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Absolut Lime Launch Party : My Recap [VIDEOS] #absolutlime

Pause the music…

Atlantic City, NJ

 

Premier Night Club

 

January 23, 2017

I was there…

I was at the launch for Absolut Lime Vodka and I had sooooo much fun!

If you were following my Instagram Story you would have felt like you were there, forreal!

Let me lay it all out for you…

When I walked in, this is what I saw

 

 

Absolut Lime Models

I mean, I expected a lime green atmosphere, but I didn’t expect this! It was so fun to be around and generated the energy I expected, which was the sense of a night where anything is possible.

As I made my way through the green atmosphere, got a quick pic with the Absolut Lime Models,

then I made my way to our favorite place, the bar. 😀

Before I came to this event, I heard about the launch of lime and already had a ton of ideas about the cocktails that one could make with Absolut Lime. I even bet myself (yes, you can do that) that there would be a cosmo on the menu…and ya know what…it was there.

My First Drink – Absolut Lime & Soda

I started off with the Absolut Lime and Soda because I really wanted to get a taste to see how intense the taste of lime was in a cocktail. I’m not a big fan of doing shots while I’m out, so for me, trying vodka with soda is perfect for getting the full flavor of flavored vodka. On the first sip, I honestly couldn’t taste the lime too much. It was a subtle texture of lime flavor but it didn’t over do it. As I took my 2nd sip, I could taste it more and a bit more as I continued on with my drink. It was as if the lime flavor was building on top of what I tasted in prior sips but still didn’t overpower the simplicity of vodka, soda and lime.

My 2nd Drink – Absolut Lime-ito (right) / Absolut Lime Cosmo (left)

Next I decided to try the Absolut Lime-ito. I figured since lime is a pretty important part of a Mojito, a “Lime-ito” would have to have good attempt to measure up to the classic cocktail, and it did, BUT. (There’s always a but) I think the bartender took away from all the drink really could have been because he didn’t muddle the mint. The cocktail was great, but I was looking forward to really getting that “mint spritz” lol (you know what I’m talking about).
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The Absolut Cosmo pictured is my friend’s cocktail and I opted not to get a full version of that drink. I did, however, try a sip of hers and it was pretty much what I expected from a cosmo. I guess with the lime flavor already in with your vodka, if cosmos are your thing, you don’t have to go the extra step/ingredient to making your Cosmos.

There was another cocktail that was available to try, but I opted not to for several reasons, the main reason being I didn’t want to drink too much at one time, the other being I didn’t want a super (what i perceived to be) sugary cocktail. That cocktail was the Absolut Cherry Limeade which consists of:

  • Absolut Lime
  • Sprite
  • a splash of grenadine
  • cherry/lime garnish

But enough about the drinks, you should see the party!!!!!

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It wouldn’t be a brand launch without a photo booth right?!

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Oh and can we talk about how this girl was going AWF on the violin…yes, a violin!!!

 

Me in front of the Marquee! 😀

 

I had a ton of fun at this launch, this was definitly one for the NJ launch books!

Thank you Absolut for the invite.

I can’t wait until the next one!

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Reader Question: I have Pimples. Can I Still be a Model?

Recently I have been getting a lot of questions about modeling and going to castings, but this one I decided to share because it seems to be a recurring theme, especially among teenagers who want to pursue modeling. Check out the reader’s question below and my response.

Reader’s Question:
I have casting this coming Sunday. However my face has some scars and white heads and I’m just wondering if they’ll look at all my white heads and all because I’m sooo not flawless…. But I’m still growing. I know I’ll have clean soft skin if I don’t have these pimples. So I’m wondering if they don’t really care about the scars because makeup artists are able to do makeup for me next time, or do they really want clean face girls? I planned to cover up with foundation and concealer but you said they want to see you as you are. So I’m really not sure. What if I cover up and next time they are shocked to see my face scars?

