With her poise, stunning looks, grace and beauty, Elizabeth looked more like a Queen than a bride. But the stunning Cubana is actually more beautiful on the inside. She is a nurse in the at Jackson Memorial and such a kind, caring woman l. After we finished her makeup, she called her Dad, who is still in Cuba. It was so touching and so moving. Her Mom Yeny and I were in tears listening to her on the phone. I thought for sure she would cry and mess up her makeup but she didn't! She was so happy and excited about getting married. Felicidades! Con Mucho Carino, Amy

This Angelic beauty was a pleasure to work with. Rita wanted a soft, natural look. She is so naturally stunning with her dark hair and blue eyes that I wanted her natural beauty to shine through. We chose a silver shimmer for her eyes, soft pink cheeks and faux lashes to make her beautiful eyes stand out.  In addition to being drop dead gorgeous she is really smart too! She just graduated with a degree in Engineering. Rita also loves dogs (as I do) and her cute little chihauhau's were running around while she was getting ready. Also I love the first picture (below, left). This is one of her photographer Jeff Kolodny's classic looks. Her Dad is actually standing behind her holding some of the fabric of her dress above her head. Very high fashion. Love it! Check out more pics
http://www.jeffkolodnyphotography.com/index.cfm?q=rita&x=0&y=0
Congrats Rita. XO Amy

Bonnie you are amazingly beautiful and smokin’ hot! You are a sweetheart and your photographer is so talented. Each picture is more beautiful than the next. Thank you for choosing me to do your Makeup. XO Amy
Check out entire album at: www.focusedonforever.com/blog

He has such a gentle soul and is so genuine. Being around him, I felt he really has the ability to bring world leaders together and resolve conflicts. He  has an air of peacefulness, wisdom, and serenity. He is so polite and humble. I have been around lots of politicians before doing makeup but never met anyone like him. He has a halo around him.

He stopped and shook our hands, took pictures with everyone who wanted them. He is tall, almost is in a gawky dorky way. But so smooth. He excudes peace, like a Tribal leader explaining the meaning of the life to me, why we are here. Inner Peace.

My God, he left SUCH an impression on me, it was like meeting the Dalai Lama or some deep spiritual philosopher. He really is so special. I miss him already.

Only those who have met him can understand my OBAMANIA (new word I made up).

I rode in the motorcade too. After I did his makeup for Comedy Central his “people” asked me to go with them to the next location. I assumed I had to ride in the press bus. I walked on the big, cold bulky bus and had a seat. Then his publicist came and got me and said, "No, ride with us". So I got into the van with the exhausted, hungry 50 something white men in suits, scarfing down chicken McNuggets on the way to the arena and talking secret stragety. I guess they were not concerned about the airhead makeup girl listening in. I am pretty harmless after all, just concerned about his nose or forehead being shiny while the fate of the free world rests on their shoulders.

When I arrived they did a “sweep” and the dogs sniffed us and our bags.  Of course I pet the cute doggie and made lots of new friends. My favorite new ones: security detail, of course:  brave, strong, sexy, serious secret service agents around to protect us with their bad ass stares, buff arms (to protect and serve) and fitted navy suits. They can guard me and my makeup case anytime.

11/8/08 - I worked with one of the most beautiful women in the world today: Kim Kardashian.
First let me say she is more breathaking in person than on TV  or in pictures. High cheekbones and flawless skin without a drop of makeup and her hair wrapped in a towel, which is how I met her at the Hotel Intercontinental here in Miami where she was getting ready to host the Make a Wish Ball, a great charity that helps kids in need.

Kim is down to earth, sweet, and a pleasure to work with. For her look we chose soft shimmer pigments on the eyes, glowing skin, fake lashes, and soft, glossy lips. She told me she loved her makeup!

She is a true beauty and made my job very easy. Thanks Kim!

Check out her pics at: http://www.celebutopia.net/forum/showthread.php/kim-kardashian-14th-an nual-make-wish-ball-miami-94398.htmlKim Kardashian Shines in Miami. Makeup Artist - Amy Palma of South Beach Makeup Studio.

 I had an amazing experience with one of the strongest groups of women in the world: cancer survivors.
It’s interesting how our daily routine seems random but later on we realize it is not all random. I was called in to do makeup for a photo shoot. I knew it was for jewelry designer Sal Praschnik featuring a beautiful jewel designed for Breast Cancer Month and I would be working with a very talented photographer with a great eye : Matthew Pace.

What I do not know was how moving and empowering that day would be for me. The energy, power, strength and resilience of the 6 women was intoxicating, inspiring and personally touching for me, having survived a form of early stage cancer a few years ago. I am fine now,  so don’t worry about me! It’s all gone. I was blessed to discover it very early thanks to insisting on testing (more on that below).

I basically dealt with it on my own since there are not many young woman diagnosed with what I had. I did not have friends my age to talk to as it usually affects older woman in 50s+. So being around a group of women who faced similar fears that I faced was so empowering. I could feel the strength and energy of women in the room.  It is a special kind of strength that comes from struggling, overcoming, staring fear in eye and saying, "You won’t destroy me".  It changed me life and gave me a priceless gift: wisdom beyond my years. Without speaking a word to each other, we know we share that bond.

