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.
Loving on a single mom.
Miss T had been on the fence about a boudoir photoshoot for ages and just hadn’t pulled the trigger. When I asked for women who would be wiling to sign a model release and full artistic control in exchange for a session discount, T was one of the first to apply.
I think it was the makeup-free photo in a Hogwarts sweatshirt that sealed the deal for me. She had these huge glasses covering these sparkling eyes. Her insanely beautiful red hair and porcelain skin just added to her beauty.
She honestly didn’t say much in her application. Some women spill their guts, but something in her photos spoke to me.
When I met T, there’s this warmth to her that makes you feel like you’ve always been friends. She mentioned her son and her eyes lit up. She told me about moving here from Houston. She told me about the new job she was hoping to take. She told me about her best friend whose name is tattooed on her wrist.
Being a single mom is not easy. But she never once had a single negative thing to say about it. Her strength and quiet confidence made her so easy to photograph.
When I photograph a woman, I want to see the emotions in her. I learned from a mentor a long time ago how powerful it is to put women in touch with these emotions. We are so often going through the motions of life, that we don’t stop to recognize what we feel. When we are allowed to do that, and then it’s captured on camera, it is so freeing.
An emotion that I’m not particularly comfortable with is vulnerability. So I rarely photograph it it. I prefer confidence, joy, desire, laughter, flirtation… anything but vulnerable.
But that day, it spoke to me. Because I’m pretty sure that T doesn’t let herself get vulnerable too often. I’m sure she’s built up her confidence and to let some vulnerability show is uncomfortable. I didn’t realize how often I captured her throughout the photoshoot in this way until I went through the images to share here. But she makes it look beautiful, right?
T, you are just an amazing young woman and I am so glad you sent me that 2-sentence e-mail to model and the photo in the Harry Potter sweatshirt because girrrrl, you rocked this shoot and I loved being your photographer.
Boudoir Goggles:
I see the women in the world through boudoir goggles.
Where she sees a messy ponytail, I see a woman who is too busy kicking ass to spend time pushing her hair out of her face.
Where she sees thighs that rub holes in her jeans, I see curves and feminine beauty.
Where she sees crow’s feet, I see someone who laughs so hard her face squinches up.
Where she sees short, I see petite.
Where she sees awkwardly skinny, I see leggy.
Where she sees a soft tummy, I see a body that created a human.
When a woman talks to me and tells me she could never do a photoshoot because of (enter one of thousands of excuses here), I want to just shake her and prove that
1) She’s exaggerating her insecurities 5-fold so that they take on a life of their own.
2) She is enough, she is beautiful. Her femininity is aching to be recognized.
3) She deserves to be served. She deserves to receive the energy that she lavishes out to everyone else.
I see all women as these amazing humans with superhuman potential and incredible beauty. It’s such a privilege to capture that with my camera and I never take my role for granted. It’s my job to guide you to recognizing that beauty in yourself. Even when you’ve got a messy ponytail, shadows under your eyes, and jeans that won’t quite button that day.
If you’re ready to see yourself through boudoir goggles, please allow myself or another experienced photographer show you who we see.
Or send a quick e-mail to receive more information:
Our newest and most luxurious offering
I’m a woman who likes pretty things and there is nothing pretty than our new bespoke fusion albums. I could tell about the genuine Italian leather, or the high-definition video screen, or the quality of each page as you turn photo-by-photo. But let me show you instead.
If you want the most amazing gift for him or for yourself, this boudoir album is it. Our clients have filled it with up to 96 pages of gorgeous photos and videos. Let me know what you think!
If you’d like more information about a boudoir photoshoot in our female-run studio, just fill out the contact information below! I look forward to hearing from you!
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.
