Sorry everyone. There is no excuse for our lack of noveling, however, we have been busy working on some amazing top secret projects! (No worries, you will hear about them as soon as all of the kinks are worked out and they are all official!)
Art and beauty are about to take over Vegas, Sirens style!!!
Love you all, and more makeup tips and tricks to come!
xoxox
Allyson Stagg
CEO of The Las Vegas Style Sirens
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
New Stuff
You're probably wondering where I have been and the truth is, I have been busy. My deepest apologies. I will never let this happen again.
Makeup mooch. I'm sure you are wondering what that is, right? A makeup mooch is a girl or woman who goes to makeup counters before she is going out that night pretending that she is interested in buying new makeup, has the makeup artists do her makeup for FREE, then does not buy any product. I can not even begin to tell you how annoying this is. I used to work for a cosmetic line and nothing would irritate me more than women who did this. Of course I loved doing makeup, but seriously, we still had sales goals to make and if you are tying someone up then they can not help customers who really do want to buy things. This is cheap and tacky so don't do it. Not to mention it puts little freelance artists like myself who have worked hard to build a name for themselves, out of work. If you need your makeup done when you are going out 1) Either buy makeup from the cute little girls at the makeup counter (and I don't mean just a freaking lip gloss. I mean at LEAST $50.00 in product) or 2) Hire a professional freelance artist to do it for you.
I just had to get that off of my chest even though I no longer work at a cosmetic counter. They were talking about it on 94.1 this morning and all the dumb asses that were calling in saying they did this, made my blood boil. I hate makeup mooches.
Moving on...
So many great things are in the works for the Las Vegas Style Sirens right now. I can not wait to see what the future holds!
Lets start out with Superstar Karaoke at Aliante Station. This amazing karaoke event is every Thursday night at Aliante Station in the Access showroom from 6:30 to 11. You get to chose costumes from their gigantic costume collection (I dressed up as Flavor Flav last week... NOTE: Shauna, that picture better NEVER surface...) have your hair and makeup done by the LV Style Sirens, and you can take home a DVD of it (You don't have to if this is an event that you do not want to remember. It is just an option.) If that isn't fun, I seriously don't know what is. There's plenty of alcohol there if you need a little liquid courage. Even if you don't want to sing, come watch everyone else act like idiots. That's always fun too.
Second, the LV Style Sirens will be doing the makeup for "Coffee With Ricky" which is a web show hosted by Ricky Gulati. If you don't know who Ricky Gulati is, he is the owner of Memory Lane Video LLC here in Las Vegas. When it comes to videography, he is the creme de la creme. His videos are absolutely amazing. His style is so unique and no one can even come close to it. (Check him out at www.MLVNV.com) Anyway, Coffee With Ricky is a web show where he interviews very prominent wedding professionals in Las Vegas to spread the word about the do's and don'ts of weddings. They offer advice about their profession, and give in site to weddings in Vegas. Needless to say, if they are featured on Ricky's show, they are legitimate. This will help you sort through all the fake and scummy professionals out here.
We will also be at Santa Fe Stations Bridal Show this Sunday, August 23rd 2009, from 1 to 4 at Santa Fe Station. There will be several wedding vendors here so you can come check out the property and meet different wedding professionals. They will have music, food, and most importantly, drinks. It should be easy going and fun, so come check it out!
On 9/9/09 the ETA lounge at Aliante will be hosting a kick ass party and the LV Style Sirens will be doing the hair and makeup for the dancers. We have all got together and we have some AMAZING designs in the works and I can not wait to put our visions on these beautiful ladies. It will be very nontraditional hair and makeup... think creepy zombie dolls!!! I live for things like this. I will keep you posted about this event since I don't have many details at this time.
And... Thursday September 17th, 2009, we will be participating in a charity event for the Children of Nevada's Heart Association. It will be a small event for brides to come out and meet with some wedding professionals in Las Vegas and all of the proceeds from the even will go to the charity. I don't know all of the details quite yet, but as soon as I do, I will let you all know!
So between all these amazing projects, weddings, photo shoots, and trials, we are busy little girls! I can not wait to see what else the future holds for us! Now that we are working with some amazing venues, and Memory Lane Video, I guess all that is left is working with AltF photography on a regular basis. (If you don't know who AltF is, please check them out. Incredible. www.AltF.com) John Michael or Dalisa, if you ever happen to read this, we're not going to leave you alone until you work with us on a regular basis. And please don't press charges, we really aren't stalkers,, we just love your photography.
xoxox
Allyson Stagg
CEO of The Las Vegas Style Sirens
LVStyleSirens@yahoo.com
Makeup mooch. I'm sure you are wondering what that is, right? A makeup mooch is a girl or woman who goes to makeup counters before she is going out that night pretending that she is interested in buying new makeup, has the makeup artists do her makeup for FREE, then does not buy any product. I can not even begin to tell you how annoying this is. I used to work for a cosmetic line and nothing would irritate me more than women who did this. Of course I loved doing makeup, but seriously, we still had sales goals to make and if you are tying someone up then they can not help customers who really do want to buy things. This is cheap and tacky so don't do it. Not to mention it puts little freelance artists like myself who have worked hard to build a name for themselves, out of work. If you need your makeup done when you are going out 1) Either buy makeup from the cute little girls at the makeup counter (and I don't mean just a freaking lip gloss. I mean at LEAST $50.00 in product) or 2) Hire a professional freelance artist to do it for you.
I just had to get that off of my chest even though I no longer work at a cosmetic counter. They were talking about it on 94.1 this morning and all the dumb asses that were calling in saying they did this, made my blood boil. I hate makeup mooches.
Moving on...
So many great things are in the works for the Las Vegas Style Sirens right now. I can not wait to see what the future holds!
Lets start out with Superstar Karaoke at Aliante Station. This amazing karaoke event is every Thursday night at Aliante Station in the Access showroom from 6:30 to 11. You get to chose costumes from their gigantic costume collection (I dressed up as Flavor Flav last week... NOTE: Shauna, that picture better NEVER surface...) have your hair and makeup done by the LV Style Sirens, and you can take home a DVD of it (You don't have to if this is an event that you do not want to remember. It is just an option.) If that isn't fun, I seriously don't know what is. There's plenty of alcohol there if you need a little liquid courage. Even if you don't want to sing, come watch everyone else act like idiots. That's always fun too.
Second, the LV Style Sirens will be doing the makeup for "Coffee With Ricky" which is a web show hosted by Ricky Gulati. If you don't know who Ricky Gulati is, he is the owner of Memory Lane Video LLC here in Las Vegas. When it comes to videography, he is the creme de la creme. His videos are absolutely amazing. His style is so unique and no one can even come close to it. (Check him out at www.MLVNV.com) Anyway, Coffee With Ricky is a web show where he interviews very prominent wedding professionals in Las Vegas to spread the word about the do's and don'ts of weddings. They offer advice about their profession, and give in site to weddings in Vegas. Needless to say, if they are featured on Ricky's show, they are legitimate. This will help you sort through all the fake and scummy professionals out here.
We will also be at Santa Fe Stations Bridal Show this Sunday, August 23rd 2009, from 1 to 4 at Santa Fe Station. There will be several wedding vendors here so you can come check out the property and meet different wedding professionals. They will have music, food, and most importantly, drinks. It should be easy going and fun, so come check it out!
