Looking for something fun for you and your girlfriends to do? Maybe you are celebrating an upcoming wedding or birthday? What about hosting a tea party at a local bed and breakfast?

These parties are a fun way to celebrate any occasion.   Each party includes tea, a variety of pastries and finger sandwiches, 30 minutes of shoot time per girl, hair and makeup, and 2 digital images.

I would like to thank Dave and Beth at the Smith-Byrd House for helping me put together such a great event.  They have a delicious selection of teas and snacks to help make this experience a wonderful treat.  Look for more details on my Facebook page later this week.

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Throughout the year I will be finding local businesses that I think might interest you and asking them to write a blog about what they do. Several years ago I had a booth at an event on Maxwell AFB. At the table next to me was Rachel from Naturally Rad. We started talking and I asked about her products. I tried them and loved them! In fact I have been using them on occasion as special thank you gifts to clients ever since.

For the love of soap

By Rachel Dickinson

My husband & I are a lot of things but we never thought we would add “soap maker” to the list. Now with Naturally Rad going strong for almost three years, we are just that, soap makers! We have a love for all things outdoors and music related. Therefore, all of our soaps, sugar scrubs & beeswax lotions are named after songs and in the large majority of our products we use the herbs and flowers we grow!

All photos courtesy of Rachel Dickinson

Our biggest goal is to make a quality natural product that is also affordable. There is a lot of trial and error involved when it comes to making soap, and we much prefer making natural lye soaps with no artificial colors or chemicals. We steer clear of your melt & pour bases for several reasons. They do not last as long as lye soap, do not suds up well, a lot people complain about feeling terribly dry after using them and finally, there are only a few melt & pour manufacturers in the US. It is also hard to find a melt and pour manufacturer that’s natural & organic. If you buy melt & pour from someone or heck any soap for that matter BE SURE to ask what’s in the soap.  If they can’t tell you or do not provide ingredient labels on their items walk away! That’s one thing we can promise you - you can pronounce every ingredient in ALL of our products and we can tell you exactly where ALL our ingredients came from. They may not be fancy shapes or bright different colors but we can guarantee you one fine and fantastic soap that once you use you will not want to go anywhere else.   We hand cut all our soaps. No molds are used to get that perfect rectangle shape you may see in other places. We wrap & label each soap before every show or before taking them to stores. It’s a true labor of love!

We’re also proud of sugar scrubs and beeswax lotions which are made with local beeswax and essential oils.  Beeswax lotion makes the skin feel amazing, like nothing I’ve ever owned.  We usually make a lotion and/or scrub to match our soaps.  Currently, we sell at Fanci Free in Prattville, The Company Story in Wetumpka, Le’ Spirit Salon, Cool Beans and Herb Chateau all in Montgomery. One part of Naturally Rad we are very proud of is our partnership with two local breweries – Back Forty in Gadsden and Rail Yard in Montgomery. We have used their beer to create some great items. For Back Forty we use their Truck Stop Honey in our Only the Oatmeal & Honey soap as well as in our Only the Oatmeal and Honey Scrub. They sell out of their brewery in Gadsden. With the Rail Yard in Montgomery we have created three soaps using their Y’all, Alabama Pale Ale and Red Clay Irish Ale. They also sell out of their restaurant in downtown Montgomery. You can also find us on Etsy, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Over the next few months we are proud to be part of some wonderful festivals! So come out and see us! On Tuesday, April 29^th from 7pm – 9pm we will be at Fleet Feet Sports in Montgomery at their Ladies Night Out. This should be a great event! Fleet Feet puts on some wonderful events and this will be no exception. Free wine, raffles, massage chair, vendors and of course expert advice from the folks at Fleet Feet. On Saturday, May 3^rd we are very very proud to be part of Southern Makers! If you do not already know, Southern Makers is a wonderful event that showcases “makers” from across Alabama. It will take place from 11am to 5pm at the Train Shed in downtown Montgomery. And finally, on Saturday, June 7^th, from 10am to 4pm at we will be at Chuck’s Marina located on Lake Martin. We will be part of the 12^th Annual Lil’ Calypso Art Fest! This is a fun event right on the beautiful shores of Lake Martin. So come see us & try some of our great products. We’d love to meet you! 

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Every woman deserves a day just for her. It is more important when we are busy mother's and taking care of everyone else but ourselves. What better way to start off motherhood or even the addition of a new child than celebrating this wonderful occasion by have a pampering photo session just for you! We are now offering Glamour Maternity sessions. Each session is $395 and includes shoot time as well as hair and makeup. 

We can do an in home session.

Or one outdoors.

 Or we can do your whole shoot in our studio.
It is up to you!

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I get a lot of funny looks when I mention boudoir photography. Most people are a bit confused and unclear on what this type of photography entails. EHow defines boudoir as, "always related to the bedroom and is regarded as a private space. It has been used to referred to a dressing room, a traditional bedroom, or a sitting room within a bedroom." So what are boudoir photography sessions then?

These sessions are all about you and your sensuality. This does not necessarily mean you must have photos taken in the nude or in lingerie. It could mean that cute outfit you absolutely love; maybe it is a little black cocktail dress, or even a great pair of jeans and t-shirt. It is whatever defines sexy to you. We feel every woman should have a day to feel special and flaunt her curves. What better way to show that off than fabulous photos of you! Some come in to mark a special occasion while others just want to remember how sexy they are at this point in their lives. No matter what the reason, everyone leaves with a fresh perspective on themselves.

So pick out that sexy dress you bought that you never had an occasion to wear, a killer pair of heels, that piece of lingerie that makes you feel like a woman and come see us at Beautiful You Boudoir Photography!

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Farewell to 2013...

It was an exciting first year for our team at Beautiful You Boudoir Photography. We met some fabulous clients, had a great launch party, and made lots of new friends along the way. I am looking forward to 2014 and all it has to offer. During this new year we will be offering some client incentives for referring your friends and family as well as some client bonuses. We are also offering Flaunt Your Curves Parties. These parties are a great opportunity for you and your girlfriends to try out a session and have a great day out together. We will also be offering V-logs with great hair, makeup, and fashion tips as well as some behind the scenes videos.

Here is a short video of what we did this year.

(Please do not copy this video as it is copyrighted. Thanks!)

So keep reading the blog to find out what the new year holds for all of our past and future clients. I truly appreciate all the support and wouldn't be where I am today with out you. Have I said that I have the best clients ever? Happy New Year!

The BYB Team - Leigh, Tim, and Ashlie

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This year I was so happy to add a makeup artist to our team. Ashley has been a wonderful asset and I am not sure what we did before she arrived. I am looking forward to unveiling some of our great ideas for both beauty and boudoir photography in the upcoming year. A few weeks ago Ashley stopped by for her very own photo shoot. We had a great time. These photos show what I already knew. That she is a beautiful woman both inside and out.

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When you come for your beauty or boudoir photography shoot, we will have already discussed what types of shots you would like to be included in your session. In addition to the standard poses we will take detail shots. These types of shots are a perfect addition to the story we will tell with your photos. Whether you get an album, a portfolio box, or decide on a storyboard float wrap, detail shots are an important part of your shoot. They help tell your story and show off your wonderful accessories, or an asset that you just want to highlight. As an integral part of your shoot, the detail shots are the punctuation to your story. And like punctuation, your story is not complete without them. 

This client is a nail technician and wanted to show off her nails.

How cool are these stockings?

I wonder which asset we are showing off here? ;)

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