My Fabulous Day At The Wendy Williams Show

img_1731Every morning at 10am I watched the Wendy Williams show and if I’m working, I set my DVR and I watch her when I get home regardless of what time of the night it is because I have to get my Wendy Williams fix.  She’s definitely my friend in my head, I even talk back to her like we having a private conversation during “HOT TOPICS”. I have to support my friend, whether it’s watching her show or fighting her battles on The Shaderoom. I’m here for my girl,  she just don’t know it.

So you can imagine how I felt when she fainted last year, when she was out sick due to her health and had to have other guest hosts on the show. I was miserable, I was devastated, I wanted her to know that she has a team of both women and men that loves on her. That she’s not alone.

 

As many of you know that I will be in Hawaii full time starting at the end of the month. Because of this reason I had to hurry to go see Wendy Williams before leaving. Hubby said he would go with me because he know how much I admire Wendy. So off we go to the city. For us it’s a 1 hour and 43 mins drive to the city. I usually take the train which is longer, 2 hours and then add on another 23 mins to drive home.

 

So upon arriving at 12 noon there was already a line forming outside the studio, all of today’s CO-HOST was friendly and dressed to the nines. Her staff was professional and very efficient. So once you get through security they bring you to the holding room/waiting area. You’re giving a sheet with suggested questions to ask Wendy. We didn’t see anything that we wanted to ask or had questions about. On the sheet at the bottom they tell you that you can create your own question if you didn’t see one above. So, a CO-HOST saw us struggling with what question can we ask of Wendy. So, she stared coming up with questions and finally after about 15 of her suggestions we went with a topic about our daughter who’s 26 years of age who recently moved out. So, Michael writes the question down and I write down a question about our 21 year old son. Guess who get called, Michael (lmao). His face was priceless, so he went to talk with Wendy’s team then I get called to the back. So, they ask if we could come back for another segment and that the producer would be in touch. Well, with our tight timeline, I hope it happens.

 

So we go back to our seat, shortly after they started calling the CO-HOST’S by their seating sections. We were seated in section W. As you enter you can hear the music bumping and I mean bumping. DJ Boof had me thinking I was at the club getting my Happy Hour own. Shit, I was looking for a waitress to ask for a glass of champagne. Once we got to our sections, one of the producers asked me to sit on the end so I did. Then once in my seat you know I had to pull out the camera to take selfies and check my makeup and hair. Shortly after Marco G, came out to hype everyone up and to select peeps to come up to entertain us with their best dance moves. That damn Marco G, is a mess! He has the best personality EVER. The shit that comes out his mouth, (smh).

 

Queen Wendy comes out with her bodyguard who follows her every step. She looks amazing and she has great skin! All of us CO-HOST screamed and chanted our ass off when she walked through those doors.  The show is filmed and the same order as you see it on television. Yes, the studio is cold, so I listened and wore a denim jacket because my dress was sleeveless and my back was out. But I wanted a bright color dress to wear with my new lipstick color “Bougie” from my makeup line Entitled Beauty. Plus, I didn’t want a Lupus flare so I kept my jacket on the entire show.

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We were on last Friday show and the special guest was Sherri Shepherd. The show was everything I could ask for. The only thing that was missing was the cocktails. We wrapped about 3:45pm and headed back to Connecticut.

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While stuck in traffic I had a great time making “How You Doin” videos. On our way home we were both HANGRY, so we stopped for dinner at Brio. We got there for 6pm and was silent as we enjoyed our meal and our course COCKTAILS.

 

If you’re a Wendy Williams fan definitely get tickets to go see her. It was a great experience. LOVE YOU WENDY WILLIAMS!

 

 

Hawaii Makeup Artist Brandy Gomez-Duplessis has 22 years of experience in the Beauty & Entertainment industry. Brandy is located on Oahu island in Ewa Beach but you can find her working doing makeup in Kapolei. Being a top influencer & blogger don’t be surprised to see her writing beauty articles and taking selfies for her 60K followers on Instagram on the beautiful beaches in Honolulu…and YES, there are black people living in Hawaii. 

