Tag Archives: pageant

Through the Eyes of NiSi- Episode 3 Say Thank You (continued)

Let’s continue the discussion…

Photo by DRLTOONS
Photo by Chip Foust- as seen in Sophisticate’s Black Hair. Hair by Nikia Gorham Teague
Photo by Lamar Yaz Photography
Photo by Derek Palmer Photography
Photo by One Click Photography

Above are just some of the modeling photos that have been taken by some amazing photographers over the years. If you’re looking for one, just let me know. If you have any questions regarding me being a full figured model and/or being Ms. Full Figured North Carolina (or any other pageantry system), please do not hesitate to ask.

2018 Ms. Full Figured NC 1st Runner Up and Ms. Social Media

As I said in the show, be sure to follow BL and stream more of his music on all streaming platforms. The song ‘Gotchu’ is also on Da Brat’s new mixtape. BL is doing big things so make sure you follow his journey as well. Here’s his newest video.

NEXT SHOW- DECEMBER 22ND AT 10AM EST– www.WDRBMedia.com

Make sure you check in next week when we discuss Topshelf ARTistry, poetry, and Yonitry; I’ll be reading excerpts of a couple of my poems.

Interested in free advertising or being a guest on the show? 

Feel free to email me at: info@NiSisEyes.com with the subject: Through the Eyes of NiSi radio show

YouTube Channel

Purchase Yonitry on Kindle

Purchase your signed copy of Yonitry

Photo by CL Reeves Photography

It’s been a long time… HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Hey good people, it’s been a long time but I figured I’d write you all and catch you up on what’s going on in the life of NiSi.  Last time I posted was in July, it’s been a crazy 5 months and it’s flown by; with pageant preparation, clients, work and a little travel.

So in July we talked about Self-Love.  Have you been loving on yourself?  Taking time for yourself and being true to you is what’s important in becoming the best version of you.  In July, I also had the opportunity to go home to Milwaukee and visit my family.  It was my parent’s 50th Anniversary and my sister and I surprised them by flying in town for a surprise party.  It was so amazing to see how many people have been affected by my parents love and their journey.  It was great to have some time with my sister and brother, we haven’t had much time as grown ups being in one room.  We even went out to the club before I had to fly back to North Carolina. Friends, how many of us have them? I had the chance to meet up with Charcora and Kaycee, 2 good friends from middle school that have stayed in my life.  I spent time with my ailing great aunt, Aunt Mary.  Glad that we made the time to do that, as she was laid to rest a couple weeks ago.

*If someone crosses your mind, take the time to reach out to them.  You never know when it will be the last time you have the opportunity to love on them.

August flew by for me, I had some moments that I had to look past and some amazing moments.  My sister celebrated her 31st born day AGAIN (I won’t mention that I’m the baby so I don’t know how this is possible, but I digress).  I ended July and began August, teaching the Barn Dinner Theatre cast of Addams Family Values how to do their makeup for their amazing show.  It was great to be thought of by my former manager, Ric (I used to work the Box Office and do occasional performances) to come in as a Makeup Artist with Director Pauline Cobrda.  I also worked with Hair Stylist extraordinaire, Jeff Hoyle as a Makeup Artist for the Labor of Love Fashion Show to benefit the Real Me Foundation.  I also said “Yes to the Dress” for my Ms. Full Figured NC pageant.

So September rolled through and Ms. Full Figured NC pageant was only one month away.  I booked a wedding for a client who has followed my social media for a long time.  We had a great time and I had my amazing MUA friend, Courtney of Perfected Gift by Kiani come through and pull off this big wedding party.  I did an amazing photo shoot with Nerd Photography for my pageant photos and had a great time.  You never know why someone crosses your path. I met the photographer, Crys through one of my first clients I connected with when starting my employment with Clinique.  After being in Charlotte for only 3 months, I was nominated for ACHI magazine’s Makeup Artist of the Year.  

*Keep doing the work, you never know who’s watching you.

October… The moment you’ve all been waiting for…. MS. FULL FIGURED NORTH CAROLINA PAGEANT!!  If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you may already have an idea of how it went down.  You are now reading the words of Ms. Social Media 2018 and 2018 Ms. Full Figured NC 1st Runner Up!!  Thanks to all that supported my journey by way of prayers, donations, sponsorships and your kind words.  Big thanks to my mother and father who flew in from Milwaukee and my bestie, Betty for driving to support me.  I did not win for MUA of the Year for the ACHI Awards, but it was amazing feeling to be nominated.  So even when you only get nominated, there may be other people who see your work and are excited for what you do.  The creator of Shuri, Reggie Hudlin from the comic Black Panther saw my makeup look for Halloween and replied, “She nailed it.”  That was an awesome feeling, one that I will not forget and I have to keep going.

