Destinations

The tour is over. I’m heading back to LA, the last of the Beauty Ambassadors to leave Chicago, our final destination. It has been a fortunate but bittersweet four months for me. I’m so glad I was able to get another tour and I never imagined it would be a makeup tour. It’s been almost a year (Aug. 23rd) since I moved to LA and I’ve surprisingly done better than I imagined. I knew I would go and I would never come back to the Midwest again (calling it home), and while the first five months of LA were harder than I feared - with 50 hours of school, working on the weekends and being so broke I can’t pay a single bill, it has been the best decision I’ve ever made. I feel like LA is my home and where I belong and I can’t wait to get back. And because of the tour I just finished, I’m actually going to be able to enjoy the city. Bare Escentuals took me to crisp, cold San Francisco for two months, dynamic and bustling New York for one month and finally traditional and loyal Chicago for a month. Over the past four months I’ve made some fantastic, talented and creative friends, I’ve learned about another product line, I’ve once again succeeded in my field and I’ve had many adventures. My first experience of New York City was lovely and magical in hindsight. The city is easily navigated, the food is fantastic and you never feel alone. The Manhattan skyline is beautiful at night, with the Chrysler Building, Empire State Building and the hundreds of other skyscrapers. I didn’t eat a hotdog, or a slice of pizza, or a bagel. And I never had a cup of coffee from one of those places with the blue cups. But I made some really fantastic friends there and I know when I come back to see them, I’ll check those things off my list. I had a delicious dessert from Alice’s Tea room, walked through Central Park with Tam, took a ferry to Staten Island, saw the statue of Liberty and sadly, Ground Zero. I did a fun photo shoot with Jeff and Tam, watched Alice in Wonderland in 3D, I shopped, bought books from a street vender and ate street meat. New York was almost like going to another country.
As I packed my things last night, I realized how much I enjoy the company of the other girls. The apartment was so quiet without their voices and doors opening, closing, the TV blasting a movie… It was nice to go to beach with all of them and just be together and laugh. It’s a good group of girls and I’m a little sad that we’re all being split up for the next tour. But for now I’m so ready to come home. I’m ready to go to Venice and drive my car and see Hollywood Blvd., my roommates, the Dome…This has been a fantastic adventure, but I’m excited to get back to my city. Thank you to Starr, for being a fantastic friend and staying on my ass about this kind of stuff. Love you doll.

The start of Nic's Picks (Lashes)

First of all, let me say it annoys me that it's easier for me to write when I have my glasses on; instead of perching my laptop on my chest, it can rest comfortably on my legs. Moving on. I'm going to start including something special and useful in my blogs: Nic's Picks. It has come to my attention that people kind of like my opinion when it comes to skin care, products, ideas, tricks, methods, etc. etc. So I've decided to write about my favorite ones. My special effects teacher told me that you should always share what you know, and I think he's right. It makes me happy to be able to share what I know and have it produce positive results. Everything that I recommend is something or someway I've tried. I'm not a doctor, a personal trainer, a stylist or a scientist. I'm just sharing information that y'all have requested from me, either because you like how I do something, or how something looks or because you feel like you can ask me. Now don't worry, I'll still write about love and makeup and travel, this is just a topic that is in demand.

I'll make my first one short and sweet (I'm on a limited amount of time, I'm supposed to be doing a bar tour of Williamsburg and I've yet to shower).



I've used Lancome for some time (since I started freelancing for them in 2008) and one thing that most people notice about me are my lashes. I'm going to give you my recommendations for long healthy lashes, or at least how to fake them for the night. First of all, if you're curling your lashes, STOP!! And if absolutely feel you must, only curl them on special occasions and get a great lash curler like Shu Uemera (of course), either the regular one, or the mini curler. I like the mini one because most of us are not great at using these monsters and the mini one allows you to get to each section instead of the intimidating attempt at curling all at once, yikes! When you curl, don't just clamp down once and be done, do several gentle clamps, all the while moving towards the end of the lash, thus giving you a more natural curl. And don't squeeze tightly, you don't need to. Don't forget to clean your lash curler in between uses with some toner or alcohol.



Now, if you don't curl your lashes, great! I'm sure they're nice and soft and lovely. Prime those ocular locks with Lancome Cils Booster. I love this stuff. I call it "lotion for your lashes." Put one coat on one eye, then throw on your mascara - I love Bare Escentuals Flawless Definition or L'Oreal Telescopic, they give you thick, long lashes without being clumpy and they are both affordable. Then put Cils Booster on your other eye followed by your mascara. Cils Booster makes me feel like I'm wearing false lashes, and the product is actually GOOD for your lashes! It gives them moisture and works as a treatment, while giving you a thicker lash to build on your mascara. You can even wear Cils Booster while you sleep; it will help improve the condition of your lashes.



