Having a great photographer can make your wedding pictures look fabulous. But it all first starts with having an excellent makeup artist and hair stylist who knows how to bring out your best features for the camera. That’s where the team over at Styling Trio come in. They specialize in South Asian weddings in Mexico and the Caribbean and have helped bring out the unique beauty of every one of our clients.
We asked CEO of Styling Trio, Adrian Guerra, for his best tips on how to make sure you look your best on your wedding day. Adrian has more than 15 years of expert as an expert makeup artist. He also trained at the iconic Henri Bendel in New York City which instilled in him the attention to detail and professionalism that he is known for and that he encourages in his team. Take a look below and learn how you can look your best in every wedding portrait you take.
- Tell us about Styling Trio, the services you offer and what you love most about being a makeup artist and hair stylist.
Styling Trío was started in 2008 with a team of (yes, you guessed it!) three. Today, we have grown to house over 40 amazing artists in 2 countries dedicated to hair makeup, henna and draping! Any artist will tell you the reason we stick around in this field is for the pure joy we see on our clients face when they see themselves in the mirror. The process can be tedious, but nothing less than perfection is expected on one of the most important days of your clients’ life.
IDW: We love that you have such a large and diverse team because that has allowed our clients to find just the right artist for them.
- What should brides keep in mind when picking their hairstyle for their ceremony and reception for their destination wedding in Mexico or the Caribbean?
We have our healthy share of humidity in Mexican beach locations. With the exception of Cabos which is generally drier (desert). Most brides opt for a traditional updo for the ceremony, some leaning towards a more boho/relaxed look yet always keeping a solid structure to support the weight of the dupatta or veil, which can be quite heavy and requires a good amount of tease to keep the hair in place. Extensions are a great help! For reception looks we see a lot of relaxed half up half down. Big curls, appropriate for any beach wedding day or night.
IDW: These are excellent points! We’ve also seen many brides opting for an updo because of the humidity and it helps keep them cool!
- We know that you specialize in offering HD makeup that holds up well in tropical weather. Tell us about that!
The airbrush makeup has been a makeup-saver since I started using it back in Texas in the early 2000’s. Arriving to Playa del Carmen, I knew airbrush had to be a must for all brides getting married in tropical climates. Silicone or water based, there is a formulation of airbrush for your skin type, always using classic makeup to tackle problem areas and then magically blend away with airbrush as a final layer (or three depending on each client’s needs and wants).
IDW: Airbrush really adds so much glamour to the look but still looks so natural at the same time! We love that you give your clients options in terms of the formulation to make sure it’ll work for their skin. It’s so interesting that you use both classic makeup and airbrush together as needed to achieve your looks. That requires a good amount of experience as a pro so that in the end the client looks perfect.
- Are there any other products you love to use for makeup to keep the brides looking fresh throughout their wedding day? (For example, any particular setting spray, primer or powder that has worked well for many clients?)
To get the best recipe for long lasting skin, we reached out to our master makeup artist Nina. She’s been with the company since the beginning in 2008. She has been using a product line made in Mexico called Mehron. This line was originally created for theatre and stage, much like MAC cosmetics in the USA.
She especially loves the “touch up anti-shine” which works well when blended with concealer for extra shiny/oily areas. Then she sets the finished look with Mehron Mixing Liquid for a smudge-proof, dance-proof makeup that lasts all night. A mixing liquid or mixing medium is used to make most products long lasting. You can add to your eye liner or lip cream for example. In this case, it is evenly sprayed over the skin using the airbrush compressor.
IDW: The mixing liquid sounds so interesting! Our clients always look so good during their wedding events because of your team and now we see that it takes special products to make that happen.
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- Red is obviously an important color for many South Asian weddings. The number one question many women have is: How do I find my perfect red lipstick? What tips do you have for that? Are there any particular red lipsticks that look good across all or most skin tones?
The famous red lip! Going over the color wheel, it’s safe to say that a blue-red lip color is your best bet and much easier to wear than an orange-red. Even reds with brown undertones or a wine undertone wear very well on most South Asian skin tones. Also, just keeping it real, we should avoid anything that’s too neon or just overly bright as this can clash with warmer skin and give a washed out look to the face.
