First Quarter 2014

Hey guys. So it has been a minute since I blogged and therefore, I wanted to catch you up on my first quarter 2014 happenings!

Lets start at the beginning.
January was an amazing month. I had the amazing honor and priviledge to style alongside the great Johnny Wright (personal hair stylist to our FLOTUS) for the launch of new addition to the Amla line by Soft Sheen Carson. This was great network event hosted by the fabulous Tracee Ellis Ross.
Last year I met an amazing artist while working for Latinista Fashion Week. Demi is a seasoned hair/mu professional with a heart of gold! She hired me to assist her with hair for SWV appearance on the Bethenny Show. What a great experience that was. (S/O to Coko, my new boo!)
There are just a handful of authentic and down to earth celebrity stylist left and Jamal Edmonds happens to be one. I was afforded the pleasure of assisting him on a major shoot in his career and took great pride in doing so. During this shoot I was able to meet and chat with MU guru Renny Vasquez and just feel the energy from two artist that sleep, eat, and breath the industry! I also begin my journey to becoming an industry professional Makeup Artist!!! I wanted to get the basics down before investing hundreds and thousands of dollars only to be confused….lol. So I researched, I studied artist on IG, and of course I took to youtube for basics such as foundation, highlighting and contouring, applying lashes and blending principles. I got the hang of it in a matter of a few weeks and shocked myself with the ease of it.

February was a slow month for me in regards to industry projects. I did have another opportunity to work on the style team for Soft Sheen Carson for the launch of Dark and Lovely Au Naturale addition. This event was hosted by Marsha Ambrosius and catered by Chef Roble’…..amazing!! I was able to step out of my comfort zone and grow as an artist. This event was strictly natural styling, which is sort of new for me. In the past, the extent of my work on natural clients has been silk pressing the hair. At this event I was able to create multiple styles using the new Anti-Breakage line of products and of course, I rocked it!!
Lastly, I was able to enjoy seeing my work in a few magazine publications which is always a rewarding feeling.

March was an exciting month. To start, I was offered a position on the styling team of Soft Sheen Carson (instead of an as needed basis, I would actually be a team member) and I gladly accepted!!! I continued perfecting my makeup skills and was invited to shoot with a major photographer as hair and makeup artist.  This experience was so awesome and the images look great!

My main gigs (The O Experience NYC Salon and Chicago, the Musical) are still going strong and building weekly so I am very thankful for that. I am looking forward to an amazing second quarter with my birthday and 1year anniversary of my being a NYC resident artist!!

Remember to stay focused and live out your dreams. You CAN do it!!!

Broadway, a dream come true!!

Have you ever whispered something to yourself and then started to dream about it…..and then it happens? That is how I felt last week when my whisper became reality!!

Two years ago, I was afforded the opportunity to work on the taping of The Rickey Smiley Show in Atlanta. While taping I became friends with Ms. Roz Ryan (known for her role as Amelia, one of the sisters on the 80s TV show Amen!). Ms. Ryan was and is a wealth of industry knowledge and shared stories of Broadway performances and almost instantly I said, ” I want to work there”!

Shortly, after my move to NYC, I reconnected with Ms. Ryan who set up a meeting with the Head of Hair Styling for the Broadway musical Chicago (which happens to be the longest running show on Broadway and Ms. Ryan received an award this past October for the longest running actress to play the role of Mama Morton!). After meeting the Head, I was offered a swing position in the department and my dream became reality.

My first show was Friday, December 19, 2013 for the evening show. I was nervous and anxious at the same time. It was my job to style for the some of the leading roles including Mama Morton and Mary Sunshine, so I was to make very sure that their lace fronts were just as fabulous as their performances.

I arrive backstage and begin laying all of the tools needed to style and secure the wigs, pieces and lace fronts. I check the listing sheet and strategically plan for the evening. From dressing rooms upstairs to actual applications in my styling area, I had a plan that was going to make my evening run smoothly and impressively.

The curtains rise and as I watch the TV monitors in back, I am so proud of my work on stage and even more proud to be the first Black Hair Stylist* to hold this position!

