Breast Cancer Awareness | Sparkle & Celebrate PINK
This past Wednesday we did something incredible and selfishly rewarding. Sparkle & Celebrate PINK was created to raise breast cancer awareness, as well as to celebrate the strength, bravery, and survival of women who are in remission or currently fighting. Women, in general, have body image issues and struggle with self esteem and confidence. As artists, specifically boudoir photographers, it's our mission to help women begin to overcome these obstacles. When women go through an experience such as breast cancer, the emotional and physical challenges become greater. We wanted to help women celebrate their bodies, begin to accept the physical and emotional changes they've endured, and have the chance to celebrate their story. To hear more about our reason why, see our segment on CBS/Atlanta Plugged In.
Can I just tell you how emotional but uplifting the day was for all of us? There were many moments we all had to hold back the tears and by the end of the night we (the artists) already chose two dates for 2018 to sponsor this event again. Please share these images of inspiration so others can have the option to take part in the 2018 dates. Women can begin to contact us now to participate next year! We will have a date in Taylors SC & in Gainesville GA.
Five beautiful and inspiring women participated, four survivors and one currently battling. They lifted each other up, celebrated each other, shared their stories with us, and I'm confident they will remain in contact for years to come :) Justin with Stearns Media Group produced a behind the scenes video that included interviews with the ladies -- scroll down to see that OR click here for our YouTube channel.
"You’ve helped me begin to find myself again. I’m getting more comfortable with how my body has changed and I am learning to embrace it...scars and all. I really thank you from the bottom of my heart."
"My husband's reaction to the Sparkle & Celebrate pictures was the best feeling in the world!!!! He is so proud, he wants to share with everybody! I know I am not a model, but after 10 years of hiding....I finally feel whole again. I can never thank you enough - not only for what you did for me on the outside that day, but what you did for me on the inside for a lifetime! Thank you!"
Sponsors:
Event Coordinator: Mirrored Images Boudoir
Venue: Cotton Rouge Studio, Taylors SC
Makeup & Hair Artists: Cotton Rouge & Co, Staci Gibbs
Photographers: Mirrored Images Boudoir & Cotton Rouge Photo
Cinematographer: Stearns Media Group
Which Thanksgiving Foods Are Aphrodisiacs?
It may seem absurd to some of you to already be thinking about this but I just purchased my plane tickets home for the Thanksgiving holiday and I immediately went into turkey and mashed potato mind mode. But seriously ladies -- its October 18! We have about a month before some of us start cooking for our Thanksgiving feast.
With Thanksgiving quickly approaching and sex on my mind (because, when is sex not on my mind), I thought to myself, how can these two things be related? Well here it is! All of your questions answered! Did you know that many of the traditional foods and ingredients we use at Thanksgiving have aphrodisiac properties? That explains a lot thinking back to all of those food coma moments sitting on the couch but STILL craving a little "dessert" huh?
Check out the list below and make sure you gather all of the right ingredients for your pantry!
Rosemary
Pumpkins
Cranberries
Nutmeg & Cinnamon
Celery
-- xoxo
Feel Beautiful Naked.
I don't know about you but when I feel good about myself, everyone knows it! I'm all about being naked, romping around my house and being extra sexy for my man. It's the same scenario for when I DON'T feel sexy. my sex life is much more dismal, I don't want to show anyone my body (even my man, who loved me no matter what) because i'm too worried about what's jiggling around and the angles, oh man the angles. Have you ever tried to find an angle you look good at when you don't feel good about yourself? Feeling confident and beautiful about the way you look is an intricate part of our self-esteem and our sex life.
So Fun & Energizing | North Georgia Boudoir
Ohhhhh HOT MAMA Tammy! I'm sure ya'll have seen the video on our YouTube channel of this amazing woman who not only rocked her boudoir session but allowed us to document it and share with others to show a little teaser of how a boudoir session goes. Our North Georgia Boudoir studio is private, fully equipped with multiple sets & lingerie for EVERYONE, and packed with a fun & energizing experience... don't take our word for it. Here's what Tammy had to say:
“Ladies: If you have ever thought of doing a boudoir photo shoot don’t wait, do it now! Oh my goodness. My experience was so fun and so energizing! This is been on my bucket list for years(and looked at hundreds of photographers)! And finally I said what the heck I’m going to do it! And you know what? It was more fun than I ever thought it could be! For the entire shoot I was walking on cloud nine! I still haven’t came down lol! I feel so energized and empowered! Like most women, I have huge body issues. But Jen was able to focus on my attributes and help my concerns disappear! And let me tell you, I loved almost every picture! Ladies, do this for yourselves. Seriously. You will not regret it.”
Tammy is already planning her next shoot and intends to do a few every year -- she's pretty incredible... isn't she?
If you haven't seen the video yet, what are you waiting for?!
