The Makeup

All the makeup is Sally Hansen Natural Beauty inspired by CARMINDY.

Foundation... Your Skin Makeup - Tawny Beige
Fast Fix Concealer - Medium
Sheerest Cream Blush - Ginger
Instant Definition Eye Shadow Palette - The Earth Eye Palette
Lift & Define Mascara - Jet Black
Always Perfect Liquid Eye Liner - Pure Plum
Color Comfort Lip Color - Plum Shimmer
Natural Shine Lip Gloss - Spicy Sienna
Truly Translucent Loose Powder

My neighborhood CVS doesn't carry the brand yet, but it can purchased on http://www.cvs.com/

What Not to Wear... NYC

The week in NYC was exhausting! You only get 2 days to shop but with the cameras rolling... the time is cut down tremendously. Everything you do, you do like 3 times... at least. :) The crew was great! They were the best part of the entire experience. It was the time when the cameras were not rolling that was the best! This was my first trip to NYC. But, I was so busy doing stuff for the show, there was no time to sight see. The crew was great in knowing that it was my first time, so they would make sure to point out places of interest as we drove by in a cab. I did get to see (well ride over) the Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty from a distance, the Chrysler Building, Times Square from a few blocks away, Madison Square Garden, Union Station, Union Square, etc. I got to stay in a very cool boutique hotel. Very modern and the decor was exactly my taste! I stayed in Manhatten in the Flatiron district.

Clinton and Stacy are hillarious, on and off camera. Meeting Nick was cool, but I really enjoyed meeting Carmindy. Nick was super warm and friendly on camera, off camera he just didn't have anything to say. That was disappointing because I was really looking forward to meeting him...

So how do I like the clothes... I'm trying to adjust. Everything is very feminine... many bows and flowers... Being the simple girl I am, this is a huge adjustment. I now own 3 dresses... So, only my family has seen me in dress so this is huge. I still don't like them. Although I did wear one to a friend's birthday to shock everyone and then another to a brunch... Yes, it did shock everyone. I still don't like dresses and will rarely wear them. Sorry Stacy and Clinton... They tried real hard to convince me to wear dresses but it just didn't work. They took me to a boutique in Brooklyn on Shopping Day 2 and all I had to say was "I died and went to dress hell..."

They also pressed real hard on jeans. Don't get me wrong, I like jeans, I just don't like jeans on me. I still don't think the ones I got do anything for me...

I got more shirts than I know what to do with... I think there are like 25 shirts...

I now own more shoes than I have prob in my entire life. What can I say... I'm not a shoe person. And, yes, they are all flats. I don't do heels... well, I can't do heels. Feet problems. Needless to say, with the new pointy toe shoes and slingbacks, I have more blisters than I can bear. My toes have been wrapped in band aids most of the time.

Yes, Stacy tried to get me try little heels... she called them my training wheels.

My hair... I absolutely love the color and am trying to adjust to the length. I do have enough to pull back in a little ponytail. I do get lots of compliments on my hair though. I think it makes me look younger and God knows I don't need to look younger. I already get picked up by the 23 year olds!

I love the make up too. There weren't major changes, but Carmindy did get me in a different color blush and told me to scratch the powder blush and go with the creamy blush. She has her own line: Sally Hansen Natural Beauty inspired by Carmindy. It's supposed to be carried at CVS but I havne't seen it at the 2 I've been in but they do have it online. I really like the foundation, blush, eyeshadow, powder, and lipstick.

I got a ton of jewelry. I'm actually wearing bracelets every day now.. And I didn't own a bracelet before. The biggest thing I've learned is to NOT match the jewelry (or shoes) to an outfit. Things aren't supposed to match but rather "go"... One of the stylists suggested I get a color wheel to figure out how things "go". The color wheel will tell you what a complement color is... Stacy called me Miss Matchy Match since I had pink earrings wearing a pink shirt one day and a green necklace with a green shirt another day...

Yes, they did make me throw out my clothes... They did let me keep a few things they deemed OK... Plus, the clothes I wore that week I came home with. :) Although they HATE my crop pants and flip flops! I did sneak something out that they despised... it was for sentimental value. I tried to sneak out the zebra top... but got busted on that one...

The 360 mirror is torture. Not only is it very revealing, it is hotter than HELL in there. And they picked for me to wear my pleather pants, long black sweater with a fur collar and boots in there. I thought I was going to DIE!

Filming a reality TV show is very interesting. Since I am a fan of the show, seeing it first hand puts a big perspective on things. You don't film things in sequence as you see them on TV!

And for the record, NO I DID NOT BREAK DOWN AND CRY like the majority of the people on the show. However, I do understand why people do because the questions that are being asked of you are hard hitting. I called them my Dr. Phil sessions. I really thought I was in the middle of a therapy session.

