Represented: Backstage at the Crystal Agency for Makeup Hair and Fashion Styling

Expanding the Exposure and Reach of Jenesse Center

On Monday, April 28, 2008 the 3-day Silver Rose Weekend event to benefit Jenesse Center for Domestic Violence ended with the Halle Berry Celebrity Golf Classic. For the past few months I've been blessed to work with a group of amazing women as a member of the VIP Reception Committee which kicked off the weekend of giving on Saturday, April 26, 2008. On Sunday, those of us who play golf were given an opportunity to do so.

Pictured here are Ed, Kim, Halle Berry, Jelana and Me.

I talked about doing something for awhile, when friends who worked with Jenesse invited me to help out with an event earlier in the year. Jenesse gives me an opportunity to give something back to my community. It was founded in 1980 by five African American women who were survivors of domestic violence. Jenesse's mission is to provide victims of domestic violence with a comprehensive with a comprehensive, centralized base of support to assist them in addressing their immediate crisis and changing the patterns of their lives. For more information on how to give, become part of and/or get involved with Jenesse visit Jenesse.org.

Grecian Glamour

The whole Grecian Goddess trend continues to ambush the runways with gladiator sandals and asymmetrical dresses. So it is only obvious that our fashion stylist  Janellica Ohanian would be asked to interpret the look herself.

Janellica styled Alexie Gilmore, star of the upcoming television series “New Amsterdam”, for Statement Magazine’s March/April 2008 Grecian Glamour editorial. The dress Janellica picked out was jaw dropping. A cap sleeved asymmetrical gown, layered upon sheer, wispy fabrics—“Which was a lot heavier than it looks” she commented. Her final touches were an antique tassel necklace and a 3-stone bobble ring. Absolutely beautiful!

Check out more of Janellica’s work HERE.

Fashion Stylist Melinda Tarbell Styles Teen Heart Throb Cody Linley

Ooohhh J-14, it brings me back to the good old days of 6th grade, begging my mother to buy me the teenybopper magazine for boy crazy and celebrity obsessed young girls like myself. It was my favorite magazine, because of the celebrity posters it provided within the pages. Back then, my dream was to meet my ultimate crush: Jonathon Taylor Thomas aka “JTT”, a regular in J-14 at the time. Oh those were the days!

Funny how things work out sometimes, maybe 10 years too late, but still. Recently, Crystal sent me to shadow celebrity fashion stylist Melinda Tarbell on a J-14 photo shoot with current teen heartthrob Cody Linley. Cody plays Jake Ryan, Miley Cyrus’s love interest on the Disney Channel’s hit television show “Hannah Montana”. It was a great learning experience to see what goes on and what needs to be done when styling a celebrity. Melinda is a phenomenal stylist and I felt so lucky to be apart of her work. Thanks so much Melinda!

Oh and one last thing: J-14, I blame you for beginning my unbreakable habit of spending countless amounts of money on magazines.

My First Job as a Fashion Stylist Assistant

The typical Easter Sunday for a Michigander Catholic girl like myself is usually pretty low key. Attend 12:00 p.m. mass, get together with my family, and eat. However, being my first year away from home and living in California, I had a feeling things would be different.

Crystal gave me the opportunity to work as fashion stylist Tiffani Rae’s assistant for the Faithful Central Bible Church’s Easter Sunday Production at The Forum. It was my first paid job! I could not believe it! I had many mixed feelings of excitement and anticipation. Then the nerves kicked in when I found out Grammy award-winning singer Chaka Khan was apart of the ensemble.

It was a 2-day job, Saturday helping with the dress rehearsal and Sunday was: lights, camera, action. We were also invited to watch the Easter play, and let me tell it was like nothing I have ever seen or experienced before. The dancing, singing, acting, live animals and energy generating in The Forum literally gave me goose bumps.

