Inside The Life Of A Makeup Artist & Reiki Practitioner in Hawaii
Aloha, Welcome to Honolulu Hawaii Celebrity Makeup Artist, Lifestyle Blogger and Reiki Practitioner Brandy Gomez-Duplessis blog, Inside The Life Of A Makeup Artist. She shares makeup tips, how to, on set entertainment, BTS, beauty industry pics, bridal makeup, and beauty testimonials, all while living with Lupus, Fibromyalgia, RA & Asthma. This Oahu Hawaii Makeup Artist and Blogger was selected by her peers as The Top 15 People to Follow During The Golden Globes. In 2018, Brandy was introduced to Reiki at her Rheumatologist doctor appointment. After seeing what Reiki did for her Lupus she decided she needed to learn it. In 2020, Brandy received her calling to become a Reiki Practitioner and a Spiritual Life Coach. Her first goal was to help ALL auto immune warriors. But after seeing what COVID did to her peers, Gomez-Duplessis decided that she need to help everyone that her Spirit Guides sends to her. Gomez-Duplessis says she will use her hands once again, this time instead of making people beautiful she's going to help heal them and make them a happier person, by doing Reiki. So, follow her on this new journey as she does Healing Touch Reiki Sessions in Hawaii on residents and tourists…and yes BLACK PEOPLE do live here in Hawaii.
Listen to the most recent episode of my podcast: Are you having uncomfortable conversations with your friends? https://anchor.fm/brandy-gomez-duplessis/episodes/Are-you-having-uncomfortable-conversations-with-your-friends-e1442bp
YAASS, It’s about to be on….I made it to New Orleans and I’m about to be LIT! Isn’t that how the kids say it. Beautiful weather, great food, the best champagne…EVER. So, I’m in New Orleans because two of my clients from New Orleans are getting married on the same day so they flew me out to do makeup on their special day.
My flight was very early, 5:30am but it’s ok because Nancy booked me First Class on United Airlines so I was able to enjoy great seating and unlimited mimosas. My Girl Pal, Jamielyn picked me up from the airport and we had reservation at one of the best NOLA restaurants, Brennan’s. Guess what, it’s also International Champagne Day so you know it’s going to be a fancy day.
Ended my fabulous day by witnessing a second line…only in New Orleans.
My makeup is from Entitled Beauty Cosmetics:
Entitled Beauty Cosmetics
“Resting Bitch Face” Spotlight Highlighter
$24.00
Entitled Beauty Cosmetics
"Pretentious" Spotlight Highlighter
$24.00
Entitled Beauty Cosmetics
“Anastasia” All Nighter Liquid Lipstick
$19.00
New Orleans Makeup Artist Brandy Gomez-Duplessis has 22 years of experience in the Beauty & Entertainment industry. Gomez-Duplessis is a wife and a mother of 2 adult kids. She also has a home in Candlewood Lake in Connecticut. In 2014, Brandy was diagnosed with Lupus, Lyme & RA. She uses her platform to help bring awareness about her health.
Do you have girlfriends that you chat with a lot but getting together because of busy schedules is overdue. I’ve always said ‘Nothing Worth Having Is Easy” that’s with anything in life including a great friendship.
Well, Bethani is my girl, she is my ride or die friend. She’s beautiful, she’s glamxurious, she’s a business woman that knows her shit, she’s a fashionista with a killer body & arms. Her love for dogs in need, and her love for makeup, beauty, and cocktails is everything I look for in girlfriends. We just have so much in common that I enjoy our time we have together.
Luv my Michael Kors sunglasses…can you see my purple highlights?
So my glow is Black Up Strobing Highlight Stick in Strobs 02 Medium
On my way to meet up with Bethani I stopped to pick up sunflowers because I knew this would make her smile and bring joy to her day. Sunflowers symbolize adoration, loyalty and longevity and that’s what our friendship means to me.
Bethani selected Little Pub in Ridgefield because it’s one of her many favorite places in Ridgefield. Because she lives in Ridgefield it was a location for us to meet up at because I’m always selecting Terra of Danbury. We talked so much that we could not finish our food. But I did get to try their crab cakes, they were delicious! So lucky to have a girlfriend like Bethani in my life.
What do you like to do with your bestie?
