TOP 12 SHOTS OF THE YEAR: 2015

white blonde, Stephanie Dawn Sjoberg, Luxor Living and Style, black dress, over 40, Top Houston blogs, fashion, Houston blogger,

1.  VAMP

This is just a shot from one of the top rated posts of the year. See more here.

pink revolver, pink nails, Bloggers in Houston, The Pink Lady

2. PINK

Don’t try to argue with me about Gun Control.  Have someone walk into your home in the middle of the night, find yourself with no way to protect your family…and then tell me that gun ownership for responsible, decent people is a bad thing…well, if you live through the experience to have a conversation after.

We have other guns, however I’d wanted something old school, simple and straight forward.  I love this gun. Yes, and it’s pink! For families with small children in the house, extra caution would be prudent but my feeling is that if the average idiot can have a gun to help them rob, rape and kill…then surely I can, too.  When guns are taken away from all the criminals, let me know…then we can revisit the topic. Until then, carry on.

Barbie, Barbie Makeup, Barbie face, white blonde, beauty blogger, saint germain pink, lipcolor, lashes, anastasia dip brow, Stephanie Sjoberg, Houston Beauty Blogger, Luxor Living and Style

3.  BARBIE

I’d seen all kinds of crazy Barbie makeup videos, and totally thought it would be a blast to try!  Videos are a lot more work than one would initially think.  It’s actually super fun, but time consuming.

Gucci, glasses, animal print dress, white blonde, Chanel lip color, in Arthur, gold, bling, Stephanie dAwn Sjoberg, Top Houston fashion

4.  REBEL

This was the easiest, 5 minute fashion post ever.  This shot got more hits than anything else, so I had to add it to the list. When people ask for their photo to be taken, they need to understand that it’s about angles, lighting and makeup. Yes, makeup.  When people want their photo with no makeup, they wonder why they don’t look fabulous like they do in their mind.  It’s makeup. Then lights, camera, action! The best is when people just let me do whatever I want to them.

#nordygirl , Dahlia Devine, fragrantica, Luxor

5.  #NORDYGIRL

I used to work in fragrance. I still love fragrance more than anything!  Scent is power and power is good…that’s my motto!  I took this photo for work of a bottle I’d had etched with #nordygirl on it!  Love the shot!

David Yurman ring, Couture Collection, Stephanie Sjoberg, lavender amethyst, Luor Living and Style

6.  DAVID YURMAN COUTURE

I’d picked up this ring from the jeweler and it was fabulously new and clean again! It’s a lavender amethyst from David Yurman Couture and I love her.  I decided to try and photograph her while she was sparkly!

Eshakti, dress by Eshakti, custom size dress, white and black stripes, Luxor, Houston blogs, brand rep

7.  ESHAKTI

I was recently thrilled to get the opportunity to partner with Eshakti.com.  This is an online fashion house that enables each woman to order her selections, and submit her order for a custom fit and design!  They have pants and tops as well as dresses.

In my case, I measured myself and submitted my less-than-perfect measurements along with my dress preferences.  You can choose sleeve type, length of dress, etc as well as them using your personal measurements.

I decided on this fabulous jail house striped number because it’s a different look for me, and I knew that although for work, I have to have sleeves, I knew throwing a jacket on top during the workday would help me to get more use out of my new dress.

I wore this and got numerous compliments from friends and strangers on the bold design. This dress has pockets and flares a bit for a fun, retro look and seriously, since I don’t have hips anyway, it made me look more curvy which isn’t a bad thing!  I paired it with a fun, glass lollipop necklace to complete my fun summer look, and of course Michael Kors shoes and a pink bag. Click the photo above to see the entire post.

shalimar, Guerlain, Paris, frangrance

8.  SHALIMAR FOR THE APOCALYPSE

I have always loved Guerlain perfumes.  My mom would buy them for me as gifts from about 4th grade and up.  A much younger friend was making fun of an Instagram post in which there was a bottle of Shalimar in the background.  Of course, I had wanted to show her that not only did I have a bottle of old school, high class Shalimar… but I also had enough to last me through an Apocalypse. ( And by “Apocalypse” of course I mean the pending step forward of the Anti-Christ, the fall of the world economy and the months long outage of our electrical grid, as we all have to scrounge for food and safety for months or years.) But hey, it will all be ok, because I have my Shalimar.  And tons of Ramen Soup packages.