On 9/9/09 the ETA lounge at Aliante will be hosting a kick ass party and the LV Style Sirens will be doing the hair and makeup for the dancers. We have all got together and we have some AMAZING designs in the works and I can not wait to put our visions on these beautiful ladies. It will be very nontraditional hair and makeup... think creepy zombie dolls!!! I live for things like this. I will keep you posted about this event since I don't have many details at this time.
And... Thursday September 17th, 2009, we will be participating in a charity event for the Children of Nevada's Heart Association. It will be a small event for brides to come out and meet with some wedding professionals in Las Vegas and all of the proceeds from the even will go to the charity. I don't know all of the details quite yet, but as soon as I do, I will let you all know!
So between all these amazing projects, weddings, photo shoots, and trials, we are busy little girls! I can not wait to see what else the future holds for us! Now that we are working with some amazing venues, and Memory Lane Video, I guess all that is left is working with AltF photography on a regular basis. (If you don't know who AltF is, please check them out. Incredible. www.AltF.com) John Michael or Dalisa, if you ever happen to read this, we're not going to leave you alone until you work with us on a regular basis. And please don't press charges, we really aren't stalkers,, we just love your photography.
xoxox
Allyson Stagg
CEO of The Las Vegas Style Sirens
LVStyleSirens@yahoo.com
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
OUR Etiquette
Lauren has done a wonderful job noveling about wedding etiquette. (She LIVES for these topics) And now I would love to talk a little bit about the things that we find appropriate.
1) Toothpicks. First of all, this is such a vulgar name. It explains exactly what you are doing and frankly, it is disgusting. You should pick your teeth in a powder room or in the privacy of your own home. Not one person in this whole world (including your significant other) needs to see you picking your teeth. (This includes flossing) It is DISGUSTING and only you should see this. If you do have something in your teeth, it is very important to get rid of it, however, it needs to be done in private, not in the middle of a dinner party or in the bathroom while your significant other brushes their teeth. (This may be the thing that is causing them to gag.) Enough said.
2) Ladies please. Please please please DO NOT chow down on a cheeseburger while driving in your car. (This is one of the 11 commandments. Yes there are 11 commandments, not 10.) I can't think of anything more repulsive than a beautiful woman whom is dressed perfectly chowing down a cheeseburger at a red light. If you are starving, please eat the almonds you keep in your purse as an emergency snack (or if you must have a cheeseburger, please wait until you get home to pig out) This is so unattractive. If you choose to chow down a cheeseburger in your car, God will curse you. He will MAKE you slop mayo and mustard all over your nice-ass suit. I promise. (Please remember that you are breaking one of his 11 commandments.)
3) Do not eat chips in public. They are disgusting. When you eat chips they crumble all over you, and make you look like a fat, greasy pig. So do not do it unless you are in the comfort of your own home. I wish they would make chips bite sized so you would not be forced to shove the entire fist sized chip into your mouth. It is gross, and I sincerely hope that you do not do it unless you are sitting on your couch watching reality TV.
4) Perfume is an art. DO NOT douse yourself in perfume. Applying perfume is a ritual. Please spray it only on the appropriate places of your body (Neck and wrists). Nothing is worse than walking into a room and having people have a flashback of the AVM awards. Sick. Perfume is not a cover up of the sins you committed last night. It is not a "tune up." It is a beautiful representation of everything a woman stands for.
5) Alcohol. Please ladies, contain yourself. Alcohol is a beautiful thing. Do not ruin it by doing shots by the dozen and making a total ass of yourself. Have a little class and sip feminine drinks SLOWLY. No one wants to monitor you in the restroom or clean up your puke in the back of their car. (If you see Lauren and I doing beer bongs in the back of a shady club with Kim and Rory, please do not judge us. We are not perfect.) Thanks.
6) OK. People. Star. We all read these shitty magazines. We are all fascinated by the celebrity gossip and we all certainly want to judge who wore it better for ourselves, but please, never let any one catch you reading these magazines. If you MUST read these at the gym, please glue it inside of a Vouge magazine so people think you have a stitch of class. These magazines are a joke and NO ONE needs to know you read them. It is just degrading and embarrassing.
That is all I have for tonight. I'm off to sleep.
xoxox
Allyson Stagg
CEO of The Las Vegas Style Sirens
LVStyleSirens@yahoo.com
1) Toothpicks. First of all, this is such a vulgar name. It explains exactly what you are doing and frankly, it is disgusting. You should pick your teeth in a powder room or in the privacy of your own home. Not one person in this whole world (including your significant other) needs to see you picking your teeth. (This includes flossing) It is DISGUSTING and only you should see this. If you do have something in your teeth, it is very important to get rid of it, however, it needs to be done in private, not in the middle of a dinner party or in the bathroom while your significant other brushes their teeth. (This may be the thing that is causing them to gag.) Enough said.
2) Ladies please. Please please please DO NOT chow down on a cheeseburger while driving in your car. (This is one of the 11 commandments. Yes there are 11 commandments, not 10.) I can't think of anything more repulsive than a beautiful woman whom is dressed perfectly chowing down a cheeseburger at a red light. If you are starving, please eat the almonds you keep in your purse as an emergency snack (or if you must have a cheeseburger, please wait until you get home to pig out) This is so unattractive. If you choose to chow down a cheeseburger in your car, God will curse you. He will MAKE you slop mayo and mustard all over your nice-ass suit. I promise. (Please remember that you are breaking one of his 11 commandments.)
3) Do not eat chips in public. They are disgusting. When you eat chips they crumble all over you, and make you look like a fat, greasy pig. So do not do it unless you are in the comfort of your own home. I wish they would make chips bite sized so you would not be forced to shove the entire fist sized chip into your mouth. It is gross, and I sincerely hope that you do not do it unless you are sitting on your couch watching reality TV.
4) Perfume is an art. DO NOT douse yourself in perfume. Applying perfume is a ritual. Please spray it only on the appropriate places of your body (Neck and wrists). Nothing is worse than walking into a room and having people have a flashback of the AVM awards. Sick. Perfume is not a cover up of the sins you committed last night. It is not a "tune up." It is a beautiful representation of everything a woman stands for.
5) Alcohol. Please ladies, contain yourself. Alcohol is a beautiful thing. Do not ruin it by doing shots by the dozen and making a total ass of yourself. Have a little class and sip feminine drinks SLOWLY. No one wants to monitor you in the restroom or clean up your puke in the back of their car. (If you see Lauren and I doing beer bongs in the back of a shady club with Kim and Rory, please do not judge us. We are not perfect.) Thanks.
6) OK. People. Star. We all read these shitty magazines. We are all fascinated by the celebrity gossip and we all certainly want to judge who wore it better for ourselves, but please, never let any one catch you reading these magazines. If you MUST read these at the gym, please glue it inside of a Vouge magazine so people think you have a stitch of class. These magazines are a joke and NO ONE needs to know you read them. It is just degrading and embarrassing.
That is all I have for tonight. I'm off to sleep.
xoxox
Allyson Stagg
CEO of The Las Vegas Style Sirens
LVStyleSirens@yahoo.com
Monday, August 10, 2009
Etiquette Anyone?
Good evening blogosphere. You are officially renamed "novelosphere". Emphasis on the "el". NovEL. NovELing. NovELosphere. Are you getting this? As I sit here finishing a delicious meal that I prepared (one of the last before we go kind of vegan) and drinking my "salty dog" I am considering one of my favorite topics...etiquette. Before I launch into my diatribe about etiquette let me educate those of you who are not proficient in cocktails. A salty dog is a drink made traditionally with grapefruit juice and gin. However I am a vodka girl (Belvedere please!) so I substitute gin for my spirit of choice. Some people add salt and some add powdered sugar to their drink, but I am a purist and prefer to have nothing. All of this is poured over ice in a highball glass and sipped. Do NOT chug because that is disgusting and rude. If you don't know what a highball is I can no longer help you and you should stop reading this entry immediately. On to etiquette.
