Rocking the Runway for Manuheali'i

I had the honor of being in the MAMo Wearable Arts Fashion Show, modeling the Manuheali'i clothing line on May 21st at the historic Hawaii Theater. It was such an awesome experience! I was very fortunate to have modeled for Manuheali'i during the 2013 Hawaii Fashion Month, and am stoked to be in one of their TV commercials that is running on KITV. I always light up when people say that they saw "my commercial." It really makes me feel like my hobby as a model is worth the time and energy that I put into it! Things have paid off over the past few years of doing crunches and eating salads.

I love the fashion and modeling world, have met so many great people and worked with a ton of talented and amazing designers, but I must say that working with Manuheali'i has been my favorite. The owners, Danine and Pono, treat everyone with such aloha and grace. They respect all the models and production team for their skill and make us feel like part of the team. Aside from that, they are extremely organized. Fashion shows always get a little crazy and frenetic-- something goes wrong. A show doesn't fit or hair and make-up don't get done-- that is just standard in the industry. The difference is that the people at Manuheali'i face challenges with a feeling of calm and "it's going to work out!" They make sure their models are taken care of (we had VIP treatment during hair and makeup, with fresh fruit bouquets, champagne with fresh raspberries, cheese platters, ahi spread, the works), and they think of every detail. Check out their nice board showing the model lineup! Even the board itself looks cool:

I must thank the wonderful designer who got me hooked up with Manuheali'i, Randie Lunn. She is such an amazing person, filled with aloha, I am so blessed to have her in my life. We have been fashion-connected since we did the Goodwill Goes Glam Show in 2013 and she calls me for gigs ever since. I thank her for seeing something in me. I must say, the MAMo show is an event that promotes Hawaiian Artists-- which I love and am so proud to be a part of-- but I did have some anxiety about being the "only haole" girl in the entire show! She was so gracious and told me that I exude aloha more than anyone she knows! It made me feel so much better!

So, yeah. I love Manuheali'i and their team. And their clothes. And everything about them. I can't wait to do another show for them, if they have me! :)  Finally, the first look I "walked" was pretty nice...but I think I totally rocked that pink dress! It made me feel like Barbie and I need to go buy it STAT. 

Pele Party

The Pele Awards 2014!

Thank you to Bill for taking me to the Pele Awards on April 26th and allowing me to totally crash the MVNP table. 

While I was a student, getting my M.B.A. at Hawaii Pacific University, I was focused on a career in marketing and/or advertising. The one firm that I stalked / admired / adored / followed closely, was MVNP. A friend of a friend was working there at the time and I heard about all their big accounts and insanely creative work. I'm pretty sure I applied with them fresh out of college but never got a call back! While I am happy in my career now, and never ended up at MVNP, I must say I had a blast with their team at the Pele Awards. I loved being around such fun, energetic, creative people. One guy at the table even passed out blinky-light-up plastic ice cubes to put in our cocktails. Ummm these are my people.

The awards were unlike other award dinners I go to for work (save the standard rubbery chicken entree). The venue was beautiful, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, seaside. Drinks served on the lawn, then we went inside for the program. Instead of the standard speaker and emcee announcing the winners, the event was a full-on theater production. It felt kind of circus-like with a ringmaster who presented all the awards. A crew of actors and dancers performed all the way through, and they were awesome. Winners didn't go up to the stage (except the big winners), they simply stood to be recognized. With so many awards being handed out, I appreciated this format because it made things go faster! Also, it was awesome to see the advertisements on the big screen. I am so pleased to have been in a room with some of the most creative geniuses in Hawaii. Maybe I should go into advertising someday...hmm. Check out the list of winners here!

No Drought About It

I pride myself in being a beauty product junkie. You should see my bathroom sink- barely enough space for the new pink lipstick I bought yesterday. 

Good thing I don't have a boyfriend, I don't have bathroom sink space for one. 

Anywho....that being said, I decided that I should share some of my go-to-must-haves, the products that I use and can't live without. Thus, my first fave: LUSH DRY SHAMPOO. Seriously, it changed my life. 

Let's be clear, people, you are not supposed to wash your hair every single day. See, the internet says so. It's bad for your hair! I have totally over-processed hair because I get blonde highlights every couple of months and I also use heat styling tools every day. I jump in the ocean on weekends then lay in the sun with salty hair. When I have fashion shows, my hair gets tortured. The last hair show I modeled in-- hair was fried. Nightmare. I stopped washing my hair every day a couple years back to preserve my hair and maintain it's health and length. I would use baby powder as a dry shampoo. Yes, it's a thing. When I found the Lush Dry Shampoo, the baby powder got kicked to the curb. I use less powder with the Lush product, plus it has a really fresh, citrus smell. I bought the largest-sized bottle I could get, 4.6 ounces for $13.95. Much more pricey than the baby powder, but worth it. I bought my bottle like 6 months ago and still have a ton left. I use it a few times a week, in between washes, and it gives my hair a great texture and volume, while getting rid of oils. It leaves you feeling so fresh, so clean. Ladies, I highly recommend picking up a bottle of this miracle powder.