Category: Christy & Co.

Meet the Team! | Betsy | Makeup Artist

Posted on by ChristyL

Meet Betsy. She’s one of the superstar makeup artists on our team. Always an artist, Betsy fell in love with makeup as a medium when she started working for Sephora in 2009. Their training programs took her to Boston and New York City, and in 2011 when she realized she wanted to focus more on the application of makeup rather than the sales end of it, she joined the Christy & Co. team!

Betsy Mitchell, makeup artist for Christy & Co.
Photo by Seth Kaye Photography

Betsy’s favorite part of doing makeup for weddings is having the opportunity to make people feel like the best version of themselves, when she holds the mirror up for the bride to see herself for the first time, and they say, “Wow! I look SO good!” (Above photo is clearly one of those moments!)

Betsy is not a cookie cutter, one-look-fits-all artist. Her creativity and natural artistic talent enables her to customize a look according to each client’s individual features while staying within their comfort zone. Any time Betsy is working a wedding with me, it’s a given that I’m going to hear a lot of happy exclamations from clients as they are hopping out of Betsy’s makeup chair!

Here are some of our favorite images from weddings that Betsy has done the makeup for: the first of each is a shot of the bride while having her makeup done and the second is the completed look.

Wedding makeup by Betsy Mitchell for Christy & Co.
Photo by Bridget Parmenter
Wedding makeup by Betsy Mitchell for Christy & Co.
Photo by Bridget Parmenter
Wedding makeup by Betsy Mitchell for Christy & Co.
Photo by Betsy Mitchell
Wedding makeup by Betsy Mitchell for Christy & Co.
Photo by Bunnell Photography
Wedding makeup by Betsy Mitchell for Christy & Co.
Photo by Aubrey Greene
Wedding makeup by Betsy Mitchell for Christy & Co.
Photo by Aubrey Greene
Wedding makeup by Betsy Mitchell for Christy & Co.
Photo by Annandale Photography
Wedding makeup by Betsy Mitchell for Christy & Co.
Photo by Annandale Photography

In addition to working weddings with us, Betsy also works as a server at a busy restaurant and is a full-time student in college working towards becoming an art teacher. In her free time (are you sure you have free time, Betsy?!), she loves to paint and draw – she has made some gorgeous chalkboard creations for some of our brides! – and is also a fellow foodie!

As I’m sure you may have noticed in the photos above, Betsy has a full sleeve tattoo on her right arm, that photographers just LOVE to photograph! Every wedding that I get photos from has a picture of Betsy’s arm included. And cool fact – Betsy drew some of the artwork that is incorporated into it!

I’ll finish up this blog post with a couple group shots from weddings that Betsy worked. Because she is a supah-stah!, Betsy did the makeup for all the women in these bridal parties. She’s talented, AND efficient!

Wedding makeup by Betsy Mitchell for Christy & Co.
Photo by Rebecca Arthurs
Wedding makeup by Betsy Mitchell for Christy & Co.
Photo by Michelle Girard Photography

Looking forward to our 8th bridal season together, Betsy!

 

Meet the Team! | Renee | Bridal Hair Designer

Posted on by ChristyL

Continuing with our Meet the Team! blog posts, today I’d like to introduce you to Renee, one of the bridal hair designers on the Christy & Co. team. Renee joined our business in 2011, and I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I said she has probably done a good 3000+ bridal hairstyles for us since that day. Anyone who has had the pleasure of having Renee as their bridal hairstylist knows that she is incredibly sweet, incredibly talented, and incredibly FAST. It is almost a guarantee that we will hear “I can’t believe how fast you are!” said at every wedding she works. It’s not uncommon for her to finish 10 heads of hair in the same amount of time it takes me to do makeup on 4 faces. I joke around that she should wear a Wonder Woman cape, but honestly… she really should!

Renee Turpin - Christy & Co. Hair Designer
Meet Renee! (Photo by Alvah Reida Photography)

Renee received her cosmetology license in 2006, and has been working in the field ever since. She realized bridal hair design was her passion, and focuses almost solely on that, always looking to stay on top of the trends and perfecting her techniques. Here are some examples of the gorgeous bridal updos Renee has created for us through the years, ranging from “loose and effortless” to “sleek and elegant”:

Sculpted Updo by Renee for Christy & Co.Tousled Updo by Renee for Christy & Co.Sleek Bun Updo by Renee for Christy & Co.Twisted Updo by Renee for Christy & Co.Braided Updo by Renee for Christy & Co.

