FOREVER 21, MADDEN and MILEY

Stephanie Sjoberg, Luxor, Steve Madden shoes, platform shoes, Michael Kors bag, Mac Lip Color in Miley Cyrus,

dress by Forever 21, shoes by Steve Madden, bag Michael Kors, lip color is Miley Cyrus (kill me now but I love the color)

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A lot of times, I opt to say nothing when I blog, because I must be careful of my mood.  If someone recently has made me into a negative mindset, then I best say nothing because I have been known to vent.

I also tend to be bothered by the fact that Blair Eadie never says anything, I mean anything, on her blog…yet her top competition says an awful lot on Cupcake and Cashmere.  I see the merit in both.  I try to be myself….well, I am myself and there’s nothing I can do about that…but I try to learn from the partnership and collaboration efforts of these two who are completely different from each other in the ways they have created their empires. I think Blair keeps her mouth shut to keep it serious and about the fashion, but I’m an everything person so it’s about the fashion, the price point, the makeup, a bargain sometimes and beauty, nature, food and such. Because of this, I find it hard sometimes to offer no thoughts.

Most people have no clue why some of us “blog.”  I think most people will agree…photographing yourself is the most terrible part!  Worrying about being judged incorrectly is a hassle. Most of blogging is not about look at me, aren’t I fabulous….it’s more about look at these cool Gucci glasses, cheap dress and blue nails…isn’t this fun?!  It’s about personal ideas and viewpoints.

I spent a few days in Dallas in which my step mother made plenty of remarks about my blog life. Questions such as “Who takes the pictures?” or comments like “Your face looks airbrushed” or “How much money do you make?” I think the funniest part, is that while people don’t really get it, they all want their photo shoot and makeup done. Ugh. Primarily, the blog helps to expose what I do, who I am and what I enjoy. It’s a platform for beauty and cosmetics experience, photography work, and years spent in fashion, decor and real estate.

Mainly, as hard as it sometimes is, my very hyper husband takes the photos.  I do not believe in airbrushing.  I do, however, believe in great angles, lighting and of course…makeup.  I have very pale skin so in a flash or sunlight, I glow like an angel, therefore, since the light is reflective on pale skin, I pretty much just take good pictures.  Oh, and I am a makeup artist. As far as how much money I make, that is complex.  I do a lot of different things so there are different income streams. The trick in life is developing income streams and minimizing outgoing expenses! (Hence, the $23 dress from Forever 21) I am currently scaling back on work efforts and narrowing my focus.

This month, was weird for me. I did too much for too long and sort of imploded.  Our house is totally torn up right now with a remodel project that should be done by the end of the week, and I am starting work for a new company at the end of the week as well, and I am totally excited about it!  The name of the company I am going to is Johnny Was, and I will be blogging a lot of Johnny Was  fashion in the future!

I am to the point in life, where I am being me…in every way possible.  I’m smart, but I don’t need to look smart to be happy.  If I want a chicken coup in my back yard, then I damn well will get a chicken coup and fancy chickens with hair feathers! (Everyone thinks this is weird, by the way.) Years ago, my husband and I had a tons of Emu pairs laying eggs on our farm.  I would collect the huge green eggs and incubate them, eventually helping give life to zillions of emu chicks! It was the coolest thing ever! I had a room set up like a lab with about 5 incubators cooking about 125 eggs all at any given time.  Maybe this is why I’m hell bent on setting up a chicken house now. That, and having eggs for the apocalypse I suppose. My husband is completely against my chicken proposal but when I ask him why I can’t have a few chickens…he can’t give an answer. (I think he’s scared of them or the commitment they bring.)  The point though, is that I do what I want.

Some days, I want to be comfortable and fun…like this day.  I bought this black dress from Forever 21 with the sole intent of wearing it around the house.  It’s comfortable and stretchy and presentable.  It appears that I have spoiled my husband and now he fully expects me to be somewhat presentable and a little sexy at all times.  However,  this looked so cute that I decided to wear it out a few times before I retired it to the “house moo moo” collection.  It literally cost about $23.  We decided at the last minute to go somewhere so I got ready in 35 minutes.  At what age should one put away animal print Steve Madden platforms?  I’m not sure.  The last two weeks have been a total whirlwind for me and it was sort of a Fuck Everything day. We went down the street to Old Town Spring to grab a snack and a beer and enjoy the Christmas decorations.  I don’t need to look serious, because I already am so serious that it hurts about things that matter…God, love, finances, health, the future, sex and relationships …but not necessarily in that order!

 

-SDS

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TOP TWELVE SHOTS OF THE YEAR 2014

I welcome the year 2015 with open arms, but here are my top 12 picks for Shots of The Year from the blog!  Some are from products that sponsored me, and some of other people I got to shoot.  It’s fun to look back over the past year and gather some top shots.  2014 went by so fast, and in looking back, I see why… I was busy!  I look forward to challenging myself this next year!

 

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1.  GLASSES USA

I was so excited to learn about GLASSESUSA  and get an opportunity to try out their online prescription glasses service!  Too cool! Check them out for discount prescription glasses that you can order online.

glam, glammy, photography in The Woodlands, boudoir photos in The Woodlands, tattoo girl, makeup artistry, Luxor Living and Style, Houston style blog, Stephanie Sjoberg, fashion, style, 2. BOUDOIR

It was something totally new to try, and I had a blast doing last year’s Valentine Boudoir Shoot. The girls were fun and beautiful.  It’s not trashy… more fun and flirty than anything, but it was fun working out shots for the girls.  Out of all photos, I love this one the best.  The girl is a beautiful, edgy rebel, business woman and mom.  I loved the way this turned out.

