I’ve been following Lady Vamp for a while, but most of the time, I don’t get to see makeup artists do their work because I arrive later in the day. For this wedding, I was there much earlier and was able to peek at Amber’s magic. Mary. Looked. STUNNING. Amber gave Mary the most naturally gorgeous look and was incredibly kind to everyone who was stressing over the wedding that day, as those involved in a wedding naturally do.

I reached out to Amber probably about a year ago (sorry Amber, I’m slow!) and at the time, she was just about to have a baby. I’m positive that there isn’t anyone more of a boss than Amber because she juggles multiple weddings with multiple artists every weekend and somehow raises children throughout all of this. One of the things that I was most curious about, besides where she honed her incredible skill, was where on earth the name came from. “Lady Vamp was a nickname I acquired because my makeup was either light and natural (Lady) or super dramatic (Vamp). I thought it was only fitting to use this name to help describe our range of artistry styles!” Amber explained to me.

Even though she’s a queen at wedding makeup, she didn’t originally start with wedding makeup as her focus. After graduating from Aveda, she worked on the weekends as a makeup artist for a senior photographer and during the weekdays at Lancome. When her friends all began getting married in 2012, she started offering her services the following year after loving the process of working on their wedding makeup.

Amber isn’t the only one on her team — she has at least 12 others and has also expanded into hair with a cute studio as well. “Honestly, I feel super lucky to have such talented artists on my team,” she says, while beaming over how strong her team is. And the team is fun. They love hanging out with brides the morning of the wedding and creating a comfortable, warm, and bubbly experience for their brides.

Before Mary’s wedding, I was definitely curious about what her makeup was going to look like, especially considering she rocks more of a natural style with a bold lip. Mary is Amber’s ideal client, stating, “For me personally, I love working with people who haven’t worn makeup or only wear it minimally. Makeup can look naturally gorgeous if done the right way and it’s so fun to introduce people to this!” Amber does not disappoint. She knows how to make a natural look that’s also camera-ready. (Because no, you don’t want shiny foundation showing in your wedding photos or cackling powder.)