This evening I would like to discuss wedding etiquette. We will talk about two specific topics. Those of you who know me know that I can go on for days about this kind of thing and have often sought my advice (well done). However it is late and I have drinks to drink so we will stick to two topics. You should all know that I take most of my etiquette training from a lovely woman named Emily Post. She is a published author so you may all go and educate yourselves should this strike a cord with you.
Topic 1 Showers and Parties
It has come to my attention that there are many brides to be who are confused about showers and parties for their big day. Let me be of assistance to you. A bridal shower is appropriate and even expected. However you should not have more than one shower where the same guests are invited. That puts a great burden on the guests because they feel obligated to buy you lots of presents. This is rude. The people who should throw you a shower should be close friends, friends of the family etc. Your immediate family should not throw a shower unless it is necessary because this can seem a little self-serving. Your total number of showers should be no more than 2. Don't be selfish. For further information I will refer you to my mentor Emily Post.
Topic 2 Gift Giving
When you send your invitation in the mail it carries an unspoken gift-in-return obligation. This means that if I receive an invite to your nuptials it would be bad form for me not to send a gift and if I don't want to sully my pristine reputation you will certainly receive a gift from me. No one likes to be the topic of gossip (unless you want to talk about how skinny I have recently become or what amazing jewelry I have!) When you are registering for your gifts consider your needs as a newly married couple. I am quite certain you do not NEED a flat screen TV or a flippin video game system. You might instead choose a lovely set of china or crystal to host my next birthday party with. Just a thought. Also when you register select gifts in a variety of different price ranges. Although some of us live in a world of champagne wishes and caviar dreams (Ally and I) others do not. Don't be obnoxious. And please do not assume that your guests are going to purchase off your registry. They may buy your gift where they choose. It is a gift and a privelege not a right. If you are giving a gift please send it addressed to the bride at her last known residence. Don't bring gifts to the wedding unless you want to carry it right back out with you. You may begin sending gifts as soon as you receive an invitation. Oh and brides?...I hope you have a system of keeping track of your gifts because sending out thank you cards is priority A1 when you return from your honeymoon!
In my next novEL session we will be discussing bridesmaids and other attendants. This is definitely one that you need to be on the look out for because this is a hot button issue for me and I'm sure to be on my soap box. An even taller one than what I'm on normally.
Post Scipt- I am very glad that Ally isn't going to become a crazy PETA lady because you better believe I sport fur in the winter and I would be pissed if she ruined it. We would have to disband the Style Sirens. So sad.
Make sure you come hang out with us on Thursdays 7pm at Aliante station! And don't forget to tune in to the third season of Mad Men Sunday at 10pm.
xo
Lauren Gardiner
COO
The Las Vegas Style Sirens
I'M BACK!!!
OMG! Sorry to everyone. I have been an awful "blogger." I was out of town for my brothers wedding this weekend and it was impossible for me to get to a computer during my hectic schedule to "blog." I am sending my dearest and most sincere apologies.
Let me start off by saying my makeup skills and everything I have been preaching were put to test this weekend. I was in charge of doing five of the six people in the wedding parties makeup. (This includes the bride, the Maid of Honor, and three of the four Bridesmaids.) I had my makeup kit, my airbrush machine, false lashes....everything EXCEPT my entire brush collection. AGGGGG!!! Nightmare...right??? I started to panic when I realized this as I was laying in bed, 700 miles away from my brushes about four hours before I had to do makeup for the wedding. Luckily I had 5 (Yes only FIVE) brushes that I had packed for my personal use. (Numbers 150, 116, 224, 217, and 266.) And I did the entire wedding parties makeup with just these 5 brushes. (It is just hilarious to me that I had just "blogged" about this about a week before.) It turned out to be a total success. I finished every ones makeup and they all looked beautiful. (It was a major advantage that they were all gorgeous to begin with.) So there ya go. If I can do it, so can you! Have some faith! Boo ya!
Next matter of business....
Last Thursday, The LV Style Sirens had the opportunity to be part of one of the most amazing events here in Las Vegas. Superstar Karaoke at Aliante Station Hotel and Casino. Let me just tell you what a GENIUS idea this is. (I seriously can't believe I didn't think of it first!) First of all, it takes place in the Access Showroom there which is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!! There is a gigantic stage, a dance floor so that you can get your groove on to other peoples sometimes horrific singing, and plenty of places to sit your little bum if you don't feel like participating (There are also plenty of bars around if you need a little liquid courage to get your butt up on stage.) and they have thousands (and I mean THOUSANDS) of songs to choose from. So what makes this so great? Aliante Station actually hires a professional hair and makeup team (The Las Vegas Style Sirens) AND has a costume and prop room so that you can get into full character before you perform! Are you joking me????? This has to be the most best activity I have ever heard of! Last Thursday was the opening night and it was a blast. Everyone had so much fun and they totally got into their characters which made it 1,000 times more fun and entertaining. We were watching on a TV back in the makeup room and Lauren and I literally had tears in our eyes because we were laughing so hard. It is every Thursday night and it starts at 7pm. Even if you do not want to get up and sing, I highly recommend you come strictly for the entertainment value. (It's always much more fun to watch other people make complete fools of themselves, and surprisingly, some people were actually REALLY good!) You won't even believe the things people do. It was hilarious. Come this week and bring some friends. You always feel like less of an idiot when you have a little entourage cheering you on.
So this weekend I finally read the book "Skinny Bitch" that I picked up months ago but have never found time to read. (Ok Ok Ok. So I lost it somewhere and forgot I even bought it until I found it yesterday...) I read the entire book in one sitting and it has completely changed my life. It is a little liberal, and has a few choice words in there but overall, the information these two ladies provide, is priceless. It is written by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin (One was a model scout for Ford models, and the other actually was a model for many years) and these ladies are amazing and unbelievably hilarious. When I first saw it at Target on the bookshelf, obviously the first thing that attracted me was the title. Who wouldn't want to read a book called Skinny Bitch? (Especially since I myself, am trying to be a skinny bitch.) However, that isn't really what this book is about. It is about, well, lots of things. It is about animal cruelty, being a vegan, what being a vegan really means, what types of foods are acceptable for vegans etc. I can not even begin to explain all of the bullshit behind the meat that we eat everyday. I was appalled when I read this book. The things that go on are unthinkable! What I love about this book, is whenever these ladies would write about something, they would note the source they got it from. They also explained that people aren't vegans to be trendy (well not all of them at least) and that you can still enjoy food being a vegan. They give a list of acceptable foods, and even a months worth of vegan recipes that sound sooo yummy! I have never even considered not eating meat because I just love it so much, but once I read this book, I have decided I am going to give it a try. (No, I am not doing this to be skinny, although I'm sure not eating dead rotting beef carcass everyday will help) I am going to try it as a new lifestyle. I have tried every other "diet" you can thing of, why not this? I'm sure it will take a while to adjust, but it is totally worth a shot. Even if you never want to become a vegan, please read this book. It has so many great ideas and it is a huge eyeopener into what our meat and dairy industry is REALLY like. It's an easy book to read so get off your lazy butt and read it. You may borrow my copy when Lauren is finished. Starting next Monday, we're going kinda vegan. We will keep you up to date on how it is going through our "blog" and if you decide to give it a whirl, keep us posted on how you are feeling about the whole experience.
