your life. your style.

Something unreal happened to me this summer. I actually still have a hard time believing it. A friend told me I should enter a contest that St. Vital Mall was doing for their fall marketing. It was easy. I answered a few questions on their site and submitted a picture. The idea behind the campaign was What's Your Style.. so the questions were mainly about your style and how it fits in with your lifestyle. A few days later I received a phone call that I was one of the FINALISTS!!! What??? I was asked to come in for an interview the next day!

I was so nervous.. it was funny. I wanted to just be me cause that's what they wanted .. but yet there was this pressure. I felt awesome going in and the panel of judges were SO nice and welcoming. I was just me and answered their questions. It was SO fun! After meeting with the judges I met with the Stylist and a couple other people where I was asked some more practical questions about my style.
It was quick and after I left I was just beaming. It was seriously just so much fun!!
I was super nervous the next day and at lunch when the Stallion got home I said I was sure they would have called by then and I guess I didn't get it... Literally after the words were out of my mouth the phone rang... Sweet Melissa told me I was chosen!!!! They would love for me to be one of the faces of their style campaign!! We talked a few details and I would be heading over there that Sunday for the photo shoot.

Sunday I headed to the city bright and early. My call time was 9:30AM. It was so surreal. I was let in to the mall and headed to the space where the photo shoot would take place. Everyone was SO nice.. The sweetest girl from Sephora did my make up. I literally felt like I was in a dream. I was on cloud 9. After make up I had my hair done. I admit I was a bit bummed when they decided to straiten it.. it just didn't feel like me. Everyone gushed about how amazing it looked but I admit it took me a long time to get over that... just not something I ever do. Alana the stylist had chosen clothes for me to wear and I got ready for my first shot. This was something I have NEVER done... thankfully they had people who were there directing where my feet, hands, head, neck, nose, chest, arms should go.. try this. try that. It was FUN (and a bit daunting.. just felt a bit out of my element) the shot they chose cracks me up because I was actually not even modelling at that point.. I had put up my arms and said " I have no idea what to do anymore" and we all bust out laughing.. that was the shot.

When I look at it I feel like me.. (other than the hair).. it's really how I felt at that moment. I heard through someone else that some people were laughing that they had chosen me and had muttered that I must have some kind of horse shoe up my ... this one hurt. Over the last half year my choice to be as vulnerable and authentic have been the most painful... I have lost friends who I thought cared about me and have felt poked and prodded and just wrung out... and yet the last year is laced with just AMAZING changes in me.. I have really become who I am meant to me.. I have worked HARD and have seen not only my body change but my heart has become full and life is just full. So for me this was SO much more than what it may have looked like. Over the last couple months I have finally begun to heal from the painful loss of some relationships and really begun to shine again. To feel good about myself and realize I am enough. I love how the ad is styled.. the weights, coffee and running shoes. So perfect. Love being a Casual Cutie!

So my ad is now in St. Vital mall...

You can also find me on on the website where you can go and take a What's Your style quiz and be entered to win a shopping spree!!! 

Check out this article!!

And of course you can follow Casual Cutie's Board on Pinterest!