Who Is Crystal Hoyt

My photo
Crystal Hoyt is a Country Recording Artist and Songwriter. For the past 3 years she has toured the country as part of the country trio Trailer Choir. (She has recently gone solo) "Earlier this year I was recovering from a surgery, and I was just BORED! I began writing every day. I started thinking about all the questions that I would get asked on the road the last few years. I had become quite a "do-it-yourself" girl with hair, make-up, fashion and fitness. I never mind giving away my tips. Since I supported myself as a make-up artist for years before making it in music, there will be lots of beauty tips and advice. I will share advice on fitness, and travel. I love wine, shoes, cooking and shopping, so I'm sure that you will see plenty about all of that here too. Basically, I'll be sharing info on just about anything I enjoy or I'm curious about. And of course I will be taking you along for the ride on my musical journey! Hope you enjoy - Knowing me, I'm sure it'll be an interesting one!" To view full bio - Please visit www.crystalhoyt.com

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Time To Apply Your TAN!!!

Last week I was involved in a photo shoot. Now before any event that is going to require me to show a little skin... I like to have at least a little bit of color on my skin. Now, based on the blatant dangers of overexposing from the sun and tanning beds,

I am trying to stay away from conventional indoor tanning... and a few years ago I discovered the wonderful, incredible, amazing VERSA Tan!


This is the fastest, prettiest, airbrush tan(that doesn't require you to strip naked in front of a complete stranger to be sprayed), if you have the time to get to the tanning salon... It's not exactly cheap, but for special occasions, it's wonderful!

Now - this will only last for about 6 days. So two days ago I was leaving town with the boys to go to VA Beach to play a show. Now based on the limited amount of skin that is covered in my stage wardrobe, I decided I better freshen up my tan a bit.

But I didn't have time to make a return trip to the tanning salon for another VERSA Spray - so what's a girl to do?

Do it Yourself!

Now after MANY failed attempts, I have now learned the art of applying a flawless "Self Tan"... And there are truly "Do's" and "Don'ts" when it comes to this art form!

No one wants to end up looking like this, well, maybe the subjects in the photos like this look... but it's usually not preferred by most...



So I thought I would share my process here..

Now - I will not be sharing a VIDEO of me applying Self Tanning Lotion, as I do recommend that you do this in the NUDE... and give yourself a few minutes to dry also in this state - so I will be using some visual aids, thanks to Google Images.

1. Start with clean, preferably freshly EXFOLIATED skin.
2. Apply regular moisturizing CREAM or LOTION to anything on your body that BENDS.
Meaning- Knees, Ankles, Armpits, Wrists, Elbows, Toes, Palms of Hands, Fingers...etc.
Don't completely rub into skin, leave a little extra on these areas for full application.
 You can use plastic gloves if you like, but I personally find them to be more of a pain than than a help...




3. Apple Self Tanning Lotion or Gel ONE SECTION of your body AT A TIME. Meaning - one arm to the shoulder, then your shoulders and chest, then the other arm... etc... breaking it down into sections makes sure that you fully blend it in to prevent any streaking.

Below are some of my personal favorite products... I prefer to use gel products that are tinted so that I can see where I am applying the color - that way there's not as much guess work. I also like to use a med-dark tanner... I personally don't find that I get enough color from a "Light", and the "Deep" usually looks good for about 2 days, and then starts to wear off in "splotchy" patches if you don't have enough of a base tan to begin with.



 And if you are REALLY fair, or scared that you will end up looking like a Jersey Shore cast member -
you can use the lotions that are very diluted that you can use over several days to "Build" your tan...

However - I'm usually not patient enough to wait 3 days to get the "desired color" as the instructions suggest.

4. Mix a DIME SIZE amount of lotion with a DIME SIZE amount of tanning gel in the palm of your hand. Blend this over the top of your feet, and in between your toes. Repeat this process on the top of your hands.

5. Next thoroughly WASHING the palms of your hands, and in between your fingers .... (Unlike the photo, I wouldn't fully wash the top of your hands)


 6. Finish by thoroughly drying your hands and wiping in between fingers...

I also like to finish by adding a little more moisturizing lotion to hands and feet just to make sure that all the color is evenly blended. And finally, make sure that you allow enough time (about 10 minutes) to dry before dressing. And I would not suggest that you plan on wearing lighter clothing, most self tanners can stain clothing.

7. Let the tanner develop for anywhere from 3 - 5 hours. Read the instructions on packaging... and it will instruct you of exactly how long the specific tanner will need to stay on your skin. 

And finally, all self tanning products omit an odor. There is pretty much no way around it.
The ingredient dihydroxyacetone [DHA] is in basically all self tanners and is what creates the color on your skin as time elapses. This is also what creates the terrible smell...So I would recommend that you try to do this when you can stay at home for a few hours, or you will be going somewhere where you aren't going to be concerned with how you smell.

And that's it...

Hopefully this will help you to have a beautiful, golden glow!


-CH


Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Today, I Surrendered My Brush...


Today I Surrendered My  Brush…

Most of my life, I’ve been a little bit of a control freak. I learned how to do a lot of things myself out of necessity at times, and sometimes- Just because, darn it… I wanted to be the one doing it. But sometimes when you let others take over, you’ll find you MAY JUST LIKE what you can learn from them… and it may not be what you were expecting to learn at all. Sometimes, it’s what they end up teaching you about yourself…

A couple of days ago my good friends Chuck and Kristina Arlund contacted me. Chuck is an incredible photographer who “anyone who is anyone” is lucky to work with - much less 'lil ol' me! His specialty is High Fashion, and he is a lighting EXPERT. (To find out when he is teaching another workshop visit his site  - See Chuck's Website Here ) His wife is a phenomenal make-up artist (with MAC Cosmetics) who I worked with several years ago when I was working as a full time make-up artist for Bobbi Brown Cosmetics. 
Well, anytime Chuck calls, if you are can - you answer. First of all, because he and Kristina are just wonderful people who are a joy to be around , and  2nd , even with all of their experience in their respective fields… they are still a  very sweet, happily married- just celebrated their 10th anniversary- couple. And 3rd, because they are both incredibly talented!

Well, this time when he called, it was to invite me to work with he and Kristina and one of his fave wardrobe stylists,  Abigail Franklin on a High Fashion Editorial shoot in Franklin, TN today.  What a GREAT experience. Of course I would want to be involved with that! Who wouldn’t??

I surrendered my make-up brushes from full-time make-up artistry several years ago… but I have kept my toes in the “pool of make-up” out of sheer interest and because I LOVE being “in the know” on the latest and hottest things in beauty products… It’s just such a fun, and interesting industry. I mean, who doesn’t pick up the latest Vogue, Instyle, or Bazzar and wonder… “How do they do that hairstyle? What lip color is that? Who designed that dress? “  And, believe me, as much as I have traveled the past few years, I have a BEAUTIFUL collection of ‘airport magazines’.  So I digress…

I pretty much do my own make-up for just about everything… but this was a high fashion shoot.
So, today I Surrendered MY Brushes!

But, that’s not to say it wasn’t difficult to do…

Now I know that after working for MAC for at least 8 years, countless free- lance jobs, and being married to a photographer… Kristina is more than capable and qualified to do anyone’s make-up. But this was quite a moment for me to comfortably sit down in the chair, wipe my “FACE” off, and just let her do her THANG!
The most flattering part of this process was Kristina laughing when I first got there saying, “I told Chuck – ‘Do you know how intimidated I am to do her make-up! This girl is such a perfectionist with make-up she used to separate her lashes with straight pin!” hahahah… well, I’m not that meticulous anymore… who has the time?? But I am still very particular… so I get that she would be a little concerned with my reaction to someone else taking over.  

But, let's face it, I’m not really a HIGH FASHION make-up artist anymore- I’m more of a general beauty guru, but high fashion is a whole different territory- this shoot involved me sporting a pair of Yves St Laurent Platform Patent Leather Stiletto Mary Janes, (and quite frankly, at that point, I was just THRILLED that I could fit my BEHIND into almost all of  the clothes they brought! Prior to discovering that little tid-bit, I was mentally prepared to be photographed in the yoga pants I had worn there, since this type of shoot might normally involve a girl who is 5'11" and 102 lbs - and let's just say THAT AIN'T ME! :)

 So I’m pretty sure I just said yes, and thank you to anything that came my way!  …
AND ,this was all about creating art, RIGHT? 

So I took her moist make-up wipe, removed my make-up and watched someone remind me of why being  a personal part of creating ART (in any form) can change your perspective on creating your own art.  I feel all artists often look to a medium that may not be their own to inspire different and interesting ways to approach their personal art.   Chuck would  literally light up today when he would hear Joan Jett on the stereo and his whole attitude toward a shot would change… This was such a fun thing to observe. Her art, made his art better…Hmmmm…. 

So  today for me, was all about letting go of control (which,  is borderline impossible at times) and just letting someone, or others in general, guide me, INSPIRE me, and remind me that sometimes, in order to  continue to grow we need to learn from others and sometimes in order to learn you just have to sit back & enjoy the ride!


 It was a blast, and from just the pics taken from Kristina’s IPHONE (below) seiously, these are just from her IPHONE! – It has certainly proven to be an insightful and intriguing experience all the way around!









Sunday, January 23, 2011

Ladies, PLEASE Respect The Power Of The Shoe!

Last night I was invited to be a part of an event at one of my favorite places to have a good time in Nashville... Club MAI. I was a guest at  the "Touch Of Blush" Fashion Show . The production of this event was very well done. The clothes, shoes, and accesories were from "Blush Boutique", which is one of my favorite places to shop in Nashville. (Very reasonable prices, good service, and unique choices) 

Now here is where I had an issue with the Fashion Show...Almost ALL of the said "Models" could not walk in heels!!!!!

Now,
Anyone who knows me , knows that I have a slight SHOE obsession. I would seriously almost identify it as an ISSUE. But at the same time, I also say that my fixation with shoes and boots is equally therapeutic.  If I'm having a bad day, finding an amazing pair of platform stilettos on sale topped off with a good glass of wine can cure almost any problem...

My obsession began early...

When I was little I could not WAIT to wear high heels... It started with my favorite pair of my mom's shoes.  I was in LOVE with her red, Candies slides.
They looked almost exactly like this...



I would wear them around the house 7 sizes to big for me... And pray for the day when I could grow into a pair of my own.

Well, I grew alright... all the way to nice sturdy size 9 1/2! My feet are so big they look like skis'!!! 

When I was in high school I started to compete in Beauty Pageants, and would walk around the house for weeks on end, practicing and perfecting my" High Heel" walk in my competition shoes.

So I  feel that I have respected the "Power Of The Shoe" for most of my life.

 But some of you are just not respecting the power of the shoe!

Now, I talked with a friend tonight who reminded me that we ALL have had those nights where we have tried to wear a new pair of shoes out with an awesome outfit, and ended the evening GIMPIN' around town, looking ridiculous and spending the next day wearing house slippers and looking through the medicine cabinet for water pills and band aids to alleviate the swelling and add protection to your blistered pinky toes...It happens. And sometimes there's just no way around it...

 It  happens to all of us ... and yes, it has happened to me.

However! 
What I just CAN NOT deal with, is seeing beautiful women, who are dressed to the NINES, who have clearly spent a lot of time getting ready, grooming, and accessorizing... but  haven't bothered to take the time to learn how to walk in their SHOES!


Ladies, nothing ruins how hot you look in your outfit more than wobbling, and stomping around town in shoes that you just can't walk in.


This brings me to my  ultimate point here. If you think you truly LOVE a pair of shoes, and you are committing to wearing them out for an entire evening, you must be sure to that you love them enough to learn how to walk in them! Or, just wear something else!


At this cool fashion show that a lot of people had clearly worked very hard on, I saw girls "model" some really cute clothes and accessories. But unfortunately what me and several of my friends in attendance remember most is how poorly the models walked their high heels.

So ladies, I leave you with this very important final thought.... please, please, PLEASE respect the power of the shoe!!!!!!!! They can change your mood, complete your outfit, help you gain an extra 3- 6 inches in height...  or they can make everyone who sees you walking badly in them remember absolutely nothing more about you than the fact that you WERE WALKING BADLY! So, spend a little time getting comfortable with your shoes... and please RESPECT their power!!!!!!

I leave you with a few more examples of how truly tragic this can be... even sometimes for highly trained professionals...
ENJOY!



































 

Thursday, January 20, 2011

It's Time For Dramatic, Smokey Eyes!

I went out two nights ago- The story and video of my eye look for the evening follows below... And I even filmed myself WITH OUT MASCARA!! Sweet Baby Jesus!

So the night before last, I decided to go out and "Do Nashville!" ... which means go see and hear what Nashville is all about. LIVE MUSIC! So I got all dressed up for the first time in what feels like FOREVER, and hit the town. I saw a couple of really great shows and ended the evening with my friend Erica for a few cocktails at Whiskey Kitchen.

It was a blast - first real "outing" alone since the surgery! And I feel great so far...
Since I was getting all "gussied up", I decided to document my FAVORITE eye look... A Dramatic, Smokey eye! I clipped some of the time, so don't be fooled into thinking that all of this can be done in less than 10 minutes...If you want a great smokey eye, be prepared to spend some TIME on your make-up for this.

Here are a few more tips to go along with this look..

-If you have an uneven complexion, start with a foundation that matches your skin tone. Make sure that any imperfections are well covered before starting a smokey eye. You want to have about a medium coverage with this look, and cover any and all redness. This look calls for a smooth, creamy looking skin... It's a look all about the eyes, so be sure to properly conceal.

-I like to apply a little bronzer lightly under cheekbones, nose and forehead, and then apply a neutral shade of blush to the apples of the cheeks.


-Usually it's best to wear a very neutral shade of lipcolor with this look. I like to use a nude/1 shade darker than my natural lipcolor creamy lip pencil...lightly line, and then fill in the entire mouth with pencil. I will skip any lipstick here and instead just top the liner with a clear or neutral, shimmery lip gloss.


This video is full of some of my favorite products, and ALL my signature tips, tricks, and techniques for a smokey eye.

Hope you have fun creating a Sexy, Smokey, Dramatic, Eye... and next time I'll show you how to apply the False Eyelashes that complete this look!











Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Scattered Thoughts, and National Anthem Performance Video

So, today I have been doing about 15 different things at once. I have had about 10 different tabs open on my computer... emailing, working, editing, blah, blah...

All while answering texts, highlighting my hair, setting up for a video piece I want to record later, uploading more videos, burning cds... and on and on...

So my blog may be brief today, but I will have some fun things to share.

Today, I FINALLY uploaded a video of my National Anthem performance at the NHL Nashville Predators game on December 15.

See it here...


Next, I need to finish editing videos from all the way back in OCTOBER of performances from "Chords For A Cure", which was a American Cancer Society Benefit... I'll be sharing those as I finish them. I am quite technology challenged, so it takes me FOREVER to do this stuff! Let's just say there is a lot of swearing, tantrums, and eventually more WINE!

So, after all of this today, I am going to treat myself to an evening of LIVE MUSIC in Nashville. I haven't done this in quite a while, but I used to do it all the time. I figure out what shows I wanna see and then proceed to hit as many shows as I can in one night all by myself. I usually run into a bunch of people that I know... but the beauty is, I end up meeting a lot of people that I don't know at all. Sometimes they know me, sometimes they don't... but it always makes for an educational and interesting time.

