Picture Perfect ❤️

Hello Queens!

It's that season again....Pageant Season. A lot of you girls are getting your makeup routine together for whatever pageant system you are going to be entering. I want to let you in on one of Victoria's Secrets ;) 

The key to flawless foundation with an airbrushed look is found in the perfect setting powder. One of my favorites is Ben Nye Banana Powder, which is made in the USA! 

It is the final step after you apply your foundation. The key is proper application and allocation of the powder. As with other palettes, you need a good quality brush! My choice brush is MAC 150. 

Remember Queens... It's not always how you start...but how you finish! Finish Flawlessly❤️

With love,

V

Quote of the Day:Give a woman the right makeup and she can conquer the world!

 

Miss Universe "Finals"

Buenos Días Friends❤️

My first ever Miss Universe pageant was filled with excitement, glamour, and a lot of Latin Flavor. The lines were long and the lobby was packed! I met so many wonderful people from around the world. From Nicaragua to Nigeria, everyone was so friendly, and I had many photo ops with my newfound friends! 

So many were loving my wardrobe that was provided by Jill at Dazzles from Columbia, SC. The designer of my gown was Jovani. The color was reminiscent of the Miami Sunset and the bright colors of South Beach. Thank you so much Jill!❤️

The auditorium was filled to the brim. From my top 5 predictions, three of my picks made it to the top: Colombia, Jamaica, Ukraine! My favorites of the night were Jamaica and USA. Both were stunners in red hot gowns. They were my final two picks during finals! I'm obsessed over Nia's stunning Michael Costello gown. Nia truly lit up the room in evening gown! It was perfect! Kaci, Miss Jamaica, walk was poised and confident! She was a show stopper for sure! 

Behind-The-Scenes...which you may not have seen on TV...Miss Puerto Rico appeared to have fainted and fell to the floor. She was escorted off stage during commercial break. Also, Miss Russia was apparently escorted off stage due to her thumbs down gesture. I am not surprised at the boos following Miss Jamaica's 4th RU placement, as she appeared to be a front runner. Majority of the girls appeared to gather around Miss Jamaica after the cameras quit rolling post-crowning. But, as quite often happens, in the pageant world, there is always a surprise in the end! 

Congratulations to the new Miss Universe, Colombia, Paulina Vega. She is gorgeous, and the new crown complemented her very well. 

Let the pageant season begin!

With love,

V❤️

Quote of the Day: To feel like a queen is to simply believe you are one. 

Miss Universe "Round 1"

Hola! Olá! Bonjour! Hallo! 您好

Whatever language you say it in, Welcome to everyone from around the world. 

Even with a chill in the air, it's been a beautiful sunny day in Miami!❤️ I headed out earlier today to the beautiful campus of FIU (Florida International) to watch the prelims for Miss Universe.The excitement in the air was palpable around campus. The Arena was packed with hundreds of fans cheering for their country's queen! The stage was fabulous and had Miami flare! To top it off Nick Jonas performed live! Each and every girl was stunning with their own personal flare in their gown choice. You could tell all the hard work that the girls had put into getting swimsuit ready.  After seeing them on stage, I have narrowed my personal picks down to a Top 5.

My Top 5 picks are:

Australia

Russia

Ukraine

Colombia

Jamaica 

 Be sure and watch the finals tonight on NBC! 

My chosen outfit for the day was a very comfortable cocktail dress from BeBe. It is a lovely color of peach accented with gold stones. It reminded me of the Miami sunrise this morning.  I chose nude pumps and gold jewelry to accessorize! 

My hair and make up was styled by Liz Everett! Liz has recently been named the number one hair and make up artist by Pageant Planet! 

With Love❤️, 

V 

Quote of the Day: "Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness." Oprah #WomenWhoInspire

OOTD: Miami ❤️

Buenos Noches en Miami❤️

I want to share my outfit of the day #OOTD. 

My black lace top from BeBe is comfy as well as cool! It pairs perfectly with my retro throwback parachute pants from BeBe also. Side pockets on the pants are the perfect place for your phone and lipgloss. The Chanel handbag I received from "Santa" adds just the right touch. What can I say about the shoes? The higher the heels the closer to Heaven ❤️. This outfit helped make for a easy, breezy day around Miami. I'm loving the warmth! 

Special shoutout to Ashley Mandarich for the amazing hair and makeup! I wish I could take you everywhere! 

With love, 

V ❤️

Quote of the day: Always listen to your heart because even though it's on your left side, it's always right. - Nicholas Sparks

Favorites!