Spice It Up Vol 2
Today's Topic Of Spice It Up Conversation: PDA
How do you and your significant show each other love? Is it ONLY behind closed doors or do you dip into a little bit of PDA every now and then? Personally, I am not huge info PDA but I do think it is necessary sometimes! We all want to feel loved and appreciated in public sometimes -- it gives us some type of arousal. And the same goes for men! If you show your man affection in public, I guarantee he will show it back 10x and certainly spice things up in the bedroom!
Now, when I say "PDA" I don't automatically mean let's make out in public (although I kind of mean that too), it could mean something as small as making your Facebook status "In a Relationship".
Spice It Up Story time!
My friend.. lets name her Mary.. told me this story about her PDA and I thought I would share with you all!
So Mary and her boyfriend had been in a disagreement, it wasn't a huge fight but it was big enough where neither of them really wanted to talk to one another. Mary knew that this fight was so insignificant that it was actually pointless to allow it to get in the way of their relationship. Now ladies -- I KNOW this happens to all of us. Those stupid pesky little fights that literally have no point and they should have never started in the first place. Anyway, so Mary decided to take things into her own hands and make things right with her man. Now before I tell you all what she did let me start by saying -- not everyone can do what Mary did due to logistics in the work environment (haha) BUT you can certainly try.
So it was a rainy day and Mary's boyfriend was at work, it was going to be a long shift and she knew she wouldn't get to talk with him to straighten anything out until much later in the evening. That just wasn't going to work for Mary's personality, she needed resolution immediately. She put on her sexiest black lace teddy, knee high black heeled boots, with a trench coat over top and got into her car venturing to her mans job.
Remember, Mary knew he would be able to come out to the car AND she knew he would be able to take a break for a little while. She was very familiar with the area and knew where there were some secluded spots.
So, Mary got to her mans place of employment and lured him out to a secluded spot in the back. When he got into the car she took her trench coat off and he was speechless. She told him to just sit back and relax **if you know what I mean**
Now, ladies, this is an extreme case of PDA, and it really wasn't super "public" because no one saw. BUT I can imagine the thrill of getting caught made things that much sexier!
Moral of the story - give your man a little surprise every now and then, I promise you won't regret it ;)
xoxo
Atlanta Plugged In | Breast Cancer Awareness
Eeeeeeeek! Our segment on CBS46/Peachtree TV Atlanta Plugged In aired yesterday! We've received a ton of feedback about how informative the segment was. I'm very hopeful that the word is getting out about our breast cancer awareness event and that more ladies will have the opportunity to join us on October 18th. Filming this was exciting and nerve-racking, but it was an incredible experience. The crew at CBS46/Atlanta Plugged In were great to work with and very welcoming.
If you didn't catch it when it aired, here's a link.
There are so many events this month that are dedicated to breast cancer awareness, celebrating survivors, and honoring those who lost their battle; please check your local events to see how you can help.
Why Boudoir?
Hey ladies!!
This morning Mirrored Images had a TV segment taping for Peachtree TV and CBS46 -- it was amazing! (Make sure you all tune in on Thursday 10/5 at 9am on Peachtree TV to see the end result!) During my time over in the studio, I noticed something really interesting. Every time I would bring up why I was there, people would get really uncomfortable and squeamish really, almost like it was super uncomfortable for them to talk about Boudoir. And I get it, I really do, not everyone is as comfortable with their sexuality, or frankly - as comfortable with being naked, as I am with them being naked (lol), but I was really taken back by their response.
Let me also pre-face the remainder of this post with the fact that I used to work at CBS46 so everyone I was talking to it was a very friendly conversation. I already knew all of them and we had a pre existing relationship - which I thought would make it more comfortable.
Anyway, I brought up the fact I was there for a Boudoir photographer and then I would ask if they were interested in doing a shoot, the only answer I heard was "oh no way." But ladies, WHY? Once I really started to talking to a few of my ladies and digging deeper into Boudoir some of them warmed up to the idea of the concept -- but not yet to doing a shoot. We're still working on that!
With that being said, I thought I would share some of my top reasons I think its important for all of you to at least have an open mind to doing a Boudoir shoot! Keep in mind, I've done a boudoir shoot so I really know first hand how it makes you feel!
- You feel so sexy! Honestly ladies, everything from the hair and the make up application to the actual shoot, I FELT AMAZING. I really didn't know I could feel that good. It was a different kind of sexy too. Not the kind that you feel when you get dolled up and go out on the town with your significant other. It was a deep within sexy, I felt it deeper than just a superficial feeling.
- It's empowering. I guess this kind of goes hand in hand with the feeling sexy part with a little twist. When I left that studio I felt like I could run the world. I wanted to go out and allow as many people as possible to see me. I actually remember picking up dinner later that night - a to go order - and I still had full hair and make up on but I had left the studio in pajama like clothing (because I wasn't going to leave in lingerie). I was literally in pajamas walking in to get my food and I walked in that restaurant with my head held SO HIGH. No one was stopping me. I still get this same feeling every time I look through my book!
