Summary of 2009

Another year is almost over...and oh what an amazing year it was! The memories created this year are unforgettable and I will forever cherish them. Looking back at all the experiences I've had, I realise that I am truly blessed and so lucky. I wouldn't want to be anyone else in this whole world!

I have amazing friends who do incredible things for me, the most supportive husband who loves me with all his heart and treats me with respect and admiration, and I have a strong support base from all the people who matter most in my life - and then some! This has definitely been the best year of my life so far...let's look back at all the extraordinary experiences I've had.

1. GETTING MARRIED! It couldn't have been a more perfect day or wedding...it was definitely the happiest day of my life and I'm so lucky to have Blake as my husband. Everyone came together that day for us and it felt so wonderful to have all that positive energy and love surrounding our relationship.

2. Our honeymoon to the Mayan Riviera. Blake and I were lucky to be able to get away to such a beautiful paradise. It was the best way to start our marriage, and such a relaxing trip.

3. Trip to L.A. with the girls. So many memories were created that weekend in such a short time, but it was definitely some of the most fun I've ever had! We saw so many cool things, we stayed right in Hollywood, went to the Kodak Theatre, the Geisha House and Les Deux, Rodeo Drive, and Disneyland! The only thing missing was my PB1.

4. Renewed friendship with Kim. We have been friends for 14 years but the wedding and all the events leading up to it brought us closer together again, almost like never before. She is one of the most amazing people I have ever met and I'm so thankful to be able to call her my best friend.

5. Blossoming friendships. I have more than just one best friend now - Megan and Kandice have also been there for me and I'm so grateful to be able to have them in my life.

6. Met Corey Miller from L.A. Ink - It was brief but really cool!

7. Did makeup on Amanda Crew. I didn't know who she was really at the time or that she was famous, but I guess she was the first celebrity that I did makeup on and that's exciting for me!

8. All of my pre-wedding events (shower, stagette etc.). I felt so much love surrounding me at each of these special occasions. I'm so blessed to have so many generous people in my life who care about me!

9. Realising my goals and dreams and being inspired to go for it! What is life without dreams and something to wish for? I am so excited and all the support I have received thus far means the world to me...I have so much to look forward to and I know I can do it if I put my heart into it.

10. Christmas. It was a very busy Christmas as we had 3 dinners and 4 separate houses to attend, but it was so nice to spend a little time with each person in the family. I received so many nice presents - I also got an amazing gift from Blake and my in-laws: an airbrush and compressor! So I have another tool to try to master and use toward my career goals!

To sum it up, it's been one hell of a year for me packed full of great things...and these are only the best highlights! Looking back at everything just reminds me of all the things I am so lucky to have in my life. You should make a top ten list of the best things that happened to you this year!

Sometimes we forget to look at the whole big picture and we dwell on the small things that are getting in the way...I know I have done that from time to time. Making this list made me realise that all those little things do not matter! If people try to bring you down, or circumstances are unfair, keep your focus on your dreams and remember that being the best you can be and staying positive will prevail in the end. The hardest things I struggle with is having patience and a little too much pride at times. Its definitely not always easy to look at the bright side when things don't go your way...but it will all smooth out in the end if have something to focus on. Keep your karma slate clean and for those who do try to trip you up, leave it to karma to come full circle. I believe everyone gets what they deserve!

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Holiday Eyes

So the holidays are upon us and I love it!!! In my 24 years I have not gotten sick of all the Christmas decor and joyful music yet! In fact, I'm almost done my Christmas shopping and everything that I do have is already wrapped and under the tree (as of 2 weeks ago). Hehehehe...don't hate me!

So I decided to do a little how-to holiday makeup look. It's fairly simple and anyone can wear it! Here's what I used on my eyes/lips:

Grey Silk Eye Gloss - Jane Iredale
24K Gold Dust Silver - Jane Iredale
Oyster - Jane Iredale
Blitz & Glitz Fluidline - MAC
Black Liquid Liner - Maybelline
Black Voluminous Mascara - Loreal
116 Lashes - Ardell Duralash
Crimson Lip Liner - Jane Iredale
Carrie Lipcolor - Jane Iredale
Cherry Sparkle Gloss - Jane Iredale

That's the gist of it! You can also use a gold eyeshadow base and gold glitter to put a bit of a different spin on it. Be more bold this season...try a red lip! Not many people like it at first but it really looks gorgeous, you just have to wear it for a bit and see yourself with it on to get used to it. It's like the perfect accessory to your outfit during Christmas time.