Sometimes my work days can be very glamxurious, well today is one of those days. I started doing makeup on Jamielyn around 8am at Arlo SoHo Hotel. Jamielyn needed new headshots for her new restaurant in New Orleans so she asked me to beat her face again. Photographer Karl Ault who is based out of both Brooklyn and New Orleans arrived to the hotel around 10am. Right after the photoshoot we headed out because Jamielyn had made reservation for brunch at the fabulous SoHo restaurant Hundreds Acres. It was such a beautiful day that we were able to walk to the restaurant.
You all know how much I’m obsessed with Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Whenever I can find a Krispy Kreme location I would order a dozen just for myself, OMG and if it’s warm I might go in for a second dozen. Well guess what, I found something just as delicious. Hundreds Acres have on their brunch menu something so fantastic that I have to share with you. It’s their Hundred Acres Donut, it’s an orange glaze that’s crushed with hazelnut and dukkah spice. OMG, I never enjoyed anything like this before. Don’t sleep on the frozen yogurt pop, its strawberry yogurt with granola and catskill honey. If your in the SoHo area please make a stop to Hundred Acres and asked to sit outside in the garden and make sure you have your camera ready for selfies.
Ladies, have you ever been so excited about a girls night with a girlfriend that lives in another state? Well, last week that was me. One of my favorite girls, Jamielyn or should I now say Chef Jamielyn & business owner was coming in town (New York) for a photo shoot. She needed new head-shots for her business and she wanted me to do her makeup. I always enjoy doing her makeup she was like my muse back in the day. This is how we actually met about 9 years ago on a crazy set, at a photo shoot in New Orleans. Jamielyn use to be really busy back in New Orleans in the modeling and fashion scene. We luv to talk about fashion, makeup, family, careers, food, and we luv taking pics of our every step. Jamielyn is the girl who doesn’t mind talking selfies. She’s the friend who will take her time to take great pics of you from the right angle. Lord, I know I sound vain but you know what that’s who I am and I don’t apologize for my self-love and I know I’m not for everyone and I’m OK with that. So when I find girlfriends that mirror me, chillld my day is going to be fanciful when we get together with no husband & kids around.
I took the train into the city that afternoon and headed over to SOHO. We stayed at Arlo Hotel SoHo a very modern style hotel with micro rooms but so many different spaces inside the hotel that you will get lost in it almost forgetting that you’re at a hotel. And if you’re a blogger & influencer you will luv this hotel. So many places for great pics and content. I look forward to visiting this hotel again for materials. Once I put my suitcase up we hit up The Good Story, it’s their rooftop bar with an amazing view of the Hudson River. Originally, when we were going to attend the Annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic on Saturday but we could not reschedule the photo-shoot so we attended a Veuve Clicquot party on the rooftop. Jamielyn started right away with Veuve Clicquot new Rose and I needed a frozen margarita because I was a little parched. Then the rest of the evening it was Veuve Clicquot Rose…we luv us some champagne. Weather was perfect, music was on point, drinks flowing and the conversation never stopped.
Next stop, The Dutch Restaurant for dinner also in SoHo. We were catching up so much that we almost missed our reservations but we didn’t. We didn’t get all fancy we went straight from the rooftop bar straight to dinner. The only thing we freshen up was our makeup, of course. Restaurant was busy and every plate I saw as I walked to my table looked delicious. We wanted American food that had that New York feel with a flare of New Orleans. Let me tell you we got just that. We continued the Rose champagne going so Jamielyn goes let’s just do a bottle. I have to return to The Dutch for that New Engand Lobster, it was exquisite!
I’m so glad I rocked my VANS…I wear black almost everyday and if I could make this my signature shoe I would. These slip on’s are so comfortable on my feet and by the end of the day my feet never get swollen when I wear them. We wanted to walk off the drinks so we walked back to the hotel just enjoying our conversation, while stopping to take pics. It was still early so we went to the Arlo Liquor Bar order more champagne, sat in the courtyard and just enjoyed the beautiful weather. By midnight we were ready to head upstairs because the photo-shoot was scheduled for 8am. We both needed to sleep, we may look young but we’re not. Don’t you luv when you get with your girlfriend who you don’t see everyday because you both live in different states and life happens. But when you catch up it just flows.
*My lip color is Absolute New York for my Lip Mousse in Royals
