Tag stage

New Contest Prep Site Launched! Please Check Out CutCurves.com!

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If you are ann NPC Bikini or Figure competitor, or you are THINKING about competing, please check out my newly launched contest prep site! I have a full menu of services, so if you just need assistance on posing, or if you need comprehensive coaching, I am here for you ladies! If you are new to competing, it is important to realize that a lot of details go into looking your best onstage:

PROPER TRAINING FOR YOUR BODY TYPE AND THE DIVISION
PROPER AND STRUCTURED MEAL PLAN
PROPER SUPPLEMENTATION
PROPER SUIT CUT AND COLOR
PROPER ACCESSORIES
APPROPRIATE STAGE MAKEUP
WELL APPLIED SPRAY TAN

On top of this there are countless other details which are easy to overlook if you are already overwhelmed with the pressure of competing.

I will guide you through the entire process so that you won’t need to worry about those little details. Programs are delivered via email so you do not need to live locally in the Los Angeles area.

http://cutcurves.com

Competing On a Budget

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Find original post at:  http://www.rxmuscle.com/rx-girl-articles/6778-competing-on-a-budget.htmlpiggy bank - Copy

Several weeks ago I calculated the total amount which has been spent by my sponsors and by me on all costs associated with the half dozen national qualifiers and the thirteen pro qualifiers I have competed in since 2009, and almost fell over in my chair.  I am by no means blessed with disposable income so I can honestly say that my drive to compete has required a tremendous amount of financial and personal sacrifice.  However, I realize that many of you prefer to keep expenses to an absolute minimum, so I offer a number of suggestions on how to meet the financial demands of competing without putting undue strain on your wallet.

  1. Set a specific competition budget and stick to it.  I have a separate “show fund” in which I set aside money for competitions and am well aware of what I can and cannot afford.  I know competitors (and I admit I have foolishly pushed myself to the limit in the past) who have paid a show entry fee then later came to the realization that they could not afford the other expenses for the event and had to back out of it.  Once a budget is set, it is important to limit oneself to the number of competitions which will keep one within budget.  This can be challenging, especially when one is on a mad quest to chase a national qualification or pro status.

 

  1. Look for a sponsor. I have had competitors ask me how to obtain sponsorship and who also lament the fact that it is exceedingly difficult to land sponsorship from a supplement company.  My response to this is that sponsors can come in all forms!  Here are some suggestions for potential sponsors:

 

Fans

Friends and family

Business associates

Fitness clothing companies

Smaller supplement companies

 

The trick to asking for sponsorship is to graciously ask for assistance in paying for an event.  Remember that even a small amount will help.  I have competed at events which have been sponsored by a number of entities, with the tan covered by one, entry fee covered by another, flight by yet another, etc.

 

  1. Stick to nearby contests.  It makes sense to compete within your geographic area if you are trying to keep costs down.  If you are competing at local and regional events, make sure these events are within reasonable driving distance from where you live.  National-level events are much trickier since they are fewer in number and take place in very specific areas.  If your budget allows it, you may consider competing at pro-qualifiers provided 1) your budget allows it, and 2) you limit the number of pro-qualifying events you enter.

 

  1. Stay with friends.  If you are considering competing at an event which is far from where you live, consider asking friends or family who live near the venue if it is possible to stay with them.

 

 

  1. Purchase a used competition suit.  Many competitors will retire gently used suits and put them up for sale.  This is a great way to get a suit without breaking the bank.  Keep in mind that you should determine whether your body is similar to the competitor who has worn the suit, as this will greatly affect how the suit fits YOU.

 

  1. Bling out your own suit.  A competition suit encrusted with crystals can range from several hundred to thousands of dollars and can really kill a competition budget!  A great option is to purchase a plain suit then purchase crystals, beads or sequins from wholesale supplier online, then apply the embellishments yourself.  Please refer to my article on How To Bling Out Your Own Suit for more details on how to do this.  By choosing this option you will save a considerable amount of money.  In addition, you can customize your design, making your suit truly one-of-a-kind.