Jewelry designer Virginia from Sal Praschnik was so moved by her sister-in-law's experience with breast cancer (featured in the photo above back row, right)  she decided to get involved in the cause. She designed the stunning heart ring from her "Power" collection to make women feel strong, bold, powerful and of course, represent love. 

We will survive! And look glamourous, beautiful and in style while doing it.

Photographer: Matthew Pace - Thank you for booking me on this job. You didn’t know it but it helped me a lot.

More behind the scenes pictures at:

Designer: Virginia - Sal Praschnik Jewels. I LOVE that ring. It's amazing.http://www.salpraschnik.com/
Click on "Power" collection. Gold Heart Ring Available at Neiman Marcus with proceeds to Breast Cancer.

Shot at 12345 Studios in North Miami.


I share my experience to encourage others to be proactive with their health. I went to my Dr. 3 times and was told there was nothing wrong with me. I was young and did not “meet the profile”. Fortunately I had one friend, Cristina Barquero, who has survived Ovarian Cancer, and she warned me not take no for an answer. I knew inside there was something wrong. I felt it. Ladies, listen to your first instinct, your intuition. It is always right. It is when I second guess myself and don’t go with my first instinct that I always regret it.  Thanks to my persistence it was discovered early and treated. Unfortunately many women do not discover it until it is too late.

Nothing like a Fitness Dance Video Shoot the week after gorging myself on Thanksgiving to make a girl feel great! Surrounded by dancers with bodies so hard you can bounce a rubber band off them, I gazed at the lunch buffet on set and thanked God I work BEHIND the scenes as a Makeup Artist, so I can eat dessert! This week I worked on a supercool fitness video called Brazilian Butt Lift (working title). Leandro (that's him in the blue shirt with the sparkling blue eyes) Fitness Trainer to Victoria's Secret models Giselle, Adriana Lima, and the like, developed the program. We Makeup Girls sat off stage watching as the dancers squated, crunched and bounced around for 10 hours a day. We touched them up in between takes to keep them looking glamourous. It hurt just watching them. See below and try to guess which are the dancers and which are the Makeup Girls! 

Birthday with the girls
  As I was rushing to scratch out an old label on a box at the post office yesterday, quickly moving my arm
back and forth, I noticed a strange and shocking sensation on my upper right tricep, arm jiggle.
Flashback to third grade sitting in my Grandma's condo overlooking the golf course - playing with her arm flab as it swayed back and forth like a windshield wiper.  Ha!  It looks like Granny has the last laugh. Now,  God is punishing me for thinking it was fun to flap around Granny's flab like a toy.
 Yes, girls I turned one year older today, and I will tell you the truth: despite a little arm jiggle, women truly do get better with age,
  Looking back at my old pictures in my early 20's, my face looks smooth and young, my eyes wide and wrinkle-free with dreamy idealism.  The world was my oyster. The only sad part: I lacked the confidence have now to know just how damn good I looked back then!
  Instead I compared myself to others, to what society told me I needed to look like to be good enough,  and found fault with every little detail. One eyelid is bigger than the other!  (Does anyone else in the world notice this besides me?) Yes, youth is truly wasted on the young. If I knew then what I know now, I would have realized I was just fine just the way I was. Now, when beautiful young girls sit in my makeup chair and criticize themselves, faults so minute no one would notice: I tell them what turning 30 taught me: confidence; to embrace myself, thank God for the many good traits he gave me and to love myself as I am.  
  Girls if you can learn to appreciate yourself and what makes you unique when you are younger, as you will when you are older, you will save yourself lots of heartache and live your most precious years to the fullest. At to whoever doesn't love us the way we are:
Fongoo - I'm Amy Pl!
  Last night my best friends celebrated that with me. We laughed, cried, drank wine and bellydanced (something we love) in my dimly lit back deck and reflected  on the past 15 years. We met in college studying Journalism. Since then we have be through marriage, divorce, pregnancy, miscarriage, infertility, infidelity, career changes and my home girls always have my back, walking beside me down life's winding road. I love you, my sisters.
  I cried last night as I read the cards my girls gave me about my birthday being a chance to start a new, and to thank God for the many blessings in my life.  Elka, Marlen, Paola, Margarita, Shireen, Sky, & Anna dried my tears and soothed my pain this year. I am ready to let go of it. It is a new beginning, as I embark on a new journey, I do it with peace and calm and faith, knowing one day I will understand God's plan.
  With that pain and struggle comes wisdom, not to sweat the small stuff. To let go of what I thought my life would be like at this age and what I was supposed to have done by now. It's not what I thought being a grown up was back when I was in third grade. I still don't feel like a grown-up. When exactly does that happen?  But you know what? My life is even better!  I never would have imagined what my life would become, the path has had so many twists and turns but now I am finally learning to ENJOY THE RIDE.

Download | Duration: 00:02:50