Friday, August 24, 2012

Going for Gold!

Working with all of these athletes makes me feel so out of shape! Ashton Eaton not only won the GOLD for the decathlon for this summer 2012 Olympics, but he holds the WORLD RECORDS in BOTH the Decathlon and Heptathlon events. I'm proud when my daughter spells a word or ties her shoes. Imagine how proud his mommy is! This picture is from People Magazine. I got to go work out now...

Friday, August 17, 2012

You CAN be a MOM AND DO ANYTHING!

One of the questions I get asked as a makeup artist is, "Can you manage a free-lance career and raise a child?" Well, I did, and I'm still doing it! Being free-lance often means getting last minute jobs, and it isn't always easy to spontaneously juggle child care and work, especially when you don't have family living close by, but  you know what? Somehow you figure it out.

Imagine if you were raising a baby, and training for the 2012 Summer Olympics? Well, that's what Kara Goucher did. I got to meet her (doing her hair and makeup) and her family for a Redbook Magazine photo shoot. Her baby is under two and is already sprinting down the track! His daddy is a marathon runner too. I wonder where his future lies... Check out the inspirational article about being a mom AND an Olympic athlete.



  

Hey London, the Moms are Calling! - Page 4

female Olympic athlete Kara Goucher
Photo Credit: Ari Michaelson

Marathon mom

Kara Goucher, 34

HER HOME TEAM: Husband Adam, 37; son Colton, 22 months

Two years ago, Kara sent shock waves through the racing community when she announced she was pregnant and taking a yearlong break. The NCAA cross-country champion had been on an incredible roll, running her first half-marathon and beating British phenom Paula Radcliffe, then running her first marathon (in New York) and taking third place, and placing third again in Boston. "A lot of people were like, 'Now? Why not wait until you feel burned out?'" Kara recalls. "But Adam [also a track star] and I had been putting off having kids for years." First they were waiting until after the 2004 Olympics, then the 2008 Games. But after the IAAF World Championships in 2009, "I realized that there would always be another reason for postponing," so they took the plunge. Now Kara is back, ready to get down to business. "I was passionate about racing before my son," she says. "But he has added another layer, because I want him to see that dreams are worth having and that there are sacrifices worth making."

NOT FOR WIMPS 
"I get up around 6:30 a.m. to have breakfast and wake up Colt before leaving at 8 a.m. [A nanny watches him till Kara comes back at noon.] If it's a non-speed session, I run 90 minutes, then lift weights for an hour. If it's a speed-session day, I warm up for an hour before doing 12 to 16 one-mile runs or a steady 22-mile run. I come home and take a nap until Colt wakes up from his. We hang out until 4 p.m., when Adam takes over so I can do an easy run, about an hour, and stretch. I log 120 miles a week, running every day, twice a day. There is no weekend."

HER MOM ROLE MODEL 
"My friend Paula [Radcliffe, who famously won the 2007 ING New York City Marathon about 10 months after giving birth to the first of her two children] made me believe I could have a running career and a baby. And once Colt was born, she often talked me down from the ledge. I was so tired, I was like, What was I thinking? She told me to hang in there, that it would get better. And sure enough, at six months, I hit my stride."

THE ROAD BACK 
"It took a full year before I felt like myself again. I'd see all these celebrities who lost the weight so quickly, but I couldn't lose the last five pounds--and I run over 100 miles a week! What was even harder was getting back into the competitive mind-set. I ran when I was pregnant, but the number-one rule is to never push yourself. I had to relearn how to push through the pain."

TOUGH LOVE 
"Before Colt, I wouldn't run with Adam [who's retired from competition now]. He's faster--men just are--and he's used to leading the pack, so he's always one step in front of you. But after Colt was born, Adam ran with me day in and day out, because I needed help just getting out the door. He even pushed Colt in the jogging stroller when I didn't want to leave him. Of course, I was shouting, 'Stop one-stepping me!'"

KISS AND RUN 
"At the Olympics, my mom will take care of Colt--feed him, give him his bath, get him ready for bed--so that I can relax and sleep without the baby monitor. I'll do the fun stuff like kiss and snuggle with him, then leave. But this setup will last for only two days. I'd miss him too much."



Read more: Kara Goucher - Female Olympic Athletes Who Are Moms - Redbook 

Monday, August 13, 2012

This is Rob Reiner


I had the great pleasure of working for the second time in my career with the director of some of your favorite movies, and some of the most memorable and funniest moments in film history, Rob Reiner. I'm sure you know what moment I'm talking about when I mention his film, When Harry Met Sally, or A Few Good Men, or the many moments in This is Spinal Tap, or Stand By Me, and everyone loves The Princess Bride, The Sure Thing, and Misery. He's hilarious in person, super personable and down to earth, and a really nice guy.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

When Celebrities Call



Only two times in my life have I been truly star struck by a telephone call, and one time just took me plain off guard. The first time I felt star struck by the phone was years ago when Ben Kingsley called me looking for a hairdresser for his wife, and the second time was today when Barbara Walters called me to see if I was bringing rollers to do her hair on Thursday. I startled myself when I returned Penny Marshall's assistant's call, and Penny Marshall answered my phone call herself.  I found giving Ben Kingsley a scalp massage and doing his makeup in a private room less intimate than his unexpected phone call while parallel parking my car in front of Bourgeois Pig in Hollywood. I know when I run the blow dryer through Barbara Walters’ freshly washed hair in her private hotel room, I’ll feel right at home. When she trusts me to apply her makeup and prepare her to face viewers across the world, I know I will be calm and confident. But when I reached for my phone this morning and heard that Barbara Walters distinct familiar voice right there in my living room, speaking through my cell phone, I couldn’t help but get overwhelmed with disbelief. I shared the voice with my husband. “Barbara Walters just called me!” I said. She was right there in our house. She could practically see me with no shoes on, dishes on the counter, and my daughter’s books spread across the floor.

It’s a weird thing when a celebrity calls your cell phone. My cell phone is like a part of my family. Actually, it might be even closer. I take it everywhere with me. In fact, there is rarely a moment we are apart, and if by chance I forget it, panic ensues. I am very attached. So when a celebrity calls my cell phone, I almost feel like they know me.

I used to have Ben Kingsley in my cell phone address book. It was fun to scroll through my address book and see his name fly by. Yeah, Ben Kingsley is in my address book, I used to show off to my self.  I don’t have that cell phone anymore. You better believe Barbara Walters is in my new one now.