 

  1. Do your own makeup.  Out of the eighteen competitions I have been in, I only had my makeup professionally done four times, and that was in 2009 and 2010.  Since then, I learned how to apply makeup for the stage and as a result, have saved a significant amount of money.  Please refer to my article, Perfect Stage Makeup for pointers.  Also make sure to PRACTICE a couple of times before the contest so that you don’t wind up with a disaster on the big day.  There are plenty of great tutorial videos on YouTube which will walk you step-by-step through makeup application for a smoky eye.

 

 

  1. Do your own hair.  Generally speaking, you really don’t need to get too fancy with your hairstyle.  For figure and bikini, either flatironing for a sleek look or adding big, soft curls will look nice onstage.  Fitness, women’s physique and women’s bodybuilding may necessitate putting some hair up if you have hair that is long enough to get in the way of your routine.  Make sure to use either smoothing serum for flatironed styles or hairspray for curls so that things stay in place.  However, do NOT make your hair so stiff that you cannot gracefully move it off your back during your back pose.

 

  1. Apply tanning solution yourself.  This is a tough one, since I always have my tan done professionally.  However, if you are truly on a tight budget, it is certainly possible to apply tanner yourself.  The only limitation will be when you need to tan your back.  There is a tool which you can purchase called Xen-Tan Hard To Reach Back Applicator which does a decent job of evenly depositing self-tanner on hard to reach areas if you aren’t able to find someone to help you apply your tanner.  This clever device is available at a number of sites, including Neiman Marcus, Zappos, 6 PM, Amazon and Ulta.  I merely chose the Ulta site because that is where I purchased mine. http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?skuId=2242675&productId=xlsImpprod4141877&navAction=push&navCount=1&categoryId=cat90022

 

Make sure to apply a thin, even layer and allow to dry before applying the next layer.  The number of layers you will apply will depend on your base skin tone and the brand of solution you decide to use, but you should plan on applying two to five coats of color.

 

As for the solutions which I consider the best for stage, I love Jan Tana High Definition Color and Liquid Sunrayz.  Bronze Angel by Dream Tan is also great.  Some people love Pro Tan so this brand may also work well for you.  However, I personally cannot use this product as it fades immediately on me, hence my hesitation with this particular brand.

 

I hope these tips will enable you to compete at the shows you have your eye on! Best of luck!

How to Bling Out Your Own Suit

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Find original post at:  http://www.rxmuscle.com/rx-girl-articles/6387-how-to-bling-out-your-own-suit.html

Peacock Suit I Blinged Out! - Copy

Most of us ladies love the dazzle of crystals and sequins when seen on competition suits, but such embellishments can be pretty expensive, especially when suits are custom made and crystallized by a professional suitmaker.  However, it is possible to bling out your own suit at home as long as you have a somewhat creative hand and a lot of patience.  I have endured the laborious process of applying crystals by hand on three suits.  Despite the fact that this was very time-consuming, it was well worth it considering the fact that I saved hundreds of dollars by crystallizing the suits myself.

You may be wondering where to purchase a plain competition suit.  Good sources are eBay, Jagware,  Suits You Swimwear and Chynna Dolls, or you can have a suit made by a professional suit designer (examples are Passion Fruit, CJ’s Elite, TameeMarie) and then apply the crystals yourself.  Once you have your suit, you can determine what design you would like to apply on the fabric.  You can get ideas from looking at competition images of ladies in suits you like, or you can go to a site like www.Dreamstime.com and select a clip art image.  After this is done you need to make a copy of the design so that it is the appropriate size for your suit, and also make copies of the mirror image so that your suit design is symmetrical.  These prints will serve as templates when you are ready to start mapping out the design.  If you are very artistic, you can sketch a freehand design.

The next step in the process is determining the colors, sizes and quantities of the crystals, beads or sequins you want to purchase for your suit design.  Rhinestone Depot is an excellent wholesale online site for crystals.  I also like Artbeads but the prices are higher.  Make sure when you place your order that you order extra materials just in case some of the crystals pop off.  Generally speaking, you should only purchase flat-backed stones as they are much easier to glue onto fabric and much less likely to pop off.