Lastly, and most importantly, use eye makeup remover. My favorite is also from Lancome. It's the Bi-Facil makeup remover. It's gentle and very effective, even with waterproof makeup. Also, it doesn't make me breakout, which most makeup removers will do. My lashes get another treatment, leaving them soft and free of makeup. Finish washing your face (that's another blog), throw on some eye cream (and another) and you're good to go for the night!



Listening to:
Ray Noble
Ruth Etting
Ella Fitzgerald
Mae West

Have I been sleeping?

Two months in San Francisco and nothing. Nothing to describe how I felt for those two months. It’s almost like my ideas didn’t exist. Tam and I were talking today about how lucky we are for this job; we really are. Not only do we have a job - something 10% of Californians do not have, but we have a great job, traveling all over the United States doing makeup for seven hours a day. Pinch me. The first week in San Francisco was hard. Harder than leaving Missouri. I was so homesick for LA and its’ sun and knowing where I am and my routine and my roommates and the Dome, I couldn’t really begin to even think about enjoying San Fran until the second week in. I eventually found my groove and I was able to enjoy some great things about the city, San Fran has GREAT food, some of the best I’ve had in a long time. I ate authentic dim sum, Chinese dumplings, real ramen and some fantastic California wine. I ate cheese and salami and bread and persimmons, some great Indian food and pounds of deliciousness from the Whole Foods food bar. Speaking of pounds, I picked up a few of those as well. Luckily, the last 10 days in San Fran I lived with Zara, another fantastic makeup artist on the tour , and every morning before work I ran the enormous hills of Pacific Heights, hoping to shake off some of those pounds. I grew to like SF towards the end; the weather was more forgiving, not great, but sunny more often than rainy, and the wind would cease every so often. And in the mornings, it felt like I had the whole city to myself, the running path down by the water was beautiful with a fantastic view of the Golden Gate Bridge, and when I finally ventured out to other neighborhoods, I found myself right in front of the Painted Ladies from the infamous opening shot of Full House. I had all these amazing images and memories of the bridges, the Trans America Building (the pyramid building!! Call your mother!) the Painted Ladies, Alcatraz, the Wharf, Sausalito, Chinatown, Russian Hill, Lombard…so much more. I loved driving across the Bay Bridge every morning and evening; it was my time to collect myself and my thoughts and the views of the bay in the morning are spectacular (when the fog has lifted). SF is a very visual city. They have the oldest ballet company in the U.S. as well as a wonderful orchestra. But it’s no LA. I couldn’t WAIT to get home. The second I was able to, I left SF and made the 6 hour drive south. I was so excited I screamed. When I finally hit the grapevine mountain range that separated me from that glorious dirty shallow city, I cried. I even tried to make myself stop crying, but I couldn’t. I love LA. While the people may be shallow with their agendas and all their b.s., they’re friendly. They say hello and they stop you and get to know you, regardless of what you look like or how you dress. People in LA don’t care if you’re a rap star, a hipster or a movie star. Friends are friends and everyone wants to be friends. SF was a little too snotty for me, and how ironic is that? I’m so glad I live in LA. The first few days I was back, I didn’t leave the west side. I stayed on the beach with Eric and I didn’t wear shoes or makeup and I didn’t do my hair and it was amazing. I was back in Venice with all of the crazy people, the hippies, the tourists, the performers, the music, it was like I was on vacation. I love living in a stinky basin of friendship, everyone there is trying to be someone and do something and that ambition gives off a certain vibe that SF didn’t have to me. As for NYC…a different story entirely…

What I'm listening to (in NYC):
New Moon Soundtrack
Passion Pit
The Big Pink
Metric
Radiohead
Drake
Jay-Z (it should go without saying)
Lil Wayne
Alicia Keys

It's amazing what time and Jebus can do.

