Legends -- a day in the life of an MUA...

The dictionary says that a legend is: an extremely famous person in a particular field.

Recently, I had the privilege to be on the set of The Love Guru starring Mike Myers and Jessica Alba, more importantly I was in the presence of Ve Neill, Tricia Sawyer and Robert Ramos. These three individuals are legends in the film industry and have worked on a combined total of over 100 films.

Ve has been the special effects department head on some of the most talked about films of our time, including Bettlejuice, Austin Powers and the Pirates of the Carribean trilogy. She has won 3 Oscars and has 20 more nominations in the special effects industry. Tricia has done 23 films with Sharon Stone and has been the make-up artist for such celebrity icons as Geena Davis, Scarlett Johansson, Kate Beckingsale, Brittany Murphy, Lindsay Lohan and Jessica Alba. Robert Ramos is a master of hair and has been nominated for numerous Emmy Awards. His clients include Bette Midler, Stevie Nicks, Sharon Stone and Jessica Alba to name just a few.

I have admired all three of them for so long and Tricia and I went to the same make-up school back in the 80's. Being on set with these three incredible talents was like a dream come true for me and I learned techniques and tricks directly from these masters. Hey, and when you are a major player in the film industry, you get perks like a really cool make-up trailor (check out the photo of Ve's digs).

QVC - a day in the life of an MUA...

Got a call from my friend and fellow make-up artist, Tricia Sawyer, who is the "personal" make-up artist to such celebrites as Sharon Stone, Jessica Alba, Lindsay Lohan, Scarlett Johansson, Brittany Murphy and Kate Beckinsale, plus she developed a cosmetic line called Tricia Sawyer Beauty and has contracted with QVC to sell her products to the world! She needed some behind-the-scenes help with her recent one-hour beauty show, so faster than you could say "lipstick," I was on a plane to Philly.

QVC is an amazing facility. The corporation is huge and it must employee thousands of people. It never shuts down -- it never stops. 24 hours a day QVC is on the "air," live to the entire United States of America and you can purchase a lipstick, hairspray and a vacuum cleaner in 10 minutes. I was impressed with their studios. State-of-the-art with high definition quality.

Tricia was selling 7 different cosmetic products from her line and had 8 models total. Myself and another make-up artist prepped the girls in the dressing room with the first "on air" sale, but from there it was really fast paced. The girls would step out of frame and one of us would be there getting them ready with the next make-up product. It went like that for a full hour and at the end of the show, each model had a full face of make-up and Tricia sold a sick amount of her product!

It was the fastest hour of my life, but a great way to spend the day!

Giving back -- a day in the life of an MUA...

I am frequently asked to donate my make-up services to various organizations and feel that giving my time and effort to a company that is making a difference is very important.

Recently, the charity CHIfund approached me and asked to provide make-up services to a cast of celebrities that were giving their time to help raise funds for the Rady Children's Heart Institute. I was more than happy to give to this foundation and was eager to learn more about their mission.

I discovered that CHIfund holds an annual event with money raised going directly to Children's Hospital in San Diego. To date this organization has raised over $300,000 which helps to purchase equipment to benefit the children and families served by the Rady Children's Heart Institute. Click here to read more about this organization.

Their event was a huge success and included the following celebrities:

Cindy Ambuehl -- Out of Practice, JAG, The Bold and the Beautiful
Don Diamont -- The Young & the Restless, Days of our Lives
Adrienne Frantz -- The Bold & the Beautiful, Sunset Beach
Florence LaRue -- six-time Grammy Award Winner with The 5th Dimension and Broadway Tony Award Winner
Kate Linder -- The Young & the Restless
Kyle Lowder -- Days of our Lives
Kristoff St. John -- The Young and the Restless
Paula Trickey -- The OC, Pacific Blue, One Tree Hill, Sliders, CSI, Walker Texas Ranger, Beverly Hills 90210, Renegade
Jackie Zeman -- General Hospital
Arianne Zuker -- Days of our Lives

Below are a few photos of the suite that the make-up and hair department took over for this event which was held at the Hyatt Hotel in La Jolla, California. It was an awesome networking opportunity for me as well and a great way to spend the day.