Stephanie Sjoberg, Houston fashion nlog, bloggers in Houston, Top fashion, beauty blogger, Dolce & Gabanna , glasses, leather biker jacket,

9.  STREET GLAM

RICK SPRINGFIELD CONCERT

10.  RICK SPRINGFIELD

I had nothing to do one Tuesday night.  My husband called and had to work late, but suggested I go to the Rick Springfield and Loverboy concert for fun.  Hmmmm….for fun I went online and discovered that if you only need one ticket, often you can get really great seats!  After purchasing a ticket in the 5th row, I rented an Uber and actually went to this concert. Alone.  I had a really great time!  I am not much of a concert person so it took all I had to make myself go.  People couldn’t believe that I went alone, strangers asked who I was with and friends couldn’t believe I went alone.  I am a “grown damn woman and I will do what I want” as one of my old friends always says.  Anyway, I took this shot with my Rebel and made it home by 10:30.

WONDERWOMANBLUE14

11.  SURPRISE KISS

So this is a bit dirty.  My husband was taking a few shots and of course the dogs get around me so we decide to scoop them up and try to take a nice photo.  In attempting to kiss poor Bella’s snout as I’m juggling a super pudgy Jazzy…Bella surprises me with her long, gooey tongue and she literally jammed it into my mouth. Ugh. Disgusting, but she meant well. Jazzy only is worried about whether or not food will be involved somehow.

Johnny Was Clothing

12.  JOHNNY WAS

I began working for Johnny Was Clothing this year and have totally fallen in love with the lines they create! This photo was from the first post I’ve done featuring one of their dresses that I love! Click the photo for more.

-SDS

Share this post!

SIX SHOTS: MAY 2015

black cat, spooky cat, the woods, The Woodlands,Tamarac Park in The Woodlands,  tennis in The Woodlands, KS TENNIS USA, Luxor Living

1.  TAMARAC PARK, THE WOODLANDS

White blonde, Gucci Glasses, Luxor, Top Houston Blogs, Luxor Living and Style, fashion,

2.  REBELLIOUS

Eshakti, Eshakti dress, black and white dress, custom order dress, custom fit, Luxor Living and Style blog, bloggers in Houston, Houston PR, candy necklaces, Michael Kors watch, white blonde, Barbie, The Woodlands MUA, style blog,

3.  ESHAKTI

 

Tennis lessons in The Woodlands, Ks Tennis USA, Ken Sjoberg tennis, The Woodlands Township, cute kids, TGA, group tennis in The Woodlands, kstennisusa.com, Legacy School

4. KS TENNIS USA

This shot is from a post on my Facebook page.

I just spent two hours at Legacy Prep School in The Woodlands with KS Tennis since it was the last day of the season. Kids are adorable but have ZERO filter, so these are the questions I was asked;
Kids: Are you rich?
Me: No.
Kids: Are you sure? You look rich.
Me: Pretty sure. I am wearing Chanel lipstick in “Arthur”…so I guess I look rich.
Kids: Do you have kids?
Me: No.
Kids: Why not?
Me: Because Coach Ken is too old.
Kids: But he’s really good with small kids!
Me: Well then if someone leaves one on our doorstep, I guess we’ll keep it .
……..so then these kids start explaining how to foster babies and sometimes you get to keep them! I’m good…I promise!

Barbie, makeup tutorial, makeup artist, pink glitter nails, anastasia brows, lashes, white blonde, MAC, prolongwear foundation, Shimmer Brick by Bobbie Brown, Luxor Living and Style, beauty blogger in Houston, Makeup Artist in The Woodlands

5.  BARBIE MAKEUP

I have worked in cosmetics for years and decided to work on a fun, Barbie style makeup tutorial for my YouTube channel!

Del Friscos , The Woodlands, Del Friscos Grille in The Woodlands, best restaurants in The Woodlands, The Woodlands, Hughes Landing

6.  DEL FRISCOS GRILL / HUGHES LANDING

We were excited to be invited to a VIP party at the new Del Frisco’s Grill in The Woodlands last week!  The views are amazing,  the food is top notch and we had a really, really good time. The restaurant design is fantastic and it’s a very romantic, yet industrial look and feel. I will be doing a blog posting on the new Hughes Landing area of The Woodlands very soon with more photos.

Share this post!

SIX SHOTS: DECEMBER, TWO THOUSAND and FOURTEEN

IMG_20141224_113254

1. MERRY CHRISTMAS MAKEUP    

Since I work in cosmetics, I like to photograph makeup colors and techniques, but it’s an art! It’s not the same thing as a “selfie” in that you are photographing the colors of the nails, lippies, or shadows.

 

fancy nails, glitter nails, fancy, bling, David Yurman, rich girl necklace, Luxor Living and Style

2. RICH GIRL NECKLACE

I decided to work on my up close shots, and loved how this blingy rich girl necklace photo came out, complete with glitter nails and studded collar! Nails are another thing that’s really hard to photograph well with out plenty of practice!

kstennisusa.com, Ken Sjoberg, Stephanie Sjoberg, Ks Tennis, tennis in The Woodlands, Tennis in Spring, Forest Oaks Swim and Racquet Club, kids tennis in Spring, texas, adult tennis groups in The Woodlands

3.  KS TENNIS USA

Since I am the “S” in KSTENNISUSA.COM (or so I am told)  I help out with various media work.  My husband loves teaching tennis and takes it very seriously, so I had fun trying to capture his persona and work ethic in some new shots I took for the new website launch! He helps me with so much and is a true friend, so it’s always great when I can help him to grow his passion!

