lashes. I also lined her lower lashes with a cream color and smudged her bottom lash line with a dark brown shadow.

 

For her face I started with a Orange color corrector to cover some darkness under her eyes. For foundation I used makeupforever ultra hd invisible cover stick. I used tartes shape tape to conceal and high light and RCMA foundation to contour. I set under her eyes with Laura merciers translucent powder and set the rest of her face with makeup forevers pro finishing powder. I bronzed her skin with the hoola bronzer from benefit and used MACs blush in dame for her cheeks. I finished off her face with Becca's champagne pop to highlight. 

 

For brows I used the Anastasia Beverly hill gel liner in taupe and for her lips I used dose of colors in brick. Then she was ready to go! 

Sexy Siren

When Mindy sat in my chair, the first thing I noticed was her beautiful skin. It was smooth and tight and I that's where i wanted to put the focus. Above everything else, the skin is my favorite. There is nothing better than  flawless skin! 

For Mindy's eyes, I used some MAC shadows and the Anastasia of Beverly Hills modern renaissance palette, My obsession.  I used a light warm brown color in here crease as her transition. I then used Cyprus umber on her lid to darken it and then put a little bit of red ochre over that for a beautiful burgundy smokey eye. I then blended it all together with a bit of burnt orange and raw sienna. I lined her lids with Bobbie Brown gel eyeliner in black and smudged it out a bit with a black shadow. I topped off her eye look with some demi wispies

For her skin, I used maracuja oil for some hydration as I was doing her eyes. I then primed her skin with a smashbox primer. She had some brown marks under her eyes, so I went ahead and color corrected with an orange shade by derma color. For foundation I Used the Amazonian Clay full coverage foundation with a flat top kabuki brush. I concealed under her eyes with Tarte shape tape and blended that out with a beauty blender.  I also used the shape tape to highlight her forehead chin, and small bit on the top of the nose. I then set her skin with Laura Merciers translucent powder. I contoured Mindy's face with hoola benefit bronzer, and then used the Lorac tantalizer for a beautiful bronzed glow all over. For blush I used buff by mac, and for highlight I used Becca champagne pop. For her brows I used Anastasia Beverly Hills pencil in soft brown and then a the same soft brown powder to set it. Last but not least, Lips! I used MAC lip pencil in stridown with dose of colors in truffle and inglot #53 lip paint.  

The Anonymous Miss K | Orange County Boudoir | Grace and Lace Boudoir

I'm so unbelievably appreciative when clients allow us to share their images ... even when they are images that do not show their face.  I understand that not every woman wants her face connected to the images online but I love when they love their images so much they can't NOT share them :) Miss K pushed her boundaries with this photoshoot and I love that! She didn't shy away from any poses and let me have my way with her. ;)  Bring it, girl!  So without further ado ... Miss K and her beautiful photos.

The Sexiest Gift | Orange County Boudoir | Grace and Lace Boudoir

The stunning Miss E came to us to create a completely memorable and sexy gift for her husband.  What is more unique than boudoir for your anniversary, wedding, valentine's day, or birthday - or, heck, just because?? The best part is it's something for you, too! You get incredible photos of yourself, a self esteem boost, AND a ton of fun during your shoot! Once the shoot starts, you'll be walked through every single pose and once you see the final photographs, you'll see a supermodel staring back at you! Our hope and goal is for every woman who sets foot in our studio to have an incredible, empowering boudoir experience- a gift that every woman should give themselves at least once in a lifetime!

I was so nervous before my photoshoot but after I met Jeni and Sarah the nerves calmed down since they were both so sweet. They had snacks and wine available while I had my hair and makeup done. 
Sarah did an amazing job with my smokey eye look. I felt so comfortable the whole time during my photoshoot with Jeni as she told me how to pose. She not only tells you how to pose but actually shows you! 
 I viewed my photos about a week later and they were gorgeous. I would definitely recommend them to my friends and family. Thank you so much for an amazing experience Grace and Lace Boudoir.

Stunning Mama to Be | Orange County Boudoir | Grace and Lace Boudoir

I had the privilege and honor of photographing an amazingly beautiful woman for a maternity boudoir session. I have photographed maternity boudoir in the past but it had been years and was SO excited to have the opportunity when Miss M reached out to us. Being pregnant is such a wonderful experience and it’s so beautiful; what our bodies go through to bring life into this world is truly remarkable and it's definitely a time in your life you'll want to capture.  And what a gorgeous session it turned out to be. I'm obsessed with these photos! 

“I have never done anything like this before and can say that it was the coolest experience! I had been following grace and lace for a long time and never had the guts to reach out. I wanted to do something extra special for my husband for xmas and also to remember my pregnant body. ”
“Before this shoot I felt frumpy and huge and now I look at myself in a completely different light. Thank you ladies for bringing the sexy back into my world, I can never tell you enough how much fun this was and how beautiful you have made me feel.”

Thank you, Miss M, for trusting us to give you this incredible maternity boudoir experience.

Want your own maternity boudoir? Contact us today!

Makeup brush cleaning 101

I get asked a lot about how to clean makeup brushes and its really quite simple. I used to stand at my sink for hours on end cleaning every single brush with soap and then having to wait overnight for them to dry. I seriously don't have time for that, considering I have to wash my brushes after every client. Now, if your not cleaning your makeup brushes you should be, and yes, I'm judging you! There is so much bacteria and build up on your brushes, it's definitely not good for your skin. So what I do is grab some rubbing alcohol, make sure its 91% or higher, and put it in a small bowl. now you can dip your brush in it and wipe it off on a towel. Repeat a few times with the same brush until it swipes clean on the towel. This is a great because your smaller brushes will dry within a few minutes and they will be ready for use again. Now everyone, go grab those brushes and get to cleaning!