PS This does not mean that I will become a crazy PETA member who throws ink on people who wear real fur. I do not agree with everything these ladies say and I certainly do not agree with everything that PETA does, but I can respect and agree with many of the points that they bring up in this book. I mean, not everyone likes what I have to say, but that is just to bad because I say whatever I want. We all have the freedom of speech, don't we?
As much as I have missed "blogging" it is time for me to go before Lauren yells at me for writing an entire novel. HEY! That could be our new word for "blogging"...noveling maybe??? What do you think?
xoxox
Allyson Stagg
CEO of The Las Vegas Style Sirens
LVStyleSirens@yahoo.com
Let me start off by saying my makeup skills and everything I have been preaching were put to test this weekend. I was in charge of doing five of the six people in the wedding parties makeup. (This includes the bride, the Maid of Honor, and three of the four Bridesmaids.) I had my makeup kit, my airbrush machine, false lashes....everything EXCEPT my entire brush collection. AGGGGG!!! Nightmare...right??? I started to panic when I realized this as I was laying in bed, 700 miles away from my brushes about four hours before I had to do makeup for the wedding. Luckily I had 5 (Yes only FIVE) brushes that I had packed for my personal use. (Numbers 150, 116, 224, 217, and 266.) And I did the entire wedding parties makeup with just these 5 brushes. (It is just hilarious to me that I had just "blogged" about this about a week before.) It turned out to be a total success. I finished every ones makeup and they all looked beautiful. (It was a major advantage that they were all gorgeous to begin with.) So there ya go. If I can do it, so can you! Have some faith! Boo ya!
Next matter of business....
Last Thursday, The LV Style Sirens had the opportunity to be part of one of the most amazing events here in Las Vegas. Superstar Karaoke at Aliante Station Hotel and Casino. Let me just tell you what a GENIUS idea this is. (I seriously can't believe I didn't think of it first!) First of all, it takes place in the Access Showroom there which is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!! There is a gigantic stage, a dance floor so that you can get your groove on to other peoples sometimes horrific singing, and plenty of places to sit your little bum if you don't feel like participating (There are also plenty of bars around if you need a little liquid courage to get your butt up on stage.) and they have thousands (and I mean THOUSANDS) of songs to choose from. So what makes this so great? Aliante Station actually hires a professional hair and makeup team (The Las Vegas Style Sirens) AND has a costume and prop room so that you can get into full character before you perform! Are you joking me????? This has to be the most best activity I have ever heard of! Last Thursday was the opening night and it was a blast. Everyone had so much fun and they totally got into their characters which made it 1,000 times more fun and entertaining. We were watching on a TV back in the makeup room and Lauren and I literally had tears in our eyes because we were laughing so hard. It is every Thursday night and it starts at 7pm. Even if you do not want to get up and sing, I highly recommend you come strictly for the entertainment value. (It's always much more fun to watch other people make complete fools of themselves, and surprisingly, some people were actually REALLY good!) You won't even believe the things people do. It was hilarious. Come this week and bring some friends. You always feel like less of an idiot when you have a little entourage cheering you on.
So this weekend I finally read the book "Skinny Bitch" that I picked up months ago but have never found time to read. (Ok Ok Ok. So I lost it somewhere and forgot I even bought it until I found it yesterday...) I read the entire book in one sitting and it has completely changed my life. It is a little liberal, and has a few choice words in there but overall, the information these two ladies provide, is priceless. It is written by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin (One was a model scout for Ford models, and the other actually was a model for many years) and these ladies are amazing and unbelievably hilarious. When I first saw it at Target on the bookshelf, obviously the first thing that attracted me was the title. Who wouldn't want to read a book called Skinny Bitch? (Especially since I myself, am trying to be a skinny bitch.) However, that isn't really what this book is about. It is about, well, lots of things. It is about animal cruelty, being a vegan, what being a vegan really means, what types of foods are acceptable for vegans etc. I can not even begin to explain all of the bullshit behind the meat that we eat everyday. I was appalled when I read this book. The things that go on are unthinkable! What I love about this book, is whenever these ladies would write about something, they would note the source they got it from. They also explained that people aren't vegans to be trendy (well not all of them at least) and that you can still enjoy food being a vegan. They give a list of acceptable foods, and even a months worth of vegan recipes that sound sooo yummy! I have never even considered not eating meat because I just love it so much, but once I read this book, I have decided I am going to give it a try. (No, I am not doing this to be skinny, although I'm sure not eating dead rotting beef carcass everyday will help) I am going to try it as a new lifestyle. I have tried every other "diet" you can thing of, why not this? I'm sure it will take a while to adjust, but it is totally worth a shot. Even if you never want to become a vegan, please read this book. It has so many great ideas and it is a huge eyeopener into what our meat and dairy industry is REALLY like. It's an easy book to read so get off your lazy butt and read it. You may borrow my copy when Lauren is finished. Starting next Monday, we're going kinda vegan. We will keep you up to date on how it is going through our "blog" and if you decide to give it a whirl, keep us posted on how you are feeling about the whole experience.
PS This does not mean that I will become a crazy PETA member who throws ink on people who wear real fur. I do not agree with everything these ladies say and I certainly do not agree with everything that PETA does, but I can respect and agree with many of the points that they bring up in this book. I mean, not everyone likes what I have to say, but that is just to bad because I say whatever I want. We all have the freedom of speech, don't we?
As much as I have missed "blogging" it is time for me to go before Lauren yells at me for writing an entire novel. HEY! That could be our new word for "blogging"...noveling maybe??? What do you think?
xoxox
Allyson Stagg
CEO of The Las Vegas Style Sirens
LVStyleSirens@yahoo.com
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Wedding trend...or not to trend...that is the question.
Since the summer (especially August) is the most popular time for people to get married, (you all thought it was June!) I have decided to "blog" a little bit about some wedding trends.
Lauren and I have worked with hundreds of brides on their wedding day, and let me tell you, we have seen it all! I have seen some amazing crazy things, and I have seen some breathtaking traditional weddings as well. The one thing I have learned is, there really are no wedding trends. In fact, the trend is, there are no trends! This is YOUR wedding. You may have been planning this for 25 years, or you may have just started thinking about it the day you got engaged. Either way, it does not matter what colors or theme you choose, as long as it represents you and your future partner in crime.
My brother is marring a wonderful girl named Teeny this Saturday. (No Teeny is not her real name, it's actually Justina Shantel, however considering she is 4'10", we call her teeny.) Their wedding is not exactly what you would call traditional. Their colors are yellow and navy blue. All of her bridesmaids are wearing navy blue dresses with yellow vans. They are having popcorn and cotton candy machines at their reception. The boys are all wearing high top Nikes. Is this traditional? No. Is this the type of wedding everyone would want? No. Does it suit their personalities to a tea? Yes. And really, what could be more important on their special day?
Mrs. Lauren Gardiner had a beautiful winter wedding held at the Artisan hotel here in Las Vegas which is a beautiful boutique style hotel. She wore an amazing piercing white gown and had crimson red roses everywhere. She didn't have a traditional cake, instead she had a beautiful tiered cupcake assortment and of course, an open bar. Traditional? More or less, yes. Was it her style? Yep.