 

Aventus, House of Creed, fragrance, for men, Top 5 scents for men, Men's Cologne, Luxor

4.  AVENTUS

There are some men’s fragrances that I absolutely adore, and when I took a photo of Aventus by House of Creed, I loved the way it turned out, although it was just a camera phone shot!  The crazy silver and black glitter nails looked appropriate with the packaging, and the article on my Top 5 Men’s Fragrances can be seen here!

black leather, white blonde, black boots, fashion blog Houston, Houston Top Blog

5.  BLACK WINTER SUNDAY

One of the very few fashion posts I did in December was Black Winter Sunday.  Any time my husband snaps a photo in which he actually focuses, is a rare and pleasant thing. :0  It’s worth mentioning that this is a real outfit, that I really wore, when I really had some place to go.  I will say, that hats are more for ease  to me than for glamour.  The girl in front of me in church, who had hair extensions crash and burn because it was so humid, wet and cold…probably wished she was cool enough for a hat. Just sayin.

makeup artist in The Woodlands, Spring , Texas, Luxor Living and Style, Mac Lip Colors, Ruby Woo, Morange, Saint Germain, lashes, Luxor

 

6.  MAKEUP ARTIST

I think of makeup artistry is an art form. A lot of us have made the product searches and trials a bit of a hobby, as well as a career.  Photographing makeup is harder than it looks!  I mainly use my Instagram account for fragrance, cosmetics, decor tidbits and such.  It’s so much faster to post a fun lip color pic here and there on Instagram.  You know what though?  I think it’s creepy when the last 8 photos on a person’s Instagram account, are all of their own face, so I do try to keep my own makeup shots to a minimum. Plus, I’m old and I have a sleepy eye when I’m tired.   Unless you are a Krisspy or Amrezy level of a makeup artist…it’s probably best to filter in something other than your own face. Just sayin. 

Share this post!

AMERICAN SUPERMODEL: MAKEUP TIPS AND TRICKS

Luxor Living nd Style, Houston Photography, Texas model, Jennifer Gunderson, Stephanie Dawn Sjoberg, Photography by Luxor, Top Houston bloggers

     This is the part where I am going to show you some of the makeup and cosmetics tips I used on Jennifer for her Next American Supermodel photo shoot!(You can also see more pictures from the shoot there.)


 

   The eyes are the window to the soul so with that in mind, I decided to play up her eyes and strong brow area. We actually laughed so hard during our conversation about eyebrows, because a lot of salons want to end up giving everyone that walks into there doors…a cookie cutter, skinny half moon brow and she’s been smart enough to stay away from that practice. Eyebrows are so important!  They can give your face the appearance of symmetry and a good brow is a rich feature. 

FUNNY SIDEBAR:  I went into my bank about a year ago, and the girl at the counter started talking to me about my hair or lip color…but the conversation turned into an eyebrow conversation, against my will.  Hers were shaved off and then a thin line was tattooed on in place of them.  She adamantly searched for the number to give me to the place that did it for her. EECK!  I was polite, but I would never do that unless my eyebrows suddenly fell out into the street and I had no choice.

  As for Jennifer’s lips did not need any help looking full, so we went with a barely there color and liner, to keep the main area of focus on the eyes.

 

I knew that I would be doing some black and white pictures, which can tend to make you look washed out if you do not enhance the architecture and bone structure of the face and define certain places well enough.

  So lining the lips well, defining the brow and the hollow of the cheek, is important.

 

We also wanted some fun, real person shots that were full body shots therefore the makeup that may appear heavier close up, only looks more simple from further away.

 

My original plan was to use an old school, super glam red for the lip color, however, her eyes turned out so fabulous, and her lips are already perfectly photogenic, so we decided for a more reserved, pale and natural color.

Everyone’s face is different.  People expect to walk up to a cosmetic artist, and ask for a Kardashian look, for example…when there’s absolutely nothing to work with in that direction. In makeup, you have to step back, assess the situation, and work with what you’ve got!

  Here’s the listing of make up I used for Jennifer:


  

   Additionally, a cosmetic look for photos will look different from cosmetics for say…a date. Have you ever noticed that when you look at a picture that was taken on a day that you thought you looked great…the picture was awful? Basically, the same highlighting techniques, just on a lesser scale.

 

-December 27, 2014

-SDS

Share this post!