My Response:
Your skin condition will be looked at when you attend a casting, you are being judged on your appearance, it’s the nature of the business. They may ask you about it, they may not, but you should be honest about its condition if asked about it. With that said, if you attend the casting, you should wear makeup to cover the scarring and even out your skin tone. Makeup won’t cover the pimples from being seen it will just take away the color of the scarring or redness, which will still allow you to be seen as a blank canvas. Should you get booked for the job, you should communicate your condition with the person who booked you so they can prepare for production.
Will your skin count against you? It’s possible. It takes more work/resources ($$$ for editing, makeup artists, [which isn’t always provided], etc.) to work with a model with problem skin compared to one without them. People in business like to control costs and stay within budget and time constraints and problem skin could hinder that. To increase your chances of being booked in the future, I strongly advise adapting a regimen that will help you achieve smoother skin. Usually a pimple here or there most agents look past it.

*The reader’s question has been edited.

So what do you think, am I right? What advice would you give to this reader? Do you have a question that you want me to answer about modeling? Comment below and I’ll do my best to get back to you ASAP.

This question originally appeared as a comment on Model Advice: What to Wear to Casting Calls and Go-Sees

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“How do I know if its a scam?” Part 1 #ModelTipTuesday

Day 4 – Still kickin it on Alex Beadon’s Blog Challenge and today’s challenge is to answer a frequently asked question in a blog post. I think that this is something that I;ll add to my blog on a weekly basis. #ModelTipTuesday will be dedicated to your questions about modeling. If there are any questions you have, send them to me via any of my social media sites, or email me your questions. I will either respond to them directly or respond to you and post the question as a blog post for others to learn from. So, Here I go!

One of the constant questions that I get asked about is scams. This modeling business can be shaaaady baby! I like to think that most people are inherently good but the ones that aren’t make it hard to decipher the good ones from the bad. I know it makes it hard to know who to trust and who is really there for your best interest or theirs, but there are a few things that you have to look at in order to really understand if something is a scam or not.

Check this out

Signs this might be a scam (according to Alean):

  1. If they contact you by email
    1. They are speaking in is broken English, or text message slang, or slang period
    2. The email address that they are emailing you from is non identifying (ex: 7394xytty@gmail.com) OR it doesn’t match the name of the person sending it (ex: Im Lisa Johnson but my email address is MartinElizabeth@gmail.com)
    3. They tell you they work with a well known brand or designer like, Ralph Lauren or Gucci (No high fashion brand is booking models sight unseen via the internet)
    4. They tell you that you have been selected to work for that big name client and want to pay you a large sum of money for your work but part of it will be paid upfront. (NO AGENCY WILL PAY YOU UPRONT AND ASK FOR THE MONEY BACK!)
    5. In order to you to be paid you have to provide them with a ton of personal information and your bank account information (ALL THAT INFO IS NOT NEEDED ESPECIALLY BANK ACCOUNT INFO)
    6. They leave no contact info (phone number, address, etc.) for you to contact them if you have any questions or want to look them up.

Take a look at this email that was sent to a model friend of mine.

 

Hello,

 Good afternoon to you over there and hope you are doing fine today?

thanks for your response, Presently the company (Ralph Lauren)

needs a model to advertise their new outfit and i am one of the

favored supervisor for the project coming up next month in your state.

Subsequently,The date is between 28th and 29th of June (NOTE THAT ON

YOUR CALENDAR) and the shoot location will be somewhere very close to

you and i will let you know it after details have been received…

 Beside how much is your charge for 4hrs in a day (WE PAY $250 TO

MODELS FOR PER HOUR SHOOT) and you are gonna do that for 2 days (Total

$2,000 for 8hours).

Transportation allowance will be included as we continue to work

together,you could be invited over to the company to sign a contract

with us if you pose pretty well. In order for this effect i would

implore you to provide me with your statistics (SIZE) as soon as

possible? so that what you need would be taken care of asap…

 You will first receive $300 to start with,which will be sent to you

immediately,this is for your transportation allowance only (NOTE: This

payment is for your transport ONLY and your full payment for the job

will be paid to you in cash immediately after the shoot in the

location).

