Nice Work If You Can Apply It

I am officially in show mode. Next week, the musical I am in, “Nice Work If You Can Get It” will be finally showing. I will be playing Eileen Evergreen, a dramatic, attention grabbing, girl who is known as the greatest interpreter of modern dance in the world, but she just looks like she has seizures onstage. Everyone should come to Kennedy High School to watch this hilarious show at 7 on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and 2 on Saturday as well. That being said, today I will talk about what kind of makeup you should wear onstage so you don’t look washed out.

On a stage, bright stage lights are lit to brighten the stage and the performers. Due to these extremely bright stage lights, a performer can look washed out wearing their day makeup, so they must apply heavy stage makeup. I will use stage foundation as a base to ensure my face won't look washed out. The stage foundation is much more thick and creamy, almost like a concealer as a foundation. By wearing stage foundation, a performer won't look washed out and have an even skin complexion. I also recommend applying a slightly darker foundation shade because the stage lights will make your complexion look whiter than usual.

For blush and bronzer, I recommend applying a lot more than you're used to. Stage lights can easily whiten your face, so you need brush and bronzer to outline your face shape. Bronzer is especially important because you can completely change your face structure using bronzer. When I apply bronzer or blush for a stage performance, I was have the mind set of, "If you don't look like Kim Kardashian yet, you need more."

For eye shadow, it really just depends on what event you’re performing on stage for. If you’re in a big, flashy musical like “Chicago,” the more eye shadow the better. But if you’re performing a musical like “Spring Awakening,” it’s best you keep the eye shadow at a minimum. For me, I will be using a lot of eye shadow because it is such a flashy show. On the other hand, I think that anyone who is going to perform on stage needs eyeliner and mascara. Eyeliner and mascara can outline and emphasize the shape of your eye, so you need these makeup items when you’re performing. I also recommend wearing fake lashes, especially if you have short lashes like me, to open your eyes more.

All in all, just be sure to apply more makeup for performances than you usually would for a daytime makeup. You want to look alive in your performance, not dead!

Miss America Serves

Yesterday was Miss America Serves day; a day where all contestants, titleholders, and anyone involved in the Miss America Organization volunteered their time to help out our community. The Miss America Organization values service and as a queen for local, state, or even our nation, your duty is to serve your people by volunteering and helping out as much as possible.

As Miss Metro’s Outstanding Teen, I volunteered my time in Des Moines helping out at the Adam C Medina Banquet with my fellow sister queens. I started out my day by driving down to Des Moines to begin prepping for Miss Iowa by doing mock interviews, practicing my walk for fitness and evening wear, and getting all my paperwork done. I then headed down with my sister queens (Miss Metro Kelly Koch, Miss Greater Des Moines Serica Rowley, and Miss Greater Des Moines Outstanding Teen Sophia Agguire) to the Natural History Museum to volunteer at the Addam C Medina Foundation Benefit to honor Addam Media who passed away from a drunk driving accident. This foundation was created to let others know the danger of driving under the influence, but also proote youths to reach and achieve their dreams. We helped out at the each activity area, like hula hooping, making cranes, and even face painting! This event was not only a great volunteer experience; I also had a lot of fun at each activity.

Everyone involved in the Miss America Organization did something similar to my experience yesterday to celebrate the importance of serving others. Whether it is cleaning up litter from a park, volunteering at a non-profit organization, or just donating items to the Salvation Army, volunteerism was happening all around the nation. If you #missamericaserves on any social media website, you will see so many pictures, posts, and videos of Miss America girls volunteering at different events.

It still boggles my mind that people still stereotype pageant girls as catty, dramatic, and act like the girls from toddlers and tiaras when there’s a day the Miss America Organization dedicated to serving others. The Miss America system is known as a pageant, yet I believe it’s a way for women to grow and become well-rounded, successful people in our community. As a Miss America contestant we are learning how to connect with others, be skilled in something we are passionate about, be poised and confident onstage, and learn the importance of volunteering. I am so grateful to be a part of an organization that teaches me such important life skills. Happy Miss America Serves everyone!