Renee comes from an incredibly talented, artistic family! Her mom is also a hairstylist, and is always creating art in some form, whether it be painting and crafting, carving pumpkins for local jack-o-lantern spectaculars, or making Christmas decor. And her father makes incredible, one-of-a-kind creations out of wood and vines. The apple truly did not fall far from the tree with Renee! Creativity runs in her veins.

In her spare time, Renee loves to spend time with her family, which includes her husband, 9-year-old son, and 6-year-old daughter. She has a slew of pets, including chickens and goats. And she’s also a pretty fantastic shabby chic furniture refinisher!

I’ll finish this post with a few professional photographer images of Renee’s work from some of our past weddings. The wedding hairstyle is just one piece of the whole bridal puzzle, and it’s always incredible to see how it fits in with the rest of the wedding look!

Half up half down hairstyle by Renee for Christy & Co.
Photo by Rachel Kate Photography
Bridal hair updo by Renee for Christy & Co.
Photo by Servidone Studios
Wedding updo by Renee for Christy & Co.
Photo by Tony Spinelli Photography
Side swept updo by Renee for Christy & Co.
Photo by Rachel Kate Photography

I swear, if I could clone her, I would. Such an incredible talent, and a wonderful addition to the Christy & Co. team!

Meet the Team! | Christy | Owner and Makeup Artist

Posted on by ChristyL

Since you’re reading this post, chances are you already know what it is that Christy & Co. does, but you may not know the people behind it. Since it’s a new year, I thought now would be a great time to start a ‘Meet the Team’ series of blog posts, that will introduce you to each of the makeup artists and hair designers that make the Christy & Co. bridal beauty team the award-winning company that it is!

To start, I’d like to introduce you to me! My name is Christy Lavallee – I am the owner of Christy & Co., and one of the team’s makeup artists! I started in the makeup business working for Elizabeth Arden and Estée Lauder back in 1997. That same year I worked with my very first bride, and 21 years later, I’ve been in love with the wedding industry ever since!

Christy Lavallee, Makeup Artist
This is me! Photo by Lynn Quinlivan Photography

After several years working as an independent makeup artist and seeing an increase in demand, I realized that my business had the opportunity to become something larger than just myself, and in December of 2009 Christy & Co. was born! Can you believe that we have had the privilege of working with close to a thousand brides since that day?! What an honor, and something I am very proud of!

Here are some examples of my bridal makeup throughout the years:

Glam wedding makeup by Christy Lavallee
Photo by Dani. Fine Photography
Natural bridal makeup by Christy Lavallee
Photo by Love & Perry Photography
Romantic bridal makeup by Christy Lavallee
Photo by Megan Braemore Photography
Bridal makeup by Christy Lavallee
Photos by Alvah Reida Photography

I call my makeup style “Natural with a Touch of Glam”. I like to keep everything timeless rather than trendy, but with an extra pop on one feature – whether it be a softly smoky bridal eye, lots of lashes, or a bright lip. “You but better” is certainly my motto!

When I’m not working, I am either eating (fellow foodies unite!), traveling (I love nature and the outdoors), gardening (I had my husband build me a room just for my plant collection!) or hanging out with my husband, daughter & pets (I have 3 dogs – 2 Shiba Inus and a Norwegian Elkhound – and 3 cats).

That’s me in a nutshell! Over the next couple weeks I’ll be introducing you to the other amazing makeup artists and hair designers on our team. I can’t wait to share their stories and their talent with you!

-Christy

We’ve Won Again! The Knot Best of Weddings 2018

Posted on by ChristyL

Our team has done it again! The Knot has awarded us Best of Weddings for 2018 in the Bridal Beauty category. This is our 8th consecutive win, and continues our reign as a top awarded hair & makeup team on The Knot in the entire greater Boston area.

The Knot Best of Weddings 2018 award winner - Christy & Co.

Thank you to all our brides who continue to pass along great feedback about us. Every review is so greatly appreciated!

 

Romantic Barn Wedding Hair and Makeup | The Barn at Wight Farm | Sturbridge, MA

Posted on by ChristyL

We have so many wonderful wedding venues here in Sturbridge that invoke the feel of this historical town. The Barn at Wight Farm (part of the T3 Chefs & Catering collection) is a perfect example of that! We are so happy that we get to spend quite a bit of time each wedding season working with so many awesome Wight Farm brides!

