Slowing down (for just a second)

It's been about a month now since I've been promoted, and it's a big reason why my online presence has been dwindling. It's awesome and terrifying and stressful all at the same time. Awesome because I'm making a ton more money, and now I'm well on my way towards having a career rather than just a job. Terrifying because I've never had a position in management before and I always feel like I'm going to screw something up horribly. A lot of responsibility falls on my shoulders now. Stressful because I work six days a week, averaging 50 hours a week. Already I've learned so much. Some things, I wish I didn't have to learn. I've realized just how superficial retail can be, and it drains me some days. Work has been taking up a majority of my waking hours. But once I take a moment and stop thinking about it, and start modeling or making something, it re-energizes and breathes new life into me. So I definitely need to make time for myself where I can forget about work and just create.

I shot with Jim Nicholson again yesterday. I had been putting off shooting for a while, trying to spend my spare time with my husband and my family. But I had finally gotten two days off in a row so I went for it! And it actually took my mind off of everything. I've got one shot I'll share, and I'll post more photos once he processes them and forwards them to me... I think it was one of my better shoots.

You may have noticed a new addition to my look - I now have a labret piercing. It's a look that I've loved for a long time, and on a whim I had it done one day last week before I went to work. I've never even had my ears done, so as my first piercing it was a pretty horrifying experience for me! But I had it done at Deep Roots Tattoo, and the piercer, Colleen, was wonderful. She was very quick, had lots of advice, and put me at ease instantly. I plan on going to her for any other piercings I may want done in the future, and I recommend her to anyone looking for a piercer in Kitsap County. It seems to be healing very well. I've only had it for a week but I was able to shoot with it and it didn't look red at all. It's such a new experience for me but so far I love it!

That was one of my splurges in the past two weeks - I also got the Black Milk Clothing mermaid leggings and the cheshire cat leggings. I LOVE THEM. My co-workers think I'm crazy for spending $80 on a pair of leggings but I'm too distracted by the shiny-ness on my legs that I don't care what anyone says! I'm so excited for payday... because this is next on my list!

Anyways... just wanted to catch up a bit with you guys and let you know where life's been taking me. Still don't know where exactly I'm headed but feel free to join me on my adventures and let me know what you think.

xoxo,
Sugar

Changes

Well, some sad news for me... I recently found out that I will be losing my job at the end of the month, as the candy store I work at will be closing. Needless to say, I am a little sad about this. Not only is it my main source of income, but I enjoyed working there for the year I got to be a part of the company and learn about the candy industry. However, since the other job I have is part time, that means I will have the chance to do a lot more modeling until I find a full-time position.

I recently did a photo shoot with a Seattle photographer, Eric Paguio of typenamehere.com. It was my first time shooting with him, and I had an idea to do an editorial type theme with flower garlands and neutral coloured outfits. We also played with lighting afterward, and these photos were the result. I had a lot of fun meeting him, his photographer friend Molly, and his studio kitty cat Peanut!

I have a shoot later today that will be a fashion editorial at a rocky beach. Should be fun, and super cold... it's very windy, drizzly, and overcast today. Welcome to Washington State!

Bremerton Shoot

Recently did a photo shoot with one of my oldest friends I've had since I started modeling, Mike Bay of photif.com. Posted a photo on lookbook.nu... again. :P I just got these platform Converse, plus a fun skirt that I'm sure my tenth-grade self would have loved. So I put them together with my trusty leather jacket to create a fun urban look, perfect for shooting downtown.

Mike recently had one of his pieces featured in Bremerton's Creative Visions Gallery. It was an awesome art  show that featured pieces from some select talented artists from all over the Pacific Northwest. I definitely left feeling inspired and proud of where I am from!

Hope you like the outfit and photos.

"Urban Legend" photographed by Mike Bay; styled by Sugar Price.

Jacket by Lipstick, skirt by Daang Goodman Tripp, top by Romy, accessories by Forever 21, shoes by Converse.

Random thoughts/Halcyon

I was bored at work today and drawing tattoo ideas and sketches. I started writing different words and ended up with a poem/song/emotional piece of crap, devoid of all talent. Just a lot of thoughts bouncing around in my head, and when I wrote it all on paper, that's how it came out.

On another note, I bought Ellie Goulding's album Halcyon last night. It's such a departure from her musical style on the album Lights. But in a good way. It's not as electronic or pop-sounding than her last studio effort, and the lyrics are a lot deeper - at times melancholy. Her vocal range is much stronger and she sings with more power. It's a different vibe, but a good one. My favorite tracks are My Blood and Figure 8.

Here's the track list for the deluxe album edition. The regular album cuts off tracks 14-17.

1. Don't Say A Word
2. My Blood
3. Anything Could Happen
4. Only You
5. Halcyon
6. Figure 8
7. JOY
8. Hanging On
9. Explosions
10. I Know You Care
11. Atlantis
12. Dead In The Water
13. I Need Your Love
14. Ritual
15. In My City
16. Without Your Love
17. Hanging On (Explicit)
18. Lights

The Pose Factory

Hello all, sorry for the lack of posts! Work has been increasingly crazy as of late. It's never fun working retail this time of year. But I did manage to squeeze in a photo shoot with a wonderful photographer I just met, Jim Nicholson of the Pose Factory! Just wanted to share a favorite shot. You can check out more of his work here and here!

Please stay tuned for more stuff coming... I've got a Victorian Gothic fashion shoot planned for this Friday, and a mermaid shoot coming this month too. :) I'm excited! Meanwhile, let me know if you like this. I had lots of fun at this shoot with Jim.

I'm a Mermaid! (Make a Sea Princess Headdress)

I have a mermaid shoot planned out for this month which I am VERY excited for... my inner little girl is still very much alive, and what little girl wouldn't want to be a mermaid?

