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Go behind the scenes with Stacey as she shares what it means to her to be photographed by Charleston fashion photographer, Shannon Michelle.
How do you pick your polish color? Do you find yourself wanting to try a new color but then going back to the same three or four colors? You’re not alone. I do that all the time. I stick to reds and dark [almost black] purples in the fall | winter and pale or hot pinks in the summer. But yesterday, I found myself at the nail salon…again…with the same dilemma. I wanted something fun and new but would it work for me? Could I take the polish plunge?! I found myslef drawn to this coral color. And I don’t know why I didn’t think about this before but I started to think about what colors I was wearing that week. I asked myself, “What colors am I typically wearing right now?” We all lean towards certain color pallets, depending on the season. I’m loving deep blues, hot pinks, light pinks and golds right now. I occasionally wear a summer green and I often wear black. Then I realized, the coral goes with all of those colors! I’m in!! Let’s do this…new color here we come!
[I admit that as a creative, I did see the color wheel in my head…lol]
Once the choice was made, I was enjoying my coffee and pedicure and realized, maybe the polish is like the pillows on a sofa. It’s an accessory color. It can be changed regularly. Typically you’re encouraged to buy a more neutral colored sofa and then change things that are easy to swap out, like curtains, rugs, pillows etc….even polish 🙂
So the next time you’re at the salon, try something new. Change those “pillows” and give your weekly wardrobe a pop of color. I’m loving mine!!
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Our very own lead makeup artist, Shana shares her beauty story.
Watch the behind the scenes video with fashion and beauty photographer Shannon Michelle.
Makeup: Shana Christoforo
Photo | Video: Shannon Michelle Studios
Hair Extensions: Bellami Hair [260g | Chocolate Brown | 20 inches in length]
Brows: Anastacia Beverly Hills [Brow Definer | Chocolate]
Lipstick: Anastacia Beverly Hills [Liquid Lipstick | Blush] [Sunset Strip Gloss]
Lashes: Amy June Lashes [Elsa]
Foundation: Ashley Sievert Beauty [Mineral Velvet Creme Foundation]
Pro Contour Palett: Laurac Cosmetics
Tanner: Vita Liberata [Luxury Tan Rapid 4-7 Day Tan Mousse.]
As I’m waiting for the laundry to dry, I sit here in a nearby Panera Bread on this chilly May morning. Sipping my piping hot latte always makes thing better…even laundry.
While I relax, I think about my afternoon yesterday and how I got to see my bestie on the big screen. I’ve watched her grow as a person long before the idea of acting ever entered her mind. We’ve cried together, screamed together, worked together and she stood by my side as I married the man I now call my husband.
I remember running off to the movie theater together years ago, just to catch a glimpse of her on screen as an extra; and I do mean a glimpse. It was less than 20 seconds and she screamed, “There I am!” Of course, I was looking so hard that I missed it all together. “Where?” I said. “Behind that person over there” as she’d point herself out in the crowded nightclub scene.
I hate to admit it but I still didn’t see her. It happened too fast. Next time, I thought. And there would be next time. The movie Star Trek Into Darkness was the first time I heard her speak on screen and just yesterday I watched her as she had a role in the celebrity-packed movie Mother’s Day.Â
Here’s a little sneak peak of her work on the movie, directed by film legend, Garry Marshall.
[Can I just note….thank God she’s making romantic comedies now, they are much more my pace.]
Anyway, back to my latte. Fine, I admit it; I also splurged on a pumpkin muffin! Don’t judge me. Pumpkin in May? Pumpkin anytime of year…who can resist?
Speaking of out of season things…have you ever watched a Christmas movie in June? Or a Halloween movie just because you wanted to be scared? Or a love story outside of February? Of course, you have! Well, I hope you have.
So between Actors and out of season pumpkin muffins, you must think I’m losing my mind. But as I drifted my thoughts from the movie I had just watched to the actors I photograph, to the industry as a whole; I thought about the age old question…are Actors overpaid? And because I’m a business person, I thought, “maybe not.” After all, they are just businesses. And really, what is a good business person trying to do? Most businesses are looking for that golden ticket…scaleability. Actors are paid to entertain us; to tell untold stories and give us a much-needed break from the stress of life. If you don’t agree, don’t watch any movies. It’s that simple. You vote with your dollars.