I'm two weeks into this tour and it has been a whirlwind this entire time. Last week was really difficult, I did not want to leave LA, but I needed this money. I felt like a flag being whipped around a pole; I didn't know where I was going to live, when I would get paid and I generally just didn't feel at home anywhere I went. I'm starting to get into my groove, I'm actually living across the Bay but I really like the drive, I like the Bay Bridge, it's a relaxing drive home. And I'm making up for my lack of a social life in LA. The girls I'm working with are so fantastic and diverse and interesting and funny. They work hard and even after being together all day long they still want to chill together. We have so much planned for the next six weeks: Alcatraz, Napa, Great America, thrift stores, the Golden Gate Park, Chinatown, the Castro...so much to do. I'm going to see my dad on Monday, going back to the neighborhood of my childhood home. I have to be honest, I've spent the last few days preparing myself for a pretty bad situation. My dad got very sick in November and apparently he almost died. I haven't seen him in almost three years, but I'm afraid of what I'm going to see. I wish someone could be there to hold my hand, but I don't have anyone in my life to fill that position. Some of these things have been so hard to deal with, but I'm fortunate that I have a job, that I have a family and than I'm making friends. Zara and I took a day to be San Fran tourists, driving down the windiest road in the city (Lombard, google it and watch the video, it's cool!), taking in the view from Russian Hill, walking down the Haight, eating breakfast on Fillmore and walking down such steep hills, they built stairs into the sidewalks. Amazing. The city is full of fantastic food and hippies. It's a completely different vibe than LA. In LA all of the people at my grocery store look like they were cast as cashiers and they all have professional head shots. Here they are hairy, hippie and unattractive. The weather is crazy, cold and clammy, but it can turn sunny and crisp within moments. I'm still missing the ex, we're still corresponding. For some reason it's hard for us both to let go. Part of me wishes he could fly out here and we can cure each other's lonliness, but it would probably turn out disastrous. I've taken a year off from having a relationship and I think I'm ready for one. I'm in this city for a brief amount of time and then it's off to NYC and finally Chicago and then I'm back in the city I love: LA. I'm trying to savor every moment that I'm having because I know this is a wonderful adventure.
My list lately:

Lady Antebellum "Need You Now"
Kevin Rudolf "I made it"
Sad Brad Smith "Help Yourself"
Spoon "I Turn my Camera on"
Robin Thicke "Sex Therapy"
OneRepublic "All the Right Moves"
Kris Allen "Live Like We're Dying"
Alicia Keyes "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart"
Ingrid Michaelson "Maybe"

I put my thing down, flip it and reverse it.

Two weeks ago I was sitting in my room contemplating the incessant sunniness of LA, and now I'm sitting in an unfamiliar room on the other side of the San Francisco Bay, mentally preparing myself for the positive experience I'm going to have working and living in San Francisco. In whiplash speed I was hired for another tour - this time I'm working as a makeup artist on a mobile marketing tour for Bare Escentuals - and within four days I've packed my bags, settled my work schedule with my many projects in process and I'm taking the 5 north north north, over the mountains to San Francisco. I was born in a city right outside of San Francisco and it's been over 15 years since I've been back to the area and even more than that since I've lived here. It's strange to be back in the area that I'm truly from and feel absolutely homesick. I miss LA and my roommates and the familiarity I've developed with the city over the past five months. I know it's just the adjustment period, and the entire crew is feeling it, but my God last week was difficult! Our days were almost always 12 hours long, with intense training and learning the BART system and not least of all, going through a breakup. Frank* showed his true colors by taking the first opportunity he had to truly be a friend to me and dismissing it completely. He just wasn't there for me at all and when I needed him the most. He sealed his fate but at the same time he did me a favor; I was able to get to know this group of girls so much better without the distraction of having to make time for our epic phone conversations. It also made me realize just how much I don't want to be with him, so thanks for that. Zara and I made the trip back down to LA for one last encore before I really get into San Fran and we made sure to get a healthy dose of LA to take back with us to the city. I didn't expect to get back down there so soon, but I packed an entire suitcase full of summer dresses and tank tops which I've discovered is the opposite of what I need in Northern California. Noted. So we trooped down there to spend some quality time with her family and friends and to literally and figuritively shed some excess baggage. I left Frank's t-shirt in that same warm weather suitcase which I shoved under Steff's bed. I'd like to say I put the shirt under the kitchen sink to be used as a cleaning rag, but to be honest, I didn't get around to thinking about that shirt enough to care.
Zara and I are both feeling very lonely about this new chapter, but on the way out of LA something very interesting happened: we saw a rainbow. I know that sounds ordinary and common, but we saw the END of a rainbow, it literally followed us down the highway for a good 10 minutes. I've never been close enough to a rainbow to see the end of it and it was...amazing. If you think I'm making this up, I'm not. Think about it; a rainbow has to have a location because you can be on different sides of it and we drove right next to the very origin of it. Usually you see it far away in the sky but this was so close you can have walked up to it and touched it. And every single color was so distinct, it was like someone had drawn it into the air. We have decided to take it as a positive omen that we're doing the right thing by coming to San Fran. Don't get me wrong, it's a great city, but we're leaving places and comforts that we love even more so we can use all the positive signs we can get. We also heard this fantastic song about home, almost the second we got into the city so we're positive that this is going to be a great adventure. After two months in San Francisco, we'll head to NYC for a month and then Chicago for 3 weeks. I've posted below some of the music that I listened to while writing this, play it while you're reading this blog and hopefully you'll get a feel for what I'm feeling.


Detief Schrempf by Band of Horses
Iron & Wine