 The photo shoots will be taken and sent to the company and it will be

display on our online web and magazine (worldwide).

 The company have personal photographers and makeup artist,so we have

made all necessary arrangement for your good looking on that day and

also our photographers are available to give you best directive. They

will be contacting you for proper

arrangement of time and location after payment has been made.

Bonus: The cloths you will be wearing for the shoot.

ESCORT:As matter of choice,you can bring along any one of your choice

to the shooting venue. All traveling Expenses, Food and

Accommodations/Hotel would be covered by my company. my company will

cover all the expenses on your escort.

EXPECTATIONS: You must have positive ID.

You must have a nice pedicure and manicure.

You must have nice smile and humble personality.

You must be willing to pose very well and good.

No hairy armpits.

 Reference and other forms/documented papers will be send to you via

courier service a week before the shoot.

 Guess the arrangement is understood? In order for payment to be made

to you on time,i would need you to provide me with the following

info…..

 

Name in full:

Residential address:

City:

State:

Zip-code:

Phone number(cell and home):

Age:

Charges $2,000(8 hours):YES/NO

Transport allowance $300:

OCCUPATION:

AGE:

ATTACH 2 RECENT PICTURES:

 

Measurements:

 

Best Regards,

Rick McNeil.

 

This kind of scam is a variation of the Nigerian Email scam. You know those emails that say they are a random Prince from some unheard of land and  they want you to claim your inheritance left by a distant relative, and they want to send you a check for the amount but you have to pay them money back once you cash the check… Yeah they took that to modeling. Check out this link that details more red flags you should be on the look out for if you happen to get a random email like this one – http://www.newmodels.com/Nigeria.html

 

Good luck out there in model land! and remember a Good Model is a Smart Model!

 

Be smart lovelies!

 

xoxo, Alean

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5 “Business Models” who are great at minding their business

They say it takes several streams of income in order to be wealthy. Which got me thinking about other models who have done more than modeling to create more revenue streams. I like to think of it as Business Models Minding their Business. (cute right?! :-D)

As a model, you should always conduct yourself as a business and these models have done that plus created seprate businesses that have generated more for them in addition to their modeling. Click  the next page to check out my short list.

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Recap: Funny Moments at #NYFW – #ilaughed

New York Fashion Week comes around but twice a year and every time its filled with the seriousness of FASHION and STATUS (insert glitter sprinkle here). I personally did not attend any shows this season but with my poppin Instagram Feed, Chef Roble, and Nicki Minaj, I caught all the hilarity without having to hop the train the NYC.

With that, here are 3 moments that occurred during fashion week that I found funny. If you don’t laugh, chuckle, or crack a smile…drink some prune juice 😉

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Model or Actor with Tattoos? Find out how Rapper/Actor Ludacris feels about them.

Video credit – Instagram

 

We been seeing rapper/actor Ludacris throughout the years in various films and if you follow him on instagram, you got a quick behind the scenes look at the prep that takes place before filming the upcomig Fast & Furious 7. (I know, I know…when the hell did they get to 7?! You don’t even remember 3-6 coming out!)

Most rappers that we know of have tons of tatts, “bodies marked up like the subway in harlem,” to quote Weezy. In the above clip, Ludacris talks about one of the reasons why he only has so few tattoos. Hint, it has to do with work and time, and if you didn’t know…TIME IS MONEY. Especially when it comes to the process of covering up tattoos. Its just more money that comes out of the client’s pocket to pay the makeup artist or retoucher to get the look that they believe is perfect for the project. If there’s too much time that it takes to cover up ink…(ie you have a ton of tatts) you might lessen your chances of being booked! Thus, no money.

 

Get my drift?

 

I’ve mentioned before in a previous post (click here to read it) that tattoos can work against you in the modeling industry and that you should cover them up when attending any casting or when you have booked a job. Your special body art may not work with the look or character that is being portrayed and thus, you should cover up your ink, or if you don’t have any, like me, don’t bother getting any. You’ll save yourself a lot of hassle with potential clients by not having any ink.

