Washington DC's Bride's Choice Award!!!

Washington, DC – January 14, 2013 – WeddingWire, the nation's leading online wedding marketplace, is thrilled to announce that Kelli Fink, Inc.  has been selected as a winner of the prestigious WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2013 for HAir and make-up in Washington, DC!!!

The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism.Kelli Fink, Inc’s selection as a Bride’s Choice Award 2013 winner was selected based on the positive experiences expressed by past clients on WeddingWire, the world’s largest wedding review site with over one million reviews. While many industry awards are given by the host organization, the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ winners are determined solely based on reviews from real newlyweds and their experiences working with Kelli Fink, Inc. .

The WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2013 are given to the top local wedding vendors in more than 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on professional achievements from the previous year. Award-winning vendors are distinguished for the quality, quantity, consistency and timeliness of the reviews they have received from their past clients. As a Bride’s Choice Awards winner, Kelli Fink, Inc.  is highlighted within the WeddingWire Network, which is comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout the United States, Canada and abroad.

“Each year, WeddingWire looks forward to celebrating the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Network,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Now in its fifth year, the Bride’s Choice Awards™ program continues to recognize the elite wedding professionals who exemplify a commitment to quality, service and professionalism. These businesses were chosen by our bridal community for their responsiveness and dedication to their clients over the past year. We are honored to recognize Kelli FInk, Inc. which includes Kelli Fink, Lindsey Johnson, Kristina Morgan and Katie Guzy for their impressive achievements within the wedding industry.”

Kelli Fink, Inc. is thrilled to be one of the top Hair and Make-Up Companies in Washington, DC.  in the WeddingWire Network of sites, which include leading wedding sites such as WeddingWire, Project Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for taking the time to review our business on WeddingWire. We value all of our clients and truly appreciate the positive feedback that helped us earn the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ for 2013.

For more information about  Kelli Fink, Inc., please visit www.Kellifink.com

Czar of Curl....

Guru is a stretch. However, I have mastered the art of curly and wavy hair. That may sound a little arrogant but trust me when I tell you it is well deserved. I was raised in the land of the curly headed people. My mother and sister both had THICK, coarse, curly hair. I am well versed in the tears that accompany the " triangle cut",  the " shelf cut" and dear lord... The "bi- level cut."

I was styling my mom's hair for business meetings before I could drive. EVERY SINGLE dance my sister went to began with sobbing and putting her head in the sink. I can still hear my mom telling her that she would iron her hair ( literally with an iron) or set her whole head in Orange juice cans. You can imagine the horror that came over them when I came home with my straight hair and told them I was leaving college to go to hair school. You would have thought I said I was pregnant. Their only concern? Make sure you master curly hair or vow to never touch it.

So, I mastered it. This is my main advice to all of my clients with curl or wave.... Stop straightening it.. PLEASE. Hair looks best when you enhance what it already wants to do. Don't fight it. Embrace your curl.. I am here to tell you how..

Step one:
On damp hair first apply a generous amount of a lavender based product. Lavender boosts your curl or wave. Then apply a light hold mousse to the root and a light gel to the ends.
On Toni I used Mister Right; Lavender Spray by Deva Curl, Guts by Redken and Arc Angel by Deva Curl.

Step Two:
Twist random sections all over your head. Don't try to make them too perfect over over think them. If its taking you more than 30 seconds... You're too methodical.

Step Three:
Gently place the ends of your hair into a diffuser. The hair will coil itself around the fingers of the diffuser and make neat, smooth curls. Make sure you're not moving it all around. It should be a gentle process.

Step Four :
With an average size curling iron, make a few random curls around the hair line and any pieces that came out frizzy. You should not place more than ten curls...

 

And Just a few coloring tips:

 

1. When highlighting and lowlighting try to use a mix of both warm and cool tones. Toni has very honey tones mixed witrh very icy tones.

2. Dont forget to add shine. Whenever possible ask your stylist for a gloss or glaze. Curly hair can look dull and dry. A Glaze will help!

 

Feel free to post any questions you have!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And there you have it!! It's that simple and achievable at home.

Classic Cocktail Length.....

I love that Lindsey chose a classic cocktail length dress with a classic french twist. Lindsey is one of our make up artists and one of my best girl friends. This truly was a special day at KFI...

 Lindsey & Maurice also used one of my all time FAVORITE photographers, Erin Granzow. Whenever Erin and I are sharing a client... It makes my experience as an artist extraordinary.

You can see Erin's work at www,eringranzow.com

This is How You Do Vintage....

