On March 25th, I had the pleasure of attending the Beauty, Brand Believe Expo in Bellingham, WA, produced by the leaders of Pageants NW, Maureen and David who own 4 Miss USA pageant states in the Northwest.
There were over 100 people in attendance and about 25 or more sponsors and speakers that were there to lift up the woman of pageantry and share some insights to help them succeed.
I video recorded some of the speaker’s talks those are on the Win A Pageant Facebook page if you want to see them.
After the event, I reflected on all the great information that was shared and I wanted to summarize the event by giving you one major take-away from each of the 8 topic speakers.
Pageant Directors
The first segment included 3 pageant directors representing pageants from Miss USA, Miss High School America, and Mrs. America. The resounding advice that they shared was the importance of carrying an attitude of kindness.
Kathy M of Bridal Elegance
Kathy M of Bridal Elegance, which is a very popular gown store for women in all pageants, gave the specific advice to NOT focus on what is trendy, but instead to focus on what flatters your body the most. Your body may or may not fit into what’s trendy, so don’t be so narrow-minded that you are influenced by trends.
[Listen to the podcast How to Choose Your Evening Gown]
Jenny of LoveShiBue
Jenny shared a great tip for avoiding camel tow. She suggested using a nipple cover or belly button hider over top of your who-ha to seal the crease. That is a much better idea than what we used to do which included cotton balls and scotch tape! Here’s a link to where you can buy these covers.
Jorge Esteban of Pageant Smart
Jorge Esteban shared that one of his biggest pet peeves is a contestant that stands firmly in her stance and remains stiff as a board. I agree! What’s better is to stand and move naturally to make everyone more comfortable.
Lu Sierra, famed Walking Coach and Model
Lu Sierra, the great walking coach, encouraged everyone to know their own best feature and your worst. When you don’t know your own best, you may copy others thinking you look great. If a girl has spent time knowing she looks amazing with her hands on her hips and then you put your on your hips just to copy her, you might be unknowingly showcasing your worst against her best. Know your strengths and don’t copy.
Allyson Rowe, Miss Washington USA 2014 and motivational speaker
Allyson Rowe talked about bullying. She said how when you don’t know the truth, it’s easy to believe what someone else says about you. She encouraged everyone to know what they are great at, what value they bring, and who they are so that they don’t start to believe the bullies lies. It’s true. If you’re wearing a red dress and someone calls it yellow, you’re gonna think they’re crazy. The same should be true of your own self-labels. If you know you are smart, beautiful, and caring then when someone calls you dumb or ugly you’ll just chalk them up to being crazy and not believe their lie.
[Watch my interview with Allyson here!]
Austin Ryde, Make-up Artist
National make-up artist, Austin Ryde, suggested the best place to put your money is in your make-up brushes and your foundation. He said he’s found many drugstore brands of make-up that work great, but brushes and foundation are worth the splurge.
Kerry Damiano of Kerry Damiano Designs
Kerry Damiano gave a great tip about branding. She said to think of one word that you want other people to think of when they think of you. Maybe you want to be known as glamorous, or athletic, or young. Whatever your word is, try to dress like that so that when people first meet you that’s the first impression you give them.
Next year, the expo will likely be on the west coast in early March, so make a note in your calendar sometime early February to look it up at BeautyBrandBelieve.com
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