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3. BLACK FEATHERED ANGEL

This is a girl I ran into one night while out with my husband.  We became friends and I was dying to do some portfolio shots for the aspiring actress.  On this shoot, we went to Galveston Beach, (although we joked about saying it was some exotic destination in the Carribbean) and we laughed so hard as we tried different shots. Imagine this tall, beautiful girl in full makeup and long black gown, on the edge of a jettie, as the waves crashed in.  Imagine the onlookers. Too funny. The rest of the pictures can be seen here. This was a great day!

 

Houston model, Luxor Living nad Style, fashion blog, blogger in Houston, Photography by Stephanie Sjoberg, makeup artist in Spring, Texas, Guess model, stylist, fashion blogger, Galveston Beach4. TEXAS GIRL

I’ve always loved the Guess advertising campaigns.  This was a spin on the Texas girl look.  This is one of my favorite shots from that day with her. See the rest here, on the American Girl blog post.

 

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5. SENIOR PORTRAIT TEXAS STYLE

Senior portraits in Texas are getting to be very elaborate, so I wanted to try my hand at a few!  I absolutely had a blast working on this shoot, and this one is my favorite from the Senior Glam Texas Style  shoot!

 

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6. YOUNIQUE

I did a review for Younique 3D Fiber Lashes.  This was one of the shots from the post that came out.  I mean, how do you really take a mascara photo anyway?  My vanity area was new, and it’s where I spend every morning getting ready, playing with makeup and trying new things.

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7. THE WOODLANDS, BIOTCH

One day after church, my husband and I stopped to snap photos for the Retro blog post.  I got this great shot of a nearby bridge in The Woodlands, and loved the way it came out!

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8. LA JOLLA

We took a trip to San Diego this year.  We wanted to return, since we had been the previous year.  I packed terribly.  I ended up buying a cool hat there, while we were shopping, and thus created a La Jolla outfit post out of scraps!  We stayed at La Valencia hotel, right on the Cove at La Jolla… and had an amazing time.  I love this shot that Ken took because it’s real.  It’s me. My clothes. My life.  I love that he lets me be kooky and fun.  Good times!

La Jolla Cove, seals on La Jolla Cove, seals, beautiful seal pictures, Luxor Living and Style, photography by Luxor, Stephanie Dawn SJoberg, Ken Sjoberg, San Diego, California Travel blog,

La Jolla Cove

9.  PURE BEAUTY

Pure Beauty was seen daily as we photographed the Seals at La Jolla.  I was able to get inches from them and snap some cute photos.  This was one of my best memories of the year!  I adore nature and animals.

 

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10. HOLIDAY RIVER WALK

In December, we went to San Antonio to attend a church service by one of our favorite pastors, and stayed on the San Antonio River Walk.  It was my birthday, and Christmas lights were still up.  I took photos in order to create a Monet look and love the way they all turned out!

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11.  ANGEL

I was fortunate enough to make a new friend this year, when Angel Blanchard was referred to me by a friend, to recreate her hair salon web site, Angels Hair Designs.  She is a color and cut specialist in the Houston Galleria area, and also does extensions as well.  She did my hair recently as well.  Angel also is a jewelry designer, and is wearing some of her custom candy pieces in this shot! She does cuts for men as well!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12.  YOU TUBER

One of my functions is that I work in Cosmetics and Fragrances.  I do makeup.  If you know anyone who does makeup, then you know we love You Tube Videos!  Everyone would love to try and make a video at least once, so I finally did a full You Tube presentation called GLAMMY GLAM in 19 MINUTES.  This shot was of the finished product after the video tutorial was made.  Making videos is so fun, but it’s more work than you think!  Check out my Channel here.

 

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LA JOLLA !

La Jolla, California

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bracelet by Tiffany & Co, bag by Michael Kors

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shoes by Steve Madden, watch and bag by Michael Kors, bracelet by Tiffany & Co

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Sometimes I don’t say much, but this post merits some explanation.    We needed a break, and for several reasons…our break ended up in La Jolla, California.

Although the week off had been planned for a year, those last few days, I was so busy…I found myself packing two hours before it was time to leave for the plane.  It was because of this, that I didn’t pack very well.  Fortunately, my husband warned me about a possible “chilly” night, so I should bring a coat.

Instead, I opted for my black poncho.  Actually, I refer to it as my “snuggy.”  It’s funny because I literally wear it around the house, over my night gown if I get cold, or over my nightgown to take the dogs for an early morning walk…or even to church when I have on a dress, but don’t feel like wearing a bra and want to hide jiggles.

Hear me when I tell you, it was COLD and WINDY in La Jolla on the coast and the front desk staff saw me in some variation of outfits every single day which included my poncho and some type of hat – which was to combat the wind.

The Steven Madden booties are extremely comfortable and fun and I was so glad I packed them. It was only in haste that I grabbed a handful of hats and I was glad I did. It enabled me to be lazy and avoid the man in the hotel room constantly asking “Are you ready yet?” When it’s all very clear that I wasn’t ready yet.

While I did attempt to do some light shopping while away…it didn’t go so well, so I decided to be content with old, comfy clothes and hats and I promised myself I’d do better next time.

In the end, it didn’t matter too much because we just relaxed, and enjoyed the natural beauty that surrounds the La Jolla Cove. Sometimes it just has to be about comfort and ease. And, I had my “snuggie.”  The funny thing is that a work friend of mine has the exact same one, and she is emotionally attached to hers as well. We always laguh about how fabulous it makes anything you are wearing look, when it’s actually just a “Linus” blanket.  Oh my gosh, I am so attached to that thing!

    -SDS

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