November and December….it’s time to rest and get my life together.  I am nominated again for Makeup Artist of the Year for the 2019 Down East Awards.  The majority of the year, I was in pageant mode so it is time to focus on self and begin working more on NiSi’s Eyes Makeup Artistry and my pageant platform, Designing Women.  My platform focuses on building self confidence for young girls and women in transition.  So going into 2019, I want to focus on being the best Makeup Artist I can be and add to my clientele.  I will also be accepting speaking and mentoring opportunities, please contact me directly to discuss availability.

“And one day she discovered that she was fierce, and strong, and full of fire, and not even she could hold herself back because her passion burned brighter than her fears.” ~Mark Anthony

Happy New Year beautiful people! Remember #YouAreEnough just the way you are!!

~NiSi’s Eyes Makeup Artistry

Self- Love Finale (June 2018)

24. List 24 things that make you smile…

My son, live music, great surprises, being in love, makeup artistry, food, seeing my client see their transformation, helping someone in need, modeling, comedy, accomplishing something, newborns discovering, people that underestimate me, seeing my family after a short/long time, my favorite artists in concert, when I receive reviews, when I receive referrals, seeing love, seeing my students perform and excel, a great massage, stress free vacation, fun times with my bestie, fun times with my sis, seeing my name tagged on great photos of clients and/or myself.

25.  My favorite quote is…

“Beauty awakens the soul to act!”  You see it on everything associated with my business  because I believe it to be true.  I doesn’t necessarily have to mean outwardly beauty, it could mean the inner beauty, the inner kindness that inner energy that exudes from person to person that travels.  When you feel that positivity or someone smiles at you and you instantly feel a little better, it helps someone else.  In my business and in life; when you look good, you feel good- wake up and make a change even if it is a small ripple effect.

26.  What does self love mean to you?

Self love means loving yourself enough to accept you with no makeup on, flaws and all.  Love yourself when you make mistakes or when you feel as if you are on top of your game.  Accept you when you are behind closed doors or in front of paparazzi and love yourself through it all.  

27.  What positive changes have happened in the last year?

I have become more open to risks, as scary as they are- I have taken a leap.  I have started working in my passion of being a full time makeup artist.  I am in my #journeytothecrown for Ms. Full Figured NC.   I am in transition of moving to Charlotte.  I am…

28.  I deserve happiness because…

I deserve it!  Why not?

29.  What are 5 things you are grateful for this week ?

I am grateful for family, life, a place to lay my head, employment, grace/mercy.

30.  How will you make next month a great month?

Continue to be migraine free, work towards my goals of becoming Ms. Full Figured NC (if you’d like to support my journey by donation and/or sponsorship, please click the link: https://www.gofundme.com/denises-journey-to-msffnc-crown).   I will be working within my platform, assisting young and mature ladies in becoming the best versions of themselves.  I will also be settling in Charlotte, NC and networking and making that my new home so any referrals , send them my way.

Self- Love Continued…

16.  What do you look and feel like when you are most confident?

When I am most confident comes in 2 forms, one when I can sit and just be myself, flaws and all.  However, I am at my most confident when I have slayed my makeup, my waist is snatched and everything is in it’s place.  In those moments of my flaws and all, the insecurities can creep in, sometimes when you’re slayed, they can creep in but you have to know that you are beautiful no matter what and accept you in whatever version you are.  The one that’s a work in progress, which tends to be most often or in the moments where you feel like you are your absolute best.  Be confident and accept you for you, flaws and all, behind the foundation or not.  You are you by what’s in your heart.

17.  What is something you do better than your peers?

This is a hard one to answer.  I’d say patience and/or thinking before I speak.  There are a lot of things that I take my time with  or that I’m not quick to react on.  Sometimes that saves me and sometimes I should’ve said what’s on my heart.  However, depending on who is on the other side of it most likely changes if I need to sit and think a while first.  They say if ‘you think long, you think wrong’ but that gives me time to weigh pros and cons and and the many different scenarios that could come from it.  All in all, you have to do what is best for you, but sometimes the biggest last word is the one not said.