Any actors or models out there ever been told about their tattoos at a casting or booking? I’d love to hear your story, comment this post or contact me via Twitter or Instagram – @CompleteBeauty

 

xo

 

Alean

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Have you taken a look at the @NickiMinaj Summer Collection? Its really cute!

Doing my usual scrolling and checking out various videos on YouTube, I was getting ready to watch a video when the ad for the Nicki Minaj Collection came across my screen. Like most people when those youtube ads come on you wait the 5 or 10 seconds and click forward but this time after watching the required 10 seconds, I like the outfits that I saw. The collection is really cute and fun for the summer!

My favs from the commercial include the red swimsuit, and the cutoff white shorts with the pockets exposed.

Check out a few more of my favs:

Floral Print Crop Top and Pencil Skirt
Floral Print Crop Top and Pencil Skirt

 

Cut Off Overalls
Cut Off Overalls
Chevron Shorts
Chevron Shorts

 

Check out more of the collection here – http://www.shopyourway.com/nickiminaj/store

Oh and  “Baby Naomi” was servin in that video wasn’t she?!….WERK!!!

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Do You Need Professional Pictures to Start a Modeling Career? #modeltip #modeladvice

One of my blog readers had a really good question about starting off as a model. On my blog post – 3 Resaons You Didn’t Book That Modeling Gig (http://aleanelston.com/ae/2012/03/02/3-reasons-why-you-didnt-book-that-modeling-gig-modeltip-modeladvice/) Amanda asks what are you supposed to do if you don’t have any professional pictures to submit in order to start getting work? Check out the post and the comment to see the advice I gave her, and if you have more to add to this subject, please comment and discuss below.

 

BTW please excuse brevity this video, I’ve been playing catch up with my blogging/vlogging and in my haste to make this vid, I’m not wearing any makeup 😛
Share this blog post  if you like this vid and want to see more!

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I am a MODEL, not TICKETMASTER… #justsayin

Before I get into this post, I wanted to mention that I am still looking to feature exceptional models on my site! If you would be interested in being featured, email me [alean@aleanelston.com] 2 – 3 professional pictures, a brief list of the work that you have done, and tell me a little about yourself and why you would make a great feature. Now on to the post!

So I’ve been wanting to write this for a LOOOOONG time.

I’ve been doing fashion shows for a long time both as a model and as a producer and one of the things that I have NEVER understood is when shows expect models to sell tickets to the show!

There have been shows that I have auditioned for that tell the models there is compensation for modeling in the show. Then to find out in order to be paid, you either have to sell over a certain amount of tickets or you make a percentage from every ticket you sell?

 

HUNH?!

 

I am not ticket master! Why am I selling tickets to your show…that is the producer’s job, NOT the model’s! All a model should be doing is MODELING! It shouldn’t be a requirement for me to have to sell tickets in order to get paid. The way I see it, I am doing a job as a model, and for modeling, I should be paid. You want me to sell tickets then hire me to sell tickets, and you’ll have to pay for that too!

Lets break down the fashion show process, shall we?

  1. I have to get to your casting to audition to be in your show (gas and maybe tolls costs $$)
  2. I get the job, now I may have to attend a rehearsal (gas and maybe tolls is going to cost me more $$)
  3. Its the day of the show, I have to be there early in the morning to get fitted, hair, makeup, for the show to begin later that day/evening – lets assume this takes up 8-12 hours of my day that I could be working a regular job or another gig that is guaranteed to make me some money during that time frame. (more gas and maybe tolls is going to cost me $$)
  4. and you want to tell me that in order for me to get paid, I have to sell tickets?! Tell that to the gas station and the toll booth attendant, cause they got their money, and I need mine.

