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Ms. Camila Mello aka The Brow Diva
Sometimes I have moments when I meet someone and it’s like: “Oh! We are going to be friends for a long time and today is the first day of that journey together!” That’s how it was with Ms. Cami and I. We met one day and we’ve been buddies ever since. I have to share with you that we are total opposites. She’s feminine in that “I am woman hear me roar,” and next to her I feel like a complete Tomboy. Like, more than usual. She is a small motor, perfection driven, and beauty centered. She is a master and you can feel that right when you meet her. It’s not because her makeup is “applied” ( it’s actually permanent) perfectly, or that her outfits are super fierce. It’s the way her eyes sparkle and how she holds herself. It’s delightful, because she glows. This woman glows!. It’s her confidence, her “I earned every bit of this myself.” She is the kind of lady who isn’t shy to tell me that my eyebrows are a mess and then proceeds to fix them. She’s not afraid to ask for help when she needs it, and so far she’s not turned down an invitation. For example: she came to High Point Furniture Market a few weeks back and she’s in the beauty business. I like that spirit of adventure. If you are looking for inspiration for your journey as a woman keep reading, gentle reader, because when it comes to ferocity and getting taller and stronger everyday, this lady’s got that on lockdown. If you are into beauty, or like learning about ways to enhance what you got in less time, then you might enjoy this blog post. If you like stories about empowered women and the American Dream, then you will LOVE this post.
Collage of Portraits from the Beauty Bar artists
I visited her salon on a Sunday morning to meet her. A mutual friend introduced us and mentioned we might get along. Whelp, that was an understatement of the year. She took one look at me and declared she was going to change my life. She kinda did, and not just in my tomboy-brow department. What I learned from Ms. Cami is that impossible is an opinion. The American Dream is alive and well - she looks like this. She looks like us.
Ms. Camila is a world-recognized leader in the beauty industry, affectionately known as the "Brow Diva." You know me and divas - Patti LaBelle took the words out of my mouth: “If Diva means giving your best, then yes, I guess I am a Diva.” So that makes two of us. (By the way, we are recruiting for our army of fabulousness…)
So I’m just saying, whether it’s drinking champagne, sitting on the street just chillin, or helping a girl out with her game face, this lady is down - and looking good doing it… like it’s her business.
“I’m with the band” celebrities flock to Ms. Cami’s Beauty Bar in New Jersey for her innovative semi-permanent makeup and microblading expertise. No New York trip is complete without my stopping in for my routine brow care and for some beauty bonding. She tells me what I need and I listen. Along the way we work on ways to elevate her salon’s store, decor, etc. It’s a good match.
“People can just feel beautiful in their natural environment. And there’s going to be the people that want to be outside of that. They want more glam. Even with the girls in the way I train, I always train them: less is more. We have 3 appointments, we can build to that. You just need to show the individual first- their natural beauty- and have them accept that before you characterize their face with something else. When we do the lip we stick with neutral tones, when we do the eyeliner we just enhance their lash line, when we do your brows, we’re just adding where you’re missing.” - Camila
AS: How do we know each other?
CM: Through Raymond S. James and Mr. Wallace?
AS: What do you do?
CM: I transform people’s lives every day by being able to offer my talent. Just like I’ve done with you today... I taught you a lot about your eyebrows, what you’re missing and what should be there. This was only for you to feel even more beautiful in your own skin and understand; Wow, this really is natural and it could be a part of my every day without me having to worry about them being penciled in everyday. I’m just here to teach you all those things about feeling beautiful in your own skin, the most natural way possible, with the talent I’ve been given.
Ms. Camila, a master at work...
AS: Do you believe in magic?
CM: I do believe in magic.
AS: What does it look like to you?
CM: Sparkly… and pretty and…just effortless.
AS: I feel what you did to me today was magic.
CM: Yeah, effortless, you know… it IS magic!
AS: What is your spirit animal?
CM: A butterfly!
AS: Why is that?
CM: Because they grow in their own shell and get to flourish along the way.
AS: They transform…
CM: Yeah!!
No explanation needed.
AS: I was like a butterfly today. I was like in a cocoon and you took me out. Who are you most grateful for?
CM: I’m grateful for Ray today…. I’m grateful for Ray every day. Ever since I met him, he’s been a very positive person in my life for myself, learning things about myself as well, and just about my business and guiding me in the right direction and introducing me to people that I probably never would have met.