I will go back to NYC to shop at this store called Century 21. It is AWESOME! THink of Filene's Basement on CRACK. Put it this way, I got a $2500 Donna Karan leather jacket for $500. That was my splurge item.

I suppose I spent the entire $5,000. You are going so fast that you don't have a chance to add it up in your head. Plus, the staff are the ones actually paying for it. That Bank of America card is just a prop. I got to keep mine. The staff were keeping a tally so I'm sure they got me to the $5000.

All in all, it was great experience. Again, what made the experience was the crew. They were all great people and alot of fun. Meeting the "talent" (that's what Stacy, Clinton, Nick and Carmindy are called) was cool, but you don't get any real time to hang out with them. Just in between takes.

One of things that was a bit disappointing was that my lifestyle and tastes weren't really given any consideration. The 3 stores that I shopped for on TV I didn't get anything (1 item at store number 1, 2 items at store number 2, and 2 items at store number 3). The first 2 stores I could have told them would not be sucessful for me b/c I've been in those stores before! I wish I had more time at Macy's and I wish we had gone to Blomingdales'! We shopped at H&M but most of the stuff had to be altered. Alterations were part of the $5000, but I didn't know that at the time... I could have told them that the stuff at H&M would not fit me well. Put it this way, I bought at least 10 shirts there and prob 8 of them had to be altered. At Century 21, I bought another 10 shirts, and only 2 needed to be altered! Of course, the brands at Century 21 were much better... BCBG, August Silk, DKNY, Spense... The stuff from H&M is more frilly (bows and flowers) so I have a feeling, they will be the ones worn the least... now that I think about it, I haven't worn any of them in the 2 weeks... hmmm...

They really tried to push the dresses and I did put my foot down after 3... I did ask... where in the hell am I going to wear these? (Really, I only needed 1 for weddings...) Clinton was like you could wear them on a date... a fancy dinner and some fancy drink he mentioned... hello! (and I said this) the kind of guy that I want to date is not going to a fancy dinner! I am a pub kind of girl and really I can't see myself wearing any of the clothes into a pub! Chicago is such a laid back city (hence why I live here!)

I hope I'm not painting a negative experience, because I did have a good time. It's just sooooooooooo different from me and who I am. I do get tons of compliments (I mean who is really going to say any different!) But it is a dramatic change. I look really girly and before I was just very simple. (think solid colors and black pants...)

My co-workers are just astounded at what I'm wearing b/c it is so very feminine.

So, I'm trying very hard to adapt and adjust to this new look. I did take away alot though! I know that things should not match, but rather "go." Today I wore teal shoes with black pin stripe pants and a tan and black printed shirt (I never would have paired a print and stripe together...) And I carried a green purse! I also have learned that I should go with tops with a deep V, an empire waist (showing off the smallest part of my body), a bold print or color, or an interesting neckline.

The show will air sometime in September... I will keep everyone posted. We're going to have a viewing party of which I will have several cocktails... I am dreading seeing myself on national television...

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes! It's been an experience!!!!!!

What not to Wear: The Ambush and Secret Footage Viewing

How it all began...

Monday night I went to the bowling alley for what I thought was my friend Jeni's surprise birthday party (she's a bartender at the bowling alley)... It took alot of effort b/c I was feeling pretty bad that day and thought I had strep throat so I didn't go to work on Monday. I went to the Dr, no strep, but was given some antibiotics. First thing that day, my friend Rachael (the nominator) had texted me that her car wouldn't start. Then later she ranted that no one was able to swing by to pick her up to go to the bowling alley... Although I wasn't feeling well, I knew I needed to stop in for Jeni's surprise, even if it were for just a little while. So I volunteered to pick Rachael up after I had left the Dr. We still had some time before the party, so we went and got ice cream and came back to my apt. I did think to myself Rachael looked awfully cute for the bowling alley as I was wearing a black tank top, crop pants, flip flops, and my hair in a pony tail...

So sometime during the course of chatting at my place, Rachael mentions to me that the bowling alley was filming a new commercial (Jeni is on the current commercials!) When we pulled up I noticed a Winnebago in the parking lot and was like what in the world? So we get there and Rachael is getting her bowling ball and I tell her that I'm not going to bowl... Not feeling hot and I want to save my elbow for league on Wed... (I've got what I'm calling Bowlers elbow... long story...) Anyway, so we go to our lane... The other bartenders are hanging out too because it's 'supposed' to be Jeni's surprise party. My bowling team mates are there as well. There was someone filming next to us... (remember Rachael told me they were shooting a new commercial earlier) I noticed again (and said to them) how awfully dressed up everyone was this night...