What an amazing experience with many more to take place. So I say to all that have a dream, vision or aspiration…keep moving forward with that in mind. You can achieve it, you can make it happen. Believe in yourself, know your craft, keep a good character and know that your turn will come.

*Disclaimer: other actresses have brought in their own stylist but not another has been employed by the show to style all wigs)

First 60 Days!

So I made it through my first 60 days as a NYC resident. WHOO HOO!!!

This time has been amazing to say the least. From the much needed vacation till my first celebrity photo shoot. WOW is all I can say!

Lets start with the beginning. I arrived here in Harlem with anticipation of just mad craze, but I experienced kind and resourceful neighbors who were eager to guide me. I purchased a Metro Card with unlimited weekly rides and off into the concrete jungle I went. It was quite easy to maneuver through especially with the aid of Google Maps…lol. I have experienced just about every area of interest that there is with the exception of going over to the Statue of Liberty and going to her head!!

Im here for roughly 48hrs and I receive a call from celebrity photographer James Anthony about an upcoming shoot that he is doing for Upscale Magazine to feature the rapper EVE. Talk about honored and excited…yeah buddy!! So we arrive and get set up and in walks EVE. She is gorgeous, fun and engaging. Very easy to work with and extremely down to earth and pleasant.

Before the move, I had already confirmed that I would be working with celebrity hair stylist Brian C. Hawkins on the upcoming Full Figured Fashion Week here in NY. What an amazing event that turned out to be. I might some of the industry best models and show producers. It was an honor working on this time of skilled and professional stylist.

One day while walking around Time Square, I get an email from celebrity hair stylist Mann Nance-Morgan to come assist on a shoot with singer Cara Quici. This was an awesome experience to work with heavy hitters such as celebrity MUA Victor Amos and celebrity wardrobe stylist Shannon (known for her styling of Alicia Keys). I learned a thousand tricks of the trade and was honored to be assisting such a highly skilled team.

So I am now down to my last 5 days of vacation before I return to the salon setting as the new team member of The O…Experience NYC Salon, located in Brooklyn in the Crown Heights area. This is going to be life changing!!!! I will keep you guys posted on the progress of it all.

Love you all, mean it!!!

My First Photoshoot in NYC

It’s 4am Saturday morning and I hop out of bed and prepare to head to the airport. Im going to New York City to work on my very first photoshoot in the city. I’m excited, anxious and even nervous. This is going to be the weekend that I make a name for myself in the Big Apple and dreams become reality.

Celebrity Hair Stylist, Tywan Williams, had his cover shoot planned for Nov. 14th and with me being a great supporter of his goals and dreams, I made preparations to be in town and at the shoot. Later on, Tywan informed me that he had scheduled a shoot with Celebrity Photographer, AL Rodriguez, and invited me to come along to style one or two models. After saying yes, I was then informed that this shoot was set to be a submission to Style-ology, a Fashion Publication. Well, we rocked the shoot. The hair was in a range from beauty to avant garde. I was floored when I received a call from Tywan, informing me that one of my hair styles was chosen for the submission for the cover.

The biggest surprise and honor of the weekend was when Tywan announced to me the concept of the cover of his first issue of Heat Magazine. The first issue will feature the Iconic Hair Team, including myself. The shoot was fun, successful and timeless. I had a blast from the beginning with styling a staff members hair, all the way through with sharing laughs and smiles on location of the shoot. This has been a weekend to remember and one that goes into my memoir book.

Check out the websites of the these two great men in Fashion. Tywan Williams ( http://tywanwilliams.com ) and Albert Rodriguez ( http://alrodriguezphotography.com )

Creative Flow in Times Square

After finishing a client from the Bronx for her GAP casting call, I decide to head to Times Square for a little bit of people watching! Of course, my main focus is on hair. Ohhhh the cuts, the color, the movement, the creativity. I see spikes. Red hues, brown and even shades of green. This inspires me and awakens my creative flow. Pics to come soon…..