We love Tarteist XoXo by Tarte because it has a long-wearing, matte finish. It works even better if you set it with lipstick for that added dimension of color. Ruby Woo by MAC is on our “forever favorite” list and looks good on almost anybody! Don’t forget about Tom Ford’s fabulous red lipstick called Cherry. For drug store options, we also love Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink in Exhilarator.
IDW: Hearing the types of recommendations you’ve given above shows just how well-versed you and your team truly are at Styling Trio when it comes to working with South Asian clients. We love your recommendations. Thank you so much for sharing the drugstore option as well as mid-priced options. It just goes to show that you don’t always have to spend a lot to get the look you want.
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- What makes your beauty team different from others?
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Passion! That’s what sets us apart from the rest. Besides being the first agency to unite so many artists that share the same vision, Styling Trio has managed to build trust with our clients and wedding planners over the years. We have a diverse team working tirelessly behind the scenes literally day and night to make sure our clients get what they want when they want it.
Working with us is like having a planner just for your beauty needs. Our sales team consists of four fabulous ladies: three in México and one in the Dominican Republic. They will work with you to hand-pick your styling team and take care of scheduling for your events and bridal party. We just want to take the stress away from your planner and we will deal with all of it!
IDW: We have to agree with you because we’ve witnessed how dedicated you are to your craft and your clients. Your team really does go all out to make sure every detail is taken care of for your brides so that they can really enjoy themselves throughout the wedding events.
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- What is the process like when a bride chooses to work with you?
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We work two ways. One way is to work directly with your planner for all the details and looks. This is the bride who does not want or have the time to communicate with vendors. On the other end of the spectrum, when the bride makes contact, we will send out our Lemons&Mehndi 2021 catalog.
Quite often we are given the list of events with dates so we can start the process. Either she has seen our artists work on Instagram and has a team in mind or she sends us her looks and asks us to pick a team for her. This part is what takes time and is why we recommend you start the planning process with as much time as possible. It’s not unusual to start planning a year and half to two years out.
IDW: It’s great that brides can choose the way they’d like to work with you!
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- What advice do you give for brides to help them pick their makeup looks for their wedding day?
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Actually, brides come to us with their looks already set for their events, which let me just mention was not the case five to ten years ago. I feel like brides today really are in tune to what they like and want, especially for occasions like these. What we do go into is what goes into each look requested and how to make it just right for each event.
Lashes are a big topic of discussion as each event tends to have a different set of lashes. Semi-dewy or matte skin is something to think about. We also suggest you consider whether the event is indoors or out. Taking these factors into consideration ensures a long-lasting beautiful look that she is comfortable in.
IDW: Taking on that role as a consultant and a guide for clients is such a special way to add value and your team does it well! Even if a comes to you needing some help with nailing down her look, we know that your team will provide the expert feedback to help her find it.
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- How far in advance should a bride book their beauty team?
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As far in advance as possible. Destination weddings are becoming increasingly popular. Besides the time crunch, we want to give our brides to have the opportunity to plan their events with ease. Just picking the right team can be a process and the time you need to look at books. Confirming artist availability can be challenging so the more time the better.
IDW: We agree! The sooner you pick your makeup team, the better because you can get thee exact people you’d like.
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- Do you tell brides to do anything special in the weeks or days before their appointment with you to make sure their skin is at its best?
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Water, water, water. We hear it all the time, and yet most of us forget to drink enough of it. This with a clean diet for several weeks before the events will leave your body and skin feeling rejuvenated! We are what we eat! 😉
IDW: This makes total sense. And, it’s something any client can easily incorporate into what she’s already doing as she gets ready for her wedding.
IDW: Adrian, you provided some very helpful tips and product suggestions. Thank you so much! We love that when we recommend clients to your team, they will always be treated so well by people who genuinely want to make them happy.
At Indian Destination Wedding, we not only bring together all of the travel arrangements for you and your guests, but we also provide entertainment for your wedding. And, we match our clients to mehndi artists, videographers and other vendors they need for their wedding, too!
Why Choose Indian Destination Wedding
Ready to plan your South Asian wedding in Mexico or the Caribbean? We’ll help you find the right resort for you and bring together all the travel details for you and your guests. And we’ll even connect you with vendors that specialize in South Asian weddings so you can shorten your wedding to-do list.
Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page, and our summary of average South Asian destination wedding costs.
Learn about different destinations and resorts that have the best perks for South Asian weddings by contacting us online or call at 888-485-0005.