It’s Officially Time. I’ve been pulling out various pieces of my summer wardrobe stash here and there, but since I had to TURN ON THE AIR CONDITIONING yesterday (totally against my will!), I figured it’s time for the big switch. Cold weather clothes* out, warm weather clothes in. If only there was a way to do it without making a huge mess…

*Why do I have so many sweaters? And why do I always need more?

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I really love the idea of lipstick, but I also really love to eat. Often. As in, I need food every 2-3 hours. Which presents a problem if you’re like me and are often too busy/lazy/forgetful to remember to re-apply lipstick.

Enter Revlon’s Just Bitten lip stain, which I picked up at CVS on a whim one day. I grabbed a Crave (pinky-plum) from the display, took it home and tried it, then promptly went back to the store the next day to buy another color. I bought yet another one (Flame) yesterday, so I think it’s fair to say I’m hooked.

The just-ate-a-popsicle color + won’t-rub-off convenience (those swatches on my hand stayed put through 5 hours of cleaning and laundry) is perfect for summer. I’m thinking stained lips, lots of bronzer, and big lashes is going to be my warm-weather look this year…

Have you tried lip stains? What’s your favorite?

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For the first time since, oh, 7th grade, I’ve been doing fancy thangs with my nails:

It’s weird to think that I’m back to putting what basically amounts to stickers and glitter on my nails, but I guess some things never change! I think I’ll try something like this marble design next:

Have you seen or done any fun nail art lately? Keep in mind that I’m a novice, so I’m looking for stuff that’s easy…

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I was going through my computer, trying to make a dent in the skillion and two gigabytes occupied by image and graphics files when I came across some old pictures. Some funny, slightly embarrassing old pictures. Out of the kindness of my heart, I figured this might be a good time to share a few memories from my Hair Journey, which kind of sounds like something corny a contestant on The Bachelor might say, but I’m gonna call it that anyway.

In conclusion, there have been too many pictures of me on the internets for a looong time.

The End.

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Since all this newfangled technology means we’re connected all the time, I figured I’d try posting mobile-ly (that’s a word, right?)

Here’s what’s happening RIGHT NOW, behind the scenes at a photo shoot for A Line:

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Thanks to the internets, it’s easier than ever to follow what’s happening on and off the runways during New York Fashion Week. Besides the usual pictures and reviews and street style snaps, video is making me feel like I’m in the front row, albeit in sweats instead of Suno. In particular: YouTube’s Live From the Runway.

 What’s your favorite way to keep up with the shows?

The Greatest Voice of All

On a much sadder note, RIP to (another) one of the singers whose music helped define my childhood. People used to say I reminded them of Whitney Houston fairly often back in the day (my usual reply: “I’m EVERY woman”) and though I knew she was at least 27 times more beautiful than me, I took that ish to heart and tried to replicate her hair styles and makeup as much as I could.

Thanks to Ms. Houston, I nearly wore out my pre-pubescent vocal cords trying to hold that last note from Greatest Love of All, daydreamed about wearing a beaded headdress while performing I Have Nothing instead of listening in algebra class, and chased boys around the playground while You Give Good Love played on a boombox in the background. Shoot, it was just a week ago on Superbowl Sunday when I clicked over to YouTube to watch that 1991 performance of the National Anthem–not that Kelly Clarkson wasn’t good, she just didn’t move me like Whitney did.

 Now, off to Netflix The Bodyguard and Waiting to Exhale while weeping softly into my plate of nachos…

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Confession: I have never been able to properly pull off a red lip. Pink, purple, burgundy, even orange, I’ve managed to (mostly) master. But red? I look like a naughty toddler playing in mommy’s makeup. It just never seems to look rose-blossom right.

Until…Amy of Cincy Chic invited me and a few other lady-bloggers to The Bridal Studio to have our makeup–including the Perfect Red Lip–done by pros Mollie and Nancy of FACEing.