18.  Name 5 traits that make you a good person?

Patient, Friendly, Helpful, Nice, Loving 

19.  Free write [positive]

Blessings.  Sometimes you just have to stop and live.  This weekend was technically not the best time to go away for a weekend get away.    My life is changing, I am starting a new job on Monday in a new city and need to be getting some things in order (not to say that those things aren’t happening while I’m away).  But when life is constantly in your face, sometimes you need to step away and just breathe.  I have a lot that is changing and it can definitely be overwhelming and I am so blessed to have people in my life to help me step away from it or help me conquer it.  I am very thankful for all of the people that help me navigate life.  A lot of things are being thrown at me quickly and Im working on catching all of the fast balls but sometimes they are ground balls and I have to pick them up but nevertheless, I get to them and we find a way to not strike out if possible because we have people watching our back.    So as I sit in Daytona Beach with the beach in my backyard and the freewill to write this post and a few moments to not think about all of the things that I need to think about…it feels good to just enjoy the moment and the friendships and the family and the raindrops and the hot tub and the food and the sand and the talks and the breaths of fresh air.  I am not perfect and I am learning to be better at everything day by day.  I may not do everything the way that you’d like me to do it or vice versa, or I may not handle each situation the same way you would, we’re all different but just know that I’m doing my best to be the best version of me and continue to grow into a better version of me.  With my new role of working in my passion as a full time Makeup Artist, a may not have the time to get away like this again so I take this moment to just bask in the sunset.

20.  What do you want more of in your life?

I want more love, more travel, more freedom, more living.  We spend so much time living check to check or in between checks that we don’t have time or the freedom to experience all that this world has to offer.  We can’t just get away and live and sit by the beach, run your toes through the sand, try a new food…just experience something new.  When I say love, it doesn’t have to be in a relationship, that would be nice but even just friendships, loving life and the skin I’m in.  Every moment is not promised, live it up, take chances.  

21.  If you were a flower , what kind would you be?

Calla lily, these flowers are associated with purity, faith, youth, and rebirth.  I strive to walk in faith more and not scared faith.  Lately I’ve been working on trusting God more and just walking in faith.  The beauty of this flower and the meaning is truly what I strive for, to be elegant, full of inner and outer beauty, full of faith and purity.

22.  What would make your teenage self- proud of you now?

I think my teenage self would be proud that I have not strayed far from the person I was then.  I am a matured version of that same person with more morals, values and responsibilities.  You couldn’t look at me now and not recognize that person then… same ‘ol NiSi.

My Challenge… My #JourneytotheCrown

So I’ve been given a challenge, feel free to take this journey of self-love with me. I’ll be combining two days into one for the sake of this post but here are the first two prompts and at the end, I’ll give you the others so that you can continue.
#1. What is your favorite personality trait?
#2. How many people do you think you’ve made smile in your lifetime?

So I’ll start with the first one, I believe that my favorite personality trait of myself is my patience. I am extremely patient and take my time with things. In some cases this can be a gift and a curse but in my field of being a teacher and a makeup artist, and just a person that works with people; you kind of have to be able to take your time with certain kinds of people. We’re all different and don’t all catch things at the same speed or even move at the same pace; but all in all sometimes we really do just need to slow down and just enjoy life. My students have even told me that I’m too patient and I need a Patience Award. LOL. That says a lot coming from some that drive it to the edge. As the singer Tweet would sing, “I was created for this…,” this is who I am.

In taking that time with people, you get to know people and in that time just maybe a smile is exchanged. And sometimes it’s not depending on the topic but maybe it’s in the hello or the goodbye. However, I’d hope that over a lifetime that I’ve made millions of people smile. From my days as a baby to performing as an actress, singer, model, and the many times I’ve held the mirror up to a client so they could see what I’ve been doing to their face. The smile that came after was always a good feeling in my heart. As a teacher, seeing my students accomplish something or even feeling the love that I hope that I exude on a daily basis shows on the smile and the goodbye waves and “I love you’s” as they leave my classroom (some for the last time this year).

I’m sure that many smiles have been exchanged from my face to others and hopefully it has helped to make someone’s day better or at least that moment. Whether someone smiles at you today, stop reading this right now….. go to the mirror…. and give your biggest Celie from The Color Purple smile (but don’t ever hide your smile and always love yourself first.
Feel free to comment and leave your thoughts.

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