 

 

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HGTV Magazine Block Party In New York

img_9558Bloggers, if I can share with you anything it’s push yourself everyday if you want to your blog to be successful. I’ve been there with abandoning my blog because of everyday life just took precedence. When I was named “15 Awesome People To Follow During The Golden Globe” by AOL that really got me going. When I changed over to WordPress in 2015 I lost my followers and how to do my SEO that has been so discouraging. But at yesterday HGTV Magazine Block Party the panel got me fired up in a good way. I’m on the right track with my blog because it’s authentic, my blog is about me my life as a Celebrity Makeup Artist and Beauty Expert. The tips and advice that was given by the panel really helped a lot. I just have to have someone look at my SEO because I didn’t correctly do it so I’m losing money and not getting the bookings that I should be.

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Ilse and I met up at Grand Central before taking a cab over. It was a rainy day but we didn’t want to miss this event for anything so we both commuted and this rain storm because we wanted to get some blogging feeding. On our way over we talked about the great lineup and who we looked forward to hearing their stories. Can I just say, we were not disappointed.

At 12:50 PM Sarah Patterson, the Editor In Chief of HGTV Magazine welcomed the invited guest.

1:00 PM The Interior of Influence: Powering Your Design Business with LIKEtoKNOW.it, Influencer panel including TB-FAB, Gold a la Mode, Nesting with Grace moderated by Sarah Bertness, Global Content Strategy, LIKEtoKNOW.it

2:00 PM The Everygirl, Branding with a Mission – And How to Stick to It! 

3:00 PM West Elm x LIKEtoKNOW.it Brand Collaboration Conversation, featuring Jess Ann Kirby

4:00 PM Shea from Studio McGee, Studio to StoreFront: Behind the Build of Our Blog and Business

5:00 PM Justina Blakeney of JUNGALOW, Cultivating Creativity and the Social Media Scene

6:00 PM Reception (presented by Tito’s Handmade Vodka)

8:00 PM Event concludes

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Looking through West Elm catalog to get some ideas for my dressing room at home.

Being a makeup artist, I love colors so looking through Sherwin-Williams Colormix Forecast Wall was inspiring. Always looking for new colors for Entitled Beauty.

Alright Guys! Let the after party begin. Thanks to Tito’s Handmade Vodka everyone was able to enjoy a quality and delicious vodka.

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That’s A WRAP! Goodnight HGTV & New York, it’s time to head back to Connecticut.

 

 

What Goes On At BeautyCon In New York

img_6831It’s Back, BEAUTYCON Festival in New York! When you put over 30K+ beauty lovers in the Javits Center you get FABULOUS! This 2 day event can be overwhelming but it feel so good. The energy is great, makeup, fashion and pictures being taken every second. Finally a spot for individuals who luv beauty can all just be themselves and not worry about being judged. Beautycon bring together the hottest brands from hair, makeup and skincare along with the most popular Beauty & Lifestyle Influencers who actually strut around with bodyguards and screaming fans. You never know what individual that is attending can be the next break out star next year cause everyone is a COVERGIRL!

DAY 1-Saturday

Covergirl cosmetics brought me back as a Makeup Artist to share tips and beauty tricks to the consumers that was attending. And Studio B Entertainment did an amazing job with the the setup and production of the set. This year my partner and crime, Johnny joined the team and guess what Covergirl has a new slogan. It’s no longer Easy Breezy, its now #IAMWHATMAKEUP

Day 2-Sunday

My favorite day! The energy was the best ever and the music was bumpin thanks to DJ MAAD. Did I tell you my other partner in crime Ilse was also working, she was at Rimmel. If you didn’t get a chance to attend Beautycon start saving for next year because it’s so worth it to attend if you love anything BEAUTY.

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To celebrate our success we had to get fancy real quick at Grand Central before boarding our trains back to Connecticut. We toasted to Ruffino Prosecco in a cup of ice.

Day In The Life Of A Beauty Influencer In New York

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Celebrity Makeup Artist & Beauty Influencer Brandy Gomez-Duplessis

What is a day like for a Beauty Influencer, you ask? Being a Beauty Influencer each day is completely different but always plentiful. Because I have 21 years of doing makeup in the beauty and entertainment industry I’m moving and shaking all the time especially since I have real A-list celebrity clients and is a Co-Founder of a 4 month old makeup line, Entitled Beauty. My day is mostly spent commuting to New York from Connecticut. I always feel like the MTA Metro North & Grand Central is my second office. I’ve learned to get a lot of work done on the train and have meetings at Grand Central Terminal. Today is no different, while on the train I managed to create content for Instagram and I got on a conference call to discuss an upcoming campaign.

