Pink Heals!

For the last 3 years Van Michael salon has supported and created the hair and make up for an amazing nonprofit Breast Cancer foundation fundraising party at the W Hotel Buckhead, http://www.pinkheals.org/ourstory.htm. 

This foundation brings  fashion and femininity to the otherwise serious or overly corky ways to raise money for Breast Cancer. I have taken a lead on organizing our backstage crew for a couple years and we have made the survivors look and feel amazing. The survivors are the models along with style bloggers that help dress the ladies for the show. For one night we turn them into runway models and honor their journey. It's a great time and I hope if you live in the Atlanta area you would consider supporting Van Michael and Pink Heals Thursday, September 26, 2013 at 7 p.m.

Magic happens, when talented people come together!

Tomorrow I will celebrate my friend James Hurley's grand opening of his floral and events boutique. He and I were cosmically meant to be friends, there are only two people in my life that seize to impress and amaze me with their abilities to create magic when it comes to their crafts, and they are James Hurley and Rod Lawson. 

A couple of years ago I commissioned another talented friend David Robin Munn ( amazing colorist and photographer) to capture some amazing bridal looks for our portfolio and to be used for Jame's advertisements, and my awesome friend Esther Lee to help style the shoot. The magic that came from that shoot still blows my mind today. We had the prettiest models and the best location ( Then Mansion, now Mandarin Hotel). What is so precious about that day is that we all were in our element and we wanted the best shot for each other. No money exchanged, except for the EBay bridal gowns ( had one on loan from a friend), and a few dollars for some of the models.

When you love what you do and dream of doing it all the time, you are able to draw like minded people to you...And then that's when magic happens!

The Advertising choice!

David Robin Munn

James Hurley

Beyond Fortunate...

I have had the pleasure of grooming many celebrities over the years, I could blow your mind with the names and stories of the people of the silver screen that I have been able to service. But, there is only one lady that has made me want to literally want to be her best friend and that is Viola Davis. She is the cover for Essence magazine for October, when I saw the cover it took me back when I did her make up for the press day in Atlanta for the movie The Help. I did her make up for a two day press event. She spoke to me as if we known each other for years, she was so open with her life growing up, and we compared stories of adoption ( at the time I was in the process, didn't work out...another blog all together).

Viola Davis was brought up in Central falls, Rhode Island. She describes herself as having lived in 

object poverty and dysfunction during her childhood. But as the universe would have it, she took that pain and reality to the screen and stage. I had the pleasure in seeing her in the play "Fences" a long with  Denzel Washington, which she won a Tony award and became the second African-American woman to win the award after Phylicia Rashad. I have come to the conclusions that no matter how many characters  a celebrity plays or the appearance of their life in photos, they are just human beings having an earthy experience that I hope makes them happy!

R.S.L.

People come in your life for a REASON, SEASON, OR LIFETIME...You know that there are people that are purposely placed in your life, may it be to show something amazing about yourself, may it be a healing or you are the healer. Then there are the seasonal people that stay just for a while, long enough to bring you a change of pace or shake up your complacency, then there are your lifetime people who you may not talk to everyday, but you know that they will always be a phone call away, they have been there from the beginning, and don't plan to disappear anytime soon. I have a list of all of the above, but who I want you to meet today is one of the many people who has witnessed a few ups and downs and has cheered me on every step of the way! Thank you Lila for coming and spending some beauty time with me yesterday!

Hopes & Dreams...

This weekend I will be attending a managers retreat to brainstorm what we can do better on behalf of our company and the employees we lead, and how we can help them live out their hopes and dreams. I'm very excited about it!

It got me thinking about a quote by Paul Robeson: We must realize that our future lies chiefly in our own hands.

If you can blame anyone for any condition in your life, then you, not they, are digging your grave. Your chief adversary comes to teach you a lesson. Your most difficult challenge strengthens your survival skills. Your greatest fear deepens your faith. Your weakest ability beckons you to grow. Anyone and anything can challenge you. It will not overtake you until you surrender. Only you can determine what you do and how you respond in a situation. It is your responsibility to make a decision about what is important to you; choose what you want and how you are going to get it. Once you accomplish that, it is your responsibility to move forward until you get it.

Paraphrased from an excerpt from Iyanla Vanzant.

Silver Linings...

Two years ago I decided I wouldn't stress about the breakage I get around my temples anymore. When I had my hair colored it would break off just around my face, in fact just on the right side. So, I decided I won't have that particular area colored anymore. It was a huge undertaken since I work at a hair salon that has it's on color boutique and people who only specialize in color, I got offers everyday to have my hair colored. It looked awful at first since you only saw white roots. About 5 months of growth and it started looking like a streak. I've since made it my signature, I get asked daily if I have it colored white. Which, made me wonder who would purposely color their hair silver/white? Well, I found out it is actually a trend now and many people young and mature in age, are embracing silver hair as a look. I hope it stays in vogue for a long time, because I'm fighting a losing battle and may need to rock the entire silver head...

MUSE...

As a verb, to muse is to consider something thoughtfully. As a noun, it means a person — especially a woman — who is a source of artistic inspiration.

My first Muse was Roz, she worked for Van Michael as a hairstylist years ago. She had the face that made an artist want to paint, photograph, or just ponder. She wasn't a model, but you wouldn't know that or even care. Her delicate features were easy. Her boyfriend, now husband was an inspiring photographer ( he was also a great colorist at the salon), so he wanted to shoot as much as possible for practice. Of course you know I was game! Alex Safdari was so committed to getting the best shot, he was a very patient photographer. In Roz's shoot I feature in this blog, we are in front a huge garbage contraption, I have a cheap fake snow Christmas tree skirt as a skirt, a white bustier, Christmas garland around her neck as a necklace. When I tell you we got inventive, I wasn't kidding.We would do as many people who said yes to a shoot, Shannon and her sister Michelle both former employees of VM, said yes to a shoot and we got some amazing and beautiful shots of these sisters. Nothing should stop you if you have the urge to create, I believe its God telling you, you have more to give to the world, so show off! I have had many muses since and I hope to have many more, but your first is aways very special...

I would just pull her and try something new all the time!

Behind the scenes...

 I just created a pin board on Pinterest called "Backstage." The most exciting part of a fashion show, hair show, musical show, play, or concert, is the back stage! Seriously, the show goes on for minutes to maybe a couple hours, depending on your genera of entertainment, but the real party and pressure is behind that curtain. I have been fortunate enough to have worked Fashion Week ( in 90's), televised Award shows, and hair shows, they all have the same thing in common...Insane time pressure and Fun!

There isn't much else more gratifying than seeing all your hard work released to the stage and the audience receive it with praise and pleasure. From the models waiting to go on, to the crew playing and joking with each other, it is some of the best times. This week I decided to talk a lot about one of the many hats I wear for my company. Hope you enjoy seeing the most creative thing I do... I love doing bridal make up, event make up, and brow shaping, But the shows are what push me to use my creative gift.

These two are fighting over who has the bigger muscles...lol