However, even though I’m making it sound so fabulous and great it was hard work. Working with Tiffani was an invaluable experience. And I made mistakes, but you have to LIVE and LEARN. The best taught lessons come from the mishaps. It’s okay to hit the pavement once in a while as long as you can pick yourself back up again. Thanks Tiffani, you are the best!

SALE! SALE! SALE!

LF Warehouse Sale
     Don't Miss It!
                     

Friday 04/25, 11 am-7pm
Saturday 04/26, 7am-3pm
                
5333 McConnell Ave.
Los Angeles (Playa del Rey), CA 90066                    

CC/Cash Only
Street parking
                                                   

                   

It's here!  If you've heard me talking about this
sale, it's with much enthusiasm!  It only comes around
a few times a year, and it's pretty much the best
thing ever.  Shoes originally prices at $175 are $15,
dresses now $30 were once $150.  You won't get how
amazing it is unless you experience it for yourself.

Basically, you get a price list when you enter:  jeans
$24, shoes $15, sweaters $15, etc. but the original
prices tags are still on the items.  Prices like
$50-$200!  Just for fun I add up the original price
tags of all my purchases.  Last time it added up to
over $1800, but I only paid $280!  It's in a giant
warehouse, so even though there are a lot of people in
there, its not like Target at Christmas or anything.
Tell all your friends, because there truly is enough
for everyone.

Fashion Stylist Janellica Ohanian Transforms Kate del Castillo on the Cover of Estylo Magazine

Latino mega star Kate del Castillo recently graced the cover and pages of the Feb/March 2008 issue of Estylo Magazine. And who better to style the shoot? Well of course, none other than Crystal Agency’s fabulous celebrity fashion stylist Janellica Ohanian.

Kate is extremely famous in the world of Spanish soap operas known as, “Telenovelas”. She is currently transitioning from the Spanish movie industry into LA LA Lands infamous HOLLYWOOD with her new movie “Under the Same Moon”. Janellica summed up her vision with this statement, “Since Kate is beginning to enter the market place under the Hollywood eye, I wanted to create a sexy, but classy image, with a touch of that Hollywood glamour”.

Muy Caliente Janellica!

Former Survivor Star J.P. Calderon Lands Cover of Instinct Magazine March 2008 Fashion Issue

Crystal Agency celebrity stylist Tiffani Rae worked her magic for Instinct Magazine’s March 2008 Fashion Issue. In it, Tiffani styled J.P. Calderon, a former Survivor contestant and currently a model on “The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency” show. The magazine features Calderon on the cover along with a six-page Spring editorial.
    Peter Brown, the photographer, ended up shooting more looks than expected, because he was so pleased with Tiffani’s selections. Tiffani really liked the Idol Radec short-sleeved shirt she put on Calderon. She said, “It is the perfect men’s shirt for spring and summer, because it is sexy, sheer, and light-weight”. Be sure and grab your copy of Instinct Magazine for Tiffani’s picks of what men should be wearing this spring!

Crystal Agency's Celebrity Hair Stylist Darico Jackson Featured in Monarch Magazine Winter 2008

    We have our very own celebrity over here at the Crystal Agency: Hair Stylist Darico Jackson. Darico was recently interviewed and photographed for Monarch Magazine's Winter 2008 Issue! Grab a copy of the magazine to read Darico's interview!

7 Tips for Creating Dramatic Eyes by Uzmee Krakovszki

This look is simple drama. Very little makeup is used to achieve maximum effect.

You Will Need:
concealer (if needed)
golden-brown brow pencil
dark brown metallic liquid eyeshadow
kohl black eye pencil
sponge-tip applicator
eyeshadow brush
eyelash curler and black  mascara
neutral-toned lip pencil
caramel brown lip gloss

Step 1:
Apply concealer only in areas where it is needed.

Step 2:
Brows are lightly filled in with golden-brown brow pencil. (This choice depends on your natural brow color)

Step 3:
Using the eyeshadow brush, lightly apply dark brown metallic liquid eyeshadow to the eyelid and under-eye area.