I  like that my train line is conducive to my needs because it’s always so quiet on my line.

img_4558Because I’m not shy, I whip out my camera anywhere I see that a great picture can be taken. I always capture great pics on the train because I get the best natural light on there.

On this day I was feeling like Jenny From The Block and wanted to capture a picture that reflected a boogie down brown girl on the train. On a 1hr 45 min train ride I have to find ways to entertain myself, right?

Right before I get off the train I do my homework so when I get to my meeting next I’ll be prepared. I wrote down additional notes and reread about the client so that I can be refreshed about the company.

Did I tell you that my train also makes for a great beauty studio? Yep, I pull out all of my makeup, my hair brush, hair spray, and perfume and I touch myself up. So I’m usually one of the last to get off the train once it pulls in.

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I selected the meeting to be at Cipriani today because my train last stop is Grand Central Terminal and because Ilse, a lifestyle blogger with Live Learn Luxe It was going to meet me here at GCT after my meeting at 4pm. My favorite drink of course at Cipriani is their Bellini’s. I get this every time.

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Next stop is to the West Village to have lunch at the stylish yet tiny While We Were Young restaurant. We arrived at 4:30pm before the crowd so that we could have the place all to ourselves. Ilse and I were pleasantly pleased with everyone here from the manager, waitress, chef and the owner Bradford, who is just as delicious looking as the food and cocktails they serve.

So what did I order…we both started with a cocktail called While We Were Young followed with an order of Truffle Fries. Then an order of Brussel Sprouts and my main dish was the Wild Salmon. Of course the food was all picture perfect and DE-LISH!

We met 2 other Lifestyle Bloggers here, Sara Mueller @saramueller and Noelani @noemeirowsky it’s always refreshing talking with others peers. We all get each other, all very passionate for creating beautiful content on our social media platforms. After talking about How To’s we ordered another round of drinks because we had a 6pm event to attend.

Last stop of the evening took place in Soho where a group of New York influencers were invited to attend a Brand Collaborations event. Drinks were served, music bumping, lots of conversations going, networking at it’s best. James was a fantastic host, very captivating and Sydney was such a knowledgeable BOSS BABE.  I took down some good notes and look forward to using them like tomorrow as I continue to brand myself as a Beauty Influencer in this industry.

So elated about seeing Zulay, she has a podcast called Uptown Girls. Zulay invited me to be a guest on her upcoming show, how FAB! Also, check out my girl Elizabeth IG page @lizllapa  and Lifestyle Curator Trisha’s page @trishapenn 

It’s 10pm do you know where your children are???? We are somewhere on 86TH Street…Thanks Ilse!!!! By the time I get back to Connecticut it should be around midnight. So while on the train back I’ll go through pics from today, respond to emails and start working on my next blog. A Beauty Influencer life never stops.

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Working On The Upper West Side On Saturday Afternoon

 

 

img_5201It  was a great work day for me today. Anytime I get a call from my clients to come to their home in New York to get them hair & makeup ready for their events it’s always a glam time. Plus, it was a beautiful day in New York that I could have stayed in the city all day.

My client Kristi is someone that I met on set a few years ago.  We hit it off instantly, she is such a fun girl and is very easy to work with.

Kristi is attending the EV 100 Gala at the Essex House. It’s a big event for the Estonian community and Kristi wanted to look like a princess so she called me to come to her home on the Upper East Side to do her hair and makeup. I find that I do more in-home services for makeup in New York then I do in Connecticut.

Grabbing a bite to eat at The Ribbon before heading up to Kristi. This is where I met my my friends Ken Pao & Fady. Ken is a photographer and Fady Malki is a hairstylist. Can’t wait to do some great work with them this spring/summer.

 

Entitled Beauty Cosmetics Made Its Debut At Harlem Fashion Week

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Entitled Beauty Cosmetics Co-Founders, Johnny Luoma & Brandy Gomez-Duplessis

Harlem Fashion Week kicks off New York Fashion Week 4 days earlier. The event was held at the beautiful Museum of the City of New York. Johnny and I was selected to create the makeup look for Malcolm X Legacy Collection designed by Malcolm X daughters and designer Yvonne Jewnell. I wanted the makeup look to mirror what Malcolm X was to me; BOLD, STRONG, and INFLUENTIAL. So with Entitled Beauty cosmetics I was able to create just that and the models looked amazing on the runway.