AS: I’m here with you today because of Ray-Ray. What I usually do in my blog is I gift someone on your behalf as an act of gratitude- should that be Ray?
CM: Yes, it should be Ray for sure.
AS: The last thing is, when you travel, what are the 4-5 essential things that you have in your hand carry luggage as a woman that’s flying around?
CM: I always have my beauty products in my essentials: my cleanser, my moisturizer, my brow shaping tools, my scissors, my tweezers…
Tools of the trade
AS: 4 or 5, Cami, 4 or 5 things…That’s already, like, 6 or 7 things…But they’re actually kind of small, your stuff? It’s in your purse, it has to fit in your purse.
CM: I always have my jewelry, my accessories, and the stuff that’s on my face. And everything fits in my little bag. I don’t even check those things, because if I lose my luggage, at least I’ll have my essentials.
AS: As a woman that’s on her journey that’s kind of seeing her path, and you have lots of options in front of you, what are the 3 pieces of advice you would give somebody else who’s on her journey that may not be unsure of their path? You know, there are people that are like, “I don’t know what I’m doing- this is too hard.” What would you want them to know?
CM: First you have to figure out what direction you want to give your all to, because you can’t grow and give little pieces of it. When I train my girls, I tell them, this has to become your passion and you have to hone it so that you can perfect it. Find what you really want to work on so that you can flourish in that direction. Put time into what is going to make you feel good, be true to yourself so you can grow and flourish in that path. I think that’s 1 or 2 things, right? Believe in what you’re doing, stay true to it. And be honest with yourself always!
AS: You got to walk it and talk it and live it. It doesn’t turn on for me. Thank you for having me be part of your afternoon. I know it’s your day off, and I have a lot of gratitude for you sharing this with me. I really do feel smarter and prettier, which is a really wonderful feeling.
CM: I changed your brow life forever, you’re going to go home and you’re going to be like, “how am I going to fill this in now?
AS: You did, you kind of ruined me. I don’t know whether to be sad or happy. I feel like you kind of changed me a little bit - in a good way. You enlightened me, which is fun. And I’m seasoned in the world. And I was delighted today. Thank you very much.
Transforming: lower left is “before" and lower right is “after”
Superheroes each have their own powers - Cami’s is beauty. Mine are textiles and design - together we’ve decided to be buddies, you know like a small gang but with girls, with sparklies and lashes - and tweezers. Did you know updating and maintaining your eyebrows properly are akin to a facelift? Yes, it’s true!
We were girls in the world. Now we are connected - and there is power in that. There is beauty in connectivity, in finding your girl tribe. In celebrating the light in others, we all shine brighter. Go out with your pretty bad self - get your cape out of the dry cleaners and get out there and go out and chase that dream. Look around you - there are others. We are with you. And we are fearless. Speaking of that, Ms. Dreamchaser, where were we? Oh, that’s right, we were going to give some stuff away - lets call it a “girl power giveaway” - there were a lot of people that helped us along the way… One of the secrets to having super powers? Paying back the kindness with giving back. To enter to win a Mermaid Pillow and Beauty Bar treatment just read below for next steps.
Thank you for orbiting with us. We believe in magic. Join the movement.
! Its Giveaway Time ! To celebrate magic and girl power we are teaming up to give away 3 HYDRAFACIALS to 3 lucky winners! To enter to win: Go to @beautybarcm don’t forget to follow us and and private message HYDRAFACIAL.
If your skin is in need of some deep exfoliation, hydration and nourishment, you will be amazed with our results! It’s the quick and painless way to achieve clearer, brighter skin instantly.
Our Signature HydraFacial MD® is a non-invasive, multistep treatment that combines the benefits of next-level hydradermabrasion, a chemical peel, automated painless extractions (no pinching!) and a special delivery of Antioxidants, Hyaluronic Acid and Peptides. It does all of this in one quick treatment that delivers real results without downtime or irritation. In this technology driven facial treatment, active solutions are incorporated, using an abrasive tip. Your skin will be rehydrated, refreshed, smoother and look visibly healthier giving off the GLOW everyone looks for! Don’t miss out! XoXo Camila Mello
Special thanks to Raymond James for Photography, Driving, and general Good Cheer.
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