Miss Africa World

As a pageant girl I often get questions about beauty, especially since my platform relates so closely to skin care! I won't deny it, I hit the genetic jackpot as far as skin, inheriting a nice average of the skin my family has. I got my Daddy's freckles and my Mom's resistance to sunburn as well as a generally balanced complection. This doesn't mean, however, that I don't take care of my skin! It is so important to take care of the largest organ on your body!

As far a facial care goes, it is important to take 4 steps each and every day: Cleanse, use a toner, moisturize, and wear sunscreen! You can save yourself a step by using a moisturizer with a built-in sunscreen, which is very common today. I recommend Artistry brand cleanser, toner, and moisturizer. Artistry is a luxury skin care brand and their products have kept my face blemish-free and glowing since my first experience with the Miss America Organization in 2010. I use their balancing set as I have combination skin, but they also have phenomenal products for everything from oily skin, to dry skin, to aging skin. I then follow with a good sunscreen, Artistry recently came out with an SPF 50 facial lotion that I am dying to try (if anyone wants to get it for me for my birthday...) since it's hard to find a lotion with an SPF over 30. Before bed, I follow my cleansing routine with Artistry Creme Luxury Eye Cream, which was a very generous gift from the wonderful people at Artistry when I was in Orlando for Miss America's Outstanding Teen.

A run-down of my daily routine:

Morning:

Artistry Essentials Balancing Kit

Aveeno Positively Radiant SPF 30 moisturizer

Night:

Artistry Creme Luxury Eye Cream, AKA The BOMB

The single most important step of this whole process is sunscreen. If you only wear sunscreen for a day on the beach, you are opening yourself up for skin damage, premature aging, and most importantly skin cancer. Your skin is exposed to UV radiation every day, and the skin on your face is much more sensitive and prone to damage than skin anywhere else. If you're my age or younger, wearing sunscreen on a daily basis can not only save your life, but can prevent you from getting wrinkles, crow's feet, age and sun spots, and non-life threatening cancers such as carcinomas. If you've already begun to notice a decline in the condition of your skin and signs of aging, wearing sunscreen along with a good skin care regimen can delay, improve, and even reverse these problems. If there is one tip I wish for you to take from this post, it's:

Wear sunscreen every single day!

If you're interested in purchasing any Artistry products, you can find them here: http://www.artistry.com/

Sidenote: Artistry is a sponsor of the Miss America Scholarship Organization, so when you buy products from them, you are also making an investment in helping young women like me earn scholarship money! Artistry did not ask me to write this blog post, I just genuinely LOVE their products and I think everyone should give them a try!

Do you have any skin care tips, favorite products, or questions? Tweet me; @MissDelaware12

It seems that on appearances I always get asked the same few questions, so I decided to address some of them in a blog post.

Q. “How tall are you without heels?”

A. I’m about 5’9” flat-footed. I come from a tall family! I love heels though, so often at appearances I’m about 6’2”.

Q. “Do you watch ‘Here Comes Honey Boo Boo? Were you a ‘Toddler and Tiaras’ girl?”

A. Yes, I love “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” and “Toddlers and Tiaras.” No, I was a Ninja Turtle, Power Rangers, and Batman type of girl, and I still am.

Q. Do you know Donald Trump?

A. No, Donald Trump owns the Miss Universe Organization. The girls who are involved in his system are contestants for Miss Teen USA, Miss USA, and Miss Universe. Miss America is a separate entity and is a scholarship organization.

Q. Don’t you find it degrading to be on stage in a bikini being judged?

A. No, to me it is empowering to be on stage in my swimsuit. I have put a lot of hard work into my figure and I can’t wait to show it off at Miss America. It’s a huge confidence booster for me.

Q. How does your crown stay on your head?

A. I have excellent balance…no just kidding. Seriously though, bobby pins and clips.

Q. Does that thing (my sparkly hat) get heavy on your head?
A. I have zero complaints about it, I would sleep in it if I could.

Q. Are you a real princess? (My favorite question, and usually from little girls.)

A. Yes, and so are you.

Q. Why did you get involved in pageants?

A. I started out in pageants to earn scholarship money. I've now earned enough to pay for my 4 year undergraduate education and almost a year of law school after college! I strongly encourage young women to get involved with MAO to win scholarship money. After my first year with MAO I realized that there is a lot more to this than money. I am involved in this organization to grow as a person, my confidence has gone through the roof since I began competing, and my speaking skills have increased exponentially. Also, I see now that I am a role model to young girls. My 8-year old sister is my inspiration, and I try to be a positive influence in her life and the lives of other girls her age.

