Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Pin-up Fun, Impala doing great, Living without a laptop, Lifestyle changing with the season! Finished filming Demons

Hi all!

I had the honor of being photographed by Miss heavenly~flower of Flickr at the Hot Rod Hullaballo in Lawrence, Ks. Her pictures are so amazing. Seriously, I want her camera, haha!

She really captured us well I think! Not to mention Chris' bitchin' Caddy!


Boy, did I have a great shoot last week. So fun and refreshing. I love meeting new people. My newest client is Dawn, who is just a beautiful person inside and out. She gave me permission to share her gorgeous photos, which is always nice! For those of you who don't know me or haven't done a shoot yet, I don't post anything on the internet without explicit permission. Those are your photos, and you have a right to decide who sees them! :)

Love her hair! I think I might be going red soon, after photographing all these gorgeous red heads!
She is so retro glamour. Seriously, I could pass out I love it so much! Hehe!
Pin-up shoots are my absolute favorite, and so fun! I love the feeling of making someone else feel good about themselves, and having photographic evidence, lol! It's that wonderful feeling you get after leaving a salon and getting a great hair cut, at least that's what I compare it to. Whenever I get down and feel discouraged about my business, I just look at the gorgeous photos of my clients and remember how happy they were. It always helps!

If you live here in KC, I don't need to tell you it's cooled off quite a bit! Autumn pin-up and glam shoots will probably only go to the middle of November for this reason! But don't fret, I will be doing Christmas pin-up starting next month!

I'm working on a new makeup look after the popularity of candy corn eyes and bold lips! Will post soon :)

The Impala is running great, tagged, and being driven! Love it soooo much. It's my baby. Still has ugly wheels, but my baby none-the-less :)

Right after he got washed. Guys have chick cars, but my car is a dude. I think I'll name him Dean, after my favorite character on Supernatural, lol. The show is what made me want an Impala after all!
I was so sad I had to cancel a shoot with my friends Courtney and Chris on Saturday, but I'm also relieved we finally finished filming all my scenes from Demons in the Woods. This movie is going to be epic. Very Evil Dead-esque. Maybe I'll get to tour with Bruce Campbell some day on the horror movie circuit. Hey, a girl can dream, right?!

Getting killed by Deb. I was pretty freaked! 
My laptop is still MIA for now :( But Tim is on it, and if anybody can fix it, I know he can! For a price $$$$ Ugh, who doesn't need more money, right? But money can't buy you love or happiness, or at least that's what I keep telling myself :P

I've been working out and dieting like crazy! I'm ready for a lifestyle change as far as food and exercise, and I think I'm on the right track. Not up there with Mary Elizabeth yet (my sister-in-law, "The Heat") but doing good for a prissy girl like me, lol.

Love you all! Email me if at any time you have a question about the studio, how to book a session, and prices. My email is tiffanyaprilmiller@gmail.com

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Fall shoots, computer stress

Hi all,



Today was such as beautiful day! I've had a rough week so far, with my laptop not charging and having to get it repaired. Those of you close to me know I sit and work all day, either editing photos or looking for inspiration. My laptop is my portal to that world, lol. Our desktop is a great computer, hell it's been around since 2003. But it's slower than my laptop, and does not have adequate ram to support Photoshop :(

So while I'm waiting to get part of my livelihood back, I did a fall shoot with one of my sister-in-laws, Gina. Gina and I have always gotten along really well, so we just kicked it and had fun. I'm really glad she loves her pictures, and I'm excited to share a few that I think look great even without editing!



One of the biggest rewards from my business is making people happy and helping them feel better about themselves. Gina said our shoot did both, so I know I'm doing a good job.

Moving on...

I've been working out like crazy for about two months now, and am finally seeing some results. No, not on the scale (ugh) but I am wearing my skinny pants from 5 years ago. They are boot cut Lucky jeans, so not too out of style, lol.

Since I'm dieting as well, as of this week, I'm hoping to finally see some lbs drop off. Chris and I want to get a treadmill, but we just spent a butt load of money on the Impala. Speaking of the Impala, it is looking beautiful! We washed it and cleaned the inside, got new brakes, and as of today the car has tags and plates!

I'm just counting my blessings. I know I'm really lucky to have a good husband of 10 years and a healthy family. I've been feeling sorry for myself a lot lately, I think it's the shift in weather, but I'm going to quit! Sometimes I think about all the people who aren't in my life anymore that I really miss, and it makes me sad. When I have slow weeks at the studio it makes me wonder if I'm doing the right thing, or if I should just go get some cookie cutter job to bring home a paycheck.

Then I have shoots like today, and I know I'm on the right path :)



Love you all!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Fall makeup look: candy corn eyes and bold lips

Hey everyone,



I'm so excited to share a fall makeup look perfect for photos, nights out, and even kid's school parties.

Props to pinuplovely87 and redlips67 for being my inspiration! Thank you also to my Facebook friends who requested bold lips for my newest look :)

To do this look I recommend:

Concealer
Liquid foundation
Mineral foundation or loose powder
Eyebrow pencil or powder matching your brow color
Matte eye shadow in white or light cream
Four iridescent eye shadows in the colors: white, yellow, orange and red
Liquid or gel eye liner in black
Black mascara
Long, thick false eye lashes
Pink powder blush
Red lip liner
Red lipstick
Gold lip gloss

I realize this is quite a few makeup items. When you are just starting out with makeup, don't be afraid to buy one of those mass kits from Ulta Beauty, or Sephora. These kits usually contain various eye shadow colors, blushes, and lip colors. Beauty stores sometimes run specials where the kits are about $20-35.00. This makeup isn't always the best quality vs. Mary Kay or MAC, but it will allow you to do fun looks until you start building your makeup kit up. Cotton balls can be used for applying loose powder or blush, and also for blending. You will need a good eye shadow application brush for this look, but you can find those for a low price at CVS or K-Mart. I love the Eco Tools brand.

