Miss Wrigleyville USA 2014

Exciting news!!!

I am officially running for the job of Miss Illinois USA again and I have officially been given my title of Miss Wrigleyville USA!

I am honored to be able to compete again this year and am ready to take on the title of Miss Illinois USA 2015 this year! Follow my blog to keep up on updates of my preparation, tips, modeling jobs, and appearances! This is going to be a fun summer of prepping to win the crown!

Bridal Season is Here!

It is wedding season so enjoy some teasers from the shoot :) 

                                           

With all my friends that are getting engaged and getting married in the coming months, I feel that this post is appropriate. Lately I have been getting asked to do a lot of bridal shoots and shows. This is strange to me because I am only 22 years old...but then again that is the age some girls start to think about getting married.

Modeling is all about looking the part. I may be young and feel like I am nowhere close to ready to be married but dressing up in amazing gowns that I would dream to be like mine one day...that is another story. Playing bride for a day was actually really fun! Bridal shoots are all about making it look realistic to the women who are planning their weddings. The makeup is so clean, the jewelry compliments each garment and the models have to look excited like it is their wedding day!

Here are some images from my most recent bridal shoot that was done with David Stephens Photography. This team was amazing! The models are Gabriella Roth and myself. The makeup artist was my girl Karla Mendez. We had a Creative Set Designer, Candice Dora and Jewelry was provided by Xochitl Ramirez Onohan. The beautiful gowns were made by designer Marina Krissanov.

xoxo

MIA

Hey followers!!

Sorry I have been MIA for the past few weeks. I have a bunch of posts that I will be posting over the next few days. Sometimes my busy schedule gets the best of me and I forget to post to this. I have some exciting shoots to give you sneak peaks into and some really awesome tips that I learned over the past few weeks.

Excited to also announce that I am looking to take my career permanently to NYC, LA, or London. I have not decided on where yet. If anyone has a preference on one of these cities please comment which one below :)

It's time for this model to take on the world outside of Chicago!

xoxo

Spring Is In The Air!

Since it is so nice outside today in Chicago I feel like some images from my shoot this weekend with David Stephens Photography would be the perfect blog post!

This shoot was a spin off of some images I came across on pinterest and we did more with the ideas then I could have ever imagined. 

When collaborating with a group in the industry sometimes the concept is not fully grasped but whenever I work with David and Karla, we are always on the same wavelength and it makes my job that much more fun.

 Modeling is something that I have grown up doing. I have been doing it since I was 7 days old...to see how much I have grown in the industry is amazing! Meeting the people I have met the past 2 years and the experiences I have been blessed with in the last year has really helped me grow in my career.

I always have a blast shooting with David and Karla and this just proves that! Collaborating with fun and talented people always makes my job even more fun. David and Karla always push me to get to that next level and that is what a great team should be doing!

I can't wait to start shooting outside and have fun shooting in the sun :)

xoxo

Woman Crush Wednesday

A model is nothing without her Hair and Makeup Artist :)

 

Karla Mendez Artistry has been the HMUA I have used since August 2013. She is the most professional women I have worked with in the beauty industry. Karla has been in the industry for over 8 years working  in Chicago, NW Indiana and surrounding areas. She was also the Lead Hair stylist used for NYFW in 2013.

Karla has been there supporting me since she met me! She has helped me with shoots, pageants, and just life advice. Her charisma on set is contagious and I am always more then pleased with the looks she does for me!

As her bio states:

"Karla is currently doing hair and makeup for special events like quinceneras, weddings, videos and more as well! Whether her jobs take her to high fashion photo shoots, fashion shows, a television studio, or a music video set, Karla displays her mastery for creating the look of the day in a matter of minutes. Karla is available to travel on location, teach lessons, and encourages you to take a look at her portfolio, you won’t be disappointed."

A model is nothing without her HMUA and I am so lucky to have such an amazing one in my life! She is my woman crush Wednesday and I can't wait to bring her with me on future shoots :)

Check out her website :)                   http://www.karlamendez.com/

xoxo

Up & Coming Chicago Designer

The lovely dress you see me wearing on the right is designed and made by new Chicago Designer Nichole Lee Garlough. I met this designer at a shoot in August of 2013 and have kept a close relationship with her since.

She sponsored me for Miss Illinois USA 2014 and the dress above is what she made specially for me. The requirements for the dress were just to be a black cocktail dress. This would be the dressed used for the opening dance number for the pageant. I told Nichole that I wanted it to represent my personality a little so making it sexy and sassy was a must. She really nailed it! I got more compliments on that dress then I could keep track of!

If you are looking for a designer who really tends to the needs of the client then Nicholalee is the girl for you! Check out more of her designs on her website below!

Nicholalee Fashion

This designer is going nowhere but up in her designs! Can't wait to see what she does next :)

xoxo

International Tips

Sorry to have been MIA from the blogger world for the past 10 days! I was on vacation and took a break from blogging! Today's post will be about shooting Internationally, in honor of me coming back to the U.S. from Aruba.

I was privileged to have been chosen to shoot in Barbados for an international campaign and absolutely love the experience. Island beaches are always so much different and the water is always so clear! Some pointers for shooting internationally? Well I am still learning myself but what I learned is:

1. Over packing is a good thing! Sometimes the designers and the clients like what you have from home more then what they originally picked

2. Once work is over it is exhausting to do anything else! But....always stay an extra day to have some fun!

3. Shooting in warm weather NEVER gets old!

I love what I do and would love to shoot internationally more often :) Ideas and auditions in the works! Never give up on a dream because once the ball starts rolling in the right direction...it only gets bigger and better!

xoxo