Step 4:
Kohl black eye pencil is applied to the inner upper and lower eyelid rims…making sure to smudge into the lash line.
When lining the inner rim of the eyes, be sure the pencil tip has been blended down a bit. Avoid a very sharp point.

Step 5:
Further smudge black eye pencil with an eyeshadow brush or sponge to diffuse and soften the edge.

Step 6:
Black mascara is applied to curled top and bottom lashes.

Now that your eyes are all done, line and fill in your lips with a neutral lip pencil, apply a caramel-brown colored lip gloss and go.

Check out more of Uzmee's spectacular work HERE.

The Art of Conceptualizing by Fashion Stylist Tiffani Rae

I don’t know if I have ever tracked the processes of my artistic behaviors in word format. So when Crystal asked me to write for the Agency Blog, I found myself wondering how I may narrow down all of the ideas and inspirations that are jumbled up in my mind onto a screen. Then one night while researching trends for my new home, I realized that just as I train my assistants to follow strategic formulas for Fashion Styling, I as well follow formulas for conceptualizing trends. Whether styling a shoot or for my own home, I always start by laying out my concepts.

As an artist I am always looking for new and inventive means for design. I first begin with foundational concepts.  At present, my primary motivation is the colors of the world. I have always had a deep craving of the world. I feel as though we are extremely fortunate to live in an era that connects us to the worlds beyond our own not only through travel, but also as easily as peering into the Internet or books.

Last fall I traveled for work to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and Morocco. Both were extremely beautiful and inspiring places that I had always dreamt of traveling to. I immediately knew that I would find new concepts for design in these classic locations. San Miguel is a well-preserved Spanish Colonial city full of color. No two buildings were alike and no two structures of the similar color stood near the other. And all of this beauty rested on narrow cobble stone streets. I took a million pictures of the colors knowing that I would want to bring these colors home to me.

Morocco was very different structurally. The cities I traveled to: Casablanca, Marrakech and Agadir were much more monochromatic in color than I had expected. Casablanca as may be expected is filled with mostly white buildings. Agadir, a beach city, appears to blend into the sand with its white hotels that line the shores. Marrakech, where we spent a great deal of time is known as the “Red City.”  Morocco’s exterior color pallets did not pop out at me the way that San Miguel’s did. What did catch my eye was the art. There are countless artistic trades from Morocco, but there is a specific colorful artistic movement in Moroccan art that reminds you that you are in Africa. I worked very hard in Morocco; we shot for three different resorts in five days. There wasn’t much time for tourism, but I did manage bring back a small piece of art from the Medina in Marrakech.

If you take a look at the pictures from San Miguel de Allende compared to the Moroccan piece, you will notice that although Mexico and Morocco are two very distant lands in both location and culture, the colors are in common here. This brings me full circle to my primary concept; the colors of the world. Next week I will explain how bringing in secondary and tertiary concepts will help relieve me from feeling like I’m living in a Crayon Box and more like I have come home to a Zen full place of creativity, imagination and also very importantly relaxation. CLICK HERE to view Tiffani Rae's work.

Designer Jeans for a Fraction of the Price by Fashion Stylist Hollie Williamson

    Are you considering selling blood to pay for your designer jeans addiction? FOOL! Go to Crossroads Trading Company. Crossroads sells gently used designer clothes for a fraction of retail prices. I get all my jeans from there, and cannot remember the last time I paid over $45 for a pair of designer jeans. My last little find was a pair of J & Company skinny beauts for $40. $40!! (retail over $150). I picked up a pair of Antik Denim for my boyfriend that still had the tags on them for $50.
    My favorite Los Angeles location is in West Hollywood, CA 8513 Santa Monica Blvd (323)654-0507. This location has ample parking, is off the path just enough so the merch isn't picked apart, and has the best selection I've found. So run along, save your veins, and make room in your closet. To view more of Hollie Williamson's work: CLICK HERE.