That is just the beginning. I have seen jungle themed, princess themed, Elvis themed, Luau themed, and my personal favorite, comic book themed. You name it, I've seen it. And even though some of these choices would not be my first choice, they always seem to fit the bride and groom perfectly. If you embrace the theme correctly, your guests will have a ball no matter what.
Your hair and makeup are just as important as any other aspect of your special day. They should flow with the theme and color trend of your wedding. I think that brides overlook hair and makeup far to often. They spend thousands of dollars on food, beverage, decorations, flowers, music, and the venue, when in reality, do you think they will look back in 20 years and say "Hey! We had some AMAZING shrimp cocktail at our wedding!" I personally don't think so. However, in 20 years, when you look back at your wedding album you WILL say "Dang. I looked smokin' hott that day." So why would you spend all this money to skimp on something so important? I just don't get it.
If you do smarten up and decide you are going to have your makeup and hair professionally done for your wedding (and professionally DOES NOT mean that your cousin's best friend's sister who kind of does her makeup well is going to do it) please be sure to book a trial. Many companies offer a discounted price for your trial, or sometimes, they will do your trial for free if you end up booking with their company. This is a great way to meet one on one with your stylists to figure out what look is going to work best for you. It also ensures that you get along with these people who will be in your face all day on the most important day of your life and you will know exactly what you will look like so that you have one less thing to worry about on this stressful day. I understand if you are coming to Las Vegas for a destination wedding, it is virtually impossible to do a hair and makeup trial, but if you can squeeze one in, I recommend you do! It will make everything go that much smoother.
Good luck on your wedding planning ladies! You can't go wrong if you stay true to yourself!
xoxox
Allyson Stagg
CEO of The Las Vegas Style Sirens
LVStyleSirens@yahoo.com
Lauren and I have worked with hundreds of brides on their wedding day, and let me tell you, we have seen it all! I have seen some amazing crazy things, and I have seen some breathtaking traditional weddings as well. The one thing I have learned is, there really are no wedding trends. In fact, the trend is, there are no trends! This is YOUR wedding. You may have been planning this for 25 years, or you may have just started thinking about it the day you got engaged. Either way, it does not matter what colors or theme you choose, as long as it represents you and your future partner in crime.
My brother is marring a wonderful girl named Teeny this Saturday. (No Teeny is not her real name, it's actually Justina Shantel, however considering she is 4'10", we call her teeny.) Their wedding is not exactly what you would call traditional. Their colors are yellow and navy blue. All of her bridesmaids are wearing navy blue dresses with yellow vans. They are having popcorn and cotton candy machines at their reception. The boys are all wearing high top Nikes. Is this traditional? No. Is this the type of wedding everyone would want? No. Does it suit their personalities to a tea? Yes. And really, what could be more important on their special day?
Mrs. Lauren Gardiner had a beautiful winter wedding held at the Artisan hotel here in Las Vegas which is a beautiful boutique style hotel. She wore an amazing piercing white gown and had crimson red roses everywhere. She didn't have a traditional cake, instead she had a beautiful tiered cupcake assortment and of course, an open bar. Traditional? More or less, yes. Was it her style? Yep.
That is just the beginning. I have seen jungle themed, princess themed, Elvis themed, Luau themed, and my personal favorite, comic book themed. You name it, I've seen it. And even though some of these choices would not be my first choice, they always seem to fit the bride and groom perfectly. If you embrace the theme correctly, your guests will have a ball no matter what.
Your hair and makeup are just as important as any other aspect of your special day. They should flow with the theme and color trend of your wedding. I think that brides overlook hair and makeup far to often. They spend thousands of dollars on food, beverage, decorations, flowers, music, and the venue, when in reality, do you think they will look back in 20 years and say "Hey! We had some AMAZING shrimp cocktail at our wedding!" I personally don't think so. However, in 20 years, when you look back at your wedding album you WILL say "Dang. I looked smokin' hott that day." So why would you spend all this money to skimp on something so important? I just don't get it.
If you do smarten up and decide you are going to have your makeup and hair professionally done for your wedding (and professionally DOES NOT mean that your cousin's best friend's sister who kind of does her makeup well is going to do it) please be sure to book a trial. Many companies offer a discounted price for your trial, or sometimes, they will do your trial for free if you end up booking with their company. This is a great way to meet one on one with your stylists to figure out what look is going to work best for you. It also ensures that you get along with these people who will be in your face all day on the most important day of your life and you will know exactly what you will look like so that you have one less thing to worry about on this stressful day. I understand if you are coming to Las Vegas for a destination wedding, it is virtually impossible to do a hair and makeup trial, but if you can squeeze one in, I recommend you do! It will make everything go that much smoother.
Good luck on your wedding planning ladies! You can't go wrong if you stay true to yourself!
xoxox
Allyson Stagg
CEO of The Las Vegas Style Sirens
LVStyleSirens@yahoo.com
Lauren's long lost "Blog"
Blog sweet blog how I've missed you! It's been to long.
As you all know I celebrated 3 years of wedded bliss with my husband this past weekend and it was amazing. If you're a local in Vegas you must take a little drive up to the Spring Mountains and Lee Canyon. It is 30 degrees cooler up there and oh soooo beautiful. Also please check out my new favorite watering hole the Yard House. They have over 200 beers on tap! Try a delicious pub ale called Old Speckled Hen ( I know...stupid name, but so dang good). It's a dream!!
Alright down to business. I'd like to talk about some of my favorite things.
1. Ally has noted in previous posts that I am the skin care queen so lets start with my most favorite item of all time...Arbonne's NutriminC Enzyme Peel. Why have they not made this in bathtub size so that I can just bathe in it? It boggles the mind. This is a delicious combination of pineapple and papaya enzymes that literally melts off the dead skin while you sleep! You will wake up with practically a brand new face. It is that amazing! So now that we've talked about this product twice you should go buy it immediately.
2. L'Occitane's Shea Butter collection. Anything from this collection is to die for. If you don't know anything about this company you need to google them right now. They are fantastic. They have very specific practices for harvesting their shea butter and on top of that they put huge amounts of it in the products which is awesome for your skin. I carry a hand cream from them in every bag that I own.
3. Burt's Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with pomegranate oil. This is the one with the red cap. I love this stuff! First of all it doesn't have spf in it. I know that this goes against conventional wisdom, but I can not stand spf on my lips. It tastes disgusting, it smells and it dries my lips out which defeats the whole purpose. Yeah Burt's Bees!
4. OPI's Rapid Dry Spray and Avoplex nail and cuticle oil. Rapid Dry spray is necessary for anytime you paint your nails. This will speed up dry time plus it smells delicious..like Dr. Pepper. Avoplex oil is equally amazing but this is for your cuticles. ( It also smells delicious. Like what I don't know.) It has done wonders for my cuticles. Put this on after soaking your fingers in warm water and then use your cuticle clipper to clean up that area of the nail. Use on a daily basis to keep your cuticles healthy and moisturized!
5. Paul Mitchell's Super Skinny Serum. Put this product in your hair when it's wet. It helps speed up dry time and gives your hair shine. However your hair can never be to shiny so please don't skimp on the gloss drops or gloss spray after your hair is styled. We all love shimmery, shiny hair!
Now that I've graced you with some of my secret beauty weapons I will leave you to marinate on how you can incorporate some of these things into your routine. One last note I would like to include is this.....If you are going to watch reality television (and waste your time I might add) please make sure you program your Tivo to record the Rachel Zoe Project which begins August 24th. This is the one reality show that I can fully support. Go Team Zoe!!