Photo by Angel Samples Photography

Buongiorno Beautiful Ladies!

Today's blog with be the first of my personal favorite finds! I will be showcasing some of my top picks in cosmetics, hair products, jewelry, clothes, interviews and more!

                                                          
Face Primer
Just as you prepare a canvas base for a beautiful painting by applying gesso, so you also prepare the face for flawless make-up by applying a primer! The quality and smoothness of the primer is key.

I am highlighting  a seriously amazing face primer that is my favorite by Rain Cosmetics called Smooth Criminal Face Primer. I have tried many primers, but Rain Cosmetics (one of my favorite brands) recently came out with this product and as the name implies, it is almost criminally smooth!

Photo courtesy of RainCosmetics.com - Even the packaging is cute!

The key for your foundation is making sure your face is hydrated and smooth! A primer does just that, in addition with regular moisturizer. It smooths fine lines, wrinkles, hides blemishes, and hydrates! All of this insures that your makeup does not look cakey - one of my pet peeves! Since I have started using a face primer, I can see a difference in the mirror and in photos!


Quote of the Day: Nothing can dim the light that shines within.

XOXO,
~V

Red Carpet Ready!

Photo by Nhan Tran Photography

Just in case you have not seen my social media blasts, New Year's Day was the Red Carpet premiere of my first feature film 'Athena'!  It was a fabulous way to spend the first day of 2015. The event was packed out as two theaters were filled to capacity with VIP guests. Since then, I have had a lot of people message me about my styling and makeup for the premiere, so I have decided to share the details!

My gown was provided by  Kimberly Pixton Millar  from www.PixtonDesignGroup.com and my one-of-a-kind earrings were handmade by Brandi Bowen of Ever So Lovely Jewelry!
               

The Gown

Photo by Matt Vivanco Photography

This custom ballgown by Kimberly Pixton is a Masterpiece! Inspired by the Art Deco era, this design reflects the Uptown skyscrapers of Charlotte. Dubbed "The Morrison", the black sequined bodice bosts the flow of arches in the sequins.  This gown can make a girl feel like a million dollars! The dress even has hidden pockets, so I could keep extra lipstick and my cell phone for selfies, of course :P

Photo by Nhan Tran Photography

 The Earrings

My "warrior" earrings were provided by the very artistic and creative Brandi Bowen! I don't believe that this lady ever sleeps but she must because her designs are nothing short of a dream!!  I adore every single piece in her jewelry line but without saying... her creation for my premiere is my absolute favorite!!  The ear candy is constructed from vintage Athena coins hammered and bronzed to highlight the warrior goddess! Perfection. <3 (Find more of her custom pieces at www.EverSoLovely.com)

    

Hair and Makeup

Hair and Makeup artist = moi! By learning the process and with plenty of practice,  I have now begun to perfect my style.

For hair, I washed, blow dryed and pin curled each lock.  Ladies, if you have long, thick, heavy hair, like me, pin curling does the trick. Thank you Meredith Boyd for teaching me that technique! After leaving the hair up for about an hour (while I applied makeup) I was able to take the hairpins out and shake and tousle my hair into place... Voila!

Meredith Boyd teaching me the art of pin curling! Photo credit: Matt Boyd Photography

For makeup.. here it goes....
Products:
Primer- MAC Strobe Cream
Base- Chanel Lumiere #40
Concealer - Rain Cosmetics in Bone set with Rimmel Translucent Power (totally in love with this powder)
Contour- MAC Matte Bronzer
Eye Pallete - Stila "Into The Light"
Mascara - Chanel Voluminous Mascara
Lips- Rimmel Kate Moss Red
Eye Liner- MAC Pro Black and MAC Gel Pot
Brows - Anastasia Brow Gel Pot - Medium Brown

I did a soft smokey eye using my Stila pallette, like picture below:

For all those red carpet lights, contouring and highlighting is a must.

Courtesy of Pinterest.com

Having a lighted makeup mirror is the trick to making sure your makeup is flawless. The tools are also essential such as good brushes, sponges for application and blending.

Makeup Mirror from Target!

Last but not least is "wear that smile like it is a part of the pallette!"

XOXO,
~V

Stay tuned in for the next post soon to arrive!


Quote of the Day:
Life is like a camera. Focus on what's important, capture the good times, develop from the negatives, and if things do not work out, take another shot! 

Have a glamorous day!

XOXO,

V