I mentioned last week that Kam and I were getting ready for a photoshoot with Jeffrey Shipley for our website re-design.  Well, the shoot was last Friday, and boy oh boy do I feel a lot more sympathy for all of my wonderful clients!  I mean, really, even though we had 150% confidence in our photographer, as a woman you can’t help thinking, “hmm, how can I lose 15 pounds and grow 5 inches in a week???”  Ok, maybe I wasn’t really hoping to grow 5 inches, but it’s really easy to get insecure really fast!

No matter how tall you are, we all have those days where we look at photos of ourselves and just cringe.  You know, when you look in the mirror and think “Oh yeah, smokin” only to think “Oh nooooo” when you see the photos later?  Yeah, we all have those days.

The thing about photographs is that it is really easy to internalize how they make you feel.  Whether they remind you of good times with your family or show your figure in an unflattering way, images are powerful.  For so many women, not only have we grown up in a culture that surrounds us with images of photoshopped 12-year-olds, but we have millions of bad cell phone pictures to just make us feel worse.

But the thing is, we can use the power of imagery to make us feel our best as well.  You know what I mean – we all have taken that photo from just the right angle that makes our chin look defined, our eyes big and our waist small.  Yes, the photo that makes you walk around for weeks thinking “Aw Yeaaahh”, even when you’re wearing yoga pants and no makeup.  (Please tell me I’m not the only one who does this!)

So, anyway, all of this was on my mind when preparing for our photoshoot.  I mean, if we were going to go to all the effort and expense, I wanted “Aw Yeaahhh” photos!  I was not going to throw caution to the wind and just hope that Jeffrey was sensitive to my insecurities, I was going to do something about it.

So, the week before our shoot was filled with desperately searching for outfits and a reliable place where I could get my hair and makeup done.  Since we were doing the shoot out of town, I couldn’t have my regular stylist take care of me, though I did have her give me a cut before we left town.  I was lucky to get a couple good recommendations, and got my hair styled at Evolution Hair Design in Portland, and my makeup at Blush Beauty Bar.  I gotta be honest – it doesn’t cost that much to get a blowout and a makeup application.  But let me tell you, by the time our shoot came around, I felt like a million bucks!  It made a huuuuuge difference.

So here’s the question – I’ve been having trouble finding a shop like Blush in Chicago.  Aside from Sephora or the makeup counters at a department store, where do you ladies recommend going for your makeup applications?

And here’s a small business idea to anybody interested – seriously, we need something like Blush in Chicago!

And now, finally, here we are anxiously awaiting the images from our photoshoot.  And though I didn’t manage to lose 15 pounds or grow a single inch, I feel pretty good about it.  Just to prove my point, here is a little sneak peek from our shoot, courtesy of my best friend Sarika, where I am clearly workin’ it.  Oh yeah, I am smokin’.  🙂