- Your significant other will go crazy. I can't put a word to describe how it made me feel when I saw and heard his reaction to my photos. First of all, I don't think he knew what to expect. He's not really one to pay attention to what "Boudoir" is, so I think that made the reaction that much better. He had no idea what was coming his way! The same night I had my shoot, I got home and saw a sneak peak of 3 of my photos. I sent one of them in a text to my man and his reaction was "wow who is that" HE HAD NO IDEA IT WAS ME. At first I was kind of angry like "WHAT?! HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT'S ME" but then I realized he was just so taken back he couldn't fully comprehend what he was looking at. I made the choice to only show him a few photos before I got the book. Every now and then when I knew he was at work or doing something important I would sneak a photo into his messages -- this was just a fun teasing method for me, if your lover works closely with his or her boss, I wouldn't suggest doing this unless you want the boss to see your tatas as well. When I finally got the book and he saw all the photos, he was speechless, he LOVED them. We've had the album for over a month now and I will come home from work and see the book laying out on the coffee table, and it was not there when I left in the morning! He just cant get enough!
Moral of the story ladies -- give Boudoir a shot. At the very least allow yourself to THINK about it. It's not all about a naked photo shoot, it really is about so much more than that!
--xoxo
Paint & Sip night at our boudoir studio | Mirrored Images Boudoir
How cool is this?! We are hosting a Paint & Sip night at our boudoir studio, October 14th at 7pm. We'll be painting some sassy high heels, sippin' on beverages, and enjoying the night with friends. This event is open to the public, but is limited to 25 guests. Please purchase your ticket ahead of time to secure you space with us! This is a BYOB event - so feel free to bring your favorite wine, beer, or other beverage.
https://www.masterpiecemixersgv.com/events/mirrored-images-boudior-studio/
Check out Facebook event out as well, feel free to share it and get all your girls to come!
Boudoir video | Gainesville Boudoir Studio
Good morning ya'll! This past week we shot our very first boudoir video in the studio and we're SO excited to share it with you! Justin Stearns is a local video dude (technical term, right?) and with his help and the willingness (and sexiness) of our client Miss T we were able to capture some ah-may-zing behind the scenes footage to share. Miss T is an actual client, not a model. Hard to believe it because she's stunning - I know. So, in this video you see how laid back we are and literally see her nerves just melt away. Magic!
Nervous about boudoir? About what to expect or how you'll feel? That's why we created this boudoir video clip. Our guidance starts the very first time we speak as we prepare you for all aspects of the session. On the day of your session you'll enjoy some girl talk, our exclusive wine, access to our studio lingerie and professional styling as you get ready for your boudoir experience. Every inch of your body will be posed, so you won't have to worry about a thing! Be prepared to love yourself, it's an amazing thing!
We started a YouTube channel because we seriously LOVED making this video and will be shooting more. Subscribe and follow our adventures :)
"Her personal touch..." | Boudoir client review
I LOVE helping women overcome their hesitations, putting them at ease and creating amazing art together! Tiffany emailed me about a Christmas gift for him but this was (and is) so much more than that, it's a gift for her... empowerment, self love & appreciation, uplifting, encouraging, and finding your worth -- no other gift can give you ALL of that plus an amazing gift to share with your spouse. Tiffany came in last weekend and absolutely rocked this shoot, she listed to every direction I gave her and her images came out stunning. She is a BOMB-SHELL momma and I am proud to call her one of my clients.
“I have wanted to have boudoir photos taken for a long, long time. After having two kids, I have struggled “losing that baby weight”. I kept telling myself that when I’d lose 20 more pounds I would reach out to a photographer and schedule the session. I live a super busy lifestyle managing dental practices, a household, and my clothing boutique. With my busy life I have neglected to make the time, and I think I’ve dropped and put back on the 20 lbs three times at least. I finally took the plunge last Saturday. The entire experience, from the wine to the amazing hair and makeup by Staci Gibbs, the gorgeous lingerie selection, the music, the atmosphere, and Jennifer. Then there is Jenn. Wow. She eased all of my fears with a sweet smile and hug upon entering her fabulous studio. She was fun, energetic, professional, and so incredibly talented. She explained exactly how I needed to position myself for each pose and guided me through the entire photo shoot. I simply selected Jenn to do these photos for me because her website, social media, and blog stood out above any others I researched. After going through this experience, the “wow” of all of those things doesn’t compare with the personal touch she has on everything else. My husband still has no clue, as this was designed to be a Christmas gift for him. I got so much more than that out of this experience. I would be lying if I said that these photographs didn’t help to renew my sense of self. Of beauty. Of me. Thank you Jenn and Staci for this experience. It was worth every single penny, and then some. Ladies, whatever your reservations are about boudoir photos, I say look over them and find a way to DO IT.” -Tiffany
