Miss J | Mom's Day Off

J, You won me over with wine, chocolate and bedroom toys. Wait, that sounds so wrong. Ha! But really, when I went to a friend of a friend's house for your Pure Romance party, I honestly wasn't all that enthusiastic.  I usually end up spending money on stuff I don't need. But you were so charming from the beginning with scooting your adorable 1 year old out the door with his daddy, your somewhat obsessive cat, enormous dogs and welcoming smile that crinkles your eyes.

Here's the thing, and I haven't told you this before, but I totally misread you on first impression. I thought you were shy, reserved and far from the confident, sensual woman you really are.  I knew you were a whole different woman, when you started acting out a particularly funny moment one might encounter in bed. THAT was a woman I wanted to photograph.

So I sent you a little voucher to show you what I do, and I was ecstatic when you called. I was in Florida visiting family and my kid had barfed on me that morning (twice). So to say it was the highlight of my day would be the understatement of the year.

We did your consults and tried on the new teddy I had from Yandy.com and a super sexy shaper skirt that seemed like it was made for you.  We found you a pretty lacy little bra from Claudette, because as you pointed out, you hadn't really lingerie shopped since before your baby. Your curves made your lingerie look beautiful.

You mentioned you had done a boudoir shoot before, and I got so nervous. It's always a bit intimidating to photograph someone who has expectations in place. But I think we nailed it.  How about you?

Thank you to you and your wonderful-adoring-husband-of-the-year (and good luck to his dreams of being a test pilot... so cool).

Makeup by Edgar Campos Hair by Andrew Madvin Photography by Leslie Cersovski

Save

Miss E | Hot Mama

Dear E, It was fate... a tiny little vendor fair. Like ten people attended... but you did! You had your beautiful daughter with you.  I'm not so great at those kinds of events. One time a young woman in South Georgia went running (literally running) away when she saw what I offer, and I think that traumatized me a bit.  So I quietly showed you my samples and I crossed my fingers. You mentioned your long-distance relationship, and that you'd been toying with the idea of a boudoir shoot for him.

For him... ha.  That's how it all starts. Then it turns into this experience of being pampered, taking care of yourself.  You're a single mom, who works and goes to school.  So basically, you have about .2 seconds to yourself on any given day.

You were so amazing at showing your sensual side.  You have any almost feline quality to your confidence. It just pours from your photos.  I loved creating the too-hot-for-the-blog shower shots.  Whew!

I know you said your guy was thrilled (duh!), but what I'm most excited about is your own folio box. A box of gorgeous photos to remind yourself that you're worth it.

I cannot wait to photograph you again. It was such an honor for you to spend your hard-earned money with me.  I think you'll treasure these photos for a lifetime... oh and he will too.

Makeup by Edgar Campos Hair by Andrew Madvin Photography by Leslie Cersovski

Save

Miss G | Supermom

Oh, G... if I could just photograph clients like you all the time, my heart would be so full.  I remember you calling to inquire.  It was a sunny day and I was enjoying the weather while working from my backyard.  You sounded so nervous, I could hear the tremor in your voice.  Honestly, when we hung up... I thought I'd never hear from you again. I can't tell you how proud I was to see the booking notice in my inbox.  

I thought you were going to cancel on me at any given point.  I kept waiting for the e-mail that said, "I'm just not ready."  But you were so brave.

I cannot believe you didn't bring a thing to the try-on session besides a dress (despite specifically wanting a boudoir shoot). I'm sorry I couldn't stop giggling about the hot pink sports bra you wore under all my studio lingerie. But you rallied and we made it work... and I never would have guessed that a pair of leopard panties from WalMart could be so damn sexy. I hear a little Gretchen Wilson playing in my mind when I see that photo.

You were like this butterfly and I got to watch the whole transformation.  From the moment you looked in the mirror after the makeover... I knew this was going to be an epic shoot.  You looked, in a word... stunning.  You stood straighter, you smiled more easily and you were ready to rock it.

After making such tremendous strides in your weight loss, you look incredible.  And I think these photos reflected back to you the woman that you are (someone who deserves the best from life) and erased the woman you were (someone who was always putting others before yourself). You're a nurturer day in and day out, and that's why I think people love you.  But after a year of nurturing your body, I hope we got to help you nurture your soul.