Everyone starts giving me grief about not bowling... then Cassie (the subdued one of the group) was like come on, it's not league... let's bowl crazy... left handed... granny bowl... So I went and got my bowling shoes... When I came back inside everyone was like you go Cheyenne and Cassie talked me into doing a granny roll (please note I have never granny rolled before...) I come up from bending down and feel a hand on my shoulder and it's Stacy and Clinton!!! All I could do was cover my face and then say "I watch the show." They ripped on my 'floods' as they called them (they're crop pants thank you very much) and said my bowling shoes were the best part of the outfit... (I do have cute bowling shoes... they are black and hot pink). So when I do take my hands off my face there is a huge group of people! Some of my other friends were hiding out in the restaurant. How I didn't hear 20 people walking up behind me is amazing... There were many of the gals that I volunteer with at Bridge to Success and some other friends. The entire staff of the bowling alley was in on it as well (yes, I do know the entire staff of the bowling alley...) As I caught from the corner of my eye, the entire bowling alley by this time had come down to watch... The cameras were HUGE... so imagine 10 huge cameras in your face, and a large crowd of people staring back at you. It was quite overwhelming to say the least! That part only lasted a few minutes, felt like an eternity and all I could say was I was speechless and that I needed a drink...

After the ambush, they took me outside to get my intial reactions and thoughts before the secret footage.

Oh, before that, I had to sign the release, including the acknowledgement that I have to pay tax on the $5000... Of course being the CPA I am, I had already thought about that. And for the record, it's INCOME tax so it's going to be hefty! I'll be taking a collection plate to help me pay the taxes!

So then goes the secret footage. That is just AWFUL! Every shot was of my backside (nice, not). Even had me going to the gym. Clinton said I looked like a 'thug' Nice. I was wearing a hot pink bandana around my head (hey my trainer kicks my butt and I'm tired of sweating all the time). There was some lovely footage of me hungover at a brunch at a friend's. Walking to the bus stop for a few days... Footage of me at the charity (I was told they were filming for a clip for the website...) Now mind you, those 2 weeks they were filming were not the best time for me... I was moping over a boy and there was little effort made into my appearance. I am wearing a ponytail in every shot.

The secret footage included my friends raiding my closet. They went after my favorite outfit that I only wear once or twice a year.... long black sweater with fur around the collar, pleather pants, and a low cut black and gold shimmery tank... That outfit has character and I wore it last at the Bret Michaels concert!

They ripped on my zebra top (sniff sniff) b/c that shirt affords me some serious compliments. :)
It was pointed out that I don't wear any dresses but they pulled out the one dress I do have (but don't wear) which is a dress from COLLEGE! It's a long, flowy, button down the middle, sleeveless cream colored dress with small flowers on it. And I confessed I used to wear burkinstocks with the dress. But, hey, it was the early 90's for goodness sake.

So it ended with Stacy telling me to pack everything up (including the 2 dresses) and the zebra top and come to NYC!

Clinton and Stacy are so awesome. They are really funny and very nice. I didn't get to spend as much time with them as my friends did b/c I was with the producers for a long while. The producers are awesome and I definitely will have new best friends for the week!

On Tue night, the associate producer Stacy (the one that had been stalking me for 2 weeks) came over to pick out some outfits for the 360. She took more than 3 just in case... She took the faus fur, zebra, my denim jacket, a baggy black suit that I don't wear anymore unless everything else is at the cleaners, a pair of black pants that Stacy and Clinton made fun of for being too short... She worked with me to make sure that I would still have enough clothes to wear for the remainder of the week and next week. While filming, I still wear my own clothes!

I leave for NYC on Sun prob around 2. They're going to call me tomorrow with the details. The "Reveal" party will be next Friday around 6:30-7:00. I don't have all the details yet. Heck, I don't even know where I'm staying in NY yet. But why should I care when it is an all expense paid trip???

The Producer was adament that I had to bring all of my clothes and was worried I wouldn't have enough luggage. I have more suitcases than any one person who doesn't travel needs (Thanks to my sisters for those Samsonite discounts!)

They will send a car for me to get me to the airport. I just hope they will come up the 3 flights of stairs to get the suitcases...

I'm really excited... my mom and sisters are able to come on Friday to be here for the Reveal. I'm pumped that they were able to do this!!!

My friend Rachael (nominator) had e-mailed my Mom and sisters (they live in Georgia) when this was all going down so come to find out, they knew about it too!

And to think this all started one Sunday afternoon watching a What not to Wear marathon... I was at home watching it and my friend Rachael was too... I made the comment that it wouldn't hurt my feelings none if I got nominated for the show. And the rest is history.

And did I mention what a HUGE fan of the show I am??? I DVR it and watch it every night while going to bed... Clinton said I must fall asleep before the end!

Oh, I did tell Stacy (on camera) that I wanted to look just like her! She said we could get me a pink skirt! Yeah, good luck on that one!!!