Think about it, The venue got their money for the producer to have the show, the makeup artists have to pay for their supplies and time and they need to be paid, a quality photographer need to be paid for their time to be there and edit pictures, and I MIGHT get paid depending on the tickets I sell…

 

…I’ll pass

I am not TICKETMASTER, I’m a MODEL.

#justsayin

 

Follow me on Twitter – @CompleteBeauty

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Stomp The Runway Against Domestic Violence

I know I’m probably going to look really bad for just posting this but, things have been really busy lately for me and I couldn’t put this post off any longer. So here goes!

I attended the Stop the Runway Against Domestic Violence Fashion show benefit dedicated to the late Vanessa Banks of Philadelphia. I have never met Ms. Banks, but from what I have heard and read about her online she was a model from who was murdered by her boyfriend in a domestic violence incident. When I heard about the event, I knew it was something that I had to attend and support. Domestic Violence is an undercover issue especially with our young adults and it needs to be brought to the light. Its a shame that she had to die in order for this cause to have garnered attention on this level but for me, I’m glad it did. Everyone knows of someone who has been or is a victim of domestic violence. They may not have told you about it but you can bet that out of every 3 people that you know, 1 of them is or has been in a domestic violence situation. This was one of the stats that was mentioned at the show by author Brenda L. Thomas who is a victim of domestic violence. She gave a brief account of her experience of being in an abusive relationship and how she eventually came to the point she is at now. What stuck with me the most is when she mentioned that she did not want others to go through what she went through and that is why she tells her story. The key to everything in this life is knowledge, when you don’t know something it leaves you at a disadvantage. When you know what domestic violence is and how to identify it, you are more than likely to survive and hopefully help others to do the same.

 

NOW comes the Show RECAP!

What I wore:

With all of the running around that I have been doing lately, I opted to keep it simple, professional, and cool. I’m so used to dressing “modelly” so I decided to look like the cute young business owner that I am, that’s out for the night lol. Sho here’s how I achieved that look:

Hair

  • My trademark Cinnabun Hair do with my Flower in my hair.
  • EcoStyler Olive Oil Gel
  • a bunch of bobby pins
  • a black shoelace to tie up that ‘froliciousness 😀
Makeup
  • Foundation L’Oreal HIP
  • Fashion Fair Pressed Powder
  • Hard Candy “temptation” pallet eye-shadow (inner corner)
  • NYC brow kit in brunette (brows)
  • L’Oreal “copper penny” eye-shadow (lids)
  • Yagolicious “fireplace” eye-shadow (crease/outer corner)
  • NYC liquid eyeliner “extra black”
  • Clinique eye-shadow palette in copper-mine (highlight/brow bone)
  • Maybeline Mascara in blackest black (that trademark pink bottle with the green cap)
  • Too Faced Eye-shadow primer
  • Salon Effects Natural lashes #53
  • NYC Lipstick in Blue Rose
Outfit (nothing fancy)
  • Dress – Ya Los Angeles (bought it at Plato’s Closet)
  • Jacket (had that thang so long IDK where I got it)
  • Shoes Grey pumps from Bakers

What do you think of my look?

Show Details and Pics!

The Purple Carpet started off with local radio personality Kendra G hosting and interviewing the talent and VIPs of the night…

Kendra G interviewing Designer Carmelita Martell of Carmelita Couture on the Purple Carpet

While everyone mingled and settled into their place to watch the show…

 

…While the the models looked great as they showcased a few designs before the show started. they all donned loosely curled hair that was smooth at the roots and teased towards to the ends creating a what looked like a semi-afro for most of the models. Makeup looked lovely as well, Im a lover of a RED lip and it was done spectacularly (is that a word?! lol). It was glam enough that the eyes weren’t competing with the lips and achieved a very balanced face.

I did have an opportunity to meet the makup sponsors for this event but I can’t remember the name of the company, or the name of the woman I spoke to. If you happen to read this please reach out to me with your contact info, I’d love to find out more about your products! 🙂

But I digress, next up the clothes……….BABY, the clothes! lol

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