Boudoir blog for women in Maryland, Virginia & DC who are interested in booking a boudoir photoshoot near them. Products, clients, tips and tricks are a few of the things you’ll find on the Lavish Boudoir Blog.
The quest for better skin continues...
There are quite a few brands of rollers, but what I love most about BeautyBio is the brand. I’m all about supporting the fellow female entrepreneurs. Especially the ones with heart and passion for what they’re selling.
I used this in November for a few weeks straight. The first time, I gotta admit… those tiny little needles hurt like a mo-fo. I think I was a bit aggressive with my rolling. It felt like a bad sunburn until morning. But at least it did get the blood flowing. After that, my night routine was to lightly roll my whole face in all directions and then apply my Clinique moisturizer. I don’t love that moisturizer, so I won’t bother to go look at the specific one.
After I eased up on the roller, it never hurt and it didn’t cause more than a minor flush, like when I exfoliate. It was actually kind of enjoyable because it takes about 5 minutes (an eternity in mom-time), but you feel like it’s actually working. When Adeana and I met in December, she told me my skin was glowing! Which never happens because as mentioned, I have dry dessert skin. First thought, “Oh shit, I hope I’m not pregnant.” Second thought, “Oh yay! My roller is working!”
I confess, my skin feels like it’s aging by the minute. The humidity of South Georgia (and no kids) kept my skin relatively bouncy and young.
Then I moved to Albuquerque in 2015 and these beautiful cloudless days have sucked every last bit of moisture from my sleep-deprived skin. And no, I don’t drink enough water. It sometimes feels pretty hopeless to keep my skin glowing.
While I love an effective beauty treatment, two studios and two children, a super-hot husband and an attempt at a regular gym routine, mean that spending an hour or two per week mid-day at a spa just isn’t going to happen. Also, I’m terrible at sitting still, so I don’t really relax.
Adeana and I discussed the GloPRO Microneedling from BeautyBio and decided to give it a whirl. It’s all over the youtube beauty scene and has gotten some pretty glowing reviews (see what I did there?). It’s a splurge, I’m not gonna lie. But I waited until I could get a discount from Sephora. As I’m writing this, there’s a coupon code on the actual beauty bio site for 25% off (BRIGHT25).
I used this in November for a few weeks straight. The first time, I gotta admit… those delicate little needles hurt. I think I was a bit aggressive with my rolling. It felt like a bad sunburn until morning. But at least it did get the blood flowing. My night routine was to lightly roll my whole face in all directions and then apply my Clinique moisturizer. I don’t love that moisturizer, so I won’t bother to go look at the specific one.
After I eased up on the roller, it never hurt and it didn’t cause more than a minor flush like when I exfoliate. It was actually kind of enjoyable because it takes about 5 minutes (an eternity in mom-time), but you feel like it’s actually working. When Adeana and I met in December, she told me my skin was glowing! Which never happens because as mentioned, I have dry dessert skin. First thought, “Oh shit, I hope I’m not pregnant.” Second thought, “Oh yay! My roller is working!”
There are quite a few brands of rollers, but what I love most about BeautyBio is the brand. I’m all about supporting the fellow female entrepreneurs. Especially the ones with heart and passion for what they’re selling. I love this quote from their site:
Female-owned, people-minded, BeautyBio strives to empower through skincare because we believe beauty can change the world one confidence boost at time. We want you to hustle and be boss babes (and guys), so while you’re building your empire, we’re committed to making sure your skincare routine remains easy, effective and stress-free. - BeautyBio.com
Does that sound in alignment with the Lavish brand? Yes! Also, her branding is rose gold and I’m a sucker for rose gold.
I’ve been kind of slacking on skin care with the holidays and the Valentine’s Boudoir rush. So I’m going to include my best smile wrinkles in a selfie and then update mid-March. Ooh, maybe I’ll splurge on their R45 retinol treatment, too. Stay tuned!
What’s your favorite dry/old skin tip? I’d love to know what you know.
Valentine's Day lingerie from stores other than Victoria's Secret
We all think of Victoria’s Secret for that little bit of briefly worn lingerie for Valentine’s Day. But there are so many options out there for you.
