Back to Reality With New Makeup

New York was amazing, I seriously can't get enough of that city. Even though Hurricane Irene put a slight damper on our trip, we still made the best of a stormy situation. The two days we were "stormed" in we watched several movies, had late night dance parties, ate way too much takeout, drank way too much vodka, and had some much needed bonding/relaxation time. It was so good to see Leah, Subreen and I missed her so much. Coming back to Charlotte and getting back into the swing of things was difficult. I loved having public transportation right outside my door and always having something different to do. I'm truly ready to move and I refuse to let anything get in the way of that. NYC 2012! At the moment, I have my sights set on transferring to the 5th Ave. or Soho locations. Here are some of my favorite photos from the trip:

Subway riding.

Search and Destroy in St. Marks.

Just like last year, Times Square tourist photo!

Beauty Bar in Union Square. Buy a $10 Martini and get a manicure!

Hot & sweaty in the Times Square Sephora.

Spent, but still looking fab.

Playing with light.

The sun came out on our last day.

♥

Our last day Subreen and I had a late flight so we made sure to do some serious shopping before we left. Sephora, H&M, and Inglot got the bulk of my money but I left with some awesome purchases. I got this palette from Inglot that I custom created. All the shadows including the pan came out to about $45.

The last time I was in NYC, I told myself that I was going to make a palette and I'm so happy I was able to do that in store. The pigments are fantastic! They also have US shipping now which they didn't have before so anyone interested should check it out! Another line that I love that we don't carry at our location is Illamasqua.I bought these two items:

Blush: Tweak  Lipgloss: Intense Lipgloss in Hermetic

The blush is a reddish pink (matte) and the lipgloss is a rich burgundy plum. Those two have been my staple items over the past few weeks. I'm ready for Fall so that I can wear a dark lip on a daily basis.

It's Almost Vacation Time!!!

This time next week I'll be in NYC with one of my best friends and fellow Makeup Artist Subreen Davis! Expect a post filled with makeup, clothing finds, and random night out photos. I'm even bringing my Holga to get some film photos as well. I haven't worked with film since College so I'm really looking forward to that endeavor. I'm SO excited, I haven't been to NYC since last July and that was for work! We'll be there August 26th-29th. Bring on the drinks and the abundance of good looking men ;-)

And I'll Still Love You New York

Cue Ryan Adams singing in the background. 

I came to the harsh realization a week into 2011 that even though I had my heart set on moving to NYC in August that I just wasn't going to be able to afford it. I think I fell in love with the idea of living in New York and being the dreamer I am, I wasn't thinking realistically about the financial aspects of living there. Sure, if I had three roommates and lived in a tiny apartment I would be able to afford it but that idea didn't appeal to me. I wouldn't want to move to a big city and not enjoy it because of constant lack of funds. I'm not giving up on moving back, but I no longer think this is the best time. I was telling friends that I'm now in the process of re-loving Charlotte because for a while I had become so frustrated that I wasn't taking advantage of what Charlotte has to offer. I'm changing my way of thinking and focusing on the positive, optimism is key for 2011! After all, I'm going to be 25 this year. 

With that said, at the moment I'm currently looking for my own apartment- my own one bedroom/one bathroom. My parents have been gracious and have never made me pay any type of rent since I moved back home in August 2009. Living at home hasn't been bad at all I'm ready to have my own place again, it's time for change and change is good.

"I'll always love you New York"- Ryan Adams

Pro Team 2010

Hmmm, how can I properly sum up Sephora's Pro Team tryouts? How about, intense, stressful, rewarding, emotional, ridiculous, honest?  I loved that I was able to go to NYC just a week later, for free but I was still unsure of what the audition process would consist of.  I will say that after the 1st day I was feeling fairly confident about progressing to the 3rd and final round in Vegas. However, the look for the 2nd day blew my mind. Just describing the look (which was essentially like a mask, very editorial and gaga-esque) to my cast members was exhausting. I wish I had a photo to post but I wasn't impressed with my final product and I wasn't even able to finish. I left that day feeling overwhelmed and disappointed, I knew that it would test me but I didn't think I would leave fighting back tears. I was lucky to meet some girls who gave some insightful words about not letting this audition make or break me, even current Pro Team members struggled with the look. If I tryout next year I can only hope for the best.

After Encore and Pro Team, I'm determined to step out of my comfort zone when it comes to makeup. I feel like that is the only way to grow and learn as an artist. Look forward to some new looks in the future!

Big City, Bright Lights

I'm officially a Color Expert! I can't fully put into words how amazing New York City was. I learned so many different makeup techniques at Color Encore and I'm so excited to share them with my castmates. I know at times, I have a love/hate relationship with Sephora but they offer a lot of opportunities to grow within the company. I think I fell in love with New York this week- it's a different feeling since I grew up in Queens and moved to Charlotte when I was thirteen, my family didn't venture into the city that often. Now that I'm in my early 20's that's all I want to do! The diversity there is wonderful and I couldn't help but notice the copious amounts of good looking men of all ethnicities, delicious! Moving doesn't unnerve me as much anymore and I think my family is family coming around to the idea of it and that makes me happy. Pro Team tryouts are next Thursday and I'm nervously looking forward to that. I know it's going to be an intense two days but I refuse to be anything else but optimistic. Here are a few of my favorite photos from the trip: