Tell us about yourself!
Iiiiiiiiin West Philadelphia born and raised - really I was! :) - I grew up in a very musical household and for as long as I can remember I had a passion not only for music but for connecting with people. Fast forward to 2009, I auditioned for American Idol Season 8, made it to Hollywood, and that's where my love affair with TV began. 7 years later I'm living here in LA with my hubby (of 10 years), and working as a TV host with weekly segments on EXTRA, appearances on The Wendy Show, HLN and more. My purpose in life is NOT my job, it's not directly connected to WHAT I do... my purpose in life is to love people, and reflect God's love to whomever I meet. Yes I'd love to host my own show one day, yes I'd love to tour the world with my music some more, yes I'd love to be a mom soon, but all of those things are secondary to my number 1 focus which is loving God & loving people.
How did you get into the Fashion/Beauty Industry and what do you love about it?
Fashion and beauty is something - on a professional level - I just kind of fell into. I've always loved "girly things" since I was a kid. I remember my first trip to the makeup store I came home with blue eyeliner, powder that was 5 shades too dark for me, and GLITTER! Remember that gel glitter that was all the rage back in the late 90s? Yep. I was obsessed with it. Anyway from there, being involved in the Entertainment Industry, first with my music and then with my TV career, I just really always enjoyed the fashion and beauty side of things. I'm not a licensed makeup artist, I didn't go to school for makeup, but have been a part of photo shoots and TV shows for over 10 years, I've been exposed to the BEST of the industry and my thing has always been to take what all the pros are doing and learn how to do it myself. Ya know? If THEY can do it, why can't I? -That's what led me to start doing YouTube videos. I get e-mails and comments ALL THE TIME from girls wanting to know how I did my hair when they saw me on EXTRA, or what lipgloss I used, so YouTube is my way to connect directly to those girls, to answer their questions and show them exactly how they can achieve the exact same thing! :) How did I begin my professional career in the beauty industry? I started working for a FOX affiliate in Florida as their Fashion/Beauty/Pop Culture correspondent and it all snowballed from there. Just 7 years later I'm an on camera Style Expert for EXTRA and numerous other television outlets.
What is your advice for someone getting into the Fashion/ Beauty Industry?
Figure out your angle and go for it. Start with a blog, an instagram account, a youtube channel - just start it - be consistent - be yourself - and it will grow from there.
#WOW | Words of Wisdom
God has given every single person on Earth different gifts, a UNIQUE calling in life - something that NO ONE ELSE on the planet can do... something personal to YOU. So don't get bogged down thinking "I need to look like her," or "I should blog more like this..." or "Wow her YouTube looks so much better than mine." - just be YOU, and people will connect to your authenticity. You were created "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14).
Follow Shae on her amazing Instagram or Youtube channel.