THE COVE AT LA JOLLA

La Jolla Cove

La Jolla Cove

thecove2

thecove7

thecove3

thecove4 thecove5 thecove6

 

     I realize that I am not the first person to ever get close to and take photos of seals.  These, however…are my seals.  This was my personal La Jolla experience, and I want to share.

     The world was never meant to be about concrete jungles that destroy and overtake the natural majesty of God’s creation.  Were were to live among and derive pleasure – as well as reasonable resource from the beauty and wonders he created.

      How in the world, a moderately intelligent person could look around the earth…watch the ocean’s waves- packed full of marine life, crash in and roll out.  Watch the many birds dive and feed from the oceans, or wiggly worms in the green grass.  How could you watch seals laying cheek to cheek with their friends and family, with a baby tucked under their fin…and really not realize that there is a God who created it all? And truly, how on earth could a person see the smile and love of a dog, who lives for their “person,” and ever think a beautiful connection such as that, could be a fluke?

     As I stood on the rocks, watching some of the sea lions sleep in La Jolla Cove…I noticed two sleeping cheek to cheek. And, as I wondered about the depths of their relationship (like…was he her “baby daddy” or  just friends, relatives, etc…) the one on the right sleepily lifted its fin  to feel around next to itself.He tapped and gently felt and looked comforted by the presence of  the napping soul next to it… all as if to check and make sure he was still there.

     Could beings who love, really be a totally accidental freak of nature?  Everything works perfectly together to keep the world turning and nature can be so beautiful.  Hummingbirds are a favorite of mine. Each one is a tiny work of art.  Actually, one who thinks this massive machine is a Godless accident has to be absolutely crazy. Out of touch. Blind.

     The little sea gulls that came to my balcony door every morning, in hopes of barking (yes, barking) for snacks of any kind… would eat Cheetos right from my hand.  (Envision Cheetos dust all over their beaks.)  As one might keep waiting for me to decide if he should have another Cheetos…he head would cock, and he would stare as if trying desperately to understand, “Who exactly is this weird Cheetos lady, on the balcony in her nightgown and pin curls…with a fat girl bag of these yummy orange things?”  The point is, there was some level of intelligence there.  We see it all the time in dogs and cats.  How could intelligence not be by grand design?  Actually, it would be impossible.

     These are the thoughts running through my mind as we visited the La Jolla Cove last week.  We were there last year, at the same time, but this time… we enjoyed nature even more.

     La Jolla is a beautiful place to relax, think, recharge your soul and connect.  So my seal and ocean photos are not prize winning…but I tried to capture the hearts of the precious little animals, and majesty the ocean side area commands as the sun continues to rise and set in perfect tandem with all below it.

     I’m pretty easy going, but one demand I make on my husband (who is a harder worker bee than I)  is that I will grind and work hard…but give a girl a break every once in a while.  I don’t care what is going on financially, job wise or whatever…I need some kind of vacation from the grind. Getting to relax and just breathe was incredibly uplifting.

     These photos were taken by a person who is a firm believer in Father God, his son Christ and the beautiful Grand Design of this country and our world.  Feeding little creatures, and getting up close and personal was a tremendous experience.

-SDS

Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. ,God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”…

Share this post!

SIX SHOTS: july, two thousand and fourteen

0_0_0_0_607_644_csupload_65188555
1.  JULY 4th
 
     Everything doesn’t make it to Instagram or the blog!  Sometimes fun stuff seems like a little too much, however, July is all about the 4th so hats off to us all and America…I love you!
 
 younique1
2. LASH SEXY 
     I was so pleasantly surprised by this lash review product by Younique!
 
 bloggyshots 101

 
3.  RADICAL SKINCARE
 
     When I received a bottle of the facial serum from Radical Skincare, I used it for 6 weeks before doing a review….
 
WNWNfinalcrop
 
 
4.  WASTE NOT WANT NOT
 
     After doing some work for Angel Blanchard of Waste Not Want Not Creations, she wanted a quick glam photo shoot as well to better promote her brand….
 
bellainmygrill
 
5. CHEAP BIOTCH
 
     As I was trying to do a beauty post called Cheap Biotch…it was thundering and raining outside…so this little one was up in my grill wanting me to stop the thunder so she was constantly interfering with my photo taking.  Poor thing!
 
Screenshot_2014-09-24-11-18-57

6.  INSTAGRAM
 
     The last couple of weeks of this month have been hard.  We had a very close friend in an accident while vacationing in Florida. We jumped on a plane to see him and his family.  This is the only photo I took during that 24 hour jaunt… because it was not a pleasure trip.  It was kind of funny noticing how outdated my tunes were on my phone though.  
 
     We are still waiting to see what God decided to do in this situation, all we can do is pray for understanding that his will be done.  
 
-SDS
-August 1, 2014
Share this post!