On another note, I hope you guys are enjoying my tutorials. I really appreciate all the feedback and support from everyone! At the moment I have almost 900 views and around 10 subscribers which is great! I'm so happy that people can make use of my videos, I hope that they are informative anyway! I try to make them quick and cut out any boring stuff, cuz I've watched quite a few different makeup tutorials and I find some people talk way too much.

I plan on doing some more this week...so keep watching!

c2

Mission Wedding Show

I did my first ever wedding show today!!! I had my own table and everything! It was so much fun...I felt like it went really well :) One of my very best friends, Megan, helped me out and kept me company. Thanks so much PB1, you're the best <3>

I saw so many people from highschool and it felt so great to have them see what I'm doing these days. I feel really proud of what I do and it just reminded me again of my dreams and what I want to be! I'm planning to do another wedding show in early January and I have a feeling it won't be too difficult to book up my summer with weddings! Hope is once again restored and I'm really excited! I feel great.>

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P.S. I really need to think of a cute catchy name for my makeup business because people can't read or pronounce my last name!!!

Megan Fox Smoky Look

I posted up another makeup tutorial today on how to do a Megan Fox inspired smoky eye...Megan Fox is one of my favorites! Her makeup always looks hot and I love to recreate her looks, so keep watching for more tutorials on the Fox's makeup.

I'll keep it simple because this is a longer one...so this is what I used on the eyes:

Grey Silk Liquid Shadow - Jane Iredale
Silver Lining Trio - Jane Iredale
Taupe/French Toast Duo - Jane Iredale (lighter color for browbone highlight)
Black Pencil Liner - Prestige
Voluminous Mascara - Loreal

And for blush I used one from smashbox but the name is rubbed off so I really don't know what it was called, sorry guys!

And I wanted to add some music but I find my voice is too quiet and the music sounds too overpowering so I'm going to try to speak up more on future videos.

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Contouring & Highlighting

Hey lovelies!

So I made a quick tutorial on how to contour and highlight the face. I feel that this is a very important part of basic makeup knowledge as it creates more depth and definition in your facial features and that's partly what makeup is all about - making your features stand out!

So all the steps are there...it's kind of quick but the main thing you want to remember is to blend, blend, BLEND! Start with your lighter colors first (always) and then add the darker colors gradually...if you plop it on too fast it's going to look blotchy and dirty and not nice at all. If your using creme products to contour and highlight, I find the warmth from your fingers to blend it out works best. If you're using powder products, using soft, fluffy, natural hair brushes give the best results.

So here is the list of products I used:

Foundation - Liquid Minerals (Jane Iredale)
Concealer - Circle/Delete 1 (Jane Iredale)
Translucent Powder - Merle Norman
Bronzer - Arbonne International
Blush - Dolly Mix (MAC)

That's about it...I know I've been using some of the same products/colors in my tutorials, I'm planning to switch it up a bit. Keep watching! Subscribe, rate, and comment. Thanks everyone!

C2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v05yDQOJhfY

Lady Gaga Tutorial

My second tutorial is finished...I've been working hard on it for probably the past 4-5 hours and I think it turned out pretty great! I posted on YouTube that you can come to my blog to find out the exact products I used in the video. So I figured I should probably type this up right away.

Foundation - Radiant Liquid Minerals by Jane Iredale
Concealer - Circle/Delete 2 by Jane Iredale
Blush/Contour - Dolly Mix by MAC
Loose Powder - Merle Norman
Creme Eye Base - Pearl Frost by MAC
White Shadow - White by Jane Iredale
Darker Shadows - Taupe, Dark Suede, Charcoal by Jane Iredale
Black Pencil - Black by Jane Iredale
White Pencil - White by NYX
Creme Liner - Blitz & Glitz Fluidline by MAC
Liquid Liner - Black by Maybelline
Mascara - Black Voluminous by Loreal
Lashes - Top Pair (No name brand) Bottom Pair (Duralash 116)
Lips - I just used powder to lighten them, DollyMix blush around edges, dab of clear gloss

I hope this helps! Please subscribe to my blog and my tutorials and give me lots of feedback! I could definitely use it :)

C2

First Tutorial

So I have created my first tutorial...first 2 actually but the first one was kind of bland so I sort of redid it. Yep, that's me! Perfectionist (although I'm having a lot of problems trying to publish it). It was on brow shaping; I hope everyone likes it! I find it a little nerve-racking to put it out there for everyone to see but I'm more embarassed for people I know to see it, because I care what they think.

