Miss Washington - Tips from a Beauty Queen

Road to the Crown - Miss USA Pageant

We had a chance to sit down and talk to Former Miss WA 2012 Christina Clarke and reigning Miss WA 2013, Cassandra Searles about all the beauty tips and tricks they have learned as they head down the road to Miss USA.





What We Learned - Tips from a Beauty Queen

I had the opportunity to sponsor Christina Clarke in 2012 as she pursued Miss USA and made the trip to Las Vegas last June.  She did an incredible amount of work to get ready for the pageant and I had the privilege of a behind the scenes look at what went into this pursuit of the crown.  I recently got a chance to catch-up with both of them and ask them specific questions about the process.

When talking with Christina and Cassandra, both ladies mentioned fitness and weight training was one of the most important aspects of being ready for a competition like this.  I can of course relate because of my background as an NFL Cheerleader, Seattle SeaGals, but also because I am now 35 and weight training has become way more important then cardio.

I used to spend hours and hours each week on cardio thinking that is how I was going to loose the most weight.  It rurns out that weight training is a vital part for females workout routines.

• Christina and Cassandra both have personal trainers who encourage them to focus on strenght training and then add cardio in on your own time.  They both said they saw amazing results, and it made a difference in their success on stage.

We are often scared of being bulky or too muscular, but as I have found out thru my Crossfit workouts it is really really hard for females to bulk up to the point where it looks masculine.   A combination is best, but Ladies....don't skip the weights, they will make more of difference then you realize.

Next focus was on their teeth, and I guess I tend to skip over this aspect of beauty a lot...but it is extremely important.  Besides getting their teeth whitened they also gave me tips such as wear a bright red or pink lip stick that has a blue base tone to it.  A tan is a huge part of the process as well, not only does it make your teeth appear whiter, but it also makes you look thinner and makes all of the colors you wear, pop!

• Both Christina and Cassandra get regular spray tans and avoid the tanning beds because it makes the skin appear dry and weathered.

The next important part is learning to walk in 6" heels with a platform.  As Christina told me, you don't have a lot of time to practice with the heels you are wearing in the pageant and you may be asked to do charity events in crazy outfits (wedge race down Las Vegas Blvd).  This means you better be ready for anything.

Practice is key for anything at a high level...a favorite quote of mine (from Russell Wilson).."Separation is in the Preparation".  I think that says it all.

For all of us who will never be a beauty queen or on a stage in 6" heels, we can still take some of these tips in our own lives.   We may not be on a stage, but we can feel like a beauty queen everyday;)

Cheers!