Have any other questions for Miss Delaware? Feel free to tweet them to me, @MissDelaware12 and I will get back to you!!

This past week could not have been more opposite from my last week! Every day this week I was running to appearances, meetings, and speaking engagements, and I enjoyed every second.

I worked out with Paul Timmons at the firm in Rehoboth Beach, DE, my official trainer for Miss America on Monday. I always enjoy working with Paul and I am learning a lot from him about health and nutrition.

Tuesday I went and visited the Fenwick Island Lion's Club at Harpoon Hannah's. In high school I was fortunate enough to receive the John Furlow $4000 scholarship from this organization, and I was honored when they invited me to their meeting to speak and join them for lunch. As it turns out, I'm fantastic at stalling and rambling. Upon my arrival they asked for a 20 minute speech. No that is not a typo, I spoke for 20 minutes about college scholarships, Miss Delaware, Miss America, skin cancer prevention, and every other aspect of my life. I ended up having a wonderful time reconnecting with the Lion's Club and being able to express my gratitude to them.

On Thursday I headed upstate to visit my skin care sponsor, Hockessin Day Spa to be spoiled. If you live in the area and have not had a facial from Donna yet, you are seriously missing out. Not only is she awesome and funny and sweet, but she keeps my skin glowing and fresh and always hooks me up with some awesome products! I then headed to the fabulous Debi Wilson's house to pick my spot for Miss America in the Miss America Lottery! I am glad to say I was lucky enough to get the spot I had my eye on. Call me superstitious but I was contestant number 7 in the Mu group at Miss Delaware, and I will be contestant number 7 in the Mu group at Miss America. It's all becoming so real now I can hardly contain my excitement. I ended the night catching up with some sorority sisters at the Alpha Xi Delta house at the University of Delaware.

For those of you who don't know already, I am a huge football fan. I love high school, college, NFL, and any other type of football you can possibly think of. I have 2 brothers who played on my high school football team, and while I was cheer leading captain I could never keep my eyes off the field. Friday night I was invited to Seaford High School Community Night to meet and greet, sign autographs, and toss the coin to start the game! I even got to spend time with Miss Seaford, Carolyn Smith! It was so much fun running around with the younger football fans and we even ended up on the local news. Though I had to hide my Indian River pride for the night, I had a blast at Seaford High and I hope to go back soon.

Without a doubt, Saturday was my busiest and most fun day by far. In the morning I headed up to Milford for the Riverwalk event. If you're unaware, I'm high energy, clumsy, accident prone, and silly, so there is never a dull moment. The wind gusts of 20 mph forced us to take down our tent and our decorations, and we ended up with nothing but a bare table and raffle tickets to sell. One man asked me if I was selling kisses, yikes, I got my flu shot from Walgreens pharmacy, and ended up staying for 3 hours after I was booked because I was having such a blast! After that I headed up to Dover for the Denim and Diamonds fundraiser for Meals on Wheels. I was joined there by my fabulous Executive Director, Debi Wilson, Maria Cahill, Miss Delaware 2011, Marcie Smith, Miss Diamond State 2012, and Stephanie Bailey, Miss Newark 2012. We had a blast dancing with all the guests and sampling delicious food from throughout the state. Maria and I took center stage to "shuffle" and at one point I distinctly remember hearing someone say "Look, Miss Delaware is doing the running man!" It was great to be able to spend a night with my pageant sisters and raise money for such a great cause.

Yesterday my mom was married and we celebrated at a good friend's house. I even let myself cheat and have a piece of wedding cake, but don't tell Paul! My mom's husband is leaving for Afghanistan in October so all prayers for his safe return home are greatly appreciated.

All told this week was exhausting and full of travel, but I would want to spend my time any other way.

Here are just a few shots from this week, there are many more to come!

This week was an interesting one, in that I didn’t have any appearances. No, you didn’t read that wrong, it was a slow, relaxing week in the life of Miss Delaware. I took full advantage of it, spending a lot of time with my little sister, Remi, who is the funniest 8-year old child to ever roam this Earth. We had a sleepover, a beach day, and a movie night! I wish everyone could meet my sister, because she is quite a character. She marched to the beat of her own drum, to say the least, and she says the funniest things without even trying.

“Remi-isms”:

“Remi isn’t even a real name. I wish my name was Whitney…or Sprinkles.”

“I am sweating like a meatloaf.”

“I’m like a seal on wheels!”

This is why my sister is the greatest child ever to live.

