“My wedding hair and makeup was exactly what I wanted” – The Royal Victoria Yacht Club Bride

“My wedding was Magical, it was everything we had wanted and more… Everything came together so nicely, My bridal party and I really enjoyed getting ready with the SR Team in the morning.  We had them come on-location, it made it that much more exciting and memorable, it was really a stress-free day.  My bridesmaids and I even had a chance to have a margarita each that morning cause we were all soo relaxed.  I could never imagine having to get ready on our own, that would just have been a mess of grumpy girls not happy with their hair or rushing out the door with just lipstick on our lips.

Your team was great!  Having an artist follow us between the ceremony and reception, was really worth it, we all looked great in our pictures, and timing wise it would have been impossible to fit in touchups and doing photos in such a small window of time.  I really loved all the girls looks, they all looked very classic.  My hair and makeup was exactly what I wanted, thanks to you and our wedding day preview, and the fact that I got to see how I was going to look like in person and in camera, thank you for letting me evolve the look right before the wedding.  My hair stayed in perfectly, all day, and all night, until around midnight (but I think me being a dancing fool had alot to do with the little pieces coming out).  I was really pleased with Sharon and her team and will recommend them to my friends, I will also probably see Sharon again, for another milestone in my life!”

Joy Beuzlin
Wedding Location:  The Royal Victoria Yacht Club

Tosca Reno comes to Victoria BC || Celebrity Makeup Artist

Sharon Rai Hair & Makeup Artistry had the pleasure to work with Tosca Reno, A New York Times best selling author of Eat – Clean Diet book series, a motivational speaker and a media personality.  She arrived to Victoria, BC for the first ever, Fitness & Figure Show held by Island Fit Life.  Tosca was the guest speaker, sharing her story and discussing her Eat-Clean Diet.

She is gorgeous, and inspiring, it was an honor to work with her!  We arrived on-location to the Hotel Grand Pacific downtown Victoria.  For Tosca, we did smokey eyes, flawless glowy skin, and a beautiful updo with her hair.

Tosca, and her husband, Robert Kennedy, from Robert Kennedy Publishing, were in Victoria, for less than 12 hours, and then headed to New York to be on Good Morning America Health, The Better Show & Good Day New York.

Amazing how great she looks, with little sleep, and alot of traveling!  A true inspiration!

My hair and makeup lasted the entire night & I received so many compliments! – Hatley Castle SR Bride

Before meeting with Sharon I was not sure what to expect. The times I had my hair and make-up professionally done in the past was definitely hit and miss. We met a few days prior to my wedding to create “my look” at the wedding day preview.  Sharon listened to my ideas and created a glamorous, flawless look that was more perfect than I could have imagined!!  I loved it!!  On the day of my wedding, Sharon and her team arrived to the Laurel Point to recreate “my look” along with doing my bridesmaids, mother and mother-in-law’s hair and make-up. The afternoon was relaxed and completely stress free. My hair and make-up lasted the entire night and I received so many complements! Sharon and her team are talented, professional and a lot of fun to spend time with. I would definitely recommend Sharon Rai Hair & Makeup Artistry for any special occasion.

Christine Becker
Wedding Location:  Hatley Castle – Victoria, BC
Getting Ready Location:  Inn at Laurel Point – Victoria, BC

“I wanted to look perfect on my Wedding Day!” – SR Bride

“I wanted to look perfect on my wedding day and just like most brides I was very nervous. I first saw Sharon’s work on her website and knew right way I wanted to work with her.  We had the wedding in Victoria, BC and I’m from San Diego, CA so finding the right person from so far away was nerve wracking!   I spoke with her on the phone, and met with her when I came to Victoria a few days before the wedding, Sharon was truly amazing and made me feel completely at ease.  The morning of the wedding she came to my home at 4 am and spent the next 4 hours giving me the perfect look.   Her calm energy, organization, and knowhow immediately took the pressure off.  All I had to do was sit back and let her perform her magic!  She created two entirely different looks for me; one for my wedding and another for my reception.  Each one captured the energy, romance, excitement, and glamour I was looking for.  She captured my vision, and best of all, my makeup and hair lasted all day under the sun, lights, while dancing, and eating!

