Did I really just make my blog title a hashtag? Why yes I did! The reason is because that's what this blog is all about.
Feb 18th-Feb 23rd was Social Media Week and Simply Audree Kate had created her own version on Instagram. (Quick background on Audree: Super cute redhead with great fashion sense based in Arizona!) I was feeling bogged down with school and needed something to keep me creative so I figured why not give it a shot!
Here's the fun I had during SMW:
Day 1: #ootd I had been on set all day so my Outfit of the Day was something more than yoga pants and a top lol
Day 2: Favorite Item In Your Closet. Most of you know how much I LOVE patterned jeggings/leggings so naturally that's what I picked and since I couldn't decide on just one I picked my 2 favorites. My Aztec print leggings and my floral print jeggins :)
Audree also posted her favorite item and like me it was more than 1. Sometimes it's just too hard to pick one!
Day 3: The best fashion advice you've received. I'm not sure where I heard this but being a mom makes it hard to figure out what is fashion appropriate. Just because I'm in my 30's and a mom doesn't mean I need to dress frumpy. It can be a fine line sometimes but as long as I feel good and look good, then it doesn't matter what others think.
This is what Audree posted (love):
Day 4: Favorite fashion quote. I think as women we have a hard time accepting this but it is something we need to remember. There is beauty in EVERYTHING regardless of whether or not others can see it. #beyou
Audree's was more about fashion but definitely has a great message!
Day 5: Blog topic you want SAK to write about. I didn't get around to doing this one but I think a great blog would be how to rework you wardrobe by using your existing pieces. What mom (& really anyone) wouldn't like this? Most of us don't have the time or money to go out and shop so we need to recreate what we have in our closets.
I also thought that a post on how not to feel like a mom when dressed (does that sound weird??). There are times when I put an outfit on that looked adorable in my head or in a picture and I look awful! Very much like a mom. Why didn't the other woman look like a mom and I do? Why do I look so frumpy? Granted this could be a personal perception of myself but that's besides the point ;)
I wasn't the only one that participated in SMW so if you want to see other #ootd's and quotes from other IGers search #SAKlovesSMW
You can follow Audree on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
Stay foxy!!
Wow where did 2013 go?? I have a feeling I wondered the same thing when 2012 was done. The years seem to zip by so quickly, don't they?
2013 brought about some pretty exciting things and HUGE changes. In January I made the decision to follow my dream full time. I quit working in salons and focused on making ALM the real deal. January 30th marked the day I became official. I got my Fed ID number, registered with the county and set my plans into motion.
The beginning of 2013 was slow going partially due to the fact I was afraid of failing. This is a typical fear for all new business owners but instead of facing it head on I chose to hide from it. Not exactly the best attitude but I was a little intimidated by the amazing talent that was in Grand Rapids and I felt I had a lot more to learn before I could really put myself out there.
I got that opportunity in April when I got the chance to take a workshop taught by the legendary Kevin James Bennett! What an eye opener! I learned so many things about the business that I began to implement and still have yet to implement (seriously there was so much stuff!).
About a month before the workshop I had the opportunity to work with Dionel Fisher of Dionel Photography again. It has been amazing to watch her grow as an artist. She recently opened up a studio and it is GORGEOUS! I can't wait to see the images that come out of there!
A couple of images from our shoot:
The summer of 2013 began with an email to a production company looking for crew members for their short film. I figured it was a long shot so when I received an email saying that I was hired I nearly fell out of my seat. A few days later I received another email welcoming me to the Dustie's Bites family. Holy cow 2 film gigs?? OMG! Could this really be happening? Yes, it really is! You can do this!! I had to repeat that to myself over and over.
After my first night on the set of Lucid, I was tired and drained but I couldn't sleep because I was so excited for the next night! Lucid wrapped up after 4 nights with little sleep and a crap ton of experience and passion. I love doing film work. It's incredibly exhausting but worth every minute. I recently saw the trailer (it hasn't been released yet) and I am beyond excited to see the whole thing.
Next came my work with Cooking with Dustie's Bites.
Have you ever worked with someone that you instantly connected with? You knew that while you were working you were building an awesome friendship? The first time I met Chef Dustin Morrell I knew my job was going to like hanging out with my friends. We connected instantly. His love of food (my love for eating food) and my love for fashion (his love of looking pretty-man pretty) helped our new found friendship. We also have a strong passion for supporting local. We have several ideas we're putting together to showcase local businesses in the future. Did you know that Dustin now caters in between shooting and writing his books? Check it out here -->http://www.dustinmorrell.com/catering-weekly-meals
The next biggest event for ALM was relocating to Arizona. This was an incredibly tough decision to make but I knew that, despite my budding business in MI, I needed to make the trek across the country to build ALM into the empire I want it to be. Ok, maybe empire is a little extreme but you get the idea :)
photo courtesy of Instagram
Once I got to Arizona I began thinking of what I could add to my services. I have always loved styling and putting photo shoots together so I decided why not begin to offer this amazing service. Styling Services were officially added to the menu in January. I also had the pleasure of meeting and working with Katie Harrison of Nakupenda Photography.
A beautiful heart and beautiful story behind her reason for photography. It's been a pleasure to work with her and I look forward to more senior sessions with her!
A couple pictures from the equine and senior session:
2013 definitely had me working for what I love and gave me more inspiration than I could hope for. I can't wait to see what 2014 has in store for me! Bring it on!!
Flaunt it and stay fabulous!!
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Hello ALM lovelies!