Have a beautiful day!
Lauren Gardiner
COO
The Las Vegas Style Sirens
lvstylesirens@yahoo.com
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Reality TV Rundown.
So tonight I was watching the second episode (yes, I have already seen the first) of a new show entitled "More To Love." It is a reality show where plus size women compete for the love of a plus size guy. So basically, it is a plus size bachelorette.
(If any of you know me, I am a sucker for reality TV. Especially bad, trashy and ridiculous reality TV.)
Anyway, I am watching More To Love and even I,the queen bee of reality TV, cannot stand to sit through another moment of this. (This coming from someone who watched the ENTIRE seasons of Rock of Love, Daisy of Love, The Bachelorette, and many more that I am far to embarrassed to speak of.) This show is the most boring reality show I have ever seen! All it is, is plus size women crying about how bad it was growing up fat (while their weight is plastered across the screen. No joke. So humiliating!) and confessing their love to this super boring bachelor.who is MONOTONE! Ugh I can't stand that.) They literally just met this guy like 2 days ago. As I sit there grinding my teeth, they are all going on and on about how he is everything they hoped and dreamed for and how they want to be his wife. Barf. I made it through 8 minutes of episode two. That was plenty. I mean, at least in The Bachelorette, they wait a few episodes to transform into a creepy stalker. Ugh. Ugh. UGH. I do not recommend watching this show. Seriously.
On our way to the mall today, Lauren and I were having a conversation about how we wish we were skinny. (Lauren made a point in telling me that sometimes, she prays to be skinny following up with "God works all kinds of miracles. Why can't he make me skinny overnight?" This is why I love her. I mean, it is a valid point...right?) I guess we can't blame anyone but ourselves that we're not skinny. We love to eat and we cannot stick to a gym regiment for more than a month at a time. I like to blame my weight gain on my son by saying "Oh, I just had a baby!" Truth is, he's 10 months old now, and I had the nickname "Muffin" LONG before he was even a thought in my mind. I'm running out of excuses. (To my defense, it is much harder to lose weight after you have a baby. I'm hoping when school starts again, I'll spend more time studying and less time eating Cheetos while watching reality TV.) Instead of complaining about it, we have just decided to embrace the fact that we are "big boned" (sounds much better than plus size, don't you think?) until we get the motivation to become super skinny bitches. I love being a size eight. Ok ten. Ok Ok Ok twelve. Are you happy?
*Note to self: Go to gym tomorrow.
Back to my reality show rundown. If you secretly love trashy reality TV as much as I do, then you have come to the right place. If you haven't been watching or don't have Tivo (the greatest invention of all time) I'm going to give you a little recap of what as been going down on some of my favorite shows. (I needed a break from makeup "blogging.")
Daisy Of Love
This was a sweet little show about Miss Daisy De La Hoya (yes, this is the niece of Oscar De La Hoya) trying to find love after Brett Michaels left her in the dust on Rock of Love. What a disaster this turned out to be. I swear, with some reality shows, they find to most beastly, vulgar, temper driven boys (not men) that they can, and stick them into a house together just to see what happens. This is one of those shows and I love it! You just had to watch this show to realize how ridiculous it actually was, and in last weeks season finale, she chose London. A 30-something year old, homeless, jobless dude in a "band" (Oh my gosh! He's in a band! How cool! How sexy! *Ally rolls her eyes*) who had actually left the show then came back after he got home to New York and realized he had no home. And no job. And his band was going absolutely no where. I think he realized it was a much better life back in Daisy's multi-million dollar mansion where he had somewhere to sleep and unlimited free food and booze. I'm sure a little TV time didn't hurt his "band" either. My favorite clip of London was the first night that he was in Daisy's house and he got ridiculously wasted, threw up EVERYWHERE and passed out in an empty closet. Man Daisy, you can sure pick them! I actually feel sorry for her that she has such poor taste in men. She seems to actually have some-what of a good heart. Maybe next time (and trust me, there will be a next time) it will be Daisy of Love except I will go on the show instead of Daisy and I will weed through all the losers on there to help her find true love. If you're reading this Daisy, call me.
Paris Hiltons My new BFF
Miss Paris Hilton, when you eliminated Steven out of the final 3 last week, I swore I would not watch the season finale. Instead I planned on hitch hiking up to Utah, knocking on every door until I found Steven's house, and beg him to be MY new BFF. However, curiosity killed the cat and I just had to watch it tonight. Lucky for Paris, unlucky for me, instead of picking either Stephanie or Tenicia (who were the final two) she changed her mind last minute and picked Steven. I have renewed faith in you Paris. Thank you.
NYC Prep
Sebastian: You're an idiot.
PC: You're and idiot.
Jessie: You're a snotty idiot.
Camille: You're an idiot.
Kelli: You're an idiot.
Taylor: You're the only one I like.
That is all I can say about this show. I'm ashamed to say I still support it by watching it every Tuesday night.
Real Chance of Love
One episode down, 16 hot-mess, trashy girls to go. I can already tell these boys are going to find their soul mates in this bunch of strippers and drunks. Especially since the first episode (which aired last night) 2 girls got eliminated before the elimination ceremony due to physical violence (one of them was from Vegas! Yay! Making us all SO proud. Way to represent!) I'll keep you posted on this one. I have a feeling it is going to be a lonnng journey for these "Stallionaires." (Yes. That is seriously what they call themselves.)
Anyway, thats just a few of my secret addictions. I'll keep you as updated as I can.
Everyday I can't help but think "If all of these morons get their own reality TV shows, why can't I get one too?" At least mine would have a stitch of class. If you're reading this VH1, MTV, BET... CALL ME!
I'm off to watch the rest of More To Love. Just kidding!
xoxox
Allyson Stagg
CEO of The Las Vegas Style Sirens
PS Lauren is probably going to be furious that I wasted my time "blogging" about this, so I'm going to throw her a bone and add in a little makeup tip. :) ALWAYS use a cream base underneath your eyeshadow. This will help last longer, blend better, and intensify the color. I love MACs Paint Pots (I usually use Indianwood, Painterly, or Soft Ochre depending on the skin tone) OR Macs Cream Color Base in Pearl or Nude. (I use them both with any skin color.) WARNING: If you use to much Cream Color Base, you will get creasing on your eyelid which is never a good thing so please, use it sparingly!
(If any of you know me, I am a sucker for reality TV. Especially bad, trashy and ridiculous reality TV.)
Anyway, I am watching More To Love and even I,the queen bee of reality TV, cannot stand to sit through another moment of this. (This coming from someone who watched the ENTIRE seasons of Rock of Love, Daisy of Love, The Bachelorette, and many more that I am far to embarrassed to speak of.) This show is the most boring reality show I have ever seen! All it is, is plus size women crying about how bad it was growing up fat (while their weight is plastered across the screen. No joke. So humiliating!) and confessing their love to this super boring bachelor.who is MONOTONE! Ugh I can't stand that.) They literally just met this guy like 2 days ago. As I sit there grinding my teeth, they are all going on and on about how he is everything they hoped and dreamed for and how they want to be his wife. Barf. I made it through 8 minutes of episode two. That was plenty. I mean, at least in The Bachelorette, they wait a few episodes to transform into a creepy stalker. Ugh. Ugh. UGH. I do not recommend watching this show. Seriously.