And it's how I've initially practically everyone I currently knew before having a record deal... I used to do this almost every week, and now - I haven't done this in probably more than 6 months.

So, I'm sure I will post some fun interesting stories about the evening. In the meantime, I'm going to film a segment for how to do a SMOKEY eye....

LIKE THIS

















for going out. (It's my signature evening look) And how to apply  FALSE EYELASHES...

Stay tuned!

-CH

A Sad/Happy Day

Today was an awesome day and sad day.

The happy was writing having a great time writing with my friend Eddie and with my Brian...

(VIDEO BELOW)

I'm Sad because my momma left to go back home to Louisiana.

Now I have to preface this with the story of what happened when she first got here. She left the same day that Brian and I left his family’s home in Houston after the New Year to head back to Nashville. It’s an 11-12 hour drive for us from Houston and about a 10 hour drive for momma from my hometown of Cheneyville, LA. When we got about 4 hours from Nashville, my mom had made it almost to our house.  About this time Brian’s car decided to DIE! In the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, lucky to find anyone with more than 2 teeth, Arkansas…

After many trials and tribulations a very nice towing company helped us out and towed us to a hotel, and then took Brian’s car to the local dealership where they informed him the next morning that it would be at least another day and more than $1500 in parts and labor.

So my mom took off at 7am, drove the 4 hours there to pick us up so I could make it back to Nashville so that Brian could get back to work, and so I could get back to Nashville in time for my surgery.. So this was another 8 hour round trip for her. UGH! I'm sure she was just overjoyed...

Then she spent the next several days stuck in the hospital and the house with my miserable ass!  Good times for her for sure. I was offering to try to have her “Sainted” after all of this!

It’s been two weeks and I pretty much haven’t had a moment alone, so I thought that I would really be enjoying this time I’m finally getting to myself tonight… and in a lot of ways I am. I’m the type of person who definitely benefits from my own alone time… often. But now, the house is REALLY quiet and as usual when my mom leaves, I’m a little sad. 

We have spent a lot more time together this year than we have in the past 6 or 7 years, as I have gone home a lot more as we have been dealing with her recovery from a VERY aggressive Stage 2 Breast Cancer. And of course we can still fuss and argue and get on each other’s ever last beloved nerve… but we are also closer than we have ever been. I am so grateful to know that I still have her, and that as terrified as I was to go through my first serious surgery, I am so happy to know that I had my mom with me. I am surrounded by an incredible support system of friends and loved ones. But when I feel like absolute S#%t, I still just want my momma!

So, I’m pretty much all better now… but I’m still missing her.

But the happy part of the day came with some new music.  I had a writing appointment with my good buddy Eddie Heinzleman. He and I have written several songs together, he’s an amazing guitar player, and he played guitar for me for several years during the “good ol days” of singing FOUR HOUR solo acoustic shows at a club here in Nashville.  I haven’t seen him in forever, and after catching up for about an hour we ended up writing a song that Brian and I had started working on almost 2 years ago and just never finished – We had the basic melody, a few lyrics, and an idea for the “story” of the song, but just never found the time to complete it… and a few hours today with Eddie, and voila!! It was a blast, we had a great time, and I caught some of it on video while we were recording a ‘rough work session’ on it…

So overall it was the perfect Sad/Happy day…
Here is the link to the video site as soon as it is through uploading...


- ENJOY!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

It's Time To Do YO Roots!

So, after 2 weeks of sitting on my booty recovering from surgery, I got all dressed up today and went out to lunch in Cool Springs (Franklin, TN). It was my first day back in full high heels! (or as we will  refer to most all of my footwear ... SSS -Slighty Slutty Shoes) YAY!

As I was getting ready I had to have a little "Come To Jesus" with myself over how badly I needed to color my hair. I could not wear a hat for one more day  to cover up my  ROOTS just to go out in public anymore!