Reds, reds everywhere…

Gettin’ my makeup did

Marsha and Brock of Style Edit

Photographer April Smith was there to record the transformation, and Brock and Marsha, Kate, Amy, Julie and I posed and preened for the camera like pros.

 This is how you give good glam, bitches

You can show off by posting a picture of yourself wearing your Perfect Red Lip on Cincy Chic’s Facebook page! When you do, you’ll be entered to win two tickets to the sold-out Go Red event on February 3rd, a $50 gift certificate to Stone Creek, and a personalized FACEing makeup class gift certificate. Bonus entry if you make your Red Lip Pic your profile picture!

I made Mollie and Nancy of FACEing and photographer April Smith take a turn in front of the camera

Mollie used a combination of Revlon Crimson and Laura Mercier’s Neutral Brown liner on me (plus false eyelashes–my first time wearing them!). What shade(s) do you use for a red lip?

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Time for another round of “Ask T”! This is not so much a styling question as it is a stylist question:

Hi Tamia,

I really like your work in A-Line magazine!  I’ve always wondered how you get the clothes for photo shoots. Do you have to buy a bunch of stuff? If so, who pays for it and where do you keep it?

~K

Hi K,

I’m freelance, so I usually pitch an idea or concept for a shoot, then the editor suggests tweaks/adjustments according to the timing and theme of the issue. From that point, it’s my job to set up the shoot, including a date, location, photographer, models, hair and makeup artists, and of course, clothing and accessories.

The clothes are “pulled” or “sourced” from local retailers since it’s a local magazine and we’re too far away to work with showrooms and designer PRs in NY and LA.

So, instead of flipping through lookbooks and picking the skirt from Look 4 and having it messengered over (apparently, even when that’s possible, it’s a hassle–hence services like The Runthrough), it’s more about researching boutiques, visiting retailers to make an introduction, and getting a feel for the type of merchandise each shop carries.

Pictures and Pick-ups

For each shoot, I pick out several looks (outfits) from local shops, including clothes, shoes, and accessories. There’s a lot of running around, jotting down notes and taking pictures of various items at each store to keep track of what’s out there and which shops have what I’m looking for!

Once I figure out which pieces will work best together, I pick them up from each store the evening before the photo shoot. The items are loaned, meaning they’re returned to the shops after each shoot. There’s a merchandise loan form that we use to keep track of the stuff we borrowed and guarantee their safe return, or payment if something happens. Nothing has ever happened, but it’s nice to have backup in place!

Styling for publications in a city like Cincinnati requires a slightly different process than it would in a place like NY or LA, but I’m fairly anal about the way I like things to be organized, so it all works out!

Hope I answered your question!

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I went to see Tim Gunn speak at Smart Talk Women last night (big thanks to Erin for hooking up the tickets!) and was extremely impressed by how down-to-earth and funny he was as he talked about his books, Project Runway, and all sorts of, um…entertaining stories involving Anna, Andre, Heidi, et al.

He shared so many funny stories and such good advice that I couldn’t tweet it all, but I gave it a shot!

Zach and I chatted while waiting in line to meet Tim (I called him Mr. Gunn and he immediately insisted I call him Tim), and he was just as lovely and accommodating up close. I seriously want to shrink him down and carry him around with me all day so he can tell me amusing anecdotes about the over-the-top behavior of fashion industry folks. Make it work!

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Another day, another photo shoot! These images are from the A-Line shoot I styled for the January issue, with the lovely Sheila Gray as the model. You’d never know she has a teenage daughter–she came out of the dressing room in jeans and socks and looked like a teenager herself!

Snappin’ away at The American Can Factory

The photographer for the shoot was Gina of Kiwi Street Studios, one of those multi-talented creative types who does it all. She even managed to get a few snaps of me!

We wound up dragging some bonafide firemen (who just happened to be there answering a call) into a few pictures, too. No one is safe!

We totally caught these guys off guard, haha!

Check out the photos and the rest of the January issue of A-Line here. Happy reading!

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