As a boudoir photographer who helps women of all shapes, sizes and styles dress in a way that makes them feel sexy, I need to know where to send my clients.
These are my favorite places to shop for….
COMFORTABLE & CUTE LINGERIE:
Aerie
Anthropologie
Hanky Panky - recently had a less-than-stellar customer service experience, so buy their stuff from Nordstrom, instead.
SPECIALIZES IN CURVES
SEXY FOREIGN BRANDS
Ann Summers (pick up a bedroom toy while you’re there)
Honey Birdette
Gossard
DECADENT & SPLURGE-WORTHY
BUDGET-FRIENDLY
LAST-MINUTE
Amazon.com (yes you read that right. it takes some digging, but there are cute pieces.
What are your favorite places to shop for lingerie? I’m always on the lookout for new designers!
Black Bodysuit for Boudoir
Still on the simplicity kick here… a black long sleeve body suit. With coloring like snow white… K looks absolutely stunning in this suit. You can find similar ones at Yandy.com, AmericanApparel.com or even Amazon.
Boudoir pro tip: the ones without crotch snaps are better if you can find them.
The dream tutu
When I asked Miss K to come in and test some new ideas for the studio, the wardrobe we picked was your standard ideas. Lots of black. A cheeky t-shirt. Fabulous boots.
But after sifting through her bag, I found a small tulle skirt and thought to pair it with her pretty burgandy bralette. A few shots in, my wheels started turning and I remembered my gorgeous ombre tulle skirt from the mother-daughter shoot.
Presenting arms full of tulle, she giggled and said, “Oh my god! My dream tutu.”
This is what we came up with:
Photography: Leslie Cersovski at Lavish Boudoir™
Makeup: Makeup by Adeana
5 "Outfits" in one hour - A simple, but sexy shoot with Lavish and Ms. J.
So many of my clients tell me they have no idea what to wear. This is from a recent shoot with J. After a dozen or more shoots together, we always wonder if we can get something unique. Well, we did. But here’s the coolest thing, we used practically nothing for this and got a huge variety of looks in a one-hour photoshoot.
Outfit #1: White sheets and a lot of skin
Outfit #2: nothing but skin
Outfit #3: a body necklace we have in studio
Outfit #4: a cute little bodysuit you can get pretty much anywhere
Outfit #5: a sexy bikini that she brought
I occasionally browse Amazon because prime means that even procrastinators like me can get last minute lingerie in time for their photoshoot. These items aren’t the finest quality like Agent Provocateur or Honey Birdette, but they’ll photograph beautifully in a pinch. Please note that the default color on the list is not necessarily what I recommend. When in doubt, black or red. Never white stockings. Ever.
See my amazon shopping list here.
Photography by Leslie Cersovski at Lavish Boudoir™
Makeup by Adeana Dillon at Makeup by Adeana
Lighting for Boudoir
When I started photography back in 2006ish, I knew absolutely nothing about light. I knew how to point a camera at a subject, I knew basic posing, and I knew how to make a woman feel comfortable in front of the camera. My studio was called “Photography by Leslie Anne.” My photographs were as generic as my name.
In 2008ish, I attended a workshop with one of the most brilliant wedding photographers in the world. Jerry Ghionis offered a workshop just one state away and I jumped at the opportunity.
The first thing we did was publicly display our portfolio for critique. I was pretty proud of my work. Jerry had other opinions. He basically told me that all of my light was flat and boring. Well, then…
Turns out, he was right. Luckily, the next 3 days were dedicated to seeing light. To understanding the difference in high key, low key, short light, broad light and flat light. We learned to use buildings as reflectors, to tuck models into strange places to get some artistic framing and how to turn a warehouse wedding into a memorable photo op.
I don’t photograph weddings anymore, but I credit his teachings to knowing and understanding light.
This photo was taken in my studio with the same light and the same angle for the model. Each says something entirely different to me and appeals to different viewers.
Which light do you prefer?
Oh, and he’s the one who gave me the idea for the studio name, LAVISH. Huge improvement in the name. He still offers workshops, so if you’re still learning photography as a professional, I cannot recommend it highly enough.