I already found the perfect mermaid gown, and now I am trying to figure out what to do for accessories, hair, and makeup. Last night I was looking at an old hairband and wondering what I could do with it, then I remembered I had some seashells... and a shell crown was born! Just wanted to share, because I'm so happy with the way it turned out.

First I wrapped the headband in a burlap-texture ribbon and glued it in place (it was originally black satin). Next I just took sturdy raffia-wrapped craft wire and bent it into the shaped of a tiara, and twisted it around the hairband. Then I used a hot glue gun to attach the shells... Simple! Oh, and the pearls were beads from an old costume necklace I had lying around. They added a pretty touch to it, I think. This only takes half an hour to make and you don't need many materials... if you're a crafty person you probably already have half the stuff around your house!

I can't wait to shoot with this! Now I'm going to try to find some pretty mermaid makeup ideas. If anyone has suggestions for makeup, or ways to make this mermaid costume even better please leave a comment!

xx,
Sugar

"Not a Model"

Just a brief note... I took a modeling hiatus for a bit to try to figure out the direction I wanted my work to go. Now that I am back into it again, someone made a comment that I'm not a "real" model. Apparently, real models make hundreds or thousands a day and appear on the cover of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. I, however, make up to sixty dollars an hour for a shoot, and sometimes I don't get paid at all. I am most often the one to do my own hair and makeup and provide wardrobe. I've never been a cover model or done commercial work. Does that mean I'm not really modeling?

I'm not trying to defend myself by making what I do sound better than it seems. Modeling is not always glamorous, professionally or as a hobby. But the payoff - the outcome of my work - is worth it to me. I love having ideas and being able to capture that in a photo, or convey emotions and thoughts. I love making fantasy seem real. Dressing up and making costumes and doing crazy makeup is awesome to me! And when the shoot's done, I have something cool that I'm proud of in my portfolio. To me that's what modeling is about. I do it for the fun, creative side it brings out of me. Not to be a clothes horse for commercial photographers dictating what I'm supposed to do. I once ventured down that road, and realized it didn't make me feel happy or proud of what I was doing.

I love the wonderful freelance photographers and models I have met through my work, who are on exactly the same wavelength as I am regarding what modeling should be about. I'm sure I'd enjoy strutting down a catwalk in designer duds, making thousands a month, but honestly I don't think it could give me the same type of satisfaction as my unpaid artistic collaborations have given me. So if you're a model working for free, forget about agencies! Take advantage of the creative opportunities you have by working for yourself, and dream on! You are your own boss.

On a more positive note, I have a few more shoots in the works along with the ones I mentioned in September... involving dolls, mermaids, and dia de los muertos (not all at the same time :P).

If you'd like to see a small portfolio of my work, unpaid and otherwise, please visit my Model Mayhem profile: https://secure.modelmayhem.com/1774242  And if you're an aspiring model (or photographer, fashion designer, makeup artist, or anything else in the fashion industry) you can apply for a Model Mayhem account. It's a great way to connect with like-minded people.

NARS x Andy Warhol Pop Collection

Yesterday I went to the NARS and Andy Warhol launch party event at Sephora to try out the new palettes inspired by Andy's pop artwork. I must say I am quite besotted with them!

First we have the Debbie Harry eye and cheek palette, based on Warhol's piece by the same name. It includes four eyeshadows in Twinkling Purple, Sparkling Turquoise, White Shimmer, and Starry Black; a blush in Shimmering Pink Champagne; and a highlighter in Brilliant Cream.

Then there's the Kiss Mini Lip Gloss Coffret featuring five 0.11 ounce Larger Than Life lip glosses in new shades (from left to right, below): Silver Factory, Chelsea Girl, Drella, Blue Movie, and Myths. I love the little Andy Warhol soup can it comes in (perfect for holding makeup brushes)! The glosses are ultra-shiny and thick. Some might not like them because they are a bit sticky, but they definitely stay on for hours, which is always a plus. The only negative thing I have to say about these is that the applicator brush is too tiny to work with - just use your finger - and the once the gloss is on, the colours are not as vibrant as they look in the tube.

Next is my personal favorite, the Flowers compact. They come in three different colour groups, simply titled Flowers 1, Flowers 2, and Flowers 3. They each contain black and grey shadow, and then three other shades. I decided to be brave and try out all the colours in Flowers 1, which includes a bright mustard yellow, purple, and orange-y red. The others are more neutral; Flowers 2 being a pastel blue, white, and grey; and Flowers 3 being deep chestnut brown, soft fawn, and white.

One detail I like about these palettes is that they each have a little Andy Warhol quote inscribed on the mirror. 

Flowers 1: "If you can convince yourself that you look fabulous, you can save yourself the trouble of primping."

Flowers 2: "You need to let the little things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you." (my favorite Warhol quote!)

Flowers 3: "All is pretty."

Here's my eye look the Sephora makeup artist gave me using all the colours from the Flowers 1 palette! They are very blendable and complement each other so they are wearable - all in all, not as scary as they might look.

The Walk on the Wild Side set includes an illuminator in Silver Factory, nail lacquer in It, and lip gloss in the classic Orgasm shade. The lip gloss is in the Larger Than Life ultra-shiny formula, rather than the classic formula. It is a mini at 0.11 ounces, although the illuminator and polish are full sized products.

The illuminator is EXTREMELY glittery, so I would suggest not wearing it on your face. The photo does not do it justice. It looks great on your shoulders, back, and clavicle for a night out though. The nail polish is a lovely deep violet in the same formula as other NARS nail lacquers.

It comes in a lovely keepsake box featuring Warhol's piece "Flowers."