Now -  I am actually a natural blonde... shocking, I know, but we DO exist. The truth is, that I am not the COLOR of blonde that I "choose" to be. In fact, it had been so long since I've even seen my natural hair color, until the last couple of weeks, I couldn't have told what the hell my God given shade was? But today as I stood in the mirror with some very intense sunlight coming in through my bathroom window, I was forced to face about an inch and 1/2 of boring, dishwater blonde roots while trying to decide how I could camouflage it for a few more hours in public. So, I just put on an even more ridiculous pair of shoes,  a little extra lip gloss, ordered a margarita with my grilled fish tacos, and made up my mind to spend an hour coloring my hair tonight.

A few hours ago, I took off my ridiculous shoes, poured myself a glass of wine to kill my foot pain, and began the process...
 Now, I am not a certified colorist, or stylist. I am a person who has spent many, many, many hours over many years coloring my mother's hair, my friend's hair, and my own hair. Sometimes successfully, sometimes, as in high school with my friend Krystal Herde, ending in some REALLY orange highlights on top of her VERY  brunette hair. Or the one case in early 2001 when I decided I wanted to go for a new shade of Feria "Deep Golden Blonde"... that instead,  ended  with a fantastic shade of BOLD ORANGE which took almost two weeks, and two stylist to correct!

So, after living with a roommate who was a professional stylist, being friends with several amazing stylists, and just learning my own hair through many trials and errors, I have learned how to blend my colors and color/highlight my own hair successfully when necessary.

As I was beginning this less than fun, but necessary process,  I thought I would share a few  basic tips that I have learned throughout the years. 

-A. Do not try to color your own hair anymore than 1-2 steps lighter OR darker than your own current hair color.  These drastic changes are usually best left to REAL professionals, or you might be wearing a hat for more than a couple of weeks. (Or as I did, buying REALLY, REALLY low cut  tasteless dresses so that the last thing people were looking at was my awful orange hair)
B. If your hair is really, really light... DO NOT TRY TO JUST PUT A DARKER COLOR DIRECTLY ON TOP OF THOSE DRY, WHITE ENDS! They will usually come out 2-3 shades darker than the rest of your hair...and sometimes they turn a lovely shade of ashy gray.
C. If this is a new product for you, or a new process - read all of your instructions very carefully, and give yourself plenty of time to work on it. This is not the type of thing you need to rush through. 


Here are a few additional basics for a simple root touch up... 
1.Mix you color and developer as instructed on the packaging.

2. Have a good fine tooth comb for parting/sectioning your hair at the root. I like to start in the middle and work toward the sides. 

3. With your comb, Make a clean part 
 4. Apply color to clean roots down both sides of the part
5. Comb the color just through the fresh,  root area 
6. Make another 1/2 inch part next to this area, repeat this process throughout the entire head.  I usually part down the middle. Do the right side to the crown of the back of head and the top of the right ear. Then I will repeat this process on the left, and then make horizontal parts across the back of my head all the way down to where the hairline meets the top of your neck.

7. Make sure that you have completely covered your entire hairline at your forehead, above and around ears, and at the top of your neck.

8. Let the color sit, JUST ON THE ROOTS, for anywhere from 10-20 mins. This is all according to your type of  hair and the time the instructions that come with your hair coloring package suggest.

9. Then comb the color through the rest of your hair, if needed apply more color from the bottle. Leave on anywhere from 4-10 minutes. If you are lifting your hair considerably here (laymans terms bleaching the hell out of your hair)  ... Most stylist wouldn't suggest leaving this on the ends for more than 4-6 minutes if they are already lifted, as it damages the ends even more and can cause the hair to break even more easily.

Now if you have to leave it on for about 10 mins like I do ... pour yourself another glass... and wait.
 10. Wash out the color. DEEP CONDITION! And style...

And, after about an hour (or more) of products, blow drying, a flat iron, 1-2 curling irons of different sizes, a couple of more products and finishing spray... mine usually comes out looking something like this...

