Lia Sophia Jewelry Fashion Show

As a lot of you may already know, in addition to being a hair and makeup artist, I'm also a certified Zumba Instructor. A few months back, while subbing another instructor's class, I met a woman named Pam. Right from the beginning, Pam and I clicked. She had such a friendly, kind-hearted personality. As I got to know Pam, she told me about the non-profit organization called On Common Ground that she had started, and also about her business as a Lia Sophia Jewelry Consultant. Not long ago, Pam came to me and told me that she was organizing a jewelry showcase that would combine both her non-profit and Lia Sophia businesses. When she asked if I would be so kind as to provide makeup services for the models, right away, I was in.

The event was held at the South Attleboro Elks Club. It was a super hectic night, but I honestly must say that Pam and her team did a fantastic job organizing the event. The venue was set up beautifully, and the staff at the Elks Club did a great job as well.

Unfortunately, at this time, I don't have any pictures of the models. We were working within such a short time frame that I honestly didnt have a chance to snap any photos, but I am working on getting some ASAP! For hair and makeup, we went for a classic glamour look. Each model's hair was styled in a simple bun. Although each girl's bun was different, the overall theme was classic glam...very sleek and put together. I'm in love with buns as it is, so this was right in my element.

For makeup, I stayed right in line with the classic glamour look. I kept each model's makeup very clean and natural. Since the show was about the jewelry, I didnt want anyone's makeup to be too overpowering, so I kept things very neutral. My color palette for eyes for the evening was golds, bronzes, taupes, and black. Cheeks were highly contoured (just the way I like!), and given a splash of color to make the skin look as though it were blushing. Lips were also kept nude, but a colorful nude. Shades of bronze, mauve, and berry were used in order to give the lips that "just bitten" look.

Honestly, I'm kicking myself for not having time to get pictures! The girls looked absolutely stunning tonight! Like I said, I will be working to get a few pictures from the even to share with you guys.

Over all, this event was great. Pam put lots of hard work into organizing this evening, and it truly paid off. Guests were given a chance to browse through the catalog and receive a discount off of whatever they chose to order, and 100% of the proceeds were donated to On Common Ground. I couldnt have been more proud of my friend for this event. Unfortuately, I had to leave before the end (no sleep + early morning tomorrow = hell!), but I cant imagine that it ended anything less than fabulous! Cant wait to get my hands on some pictures to share with you all!!

Have a great night my beauties!

Catching Up

Its been months since I've posted here. I'm so sorry! So many things have been going on and I've been super busy! I have so much to catch everyone up on. Its pretty late right now, so there will be no catching up tonight! But, I will most certainly fill you all in on these past few months over the next week or two, and I'll also let you all know about some fabulous things that I have coming up in the near future.

All I can say is that I'm super excited about things, and that even more than being excited, I'm blessed :)

Have a fab night beauties...we'll catch up oh so soon!

Icon: Kimora Lee Simmon

As I grow older, I am influenced more and more by entrepreneurs. Mainly because, even though I'm in the early stages, that is what I am. One entrepreneur that I absolutely love and have so much respect for is Kimora Lee Simmons, so it is only right that she be placed in my Icon category.

Kimora Lee Simmons grew up in a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri (she's a mid-western girl too...I'm originally from Ohio ;P ) and was raised by a single mother. Growing up, Kimora was teased by other kids at school because she was so different. Being of Japanese and African American heritage, and nearly six feet tall by age 11, Kimora was most definately an oddity at school, and kids even called her "Chinky Giraffe" (how hurtful!). To boost her confidence, Kimora's mother enrolled her in modeling classes...while her appearance was odd to others, it was beautiful and something to be celebrated in the modeling world.

Her mother was right. By age 13, Kimora had been discovered by a scout for an agency, and was eventually shipped off to grace the runways of Paris, France. Soon after, Kimora was discovered by Karl Lagerfeld, Creative Director for the House of Chanel, and she served as his muse. Before even becoming an official "adult", Kimora had graced the covers and pages of top fashion magazines such as Vogue, Elle, and Harper's Bazaar.

Kimora entered the world of fashion design when she produced custom made baby t-shirts that read "Baby Phat" for the female models to wear during 1999 Phat Farm Men's Collection runway show at New York Fashion Week. Soon, everybody wanted that t-shirt, and from there, and entire women's collection was launched, and Baby Phat was born. Kimora served as creative director of Phat Fashions, and was the driving force behind the brands, ad campaigns, marketing, and business strategies. In addition, Kimora also stars in the Style Network's "Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane", and is author of the book "Fabulosity: What It Is and How to Get It." She also is heavily into philanthropy, and donates her time and support to numerous charitable organizations. Kimora Lee Simmons has achieved so much in her short life of only 35 years, and on top of everything that she does, she also is a mother of 3 children, and a wife.

Kimora truly inspires me. She knew what she wanted from a very early age, and worked hard (and continues to do so). It is so common for people to say how badly they want something, yet they are unwilling to sacrifice in order to acquire what they truly want, but Kimora is a perfect example of what vision, goals, and determination can bring about. I love the fact that she is a young business woman who is able to balance her normal life of motherhood and being a wife. I love the fact that she shows her two daughters and son exactly what a strong woman should be, and that any goal is attainable no matter what your circumstances are. What I love most though, is that even though her over the top personality makes her seem like some type of "diva", when you see Kimora in action, she is truly just a real person, and is truly someone to be admired.