Most of you know that I am a big fan of gloProfessional and their products. I use their products daily and LOVE them!!
I have enjoyed putting together my Get The Look board on Pinterest and wanted to share them with you in a blog. I have decided that, as a New Year's resolution, I will create a blog post quarterly (or more) of Get The Look pictures (hence the title of this post). I will pick my favorite looks each month and put them on here, as well as on Pinterest.
Autumn Harvest Get The Look:
This gorgeous picture happened "by accident" if you will. I had done Esther's makeup for a competition but only had a minute to capture a picture. Lucky for me my friend Mike Banno of Michael's Photography & Imaging stopped by the salon just as she was leaving and captured this shot! How lucky were we that he showed up when he did!! It's been a couple years since this picture was taken but it is still one of my absolute favorites!
Products used: Eye Shadows in Sand Pebble, Harvest and Mink. Eye Pencil in Deep Olive. Brow Pencil in Auburn. Lash Boosting Mascara. Blush in Sheer Petal (one of my favorite universal colors!). Sheer Lipstick in Bora Bora.
Day to Night Get The Look (I don't have a name for this one. Any ideas?):
I don't completely remember how I came upon this color combination but isn't gorgeous?? When I described it to my mom she gave me the weirdest look. I had to show her the picture to get her approval! LOL I am lucky to have a beautiful friend like Katie that lets me try crazy combinations and take pictures. We wondered around downtown Grand Rapids "working" but it really was an excuse to play and check out that years ArtPrize. We did capture some really beautiful pictures that you can see on my Facebook page.
Products used: Eye Shadows in Blue Suede and Mink. Eye Pencil in Black. Brow Pencil in Brunette. Water Resistant Mascara. Sheer Tint Illuminator. Blush in Spice Berry (my current go to blush color!). Lip Gloss in Plum Glaze and Liquid Lips in Black Cherry (LOVE this color!!). To create the day look mix a little Black Cherry with Plum Glaze. To transfer this look to night, use Black Cherry alone!
Copper Rose Get The Look:
I created this look for one my students. Homecoming is always a glamorous version of everyday. I was excited to try some rosy tones on Alysa. We typically do browns so it was a nice change! I was also excited to use glominerals new Luxe foundation! Talk about awesome in a bottle! I am not typically a fan of liquid foundation (I have oily skin and feel that liquids make me oilier) but this is fabulous. It gives a full coverage without feeling like you have any makeup on. A friend of mine said it felt like airbrush foundation and I couldn't agree more. Seriously amazing stuff!
Products used: Luxe Liquid Foundation. Blush in Rosebud. Eye Shadows in Copper Sheen and Orchid. To create the eye look use the mid tone shade of the trio on the lid, layer Orchid on top of mid tone shade, place the darkest shade of the trio in the crease and the lightest shade on the brow bone/brow arch. Eye Pencil in Bejeweled Bronze. Lash Boosting Mascara. Brow Gel in Clear. Lip Pencil in Ambrosia Rose. Lip Duo in Pink.
How gorgeous are these looks?!?! If you like a complete look or even just part of one I want to offer you a special. Purchase any partial look (eyes, lips, etc) and I'll give you 15% off. Purchase a complete look and I'll give you 25% off! This special will expire when Episode 2 comes out so catch the discount while you can!!
Stay fabulous!
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Lucid was a fun adventure that had me tapping
into my younger days of pulling all nighters.
I’m not sure how I managed to work 10-12 hrs overnight for 4 nights and
be functioning enough to be a mom. I was
a walking zombie for a week. I was, however, lucky
enough to have my parents help me out!
I’ve been asked if I would do it again and my answer is always
ABSOLUTELY!! I absolutely loved being on
a film set! Words can’t describe the
excitement (and intense pressure) to recreate someone’s vision. I was able to work closely with the writer
and bring his vision to life. I have
been actively looking for more work in film.
I can’t thank Colin (and Cote) for giving me the chance!
Alicia Humphrey played "Lilith" the main character. Wow is all I can say about her! She is talented, beautiful, kind, hilarious (she gets all sorts of slap happy at 4 am LOL!) and just awesome! Shortly after the filming of Lucid she moved out to LA to continue to pursue her dream. I can't wait to see her on TV and the big screen. I can't wait to work with her again!!!!!
Working on Tahachi Hardrick who played "Keith." Tahachi picked up this role the day before filming began because of recasting needs. Most people would be nervous about this but he took this role and ran with it! It was great to work with him (I got to play his drunk girlfriend. Acting debut baby!!). Despite his large stature he is the biggest teddy bear and has a great sense of humor (and gorgeous skin!). Keep an eye out for this guy!
A couple more stills from the film
August also brought me to Chef Dustin Morrell and
his cooking show, Cooking with Dustie’s Bites.
Dustin was working on creating a local cooking show with national network
dreams. I started the day he was to
shoot his pilot. There was an instant
connection and within weeks I became a part of the Dustie’s Bites family. I became more than “just the Makeup Artist”
as he put it. My role has quickly
developed into the Set Decorator, Wardrobe Consultant and Photo Shoot Developer
and Scout. I have the chance to utilize
all my talents and connect with some really great people (We have a great shoot
planned with The Mitten State and other local GR favs).
I can’t wait to begin Season 2 and help Dustin develop this dream even
further! He has a passion that will take
him and the show far!
Meet Chef Dustin Morrell and Lucy
My first day working with Dustin :)
Seriously so excited for Season 2!!!
Stay fabulous my loves!!
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