Saturday, October 13, 2012

I'm in Allure magazine!

Face : NARS Sheer Glow in Santa Fe  // Cheeks : NARS Angelika // Lips : NARS Belle de Jour // Eyes : Bobbi Brown Navajo + Cement, Urban Decay Armor + Desperation, NARS Madison Ave. // Lashes: NARS Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara // Brows : MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Brow in Ash
           I'm so excited to announce that Cute and Mundane is featured in the Allure Magazine October 2012 Best of Beauty issue. (Check page 146!) It's a journey that began last March when I chanced to see a tweet from Allure magazine calling for entrants for the very first Allure Beauty Blogger Awards. There were only a few days left to enter, and I scrambled to write a paragraph about Cute and Mundane, take a self-photo, and submit my entry for consideration. I recieved an invitation to 'dance at the ball' (i.e. compete as a finalist), which led to a whirlwind competition at one of the busiest times in my personal life. I felt a constant emotional stretch between feelings of elation and utter exhaustion while trying to juggle everything at once. When the competition ended in June, I was so relieved that it was finally over and very excited to find that I had become a runner-up winner in the Allure Beauty Blogger Awards. The journey continued to a photo shoot in NYC and the final magazine article that you see here today.

 Face: Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation  // Eyes : Chanel quad + mascara // Lips : Tom Ford // Nails : Deborah Lippman
          The Allure beauty blogger photo shoot was a surreal experience. We were flown out to NYC and at 5a.m. the morning of, I met fellow bloggers Shannon of Gloss and Dirt and Bailey of Making up the Midwest. There was a small trailer set up near the Trump Tower with professional makeup, hair, and nail artists, along with a too-fabulous wardrobe squeezed inside. Makeshift stations with train cases full of beauty equipment were scattered everywhere; to give you an idea, we sat on a small counter while we got our makeup done in the dim trailer lighting. It was fabulous, gritty, and real all at once. The Allure staffers as well as the artists were so nice to the three of us and made us feel at home during the whole process. We had our photos taken in different areas of the Duane Reade at Trump Tower for about 45 minutes each. I had a few beauty revelations that day: getting the perfect picture taken is no cakewalk (Stand straighter! Turn this way! Act natural!), hair extensions are awesome, and the penguin-shuffle is my preferred method of 'walking' around in Louboutins. Afterwards, we met up with some of the editors for lunch and got an informal tour of Allure headquarters at Conde Nast. (For the record, it did not resemble the Devil Wears Prada, though Vogue might). There were cubicles filled with inspirational photos pinned to every square inch of matteboard and literally bags of products at each desk. It was cool to see; I felt a familiarity in the enthusiasm for beauty and the creative process.

Dress : Narciso Rodriguez // Shoes : Christian Louboutin
          When the October Allure Best of Beauty finally made it onto magazine stands, I couldn't believe that Allure had given us each a page each. I am overcome with excitement and a bit of nervousness at what people might think. However, most of all, I am grateful. I owe a huge thanks to the Allure editors who gave me the chance to compete and organized this amazing experience. I also owe a big thank you to the artists who made sure we looked our best (though for the record, I am nowhere near as tan as that in real life!). Thank you to my fellow Allure Beauty Blogger Awards finalists who provided spirited competition and put their heart and soul into the contest. Shannon and Bailey, it was amazing meeting you, wandering the streets of NYC, and filling our bellies with oh-so-good eats! Finally, and most importantly, I am so grateful to my readers, my family, and everyone who voted, gave words of encouragement, and supported me throughout this entire process. It is because of you the glass slipper fit and this once-in-a-lifetime experience became possible. That is something I will never forget. You've motivated to me to work harder and push myself to new limits and really be the blogger that I've always hoped to be. I'm excited, hopeful, and looking towards the future. What happens next for Cute and Mundane, only time will tell; however this pumpkin-turned-stagecoach has just started rolling and I hope you'll stay along for the ride.

Love, Dovey.

23 comments:

  1. Wow, that's amazing! Congrats :D

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  2. Wow, congrats! Well deserved! I'm going to pick this issue up today and read it. I had no idea you were in medicine too!

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  3. Congratulations Dovey! :) You are SO beautiful, we need to see your angelic face more often ;)Did you enjoy your professional makeup, hair, manicure, photoshoot? I bet so (why I even ask?). Don't be concerened about what people might think, you are gorgeous, beautiful and deserve the attention (your blog is great, you make amazing pictures!). I am so happy for you :) / Claire

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  4. I am so proud of you Dovey!!!
    I hope to see many more for years to come. V

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  5. Aww Dovey!!! You're SO gorgeous and the experience sounds amazing! Congrats!

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  6. Aww you are SO BEAUTIFUL! I'll be sure to pick up the issue! Can't wait to read the article :)

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  7. Congrats, Dovey! I bought the issue to see your feature. :D You look beautiful in it. It was so nice to read a little more about you, hehe.

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  8. congratulations, Dovey! :)
    you look beautiful!

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  9. Congratulations, absolutely love your blog!

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  10. Holy hell, congratulations, girl! You look AMAZING.

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  11. CONGRATS Dovey!!!

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  12. Dovey, you look gorgeous in the magazine and also in the photo that heads this post :D So deserved! Congrats, girl!

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  13. Dovey - You look mahvelous! (to borrow a movie line) It was nail biting & exciting for me as I watched you go through this process. And the end result is so well deserved on your part! I look forward to continuing to read Cute & Mundane for years to come!

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  14. Wow, that sounds like something amazing! Congrats on making it so far, you really deserve it :D. I love the pictures as well, your hair is soooo amazing! I can believe that posing is not an easy thing to do tho, haha :). So proud!

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  15. When I first saw the Allure issue, I was thrilled to see that you were featured. Learning a bit about the woman behind the blog only confirmed that you are a warm and genuine presence in the blogosphere. Congratulations and sincere good wishes for future success.

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  16. Congratulations, Dovey! I'm so proud to know you. :) I haven't picked up Allure in a while but will do so tomorrow. You look so beautiful in the pictures! How exciting. :D

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  17. I was so excited and proud when I cracked open the pages to find you there! I'm so proud to have gotten to know you through blogging. No one deserved this experience more than you, and like you I can't wait to see what's in store for Cute & Mundane!

    ♥ Jessica

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  18. Hi Dovey, congratulations! I was an alternate in the Beauty Blogger awards and totally understood what you meant about the stress of completing the challenges in that short amount of time. I have four year old twin girls so it was a definite struggle. But so fun at the same time! I loved your feature in the october issue of Allure. It's well deserved! Congratulations... fingers crossed i make it to the 'real thing' next year! Hugs, Carla

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  19. Congratulations again Dovey on a well-deserved honor! You look lovely in the Allure magazine feature. It must have been so exciting to be in NYC and see the Allure offices. Thanks for sharing your experience with us! :)

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  20. Congrads Dovey....You really do have an amazing blog and you have made this space one of my fave blogs to read!

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  21. YAYYYY. I love the top photo and this makes me happy. I've loved reading your blog for a long time!! My allure subscription recently expired and i ran out & bought this issue last weekend! Haven't read it yet, but definitely looking forward to it!

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