Instead of naming all the specific products I used during the video, I'm going to direct people to my blog if they're really interested. So for my "Brow Guru" video, this is what I used:

Jane Iredale Taupe Pencil
Jane Iredale Daytime Shadow Kit (Dark Suede/Charcoal)
Jane Iredale Angle/Liner Brush
Jane Iredale White Pencil

Yes, I use a lot of Jane Iredale Mineral Cosmetics as that is what we carry at my work and I do quite like the line for the most part. It's definitely a good idea to know what you're putting on your skin and this product line has a lot of benefits.

I'm hoping to create many more fun and entertaining tutorials...hopefully this one works! If not, I'll be very upset as I spent quite a bit of time creating it!!! If it does work and you watched it, please give me feedback! Thanks everyone.

C2 OUT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLakup90a8I&feature=autofb

When do dreams become reality?

I am full of hopes and dreams at the moment...that's partly why I'm starting this blog. I'm at a point in my life where the decisions I make are going to shape my future and have a big impact on my life. I have been on an emotional roller coaster for the past few weeks, torn between my current occupation and what I really want to do, along with all the usual stresses that come along with lovely life.

Dreaming is an amazing thing. I could not imagine life without having things to hope for and look forward to, to dream about and work towards. It's very important, otherwise what is the meaning of life? What is the purpose? We need to have things we love and goals for ourselves to fulfill our being! It feels so good to challenge ourselves and overcome the bumps in the road. But in saying that, it's not always easy!

Stepping out of your comfort zone and safety net is very scary. I'm finding that right now...but I've also come to realise that this is the time to do it. I am still young, I don't have big debts or responsibilities to hold me back. I'm still making who I am and shaping my life. I have the power to make it great or settle for where I'm at. I want to be great, I want to be well-known, I want to use my talents to make people feel good and to make people happy. I'm going to do it!

Lately I have felt very bored and unhappy about my current job situation...you can blame it on the economy or whatever it may be, but I don't feel like it's ever going to go back to the way it was. I am doing makeup, but not as much as I'd like to be. It's not fulfilling my creative outlet and there are a lot of politics and negative things going on that I'm not finding enjoyable. I keep telling myself that I'm lucky to have a steady, decent-paying job with the way the market has been - and that's true. But I also feel like I'm kidding myself because I'm not content there anymore. My job is monotonous to me when it should be fun and exciting.

That's why I want to become a freelance makeup artist! I have a lot of things I've been doing to work towards this choice: expanding and updating my portfolio, participating in wedding fairs, posting ads online, creating a website and groups on facebook, handing out business cards, getting inspired and taking in as much good information as I can to help market myself, networking with others in the industry, anything that can help me to get my name out there. My dream job would be to work with a photographer doing photoshoots...I love doing creative, artistic, avante-garde style makeup. I also love doing glam makeup and weddings, so my first goal is to fill my spring and summer with makeup bookings for the wedding season!

So far I have 8 potential weddings booked and I'm hoping after my first wedding show in about 2 weeks that I will have many more. I'm feeling very optimistic and excited for all of this, but at the same time a little nervous and scared. It works out that I have Thursday-Saturday off as my regular schedule, but eventually I'm going to have to tell my employer that I'm totally unavailable to cover shifts on Saturdays. That could pose a problem in the summertime because I'm needed quite a lot to cover shifts on Saturdays as my co-workers will take holidays and such. I know that I'm an adult now and should not be afraid to tell them this, but I have always been intimidated by management. Being assertive is not my strong suit as I'm a pretty easy-going individual. I have a feeling they won't be very happy with my decision.

The past 2 summers have made me determined to make a change in my career because I have been stuck working shifts that ruin my opportunity to do weddings outside of work, as well as working a lot more than I prefer at times because there has not been adequate coverage. And with the way business has been, and my poor luck, the shifts that I have covered have been slow and I really have not made any extra money off commission from weddings at my workplace; in fact, I barely had any brides booked in last summer! I want to do more weddings, I want to do more makeup, and I want to make more money! Most of all, I want to work for myself.

So, I'm confident that I can get my summer booked up completely, but my worry is that I may not have a steady job after that. Wedding season is mainly from about April-September, so where does that leave me for the rest of the year? Ideally, I'd love to be doing more photoshoots and creative makeup assignments to fill the space...but I'm not sure if that will come this soon. So, as I said, I'm feeling optimistic but I have some doubts and anxieties. All I can do is work towards this first goal and see what opportunities open up for me. Things seem to be working out so far; I just have to remain positive and goal-oriented. I can always fall back on my art (which I'm also trying to get going a little more...anyone want portraits done, contact me!).

I'm going to be successful...just you wait and see! I have a very strong support base and I love my husband, friends, and family for that. For now, it's my dream.

C2