Wedding

Mix.Mingle.Schmooze

| kristencastillo

I recently attended the “Mix.Mingle.Schmooze” magazine release party for San Diego Style Weddings – the wedding magazine for which I’m the editor.

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The latest issue of San Diego Style Weddings.

The party, held at Mission Brewery, featured great food, beer and wine, and of course wedding inspiration.

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Another awesome party hosted by San Diego Style Weddings’ publisher Dena Nolen-Malasek.

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Posing with SDSW’s publisher, Dena-Nolen Malasek. Photo credit: Paul Barnett Photography.

Some of the highlights included:

  • The amazing paper flower backdrop created by Esmeralda Luxury Paper Flowers. What a colorful backdrop for photos!
  • I’m a sucker for photo booths and Captured Photos Booths didn’t disappoint!

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  • Yummy milk and cookies from the Cravory. I especially liked the chocolate truffle and lemon bar cookies.
  • Comfy and stylish seating from Lounge Appeal
  • The “Idaho Nachos” (create your own potato ship nachos) from caterer Feast on This were great – a perfect late night snack at any wedding or event.
  • Cool caricature drawings from Caricatures by Dave.
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Caricatures by Dave
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With my husband – does the caricature match us?   Photo credit: Eisenhower Photography

  • Tasty mini donuts and deep fried Oreos from Sensational Treats.
  • Pretty floral arrangements from local florists like Studio Flourish and Haydee’s Creative Flowers.

 

Fun fact: Mission Brewery is located inside a former Wonder Bread factory in downtown San Diego. The building has lots of open space, exposed brick and great city views.

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Check out the latest issue of San Diego Style Weddings online and in local stores.

 

Photos are my own, unless noted.

Fashion Forward for Fall Makeup

| kristencastillo

Fall is here and I’m ready to celebrate with autumn’s colors. I am excited to check out Jane Iredale’s Fashion Forward collection, featuring eye shadows, retractable brow pencils and lipstick. The company sent samples for me to try and I’m impressed.

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First I tried two Smooth Affair® eye shadows. One called Naked is sheer nude color; the other, Iced Brown, is a sheer golden brown. I liked how light and smooth they were to apply and it’s cool that they double as either eye shadow or as a primer for more shadows. They’re smudge proof too! There are four other colors in the line including a sheer pink called Petal; a matte yellow named Lemon; a champagne color called Canvas; and a shade of Gold.

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Next up, I tried the retractable brow pencils in two colors: brunette and dark brunette. (There’s a blonde color too that I didn’t try.) The pencils do a nice job of filling in brows. And I totally love the built-in “spoolie” on the end of each pencil, perfect for brow shaping.

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The finishing touch? The Cindy Puremoist® lipstick, a sexy shade of red! As the name suggests, it’s named after supermodel Cindy Crawford. I love the lipstick’s scent – a light, fruity mix of pomegranate and backberry extracts. Plus I love how the color complements my fair skin.

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Sampling these products has been lots of fun – I’m looking forward to wearing them throughout the fall.

Wedding DIY is Doable!

| kristencastillo

From flowers to centerpieces to invitations, being a do-it-yourself bride (or groom) seems easy but often it’s a struggle. Still some crafty wedding projects (like food favors and photo booth props) are doable. For ideas and expert advice, check out my San Diego Style Weddings’ article on DIY Weddings.

Here’s an excerpt:

“In all honesty, there are plenty of ideas and themes out there to create a fabulous DIY wedding,” say Jaime Beck and Diane Reichenbach of Whimsey Florals. “It can and has been done. It takes a large support system to do it, and lots of time and patience.”