Anyway, I also learned something about myself this weekend. I am a scaredy cat. Maria Cahill (Miss Delaware 2011) decided she wanted to come down to visit me and rent jet skis, something that’s on her infamous bucket list. We attempted to go out yesterday, in the pouring rain, but the second we sat down on the skis, thunder and lightning started and we were rescheduled for this morning. I was a little nervous, but I thought that once I was out on the water I would be fine. WRONG. It took me a solid 20 minutes on the jet ski to will myself about 15 MPH. Eventually I put the pedal to the medal and hit 50, yes 50 MPH. It ended up being a great time, and Maria has another thing to check off of her bucket list.

Maria and I being refined and distinguished.

After jet skiing I headed to Paul Timmons at The Firm in Rehoboth Beach, my official personal trainer for Miss America. The Firm has this tradition where you can earn a black shirt, but you can’t buy one. You have to push yourself beyond physical and mental exhaustion and rise to the challenge. I’m proud to say that today I earned mine today by doing a 65 lb overhead squat and loaded knee jump. Check out the video!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfH-6Fy3hy4&feature=player_embedded

All told, this week was exactly what I needed. Free time to think, relax, and hang out with my family and friends before the busy week I have ahead of me.

Until next time,

Alyssa

Wednesday morning I woke up at 4:00 am, excited and ready to head to Orlando, Florida to watch the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen Pageant. 2 plane rides and a few hours later, I arrived in Orlando with my Mom, took a shuttle to the hotel, and got ready to meet my new Miss America sisters!

I headed to an Artistry consultation, where I got a whole goody bag of my favorite Artistry product, including their Luxury Care Eye Cream, Glitz Light Up Lip Gloss, Balancing Cleanser, Toner, and Moisturizer set, and the essentials kit in Light. I cannot say enough about these amazing products; they really keep my skin Miss America perfect all the time! We took some fun shots with our favorite shade of Light Up Lip Gloss, and had an interview with some Artistry Representatives. I would like to give a big shout out to Artistry, as they just came out with an SPF 50 facial sunscreen that not only protects your skin from sun damage, but also improves your skin quality and clarity! That night I got to watch Delaware’s Morgan Burris light up the stage in her evening gown and onstage question portion of the competition.

Thursday was a whirlwind of filming for our wonderful Miss America sponsors. There are so many new and exciting marketing strategies that Miss America is adopting this year, so keep your eyes peeled! We also got to peak at the swimsuits by Catalina that will be featured at the Miss America Pageant in January! This is so cool for us, because after the pageant, the EXACT SAME swimsuits you see on the contestants will be available in select Wal-Mart stores and online! They are affordable and super cute! Thursday night Morgan competed in the fitness portion of competition, and spend more time with my Miss America sisters.

Friday we filmed again for sponsors, had our first contestant orientation for Miss America, and then we headed to Disney World! We were lucky enough to have security escort us to the front of every line so we were able to go on a lot of rides, including the tea cups, It’s a Small World, Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, and a few more! I even rode in the front of Splash Mountain with Miss California, Leah Cecil and we got soaked! We ended the night dancing with Stitch and headed back to our hotel, exhausted but extremely happy.

Saturday morning, I was filmed for an interview with ABC, and then got some free time to hang out by the pool with my Mom, and grab some lunch with an old friend, my principal from Southern Delaware School of the Arts, Tim Fannin, who moved to Florida when I was in 8^thgrade! It was so nice to see someone who was such an integral part of my journey to the Miss America stage. Without my performing experiences and academic achievements at SDSA, I wouldn’t be the performer or person I am today. Saturday night finals at MAOT were such a pleasure to watch. Congratulations to all of the young women who were able to represent at that level, and to Rachel Wyatt, the new Miss America’s Outstanding Teen from South Carolina. She blew me away with her talent, a beautiful lyrical dance to “The Climb,” and she embodies what the organization is all about!

I am so proud of Morgan Burris, our Miss Delaware’s Outstanding Teen for representing us with grace, poise, beauty, and genuine heart at MAOT. She never fails to amaze me and this week was no different. Though her journey in Florida is over, her amazing story does not end here. She is beginning a new chapter and returning to Delaware to finish her year with the same dedication and passion she has shown thus far. She is making a difference each day in the lives of other children who were adopted like she was, and encouraging other young people to follow their dreams. Morgan is one of the few young women her age who are able to make a difference. She is beautiful inside and out and she has a light that radiates through her smile, her eyes, and everything she says. Morgan truly is OUTSTANDING in every way, shape and form through the message she conveys, the hope she provides to others, the passion she has for service, and her genuine love for others. She is an inspiration to me and I feel so honored to be her “big sister.”