So there ya go... When it's time for you to COLOR 'YO ROOTS too... I hope this helps out. :)

Now, I'm going to polish off this bottle of wine I started on last night, look for something good on HBO, and get some rest... I have my first post surgery co-writing appointment tomorrow, and about 100 things to do before it!

Next time I share info on hair, I'll share a little more about the picture below of some of my absolute favorite products, and why I use certain things for certain looks.




Good Night!

-Crystal




Saturday, January 15, 2011

Hello World!


Hello World…

About 2 weeks ago I had a pretty serious (not plastic) surgery which has forced me to spend a lot of time laying/sitting around pondering my life, thinking about my future, and (quite frankly) spending WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too much time on the internet!

So, in this process I decided to start a daily – or almost daily BLOG.
I’ve spent the last 3 years of my life traveling and touring while trying to maintain relationships, friendships, and keep up a certain image and a decent figure with good health… Let’s just say, IT AIN’T ALWAYS EASY, and it is CERTAINLY not always as glamorous as you would think!
-Before my music career took off, I paid my bills by working as a professional make-up artist so I was always keeping myself involved in the “business of beauty”. I loved it! Not as much as I loved music… but I was really great at it. I was a good teacher and trainer, and I really cared about my client’s happiness… especially their happiness in being able to do the things that I taught them when they got home.
 
 - In high school, I had "DREAM 90's HAIR"... Super curly, long, and thick.  I may have had a huge ass back then, but I did have awesome hair. Well, as the years have progressed I got my ass in shape, but my hair has taken a different turn, and we now have a mutual love/hate relationship. So I taught myself A LOT of techniques for styling hair so that I could do my best to recreate the looks that I wanted to achieve with or without a stylist. I own 2 flat irons, 7 curling irons, and close to 40 different hair products. And 3 sets of clip in hair extensions.
 
Due to an attempt to stay away from tanning beds, lack of time and lack of sun in winter months... I mastered the art of flawless “self-tanning” after MANY failed attempts, and let me tell you, it is not just all about the product… There is a lot of USER ERROR involved in applying a BAD SUNLESS TAN! 

-As mentioned before,  I had spent a good portion of my life being considerably overweight and at one point in high school found my scales tipping at 198 lbs – at 5’3”! So as my music career advanced, I became even more interested in health, nutrition, and fitness. I have done it all. Gimmicks, “as seen on TV”, Trainers, Gyms, Nutritionist, DVD’s – every single diet, fitness magazine regimen, and so on and so on…

Right before this surgery, after several years of mostly sensible and dedicated diet and fitness regimens, I was the happiest I had ever been with my body. And now after WEEKS of sitting around, loosing muscle tone (and my damn tan), I find myself feeling like I will almost be starting from scratch. AGAIN!  

So basically, what I'm say here is -  I have trained myself to be the ultimate “Do-It-Yourself” Girl!

In all my travels I found that I was always getting asked the same questions… What’s it like on the road. How do deal with being around boys all the time? What’s life like on a tour bus? How do you come up with ideas for your songs? What’s it like to be at a photo shoot? What products do I use in my hair? How did I do my Eye Make-up? How do I keep my Make-up on so long? What was I using to tan? Where did I get my shoes? How do I WALK in shoes that high? (I have a thing for SSS- Slightly Slutty Shoes!)… What was my diet? What work out did I do for my legs? How do you work out on the road? And so on, and so on…

So as I laid here for two weeks, I thought. Why not start a blog where I can just give away all my tricks and tips. I do it for my friends all the time… Why not the world? Or at least anyone who would bother to log on and read this from time to time…

So, I will be here sharing my daily life with you.  You never know what your gonna get here. I’m going to just give it all away… you’ll see all sorts of videos, pictures, music, stories… wherever the day takes me. And hopefully, along the way…
I’ll maybe figure out this crazy little thing I like to call MY LIFE! 

-Crystal


You can never cross the ocean, until you have the courage to loose sight of the shore. - Christopher Columbus