On our way to the mall today, Lauren and I were having a conversation about how we wish we were skinny. (Lauren made a point in telling me that sometimes, she prays to be skinny following up with "God works all kinds of miracles. Why can't he make me skinny overnight?" This is why I love her. I mean, it is a valid point...right?) I guess we can't blame anyone but ourselves that we're not skinny. We love to eat and we cannot stick to a gym regiment for more than a month at a time. I like to blame my weight gain on my son by saying "Oh, I just had a baby!" Truth is, he's 10 months old now, and I had the nickname "Muffin" LONG before he was even a thought in my mind. I'm running out of excuses. (To my defense, it is much harder to lose weight after you have a baby. I'm hoping when school starts again, I'll spend more time studying and less time eating Cheetos while watching reality TV.) Instead of complaining about it, we have just decided to embrace the fact that we are "big boned" (sounds much better than plus size, don't you think?) until we get the motivation to become super skinny bitches. I love being a size eight. Ok ten. Ok Ok Ok twelve. Are you happy?
*Note to self: Go to gym tomorrow.
Back to my reality show rundown. If you secretly love trashy reality TV as much as I do, then you have come to the right place. If you haven't been watching or don't have Tivo (the greatest invention of all time) I'm going to give you a little recap of what as been going down on some of my favorite shows. (I needed a break from makeup "blogging.")
Daisy Of Love
This was a sweet little show about Miss Daisy De La Hoya (yes, this is the niece of Oscar De La Hoya) trying to find love after Brett Michaels left her in the dust on Rock of Love. What a disaster this turned out to be. I swear, with some reality shows, they find to most beastly, vulgar, temper driven boys (not men) that they can, and stick them into a house together just to see what happens. This is one of those shows and I love it! You just had to watch this show to realize how ridiculous it actually was, and in last weeks season finale, she chose London. A 30-something year old, homeless, jobless dude in a "band" (Oh my gosh! He's in a band! How cool! How sexy! *Ally rolls her eyes*) who had actually left the show then came back after he got home to New York and realized he had no home. And no job. And his band was going absolutely no where. I think he realized it was a much better life back in Daisy's multi-million dollar mansion where he had somewhere to sleep and unlimited free food and booze. I'm sure a little TV time didn't hurt his "band" either. My favorite clip of London was the first night that he was in Daisy's house and he got ridiculously wasted, threw up EVERYWHERE and passed out in an empty closet. Man Daisy, you can sure pick them! I actually feel sorry for her that she has such poor taste in men. She seems to actually have some-what of a good heart. Maybe next time (and trust me, there will be a next time) it will be Daisy of Love except I will go on the show instead of Daisy and I will weed through all the losers on there to help her find true love. If you're reading this Daisy, call me.
Paris Hiltons My new BFF
Miss Paris Hilton, when you eliminated Steven out of the final 3 last week, I swore I would not watch the season finale. Instead I planned on hitch hiking up to Utah, knocking on every door until I found Steven's house, and beg him to be MY new BFF. However, curiosity killed the cat and I just had to watch it tonight. Lucky for Paris, unlucky for me, instead of picking either Stephanie or Tenicia (who were the final two) she changed her mind last minute and picked Steven. I have renewed faith in you Paris. Thank you.
NYC Prep
Sebastian: You're an idiot.
PC: You're and idiot.
Jessie: You're a snotty idiot.
Camille: You're an idiot.
Kelli: You're an idiot.
Taylor: You're the only one I like.
That is all I can say about this show. I'm ashamed to say I still support it by watching it every Tuesday night.
Real Chance of Love
One episode down, 16 hot-mess, trashy girls to go. I can already tell these boys are going to find their soul mates in this bunch of strippers and drunks. Especially since the first episode (which aired last night) 2 girls got eliminated before the elimination ceremony due to physical violence (one of them was from Vegas! Yay! Making us all SO proud. Way to represent!) I'll keep you posted on this one. I have a feeling it is going to be a lonnng journey for these "Stallionaires." (Yes. That is seriously what they call themselves.)
Anyway, thats just a few of my secret addictions. I'll keep you as updated as I can.
Everyday I can't help but think "If all of these morons get their own reality TV shows, why can't I get one too?" At least mine would have a stitch of class. If you're reading this VH1, MTV, BET... CALL ME!
I'm off to watch the rest of More To Love. Just kidding!
xoxox
Allyson Stagg
CEO of The Las Vegas Style Sirens
PS Lauren is probably going to be furious that I wasted my time "blogging" about this, so I'm going to throw her a bone and add in a little makeup tip. :) ALWAYS use a cream base underneath your eyeshadow. This will help last longer, blend better, and intensify the color. I love MACs Paint Pots (I usually use Indianwood, Painterly, or Soft Ochre depending on the skin tone) OR Macs Cream Color Base in Pearl or Nude. (I use them both with any skin color.) WARNING: If you use to much Cream Color Base, you will get creasing on your eyelid which is never a good thing so please, use it sparingly!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Brush Hour III
99% of the time when we do a makeup job I hear "I wish you could come do my makeup everyday!" Although I am flattered, I cannot help but wish the I had someone come and do my makeup everyday as well. I understand it is a total pain in the butt being a woman, (Men have it so easy it's disgusting.) but there are some ways to save time and improve your chances of recreating any look that a makeup artist gives you.
When women come to me and say "I have tried to do my makeup how you did it, but I just can't." I always feel a little frustrated. Being an ex-theater major, I wrote a script to inform you why:
Woman: "I have tried to do my makeup how you did it but I just cant!"
Ally: "Oh really? I am so sorry to hear that! How many times did you try the new techniques I showed you out?"
Woman: "Once."
Ally: "Oh. Well you didn't give it much of a chance missy! Did you use the same products I did?"
Woman: "No."
Ally: "Oh. Okay. Well did use the brushes I recommended?"
Women: "No. I didn't have any of them."
Ally: "Oh. Umm well then how did you apply your makeup?"
Woman: "With my fingers."
Ally: "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"
*Ally faints*
AND SCENE.
Thank you. *Ally takes a bow* So now that I have preformed my little skit, let me tell you about the many problems I have with it.
1) Trying out what I teach you in a lesson/consultation is not something you can just practice once. Do you think that I woke up one day, said "Oh. I think I am going to be a makeup artist today" and started doing perfect makeup the next day? Heck no! I have done some terrible makeups, but over time I have learned from my mistakes. Practice makes perfect right? And if you do mess up, lets look at the bright side. It's JUST MAKEUP. If you mess up, all you have to do is swipe a little makeup remover over it and start over. I don't want to ever hear you complain about "not knowing how to do something" until you have practiced AT LEAST everyday for a month. I promise you will be doing it perfectly. If you still can not do it by the end of the month, then we can work together to find a new game plan for you.
2) If you don't use the same products as I do, it is not going to look the same. It is as simple as that ladies. I use certain products for a reason. There is a world of difference between an eyeshadow that you buy at Wal*Mart and a MAC eyeshadow. Sure, MAC eye shadows are a little bit pricey (Around $15.00 a piece) however they will last you ten times longer because the color payoff is so amazing, all you need is one little swipe. I am NOT saying to abandon all of your makeup and run out and spend your whole 401K on brand new products for your brand new makeup routine, I am simply saying know how to use what you have, and once you cycle through your old makeup, seriously think of investing in higher end products. The good thing about our consultations/lessons is we take what you already have, show you how to use it properly, and then we explain how to fill in the missing pieces by recommending things that would work well for you.