There are two options available to you with Swarovski crystals when you are trying to decide how to affix the stones to your suit.  Swarovski crystals come in a “Hotfix” variety which already has adhesive on the back, but you will need to purchase the application tool (which looks like a soldering iron) in order to apply the stones.  The other option is to get the regular flat-backed crystals and use a fabric glue such as E6000 or Aleene’s Flexible Stretchable Fabric Glue.  If you are using very small stones, you should have a pair of small angled tweezers on hand to pick up the crystals.  Other supplies to have on hand are toothpicks (for setting a crystal in the exact spot where you want it and for cleaning off excess glue) and a piece of sturdy cardboard large enough to stretch out the fabric in your suit while you are working on it.

To begin the process, line up the crystals on the design which you have printed out.  This will give you a familiarity with the design and also ensure that you have enough crystals to create the design.  You can also place marks on the fabric with a washable marker so you have some guidelines.  Put your suit on the cardboard in such a way that the fabric is completely stretched out.  KEEP FABRIC STRETCHED WHILE YOU GLUE RHINESTONES AND ALLOW GLUE TO DRY!  If not, the crystals will pop off.

Start at one end of the design, placing a small amount of glue on the back of the crystal and then pressing into place. For smaller crystals, you can use angled tweezers and toothpicks to move the crystals into their exact spots.  It is a good idea to switch back and forth from one side to another to ensure your pattern remains symmetrical.

Most importantly, TAKE YOUR TIME!  This will take HOURS and HOURS to do.  Trust me, it really takes a while.  When I crystallized the peacock feathers on the suit I wore in 2011, it took me a total of 38 hours to complete the work.  I had no choice but to keep returning to the project over a number of sessions until it was completed.  Then again, there were over 3,000 crystals, so I created quite a challenge for myself.

Once you are finished, you can celebrate your creativity and rest in the knowledge that you have a one-of-a-kind suit!

Perfect Stage Makeup – Learn How To Do It Yourself

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For those of you who did not see my original post at http://www.rxmuscle.com/rx-girl-articles/6198-perfect-stage-makeup.html, I am re-posting here!Smoky eye

Perfect Stage Makeup

 

Let’s say you have decided to compete in your first contest and have already chosen your suit and accessories, booked your tanning appointment and, in an effort to keep costs down, decided to do your own makeup.  If you have done stage makeup for other competitors then you most likely know what colors and techniques to use in order to avoid looking like a ghost onstage.  However, if the extent of your makeup application skills has not ventured beyond bridal makeup and a nice going-out-on-the-town look, you might want to read on.

 

FOUNDATION:

 

First and foremost, the foundation you use needs to be DARK.  I mean really dark.  Generally speaking, the color on your face needs to be only a shade or two lighter than the color on your body after you get your spray tan.  For those of you familiar with MAC Foundation colors, Studio Tech NW43 or NW45 are excellent foundation shades for the majority of competitors.  However, I do not like MAC foundations because 1) they are extremely comedogenic, and 2) the compacts dry out very quickly.  Instead, I use Bobbi Brown Stick Foundation in Warm Walnut and that works very well onstage.

 

Make sure to gently exfoliate your skin prior to the day of the competition, and use moisturizer and primer immediately before applying foundation.  Though I usually use a foundation brush to apply foundation for photo shoots, when working with very dark foundations for stage I find that a makeup sponge works better than a brush in applying a nice, thin yet even layer. Make sure to extend foundation onto your neck, ears and hairline, feathering out and blending.  Once this is done, dust some translucent setting powder over the foundation to set it.  Chanel makes an excellent loose powder which I love both for daily use and for shows.

