I got my first ever makeover during my senior year in high school. It was prom night and my friends and I went over to the then-unknown MAC cosmetic counter at Nordstrom to get our makeup done. We learned that we could get a free makeover if we purchased something there, so we each bought a tube of lipstick (one thing that we could afford) and let the skilled artists turn us girls into a Cinderella for the night.
Well, not so fast.
I don’t know if it was because this was back in the early 90s and not too many makeup artists knew how to do Asian faces (or I just got incredibly unlucky), but my MAC lady ended up turning me looking like a $2 hooker.
I looked awful … just awful. I wanted to cry and wipe my face clean but we had no time, so I ended up going to the biggest event of my adolescent years looking like a streetwalker with awful raccoon eyes.
So you can probably understand my hesitation when it came to deciding weather I should have my makeup done professionally for the wedding. A part of me just wanted to do my own to avoid any unpleasant surprises, but the optimist inside me was willing to take a chance to see if it will be different this time around.
I found Susie Chhour Hair and Makeup Studio while researching on Yelp. I couldn’t resist contacting the studio because this place had almost 100 reviews with virtually all five stars. I saw the before-and-after photos on its website and I was pleased to see many Asian brides looking absolutely stunning! This gave me a glimpse of hope!
I sent them an email and received an immediate response from Nicole from the studio, who, by the way, was amazing and kept me informed every step of the way. I was so happy when she told me that Sunny and her team were available on our wedding day because I’d read so many wonderful reviews on Sunny.
Trial Session
I went in for a consultation / dry run with Sunny on an Easter weekend. Shannon came with me, and we drove to an apartment-turned-studio in Culver City at 7:00 in the morning for the hair and makeup test runs. I liked Sunny immediately when I met her. There was something so special about her, like I wanted to be her friend and go out for coffee or something!
I was initially thinking about putting my hair up in a bun but she recommended putting it on the side very loosely for a very natural feel. I couldn’t visualize it at first but fell absolutely in love when I saw the finished style! And she gave me an idea to put a silk flower on it.
Oh, and the makeup? I think Shannon put it best when she said that Sunny turned me into the best version of me. I still looked like myself, but with the volume turned up a bit. I absolutely loved it.
The Wedding Day
On the wedding day, Sunny and her team came to SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, where Kevin and I were staying for the weekend. They came right on time, at 5:00 in the morning (yes, it was early) and they brought all the tools and even turned the wheeled cosmetic bags into chairs! They were precise, efficient, and incredibly professional, and turned us girls into princesses one by one.
My maid of Honor Saori and two of my Bridesmaid Maya and Tiffany all got their hair and makeup done by one artist (I feel awful that I forgot her name because she was absolutely amazing … a part of me thinks her name was Julie … ), and I got all mine done by Sunny. She replicated the looks we agreed on from the trial session and once again made me feel like the best version of myself.
She sent me off with an emergency kit with sample-size lipstick, foundation, and few pieces of blotting paper!
Getting hair and makeup done can be costly, but I think that’s one area that no bride should scrimp on. Invest the money in great makeup artist even if you have to cut a few friends from the guest list 
because it’s worth every penny. And call Susie Chhour and ask for Sunny!
Lavender and OliVE 