I’ve worked many fashion week shows from Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in NY and Miami and New York Fashion Week. But this show was very special to me for so many great reasons. Review the great time we had at Harlem Fashion Week and check out how our makeup line, Entitled Beauty cosmetics did on the runway.

Arriving to Museum Of The City Of New York…You can see in my eyes I’m going through it, a Lupus flare is coming on

I need music when I’m working so I brought with me Earbolts NUB Bluetooth Micro Stereo Speaker to keep the party going. Some of the makeup I brought with me were: NICKA K, Flowerbeauty, Laura Mercier, L’OREAL, and NYX.

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This beautiful model Tiana Rhae is a perfect makeup muse for any makeup artist. Entitled Beauty cosmetics look so flawless on her. I used Entitled Beauty Spotlight Highlighters in Prentinous & Blow on her eyes & cheeks. On her lip I used our new shade, Antique Bold Liquid Lipstick.

I got to work side by side with my business partner Johnny Luoma, this was a great treat. I know you can’t tell in the picture but this was Johnny first time doing makeup at fashion week. He did a good job beating model LeAnne face.

After 30 mins of playing with Lubys beautiful face we discovered in our heart that we were long lost cousins. One of the things we have in common is our family being from Honduras. I used Entitled Beauty cosmetics Spotlight Highlighters in Seduction & Blow on her eyes and and RBF on her cheeks. On her lips I used Venice bold liquid lipstick.

This beautiful model Voss was such a PROFESSIONAL. I was drooling when I saw her, I wish I had a before picture of her flawless skin. On Voss I used Entitled Beauty cosmetics  Spotlight Highlighters in Seduction & Lavish on her eyes and cheeks. On her lips I used Mayan Chocolate.

My last model Jackie (I think) was such a treat, another flawless model who I enjoyed working on. When I saw her I knew instantly I was going to use our new lipstick shade Costa Rica on her lips. On her eyes & cheeks I used Entitled Beauty cosmetics Spotlight Highlighters in Split Tea & Lavish.

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While the CEO of Harlem Fashion Week and designer Yvonne Jewnell continued working on her phone I was able to get 15 mins to do something with her makeup. I’m using Entitled Beauty cosmetics Spotlight Highlighter in Pretentious on her eyes and cheeks.


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The models that Johnny & I did lined up before heading down the runway. Those bold lip shades from Entitled Beauty cosmetics came through!

The biggest highlight was seeing our work in one of my favorite publications Paper Magazine. Even though we didn’t a shout out from the writer Christopher Barnard for the beautiful makeup we created at least we can still be proud of what we did that evening. Not one time did I let my Lupus flare on that cold raining day stop me from doing what I love. I never missed a beat and that’s exactly what I did, beat those faces to perfection.

Glam Life Of A Makeup Artist In Connecticut Who Works In New York

 

img_8453-1Everyone always think my work life is glamxurious and it is but the most challenging part when I don’t have a driver is dealing with the subways in New York City.

So just like how I started my blog in 2007 for a small group of individuals, I was making these videos below for a family member. Then the light came on that my followers would enjoy seeing me going to work. I apologize for all the videos but hopefully you enjoy watching as you come along with me to work. I am going to try in do more videos let see where this goes. Maybe one day I’ll have a camera crew following me doing a show on “Inside The Life Of A Makeup Artist”.

My alarm was scheduled for 4:45am and my train was for 6:15am. I live 22mins away from the train station so I have to be fast with hair & makeup. So I’ve gotten accustomed to getting everything ready the night before because in the morning I don’t have time to think about anything. I don’t drink coffee and I can’t have Redbull’s anymore because of my heart so I have to be organized. But once I’m up I’m pleasant I’m not a grouch.

You ready……

Usually on the train in the morning I’m taking selfies on the Metro North, I’m maybe reading my script, I’m going over my call sheets, listening to music and/or a self-help podcast.

Almost to Grand Central, this stop is Harlem 125th. When I get here I start freshening up my makeup.

Making sure I’m good before I walk away. I brought my Swiss Army bag because its smaller since I was only doing makeup on Nashelly Messina.

When I’m walking I need comfortable shoes on. I can’t do my heels anymore my feet would give me major attitude if I even attempt to do that. My FitBit is not going to be able to keep up with my steps today….BAM!

Wasn’t I just here at Grand Central? Days like this I wish we would have kept the NY brownstone.