Thank you G, it was an honor to photograph you.  I can't wait to have you back!

Makeup by Edgar Campos Hair by Andrew Madvin Photography by Leslie Cersovski

Save

Save

Whoa - A Blow to My Self-Esteem - Christmas Tree Disease

So this is kind of an odd post, but hey what's a blog if you don't get personal and a little bit vulnerable.  I am a very self-aware person and there are a few things I know I'm not... a food sharer, organized, patient or comfortable with vulnerability.  I was raised to be confident in myself and when I'm not... to fake it.  And I admit I fake it a lot because I cannot stand the idea of being seen as less than perfect.  I know I'm not, but I don't want anyone else to think that. Ha. Anyway, so maybe that's why the Universe/God decided to hand me a big fat blow to my confidence. A while ago, I started getting this bizarro rash. What does one do in 2016 when they get a rash?  Google.  So I came to the conclusion that I had chicken pox (pretty much impossible to get twice) or eczema. Frustrated (and bawling my eyes out in the shower because I felt absolutely hideous) that my home care (and expensive eczema potions) were doing nothing, I went to the doctor.  It took him less than 2 minutes to tell me I had pityriasis rosea.

You'd think a diagnosis would be good, because then I could fix it.  I'm a bit of a control freak... when there's a problem, I fix it. Guess what... the only cure is time.  Remember when I said patience was not one of my strong suits? Commence googling once again.  The takeaway... the only thing that actually seems to help is UV light (great... wrinkles & cancer) and taking care of my body and mind to boost my own immune system.  Fabulous... give me a pill, a shot, a cream... anything but required patience.

Nine days later (and almost a month since it first showed up), I think maybe, just maybe, it's going away. I've never been so happy to have scabs!

But here's what I learned... we are all just a random disease away from feeling like crap about ourselves.  Whether we have a few extra pounds, butt-acne, unruly hair, a new wrinkle, or a rash... we let it get waaaay too involved in our self-image. I know logically, that I am still exactly the same person I was in January (except I may have an occasional pity-party for one), and my husband/family/kids/clients still love me.  You know what they don't love?  My whining.

So my takeaway, get over it.  That doesn't mean I have to love my rash (the little bastard virus needs to go pronto), but I means I need to suck it up and focus on the 99.9% other things I actually kind of like about myself. Forget your lack of thigh gap or whatever it is that drives you crazy because it's sooo not worth your time.

P.S. Mom, you're still going to get whiny texts with photo updates because you're my mom, and that's what you signed up for when you birthed me. :-)

Want to see the stupid thing that's got me so "whoa is me!"? You'll probably laugh at me for blowing it so far out of proportion.  I'll spare you the photos of my torso, though.

IMG_5828

When all you need is a sheet... or 3

Sometimes I like to do personal shoots that challenge me.  This time, I wanted to see if I could come up with enough fabulous photos to fill my top collection without shooting one bit of lingerie.  Guess what... it worked!  I called up a friend and past client to ask if she was game.  Mind you, I can be a bit bossy with my friends.  She agreed and a date was set with a sitter to watch our kiddos and the fabulous makeup artist, Edgar.  It was a trial for him, too.  More on that later. I also wanted to incorporate what I've been learning from Denise Birdsong's workshop, Stripped Down.  That meant getting photos with emotions and a message.  Pretty photos are easy (especially when your subject is so cute), but capturing something that gives the viewer a reaction is a challenge.

We did three sets with different themes. Here are just a few of my favorites

Thank you B, for being such a good sport and really committing to the posing, the expressions and wearing little more than a sheet.

Photography: Leslie Cersovski Makeup: Edgar

Stocking Sunday - Feb 1 - Lavish Boudoir

What's a boudoir blog without loads of sexy pictures of beautiful women?  Introducing Tushy Tuesday, Sexy Saturday & Stockings Sunday.  Subscribe to the newsletter for weekly hotness from our gorgeous clients or follow us on instagram: @leslieatlavishboudoir. ***All photos are shared with permission of the subjects.  Photos are never published without written consent.