This week through watching Morgan compete, and meeting my Miss America sisters, I am finally starting to realize that I really will be competing for Miss America in January. This lofty goal that I’ve kept in my back pocket all these years is becoming a reality. I can’t wait to reunite with the other 52 incredible titleholders, and make even more memories in January!

On the weekend of August 17-18, 2012, eight of the ladies of our Miss Taiwanese American Court attended and volunteered at these two events in the San Gabriel Valley.

The Fusion Friday FASHION SHOW, held at the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, was organized by APEX (Asian Professional Exchange) and hosted by Vivian Bang (one of the stars of the TBS new sitcom "Sullivan and Son"). Among our ladies who attended this event included Miss Taiwanese American Queen Annie Lee, First Princess Deborah Lu, Second Princess Tiffany Cheng, & Sixth Princess Tiffany Yi-Tzu Chang. They modeled showing their cultural outfits among the many other fabulous models from other pageants such as Miss LA Chinatown, Miss Asia USA, Miss Vietnam of Southern California, Miss India America, and Los Angeles Area Mongolian Association. Photos Courtesy of Kwirious Photography and Camera ShyInLA Photography.

The ART WALK was the San Gabriel Valley Humane Society's first time showcasing their talented animal artists and their amazing work. Activities included a raffle, auction, animal art to purchase, games, crafts, concession stands, and food trucks. The main purpose for the event was to help raise funds for homeless animals, and because a few of the ladies on our court have a passion to help animals, they volunteered their time to the activities of this event. Among our ladies who attended this event included Third Princess Julia Tsai, Ambassadors Lillian Chen, Dana Kung, & Stacy Wu. Photos courtesy of Dana Kung.

I can safely say that this week has been the busiest one in my year as Miss Delaware thus far. I don’t say this to complain because I’m happiest when I’m busy!

Sunday was the day of the ferry fiasco. After planning ahead (for once in my life) and booking a ferry ticket to work with my INCREDIBLE Miss America choreographer, Jamie Ginn, Miss Delaware 2006, I arrived an hour early for my ferry to Cape May, NJ. Once 7:25 am rolled around and the gate still had not opened, I realized I had booked the ferry backwards, from NJ to DE, and the first ferry from Lewes wasn’t until 9:15 am! Luckily the incredibly understanding customer service employees exchanged my ticket free of charge and helped me along my way. Misfortune over? Not quite. I have been on my fair share of boats in my life, I live near the water and I spend as much time on it as possible. Never before have I been seasick, but Sunday, of all days, my stomach got the best of me. I arrived in Ocean City, NJ slightly green, nauseous, and flustered, but excited to get to work. The session was incredible and I cannot wait to perform my new routine at Miss America!

The day ended with my Outstanding Teen, Morgan Burris’s send-off to Orlando for the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen Pageant! Morgan emulates everything the MAOT program is about, she is kind, compassionate, incredibly talented, intelligent, and well spoken. I can’t wait to watch her work that stage in Florida. GO DELAWARE!

Monday was a super intense, rope climbing, kettle bell flinging session with my official Miss DE trainer, Paul Timmons at The Firm in Rehoboth Beach. Tuesday I headed to Harrington for the Delaware Electric Cooperative dinner, Wednesday I visited Sal Cutrona, my Miss DE hair sponsor and Gloria, my nail sponsor at Michael Christopher Salon in Wilmington to get pretty before Orlando. Thursday I went to the Eagles vs. Steelers football game with a friend, totally unrelated to Miss Delaware, but totally AWESOME.

On Friday I participated in Trash the Dress for Charity. Lead by photographers Sam Ellis and Anne Donaway, young women can donate an old prom or homecoming dress to those who are not able to finance their dream dress. Sam and Anne take pictures of the models on the beach and gradually making their way into the water. They then dry clean these dresses and get them to those who need them! I had an extra dress hanging around in my closet that I hope someone will love! Nothing better than modeling and swimming in a gown for a great cause! I was honored and excited to be a part of this project.

Saturday I had an interview with Prita from PageantProfessors.com in Washington, DC and tomorrow morning is the Bower’s Beach Parade!

This week was a busy/hectic/fun one, and I can only hope I stay this busy throughout my year as Miss Delaware!

P.S. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out Maria Cahill, Miss Delaware 2011, on Life on the Rock on EWTN! She was a total natural and I’m super proud!