Gorgeous bride Ellie is our most recent example. Our artist Betsy gave her a beautifully natural and romantic makeup look, while our hair designer Renee pumped up the volume with textured waves in Ellie’s short, layered bob.

Bridal hair and makeup for Ellie's Barn at Wight Farm weddingBridal hair and makeup for Ellie's Barn at Wight Farm weddingBridal hair and makeup for Ellie's Barn at Wight Farm weddingBridal hair and makeup for Ellie's Barn at Wight Farm weddingBridal hair and makeup for Ellie's Barn at Wight Farm weddingBridal hair and makeup for Ellie's Barn at Wight Farm weddingBridal hair and makeup for Ellie's Barn at Wight Farm weddingBridal hair and makeup for Ellie's Barn at Wight Farm weddingBridal hair and makeup for Ellie's Barn at Wight Farm weddingBridal hair and makeup for Ellie's Barn at Wight Farm weddingBridal hair and makeup for Ellie's Barn at Wight Farm wedding

Many, many hours later, and those waves are still going strong!

Congratulations Ellie!

Photos by Visions by Baker

Venue: The Barn at Wight Farm in Sturbridge, MA

Makeup: Betsy of Christy & Co.

Hair: Renee of Christy & Co.

Makeup for Laura’s North Shore Wedding | Beauport Hotel | Gloucester, MA

Posted on by ChristyL

Yourself, but better. It truly is the key to a timeless wedding makeup look. Dewy skin. Blush pink cheeks and lips. Flirty lashes. That bridal glow. The look you’ll love when looking at your wedding photos 20 years from now. This is the look Laura wanted for her North Shore wedding at the Beauport Hotel in Gloucester, MA. And that’s the look our artist Alexandra gave her. Simply gorgeous!

Natural bridal makeup for Laura's wedding at the Beauport Hotel in Gloucester, MANatural bridal makeup for Laura's wedding at the Beauport Hotel in Gloucester, MA

Look at that glow! <3 Natural bridal makeup for Laura's wedding at the Beauport Hotel in Gloucester, MA Continue reading “Makeup for Laura’s North Shore Wedding | Beauport Hotel | Gloucester, MA” →

Voluminous Curls & Smoky Eyes for Jamie’s Wedding | The Barn at Wight Farm | Sturbridge, MA

Posted on by ChristyL

On the right person, I love a sexy, glam bridal look. Smoky eyes. Bombshell voluminous hair. Not everyone can pull this off. But Jamie? Oh, Jamie pulled it off. Take a peek at this gorgeous look that our makeup artist Betsy and hair designer Chelsea created for Jamie’s wedding at The Barn at Wight Farm here in historic Sturbridge, MA. {Images by the always fabulous Bunnell Photography}

Bridal makeup and hair for Jamie's Sturbridge wedding at The Barn at Wight FarmBridal makeup and hair for Jamie's Sturbridge wedding at The Barn at Wight FarmBridal makeup and hair for Jamie's Sturbridge wedding at The Barn at Wight FarmBridal makeup and hair for Jamie's Sturbridge wedding at The Barn at Wight Farm

How do you want your hair and makeup to look after several hours and shedding tears during your wedding? Perfect? We’ve got that covered. (We started hair & makeup at 7:30am that day, and it was warm and humid in August!) Continue reading “Voluminous Curls & Smoky Eyes for Jamie’s Wedding | The Barn at Wight Farm | Sturbridge, MA” →

Best Wedding Makeup and Hair Design – 7 Years in a Row!

Posted on by ChristyL

We are thrilled to announce that Christy & Co. has received two more awards! We have been awarded The Knot’s Best Of Weddings 2017 Award for Bridal Beauty and WeddingWire’s 2017 Couples’ Choice Award for Wedding Beauty Services. This is our 7th year in a row for receiving these awards, and makes us the most highly awarded bridal beauty team in the area. Go team, go!!

The Knot Best of Weddings 2017 award   WeddingWire 2017 Couples' Choice Award

We’ve been Awarded 2016 Boston’s Best of Weddings from The Knot!

Posted on by ChristyL

We are so happy and proud to once again announce that Christy & Co. has been awarded The Knot’s Best of Weddings Award in the Bridal Beauty category for the Boston area. This is our 6th consecutive win, and follows up our induction last year into The Knot’s Hall of Fame.

2016 Best of The Knot Boston Wedding Makeup

Thank you to all of our brides over the past year. It’s because of your praise that we’ve won! xoxo