It's true that fashion has been influenced by the feel of the 1950's pin up era. Personally, I adore it. The problem that I have with using that inspiration is that I often feel as though it can end up making a woman look more like she is in a costume rather than having a hint of a vintage feel.

I totally understand it. It was a time of real garter belts and stockings, cocktail length dresses and heels. Fabrics were doused with soft prints and trimmed with lace. An hour glass figure was sexy. Soft, sculpted hair and a bright lip were the fashion. I LOVE everything about a vintage inspired look.... I don't know what else could make a woman feel more feminine and pretty. The trick is understating everything.

Faith Pippin and her fiance Jason hit the nail on the head in their engagement photos. I was so happy to work with Faith. She is Beautiful, smart and simply hysterical. Ladies.... If you are
Considering a vintage look, this is a shining example.

Lisa Bice - Where Do I Begin?

I have owned Kelli Fink, Inc. for ten years. It never fails that once I start a consultation with a client or  Lisa, Lindsey,  Katie or I walk into a room full of bridesmaids, one of the first questions we are asked is " What advice would you give a bride?" Honestly, we could (and maybe one day we will) write a novel about everything we have seen. All of the " what to dos" and " what not to dos" would take hours. But THIS, we know for sure.... ONCE YOU SEE US: ITS OVER. NO MORE FUSS ABOUT THE CENTERPIECES, THE FLOWERS, WHO SITS WHERE, WHO IS LOST, WHO IS GOING TO BE LATE, ECT. WE WILL BE THE LAST PEOPLE YOU SEE BEFORE YOU GET MARRIED. RELAX. LET GO OF EVERYTHING IN  THESE LAST MOMENTS AND REALLY ENJOY THIS DAY. 

Lisa Bice is the perfect example of this. In ten years, Lisa had to be one of the happiest brides we have ever met. No fussing, no panic, no bridezilla. I can honestly say that Lisa was so excited to marry the man of her dreams that working with her and her friends and family was one of our highlights this year.

And just look at their photos! This kind of happiness you can not fake. It shows in every single shot. We would like to say thank you to Lisa and her bridal party.... You reminded us of exactly why we love our jobs.

The Truth about Eyeliner .... This is SERIOUS

So... I am so excited to finally post about eye liner pots. The truth is... Eyeliner is in. I don't know if we have the Kardashians to thank, the return of the pin up or the 80's? No matter what your inspiration is, it's back. 

Our clients (and our friends) are constantly asking us which brand is the best to use. This is where it gets tricky... Are you looking for a 50's inspired heavy upper lid, ala Adelle?

OR.... Are you looking for the VERY popular... Heavy water line application?

Both require a sturdy, heavily pigmented product that stays on through the duration of your evening. If you aren't careful this could lead to that dreaded moment when you excuse yourself to the ladies room after two cocktails only to find that you suddenly look like Alice Cooper.

Katie and I thought we had found it. The BEST eyeliner pot ever made. I would even go so far as to say that she bought it for herself before I did. I ended up "borrowing it" almost everyday and had to break down and buy my own. Everything about this eyeliner was perfect. It has a velvet texture that glides on with little to no tugging or effort at all. It is not charcoal, brown/black, or muted. It is the perfect matte black eyeliner. It also come with the most perfect brush. It is the Tarte black eyeliner pot!!

And then we had a situation. Once I purchased the pot for Kelli Fink, Inc.'s make up kit. I could not go on with out it. I was on my way to a client's wedding and realized that it was not in our kit. I began a frantic downward spiral and ended up in CVS. I ended up purchasing the Maybeliene Eye Studio version. I almost passed out. It totally confirmed the urban legend.. There really ARE drug store products that you can buy at 5:30 am that are just as good as high end professional lines.

And Now... I would like to present to you the kicker: The Tarte pot dried up.. Like Sahara dried up. The Maybeliene pots have stayed in perfect condition. They last forever and I find that I am throwing them out before I use them all, just because it makes me feel weird to not replace them. Our suggestion is to save your money and buy Maybeliene's version and invest in a really good eyeliner brush. Ladies, You're welcome.

Rain, Shmain!!!

Over the last ten years we have always heard one major concern from almost every bride... What if it rains? We LOVED these pictures of Aimee and Dennis. Her hair and make-up held up beautifully with the setting spray we use and Stephanie still looked AMAZING after standing out on the dock. We love the way that Erin Granzow was able to capture the actual drops of rain on the wooden pier that day. There were a few giant black umbrellas that added as the perfect accesory! Rain, Shmain!! This wedding was beautiful!!