As the new year approaches I can not help but to look back on the past years & see how far I have come...It is amazing how the little steps we take can alter our life in such a big way...How we can fail over & over again, but gain so much from each fall...Yet no matter how much success you have or how you obtained it, there will always be those who will question your existence & hunger to knock you down....So with that said I wanted to share my story, my journey....Sometimes in order to move forward, you must reflect back...
to remind yourself of who you are &
why you're here to stay!
If I were to pave out my whole life to you I would need a novel & you would need a good month to read my blog...there would be a lot of events in my life you would not believe...I feel sometimes as if I lived the life of a 50 year old , but in reality Im only 30...I have not seen the world, I have not jumped out of a plane & I have not swam with sharks( all things on my bucket list)...but I do know one thing...
I have worked hard to get to where I am, knowing it is just the beginning...
You have to realize I left everything I had & moved from a small town in Arizona to New England...I was at a school where I knew no one..there were times I felt alone & wondered what the hell was I doing!!! When I graduated college I was scared to think I may have made the wrong choice...Maybe I should have been a Nurse, human rights activists, a teacher, joined the peace corp-all things I pondered. But instead I followed my dreams of entertaining, being creative...
being a makeup artist?
Some of you who are makeup artists knew this is what you wanted to be at Birth...for me I had always loved makeup, but had never thought I could make it as a career, in reality I wanted to be an Actress! On the red carpet, playing different characters, inspiring others...little did I know my limelight would come from a different direction!! Straight out of College I worked on my first Indie film "A New Wave" as an Asst. Makeup Artist. After the film wrapped I worked various retail jobs to make ends meet & decided to eventually go back to school for Esthetics so I could do makeup professionally. It was at this point I got a job at A L'Oreal boutique in Connecticut. At the time it was another job to pay bills...not realizing it would be my foundation for my career.
Those of you who have worked retail know its no walk in the park. I ended up becoming a Manager..my life was eat, breathe, live, sleep L'Oreal...for 60 hours a week L'Oreal became my family, my home & sometimes a place I wanted to run away from. Yet for 4 years it molded me, stregthened me & inspired me to who I am today...When the store eventually closed I had the opportunity to look at my life & decide in what direction should I go? Should I continue a retail life...should I pick a new career or should I fight to continue with a Brand that had become so much of who I was...
I think you know the answer!
Im very blessed to have maintained relationships within L'Oreal after the store closed, these individuals had faith in me & saw my hunger; giving me opportunities to continue on with the brand...Im a firm believer others can point you in the right direction, but you ultimately have to discover & create the path...be proactive...showcase who you are...sometime step on some toes & prove yourself...As we know with this comes spectators...those who feel entitled to have what you are gaining...those who feel they are above the clouds...
but If you are smart you will simply smile
&
use their envy as fuel to your fire
I get the question a lot..Why L'Oreal? Why not Chanel, Bobbi Brown, Dior...The answer is simple...because! Because it defines empowerment, it defines beauty & it speaks to women of all shapes/sizes, demographics, ages..And it spoke to me at a very young age...I remember being little, in my grandmothers bathroom...I would love watching her put on her makeup, playing through her makeup bag, seeing what items I could steal without her noticing. She loved her lipstick! Her lipstick of choice was Clinique, but there was this one Lip color, a red one..She said to me "its the perfect red. No matter how down you are a lipstick will always make you happy Tiffany." It was a L'Oreal lip color...So perhaps it was a foreshadow of my life, but I would never forget that found memory of her. From cradle to grave it is apart of our lives in some way. I could choose any other Cosmetic Company out there, but I would be doing myself a dis-service. I have to represent something I feel passionate about!!!
I think back now & wish I had kept my mouth shut when In high school. I told all my friends I was going to be famous one day! "You'll see me on the big screen." I laugh at those moments now, knowing ive accomplished a lot of those dreams, but in a different way. Ive been on TV, on stage, an educator, a writer, a speaker, working with celebrities, meeting my idol...however, as grateful I am for all of those things, nothing can compare to helping a woman discover their beauty...seeing them transform with the touch of color...it always reminds me of what my grandmother had told me...she was right...
its amazing what a little lipstick can do!
Now I strive to have my brushes in all different projects..working not only for L'Oreal but Stila, ESPN, various charities, freelance work with Runway, photo shoots, Bridal...Being creative is the best medicine you can give yourself & in turn you never know who your creative talent can help! Ill continue to grow, learn & push myself into the artist & woman I want to be. The gifts given to you are only due to hard work.
if you deserve it, you shall have it...
if you deserve it, you shall have it...
Since Ive shared a fraction of my story with you, I encourage you to share your story with others...You never know what you may learn, or who you may inspire..After all aren't we all put on this earth to learn from one another...