Whether they realize it or not, Actors have just figured out the ultimate business dream. To do what they do on a global level. Think about it, it’s the ultimate scalable business! They make one movie and get paid residuals based on the number of people who see that movie. It just so happens that for big stars and big movies, a shit ton of people buy what they do! In fact, if you’ve ever bought a movie so that you can watch it out of season [just like my pumpkin muffin], the scalability is even greater!
So instead of focusing on how much money a group of people has the potential to make, why don’t you ask yourself “How can I make my business more scalable? How can I grow my business to reach billions of people?” Because I’ll let you on a little secret… Actors are not the only people who have the capability to make millions. After all, someone has to finance those movies 🙂
And it’s like the old saying goes “Easy reading is hard writing.” Their job may look easy but take it from someone who’s seen firsthand, it takes a ton of hard work, patience, commitment, drive, passion, talent and even a little bit of luck. Absolutely no one is an overnight success and not all Actors will make it big.
And a great, big congrats to my friend Gianna Simone who is on Vogue’s best-dressed list at the 2016 Canne’s Film Festival in a stunning Naeem Khan gown. You rocked it!!! And check another creative genius friend, Holly Nichols’ fashion illustration of that exact moment!
Watch behind the scenes boudoir video with Zumba instructor, Shannon Keane. Her story is an inspiring one about [at one point] being overweight and unhappy with what’s in the mirror. If you liked Shannon’s story, please leave her an encouraging message in the comments section below!
Thank you, Paula, for sharing your story. Paula is a wife, a mother, and an equine chiropractor. But Paula is so much more than that; she is a woman. A strong woman who is passionate about her family and has been taking care of everyone else for such a long time that she almost forgot what it’s like to take care of herself. Shana and I just adored meeting Paula. She is honest, caring, kind and let us go on and on about our own pets when she was in the hair and makeup chair 🙂
I just adore how she lights up after her shoot. You can visibly see how much happier and confident she is after our time together. Watch her interview and leave an encouraging comment for Paula below.
 
Dress: Rent the Runway
Hair | Makeup: Shana Christoforo
Photo | Video: Shannon Michelle
Thank you so much to the family at Barneys New York for hosting the most lovely lunch in support of the ICA Boston. As a lady who rarely lunches, this was a fun break and a great afternoon spent with friend and fashion illustrator, Holly Nichols. We shopped, we dined, we met some amazingly talented people, including designer Brooke Garber Neidich of Sidney Garber Jewelry and had the most interesting conversation with none other than Barneys’ own Simon Doonan.Â
It’s finally spring time! And while most people are spring cleaning their homes, we’re spring cleaning our product line!! Out with the old, in with the new. It’s with great pleasure and excitement that I get to announce our newest product… the “Peek-a-boo Book!”
I’m obsessed for 3 reasons:
1] This book is made by the same company as our one of a kind, Bedroom Book. It is handled with ultimate care and created with amazing quality. It’s made in Italy and shipped within 2 weeks [super fast for this level of detail]!!
2] It’s two products in one! This album comes stored in a custom “frame box” with a clear, magnetic, plexiglass covering [not shown because the reflective surface is a bitch to photograph and I wanted to share this immediately. Check back later for an updated photos with covering]. That means that you can hang it or stand it up on a photo shelf and in the box, it looks like a framed portrait. Which means that…
3] You get ultimate privacy with the Peek-a-boo Book. We’ve listened and heard you when you say you want to keep your boudoir photos private. Place this as a framed photo and no one is the wiser that there are secretly 20 pages of you in your most intimate unmentionables inside. Chose a beauty portrait for the cover, tuck the ribbon in the front page and your boudoir album becomes something out of a James Bond movie. Well, maybe it doesn’t blow up but how cool that you can walk over, pull the magnetic cover off and take your album out of the wall!!
I almost forget to mention the best part; the box, the spine, and the ribbon are all 100% custom designed!! You can get almost any color you want and our design team is excited to help you select the perfect color combination for your cover photo and/or home decor.
We are so thrilled with this book and can’t wait to show it to you in person! Contact us at any time to schedule an appointment to come see this album in action!!
Beauty Portrait Photo Shoot with Salon 1803, Shana Glamour and House of Cach. Watch behind the scenes video below to see how this all came together.
Makeup: Shana Christoforo
Hair: Kai Anthony of Salon 1803
Jewelry | Accessories: House of Cach
Photo: Shannon Michelle
Model: Alyssa of Maggie Agency
For bridal jewelry, check out HOC Bridal.com