3) BRUSHES. BRUSHES. BRUSHES. They are so important (and expensive, I know) I really can not stress it enough. Since brushes are so pricey, I try to replace or add one brush to my collection every other time I go makeup shopping. This way, I am not stressing myself out too much by purchasing $500.00 in brushes, and I can slowly filter out older brushes. (I have had my set for over 7 years and I am just now starting to replace some of them) When you walk into a makeup store, it is a little overwhelming to look at all of the brushes and try to decide what will work best for you, so I am going to tell you all the brushes you could possibly need to create a perfect makeup (anything else you choose to purchase is totally up to you and how comfortable you are using them)
I use only MAC brushes. I have tried several other brands, but many of them are more expensive than MAC. I feel with MAC, I get a great brush for a very fair price.
*Brush #217. This is the ONLY brush you need to do an eye makeup. It is soft enough to blend, but firm enough to place color.
*Brush #224. This can also be used on the eye if you are searching for a softer look. I also use this brush for concealer. This brush blends it in and gives you an airbrushed look without removing any facial primer or eye cream.
*Brush #209. This is the only brush for eyeliner if you ask me. It doesn't matter if you use liquid, gel, or shadow, this brush is it.
*Brush #266. This brush is your eyebrow brush. it fills in your brows flawlessly. You can also use this one for eyeliner if you want to save some money. I just personally prefer the #209 for eyeliner.
*Brush #188. This is your foundation brush. Whether you wear powder or liquid, this one does the trick every time.
*Brush #116. This is the perfect sized blush brush. You never over do the blush with this little guy.
And there you have it. 6 brushes. (5 brushes if you just get the #266 instead of the #209 and the #266) You can ALWAYS add more brushes to do different things once you get more skilled. I have hundreds of brushes and I use them all. But if you just have 5-6 amazing brushes that are great quality, you will be totally set. I can't stress that enough.
These brushes will last you forever if you take proper care of them. You can purchase brush cleanser for $11.00 at MAC. All you need to do is dab a little bit of this magic potion on a paper towel, swipe your brush back and forth a few times, and it releases all the color and dries instantly so that you can use the same brush with multiple colors. Then once a week, use a gentle shampoo (I like to use baby shampoo) with a bit of water to deep clean your brushes. Leave them out to dry overnight, and you are good to go! Just be sure not to get water into the ferrule of your brushes (where the metal ferrule meets the wood handle.) This will rot the wood over time and it will eventually ruin your brush.
I hope this helps a tiny bit. Love you all, but it is time for bed because I am one tired little "blogger." Eww.
xoxox
Allyson Stagg
CEO of The Las Vegas Style Sirens
P.S. Follow us on Twitter, Myspace, AND Facebook. All of them our URLs are LVStyleSirens.
When women come to me and say "I have tried to do my makeup how you did it, but I just can't." I always feel a little frustrated. Being an ex-theater major, I wrote a script to inform you why:
Woman: "I have tried to do my makeup how you did it but I just cant!"
Ally: "Oh really? I am so sorry to hear that! How many times did you try the new techniques I showed you out?"
Woman: "Once."
Ally: "Oh. Well you didn't give it much of a chance missy! Did you use the same products I did?"
Woman: "No."
Ally: "Oh. Okay. Well did use the brushes I recommended?"
Women: "No. I didn't have any of them."
Ally: "Oh. Umm well then how did you apply your makeup?"
Woman: "With my fingers."
Ally: "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"
*Ally faints*
AND SCENE.
Thank you. *Ally takes a bow* So now that I have preformed my little skit, let me tell you about the many problems I have with it.
1) Trying out what I teach you in a lesson/consultation is not something you can just practice once. Do you think that I woke up one day, said "Oh. I think I am going to be a makeup artist today" and started doing perfect makeup the next day? Heck no! I have done some terrible makeups, but over time I have learned from my mistakes. Practice makes perfect right? And if you do mess up, lets look at the bright side. It's JUST MAKEUP. If you mess up, all you have to do is swipe a little makeup remover over it and start over. I don't want to ever hear you complain about "not knowing how to do something" until you have practiced AT LEAST everyday for a month. I promise you will be doing it perfectly. If you still can not do it by the end of the month, then we can work together to find a new game plan for you.
2) If you don't use the same products as I do, it is not going to look the same. It is as simple as that ladies. I use certain products for a reason. There is a world of difference between an eyeshadow that you buy at Wal*Mart and a MAC eyeshadow. Sure, MAC eye shadows are a little bit pricey (Around $15.00 a piece) however they will last you ten times longer because the color payoff is so amazing, all you need is one little swipe. I am NOT saying to abandon all of your makeup and run out and spend your whole 401K on brand new products for your brand new makeup routine, I am simply saying know how to use what you have, and once you cycle through your old makeup, seriously think of investing in higher end products. The good thing about our consultations/lessons is we take what you already have, show you how to use it properly, and then we explain how to fill in the missing pieces by recommending things that would work well for you.
3) BRUSHES. BRUSHES. BRUSHES. They are so important (and expensive, I know) I really can not stress it enough. Since brushes are so pricey, I try to replace or add one brush to my collection every other time I go makeup shopping. This way, I am not stressing myself out too much by purchasing $500.00 in brushes, and I can slowly filter out older brushes. (I have had my set for over 7 years and I am just now starting to replace some of them) When you walk into a makeup store, it is a little overwhelming to look at all of the brushes and try to decide what will work best for you, so I am going to tell you all the brushes you could possibly need to create a perfect makeup (anything else you choose to purchase is totally up to you and how comfortable you are using them)
I use only MAC brushes. I have tried several other brands, but many of them are more expensive than MAC. I feel with MAC, I get a great brush for a very fair price.
*Brush #217. This is the ONLY brush you need to do an eye makeup. It is soft enough to blend, but firm enough to place color.
*Brush #224. This can also be used on the eye if you are searching for a softer look. I also use this brush for concealer. This brush blends it in and gives you an airbrushed look without removing any facial primer or eye cream.
*Brush #209. This is the only brush for eyeliner if you ask me. It doesn't matter if you use liquid, gel, or shadow, this brush is it.
*Brush #266. This brush is your eyebrow brush. it fills in your brows flawlessly. You can also use this one for eyeliner if you want to save some money. I just personally prefer the #209 for eyeliner.
*Brush #188. This is your foundation brush. Whether you wear powder or liquid, this one does the trick every time.
*Brush #116. This is the perfect sized blush brush. You never over do the blush with this little guy.
And there you have it. 6 brushes. (5 brushes if you just get the #266 instead of the #209 and the #266) You can ALWAYS add more brushes to do different things once you get more skilled. I have hundreds of brushes and I use them all. But if you just have 5-6 amazing brushes that are great quality, you will be totally set. I can't stress that enough.
These brushes will last you forever if you take proper care of them. You can purchase brush cleanser for $11.00 at MAC. All you need to do is dab a little bit of this magic potion on a paper towel, swipe your brush back and forth a few times, and it releases all the color and dries instantly so that you can use the same brush with multiple colors. Then once a week, use a gentle shampoo (I like to use baby shampoo) with a bit of water to deep clean your brushes. Leave them out to dry overnight, and you are good to go! Just be sure not to get water into the ferrule of your brushes (where the metal ferrule meets the wood handle.) This will rot the wood over time and it will eventually ruin your brush.
I hope this helps a tiny bit. Love you all, but it is time for bed because I am one tired little "blogger." Eww.
xoxox
Allyson Stagg
CEO of The Las Vegas Style Sirens
P.S. Follow us on Twitter, Myspace, AND Facebook. All of them our URLs are LVStyleSirens.
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