Skin:
Make sure skin is freshly cleansed and moisturized. Apply concealer to under eye area, as well as eye lids. Blend well. Do not over apply, as this will highlight any fine lines around the eyes. Apply liquid foundation sparingly. If you have good skin, a very thin layer is all that's needed. For those with discolored areas, just apply it where it's the most red. After applying liquid foundation, lightly dust skin with mineral foundation or loose powder to set the look.

Eyebrows:
Fill in any gaps with a pencil or eye shadow. This is important for really showcasing the candy corn eye shadow look.

Eyes:
Apply a matte white shadow to the entire eye area. Put iridescent white shadow on the inner corner of eye. Keep the line strong. Next, apply the yellow eye shadow, directly next to the white, keeping the lines strong. The eyes are meant to be striped like a candy corn, NOT blended. I made this mistake when I did it on myself! Next, apply orange next to the yellow, and then red in the corners. While applying iridescent shadows, I recommend holding a tissue, paper towel, or piece of toilet paper under the eye to cover the face. You will be using a lot of eye shadow to make these colors bold, and it can fall into your foundation ruining the effect if you're not careful. Apply a small amount of the matte white eye shadow to under eye. Later, if desired, apply a small amount of the iridescent white shadow on the under eye as well.



Apply mascara to lower and upper lashes. Comb carefully, don't put too much on. Next apply false eye lashes for a more dramatic effect. If you wanna look like Stephanie in the pictures, you need some falsies! I didn't wear any when I rocked the look, and I really missed 'em! After applying false lashes, trace lash line with eye liner. Do not make a wing. The eye shadow is enough of a statement, you don't need a wing, even if it is for pinup. If you decide on no false lashes, apply the liner and then your mascara.

Cheeks:
Pink blush on apples of cheeks. Dust on sparingly, and add more as needed. Just a little rosy cheek, nothing too bold to compete with the eye shadow.

Lips: 
Line lips with red lip liner. For long lasting lip color, fill in the inside with pencil as well. Apply a thin layer of red lipstick. Add gold gloss to the middle of the bottom lip, for a glamorous effect.

That's it! Pretty simple considering the attention you will receive when wearing this look! Don't forget pretty accessories and a put together hair style! :)

Here is a list of the specific products I used on Stephanie:

Mary Kay concealer in Beige
Mary Kay medium coverage foundation in Beige 300
Mary Kay mineral foundation in Beige 0.5
Mary Kay eye brow pencil in Brunette
NYX shadow stick in Milk (I used this as an eye shadow base)
MAC eye shadow in Mylar (my matte white eye shadow)
Ben Nye Grand Lumiere Palette for all iridescent shadows
MAC blush in Pink Swoon
Loreal lip liner in Red
Estee Lauder lipstick in Fig
Mary Kay lip gloss in Gold Rush

As you can see, the look is quite different on me. Stephanie has a very large brow bone, and big eyes. This makes her an ideal candidate for any eye shadow look. It's just gorgeous. I went a little crazy with the red on the corners, giving me a more 80s look. I was okay with it because it reminded me of David Bowie in the 70s, haha, but next time I will remember to keep it light in the corners.

Yay for fall looks!
If you love Stephanie's photos, be aware that I am currently booking these fall shoots. Hair/makeup included! I have accessories and jackets, but for the most part you will provide your own clothing. 200 shots, 15 edited, all for the price of $100.00. Such a steal! These fall shoots will only go on as long as they leaves are still turning and it's not too cold. So get on it, lol!

Love you all! If you have any questions on the look or the studio, comment here or shoot me an email at tiffanyaprilmiller@gmail.com.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Byra's photos, still waiting on the Impala...Hot Rod show in Lawrence this weekend!

I'm excited to share Byra's photos, just head over to Facebook to see them all :)
Hi all,

I'm so sorry I've been an absentee mother of this blog. Stuff has been crazy, and buying the car really took over these last couple days!

As I explained before, the car has some issues. Over $400 worth, and that's not counting some frame work and new wheels and tires. I'm still very happy with my decision to buy it, but it's tough not having it at home for the fifth day in a row. Come on now. My cousin Daryl is working miracles on it. I've gotten two new motor mounts, a temp gauge hooked up (in case I overheat again, at least I'll know) and all new brakes including boots, pads, the works. All getting the car up to code so it can be tagged and driven.

We were supposed to pick it up yesterday, but it was just too much work for Daryl and he needed another day. Le sigh. It's exciting and depressing all at the same time.

My Impala, my dream car...so close yet so far away. This was taken at mile marker 66 on I-70.
Moving on...

I'm so excited to finally be able to share my friend Byra's photos. Don't get me wrong, I love doing all these Halloween shoots, but I also like to do pinup by itself, because it's so pretty.

Too cute in the kitchen with the sexy chef outfit!

To see them all just visit http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.244749535576576.75231.194811453903718

Today was Gabe's picture day, and I'm also going to visit Park University with my friend Jenny. 

This weekend is the Hot Rod show in Lawrence! So excited to go, can't wait to snap a million photos.
And the next day I've got an amazing photo shoot planned!

Things are going great, and as always for any questions on booking a shoot, prices, or the studio, just email me at tiffanyaprilmiller@gmail.com.

Love you all! :)