  To anyone considering using Sharon, my recommendation is to do it.  She listens to your opinions, understands your wants, and works as hard as she can to make the day as special as you expect it to be.  Most importantly she’s sweet, so easy to work with, and very accommodating.  I felt like a princess thru the entire day and without her help I know my look would never have felt complete!”

Thank you again Sharon!

Leslie Saini

Wedding Location:  Victoria, BC

Pamper yourself this Holiday Season || Holiday Hair & Makeup

Pamper yourself with Hair & Makeup for your next Holiday Party!

After Session Winner! – FREE After Session!

Sharon Rai Hair & Makeup Artisty & Jesse Holland Photography are pleased to announce our After Session Contest Winner!  Kulwinder Sall is the lucky winner, she will receive the After Sesion Package Including:

Her own private Studio Professional makeup application Professional hairstyling Styling session Professional 90 minute couples photo-shoot with guidance 20 edited images on disc On-site stylist with touchups

Here is her story from her wedding day that she submitted:

“My husband and I got married 23 years ago when I was 18 years old.  It was a different era then and I hadn’t yet had a chance to develop my own sense  of who I was or what my style would look like.  Weddings were not elaborate affairs and very few people had professional hair and make-up. 

I graduated from highschool in June 1988 in Campbell River, BC.  My wedding was set one month later on July 30^th of that same year.  My dad picked an ordered the wedding invitations and we bought everything for my wedding in one trip to Vancouver’s main street.  There was no shopping around for the perfect wedding outfit or reception outfit.  We walked into Frontier and looked at the 5 or so wedding outfits and picked one.  We then proceeded across the street and bought a gold set and bangles and called it a day.

Back in  Campbell River, I popped into the Shoppers Drug Mart and bought burgundy lipstick and nailpolish and that was the totality of my wedding makeup.  On my wedding day, my 18 old self  crowded into my parents bathroom (which consisted of a toilet and sink) and proceeded to do my own make up.  A friend came over and helped me put my hair up in a bun making sure to leave my bangs out in a messy bird’s nest type concoction.  She tied my chunni and I grabbed flowers that my dad had ordered from a local florist and off I went to get married.

My Dad had hired a professional photographer but my husband’s family didn’t have the patience to wait for the pictures because they wanted to catch the next ferry back to the mainland.  The pictures that were taken included everybody under the sun but none of just my husband and I or us with my family.  My husband’s family friend took pictures for them and there are hundreds of 5X6 pictures but none of us…lots of his family etc.

To this day, I don’t look at my wedding pictures and have not watched my own wedding video.  Even though we are a lot older, I would love to have some beautiful pictures that I would be proud to frame and place in my home.”

Kulwinder Sall

We are pleased with all the interest in After Session and are now taking our last set of bookings for January – April 2012.  This is a limited time offer of $299, so please book your session by December 31st, 2011.  For more information please email.

I have always been disappointed with the “Professional” hair & makeup applications I have had in the past….

“I have always been disappointed with the “professional” hair and makeup applications I have had in the past.  Long ago, I decided that I must have unrealistic expectations and came to terms with the fact that I would never have the hair or makeup “from magazines”.  Before I found Sharon, I assumed that my wedding day hair would look “bridal”, at best, and that a “flawless face” actually meant having thick, heavy makeup.  And then I met Sharon.

As soon as I walked into Sharon’s studio for my wedding-day (hair)-preview, I was impressed.  Sharon was friendly, funny, easy to talk to, and I loved her style.  Her studio was gorgeous too! Sharon listened to everything I asked for, and confidently told me what she would change.  I left that day with great hair and a new FRIEND! 

A few days before my Wedding, I asked Sharon if she could do my makeup as well.  We didn’t have time for a makeup-preview, but based on my experience at the studio a few weeks earlier, I wasn’t worried. 

On the morning of my wedding, Sharon arrived on location.  She was prompt and so relaxed that I immediately felt calm.  When Sharon was finished with my hair and makeup, I couldn’t believe it.  It was EXACTLY what I dreamed of.  I finally got the “magazine” hair and makeup I thought was impossible to have 🙂  The makeup was natural looking and flawless, not the caked-on, “bridal” look I anticipated.  My hair was better than any of the “inspiration” photos I showed Sharon! The best part was that both my hair and the makeup lasted throughout the POURING rain during the outdoor ceremony and the photo-shoot on the water afterwards.  My Husband must have commented on my hair/makeup 100 times that day, and I am STILL getting compliments from other people.  I loved, loved, loved my hair and makeup! Sharon was worth every penny and I would recommend her to anyone that dreams of having picture-perfect hair and makeup, worthy of the magazines. 🙂