Look how empty Grand Central is on a Sunday morning.

I guess I’m standing

Aww shit! I hate this part right here (singing the Pussycat Doll Song)

On a weekdays I have to be faster getting through this section, if not I’ll get run over…seriously!

The first thing I grab usually is my inhaler when it’s a lot of freaking steps. It all depends on the station.

I’m good now, being underground is a beast when I have my makeup kit which means always.

Since I’m 20mins early a stop at Starbucks for my signature; Iced Lemon Pound Cake and a Cool Lime Refresher. Nash lives across the street so I have time to relax.

Beauty Influencer Day At Beauty Expo In New York

 

Once again I’m headed to the city to attend a private luxury beauty event hosted by Beauty 2. It’s always an honor when I get invited to these exclusive events. Being a Makeup Artist, Beauty Editor & Expert I have to stay on top of what’s new and what’s coming out in the beauty world so going to these beauty events help me to stay current. As a beauty influencer my peers are looking forward to me sharing honest feedback on beauty products. I invited my gal pal Ilse who’s a lifestyle blogger to attend with me because I knew she would really enjoy getting great content to write about.

So come along with me and let me show you all of the great new brands we met at the luxurious Beauty 2 event while sipping on champagne. Thank You Beauty 2 for creating an experience for us beauty lovers it was such a glamxurious day!

Next time I’m bringing a larger bag for all of the goodies I received.

Arriving to BEAUTY 2

Mythologie New York is a organic skincare line that makes botanical facial oil

Christine at Hynt Beauty showing us the different lipstick shades & the high pay off

One Over One has such a great idea for that effortless makeup look

One Over One is all about simple makeup, if you luv tinted moisturizer you will luv this

BOTANE is from South Africa and they focus on optimizing the immunologic power of the body

Cleo & Coco Natural is 100% natural/vegan charcoal deodorant and body powder brand

Sigil Scent is a unisex long wearing natural fragrances for the body

Java Skincare is a green coffee infused skin care that’s all natural

Battington Lashes is 100% handmade silk lashes that could be worn up to 25 times

Lust Cosmetics is a luxury nail lacquer that’s vegan, cruelty, and gluten free

Revival Body Care is a all natural skin & hair care that’s eco-friendly and cruelty free

Stiks Cosmetics is all about being tech chic using the one handed method to open product

Spongelle Beyond Cleansing is a body wash infused luxury buffers

Biodara is a eco-conscious organic luxury skincare line for auto immune warriors

Enamour is a minimalist natural skincare line for families

Gold Label Cosmetics is for the ambitious beauty enthusiast

dome BEAUTY is for the everyday woman who love long wearing products

CLE Cosmetics is a luxury sleek makeup line

SKOT Beaute is inspired by travel & ancient beauty rituals

Beauty Enthusiasts Skyping With An Agency From London About Makeup & Skincare

On Monday I received an email with an invite to be a part of a research project in NYC for a major manufacturer of skin care products. We set up a Skype interview to chat with the Senior Consultant on Tuesday morning. The company is based out of London and they thought that I would be a perfect fit for an exclusive expert private dinner in New York. I will take part in an informal 2-3 hour discussion with 5 other beauty/skincare enthusiasts in New York to discuss beauty trends and make up techniques (particularly the eyes).

The interview went very well and it look like I may be doing a private Beauty Happy Hour makeup class with the company a day before to educate the staff on the beauty products. I always love speaking about beauty to an audience who also love it. The last 3 years I have really been focusing on branding myself as a public speaker and it’s been happening.

Look forward to sharing more with you next week after I attend the event.

 

Fashion Night Out In New York

img_4226​When you get invited to attend a Fashion Focus Group in New York inside the Gregory Hotel given by Caravan Stylist Studio you know it’s going to be a fun filled glamxurious evening. The event was hosted by Claudine DeSola founder of Caravan Stylist Studio, actress Alysia Reiner, and designer Tabitha. It was a large group of women talking about something we all have in common…our LOVE FOR FASHION.

I met up with my gorgeous date for the evening Mindy at Grand Central. Mindy and I met some years ago at a photoshoot. Mindy was one of the Connecticut Housewives models for the magazine. While doing her makeup we just clicked talking about makeup and our blog. Mindy’s blog is called Finding Silver Linings. I luv how we both have grown at the same time as a Beauty Influencer.

Having fun on the train

 


 

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