 

EYES:

 

Usually I will do my eye makeup first, then apply foundation since using a lot of black eyeshadow can often create a lot of dust which will ruin your foundation if you have applied it prior to your eye makeup.  When choosing eyeshadow colors, avoid blues, greens and purples as they tend to look garish under the stage lights.  Your best bet is to stick with neutral tones.  You can never go wrong with a dramatic smoky eye.  If you don’t know how to do a smoky eye, check out YouTube for some great smoky eye tutorials. Also check out the image in this article which shows a perfect smoky eye for the stage.  Ideal colors to use for a stage-ready smoky eye are black, champagne or platinum, a beige base, brown and perhaps a warm pink.

 

Here are some guidelines for creating a smoky eye with the above colors:

 

  1. Apply eye shadow primer.  I like Too Faced Shadow Insurance.
  2. Sweep a beige shadow (recommended: MAC Grain) over entire lid and up along browline.
  3. Apply black eyeshadow (recommended: MAC Carbon) over lid but be careful NOT to extend beyond lid crease. Extend shadow beyond outer corner of eye in a V, angling towards brow.  Blend well with a blending brush. Also apply black eyeshadow to the outer portion of the lower lash line.
  4. Take a brown eyeshadow (recommended: MAC Brown Down) and work into crease at outer corners.  Make sure to blend this well.
  5. Take a warm pink (recommended: MAC Da Bling) and sweep it over the inner and mid-portion of the lid.
  6. Apply the champagne (recommended: MAC Ricepaper) or platinum shade on the browbone, the center of the lid, and the inner corner of the eye.
  7. Apply black liquid eyeliner along the upper lash line, sweeping up into a cat eye at the outer corners.  Please refer to the image of cat eye liner for a guideline.

 

Don’t forget false eyelashes!  Finish off with liquid eyeliner and lots of mascara.

 

Make sure to also fill in your brows. I find that shadows work much better than pencils at creating a flattering look.

 

FACE CONTOUR:

 

Make sure to use a blush which is dark enough to show up on your face.  MAC Dollymix is an excellent color for stage.  I tend to extend the blush a bit into the side of the cheek below the cheekbone to avoid a hollowed out look, and will add a bit of bronzer to the blush when I do this.

 

Your contouring powder also needs to be dark, making MAC Deep Dark mineralized skin finish ideal for such a task.  Apply contouring powder in an “E” on each side of the face, starting at the temple, then sweeping under the cheekbone and then along the underside of the jawline and under your chin.  Make sure to blend well!  A bit of highlighting powder also looks lovely when dusted lightly on the apples of the cheeks, forehead and chin, but be sure to use a light hand.

 

LIPS:

 

For your lips, choose pink or red matte shades.  Avoid frosted formulas, oranges and corals as they do not translate well onstage.  Also apply clear or pink lip gloss over your lipstick for a nice finish.  Before you go onstage, make sure to blot the inner part of your lips with tissue to ensure that no lipstick ends up on your teeth.

 

 

IMPORTANT TIPS:

 

If you are nervous about how your makeup might look on the day of the show, practice your techniques until you feel comfortable.  Also, make sure to give yourself enough time to apply your makeup on the day of the competition without feeling rushed.  It is far better to start very early and have extra time to relax AFTER your makeup is applied than to be rushed and perhaps unable to complete your makeup application before stepping onstage.

My Love Affair With MAC Cosmetics

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MAC EyeshadowsFor years I have had an addiction.  Yes, it is true…to MAC Cosmetics!

I can blame the period during which I served as the Director of Cosmetic Research at Alhambra Medical Center (from 2005 to 2007), since during that time I was expected to investigate every type of product which made contact with the skin, including color cosmetics.  Until that time I had no real interest in makeup, and only owned a black eyeliner, pressed powder and a couple of lipsticks.  Even now my daily routine consists of powder, blush, eyeliner, and lipstick…I cannot be bothered with foundation, eyeshadow, bronzer, mascara or lipgloss on a daily basis.

But I cannot help but fall for the deeply saturated hues that characterize MAC color cosmetics.  Their eyeshadows are like precious gems, glittering and luring me in.  I have been an artist my entire life and realize that it is the artist in me that is so attracted to all the colors.  When I prepare for a photo shoot or competition, or I do makeup for a model, I approach the face as a canvas and lose myself in the process of creating something beautiful.