I was sad when all of the wedding festivities were over, and I was day-dreaming about all the excuses for another Sharon-Rai-makeover.  My Husband loves to save money and most of my “ideas” are “a waste of money” in his opinion.  When I told him that I wanted to have a one-year-anniversary photo shoot with him next August, and to have Sharon do my hair and makeup, he actually said it was “a great idea!”.  I almost fell over.  THAT was when I knew how much he loved my hair and makeup on our wedding day.  Thanks Sharon, from BOTH of us!!”  

Lindsey Kavanaugh
Wedding Location:  Villa Marco Polo Inn

PS:  “My Brother got married a few weeks ago in the States and I was in the wedding.  After getting my hair done at a salon, I was trying to “fix” my hair and ended up making it worse.   I was telling my Dad how awful I thought it was, and he looked at my hair and said it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was, but that it “definitely isn’t a Sharon-Rai hairstyle”.  hahaha.  I love that he remembers your name too!.”

Fun Victoria, BC Wedding at the Inn at Laurel Point

Sabrina, an August SR Bride, just blogged by her wedding photographer, Karen McNeil.

View the beautiful images, as the couple eat ice cream, take a boat ride, and have some fun!

Married at the Laurel Point Inn – SR Bride Tells her Story….

“Shortly after becoming engaged I was eager to find the perfect person to stylize my hair and makeup for my engagement shoot and my wedding day. It was important to me that I was able to find someone who specialized in bridal hair & makeup. Since I’ve only lived in Victoria for 5 years I wasn’t familiar with anyone who provided these services. It was through word of mouth I learned about Sharon Rai Hair & Makeup Artistry. After meeting with her, I decided she was definitely the perfect stylist I was hoping to find to be a part of this big event in my life.

Initially I wasn’t entirely sure of how I wanted my hair and makeup to look the day of the wedding, other than it had to look and make me feel completely fabulous. Sharon was fantastic at brainstorming different ideas based on my skin tone, the shape of my face, the length and colour of my hair, the style of my dress and my personality. 

I loved having the wedding day preview, I found this was really helpful to see how I would look on the day of my wedding. This included appetizers, trying different styles of hair and makeup, then getting into my wedding dress with all the accessories and having a mini photo shoot. It was really helpful to take these pictures because we could then see how well everything photographed together. This allowed us to make some changes we felt were necessary.

I loved having Sharon come to my hotel room the morning of my wedding. It just made my life so much easier that she provides mobile services. All I had to do that morning was wake up, shower and eat breakfast, the rest was in her hands, and I felt so excited and relaxed having her be a part of the big day. Once she had finished with my hair and makeup I couldn’t get over how AMAZING I felt and looked. I still get excited just thinking about it. My hair and makeup held up the entire day which was from 1pm til 3:30am! When my husband first saw me he was completely blown away with how I looked. He had loved what she did with my hair and makeup for our engagement shoot, but just couldn’t get over how she topped herself even more with our wedding day.  Everyone at the wedding  and those who have only seen some of our wedding photos have commented how stunning I looked.  I’ve been asked many times who did my hair and makeup. I definitely feel it was worth the investment I made to have Sharon’s services for my wedding day and engagement shoot.

I would highly recommend Sharon and her team for any occasion! She just makes you feel and look amazing. You will still look like yourself, but just a more fabulous self and honestly who doesn’t want to feel that way!”

Rebecca Corriveau Visser
Wedding Location:  Inn at Laurel Point – Victoria, BC

Book your After Session Today! – Brides, an excuse to put your wedding dress on AGAIN!

Thank you for all the interest in After Session we are now all booked up until the new year!  We are taking our last set of bookings for January – April 2012.

Limited time offer of $299.  Please book by December 31, 2011.  Go ahead you deserve it!

Relive your moment together, and have the look and photography you always wanted.  Take a moment to pull our your wedding dress from your closet, and be a bride again.  Let us show you the wedding pictures you deserved.

Package Includes:

Your own private Studio
Professional makeup application
Professional hairstyling
Styling session
Professional 90 minute couples photo-shoot with guidance
20 edited images on disc
On-site stylist with touchups