Keep in mind that the photo above shows MAC eyeshadow pots stacked two and three deep, so I do indeed have a LOT of eyeshadows, probably close to ninety.   I also have MAC false lashes, lipsticks and lipglosses stored in another makeup storage area.  Before you folks assume that these makeup items are just collecting dust, I can tell you that this stuff does get used.  Whenever I have a chance to get creative with colors, I will experiment with some of the more flashy shades in my collection and allow my creative side to completely take over.

I highly recommend MAC eyeshadows over other makeup brands (though Urban Decay, Nars and Laura Mercier have some amazing shades) due to their color payoff.  As a result of their high degree of pigment, they last a long time.  However, I realize that there are women who might be color shy or makeup shy in general, but who may be curious about learning a bit about makeup.  The best eyeshadow shades for a makeup neophyte to purchase in the MAC line which will serve as great basics and allow one to create some great evening and smoky eye looks are:

Brule (great lid base)

Haux (lid color; this is a muted lavender)

BrownDown (one of the best brown shadows ever)

Carbon (a deep inky black)

If you want to experiment with a flash of color, a couple of favorites are Humid, which is an intense emerald green, and Plumage, which is a deep teal blue.

The best thing to do is to practice and experiment and have fun while doing it.  Makeup application can unlock the child within us and allow us to create beautiful things!

Competition Bikini for Sale – Never Worn

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This beauty has Swarovski crystals all over the front and a pretty crystal scatter on the back of the suit bottoms.  I had this custom made then went in a completely different direction with a suit for 2011 when I came up with a creative suit design that really resonated with me.  This suit is one of a kind, with an abstract leopard print design that really carries a LOT of bling and dazzle for the stage.  It is cut for a 34D chest, and the botoms would fit ladies with anywhere from a 34 inch hip up to 37 inches.

I paid $500 for this suit, and again, it has never been worn.  Please make a reasonable offer and let me know how I can get in touch with you.  Thanks!Competition Bikini For Sale

Commit To That Date!

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North American 2012I may upset a lot of people by saying this, but I cannot stand hearing a competitor talk about an upcoming contest they plan to do, only to back out at the very last minute.  I can understand how a significant family emergency, significant illness or a significant injury can undermine plans to compete at a specific event, but I have heard everything from a lack of financial preparedness, to going on a vacation in which all self-control is abandoned, to failing to follow a contest prep plan faithfully, etc., as reasons for pulling out of an event.  It is just one excuse after another.  Yes, that’s right, I said excuse.

I lead a very busy lifestyle which has me switching roles from physician to model to writer to contest prep coach to trainer.  My mother is in a skilled nursing facility and since I am her only child, the burden of monitoring her care falls upon me.  I train intensely and regularly five to seven days a week.  I pack my food daily.  Yet when I select a competition to participate in, I never, ever allow myself to back down from that goal.  I commit to it entirely.

What is involved in this commitment to compete in a specific contest?

  1. I research the show schedule thoroughly beforehand and determine which contests I plan to do.
  2. I establish a detailed budget for each contest.
  3. I coordinate financial resources, both my own and those of my sponsors so that I know how expenses are being covered.
  4. I compile a to-do list for each event which includes a timeline so that I am sure to stay on track with when show registration is due, deposits are due, and when flight reservations should be made.
  5. I follow my contest prep plan faithfully and do not sabotage my own efforts to be contest ready by the time of the event.

I honestly believe that fear and self-doubt are what jeopardize a competitor’s focus and generate the feeling that contest plans should be postponed.  By pushing plans back repeatedly, a competitor develops a cop-out attitude which flies in the face of the determination and fortitude that characterizes the world of competitive bodybuilding.  Let’s face it, life always throws challenges at us.  But there is no reason whatsoever to allow those challenges to discourage us from continuing to pursue that goal of stepping onstage and showing of the efforts of our determination and hard work.

Pick a contest date, commit to it and just DO IT!