Face of Foothills Winner's Blog

After an eight-week long winter break, I can finally say I’m back at school—sort of. I’m writing this from my dorm room at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand. I’m here for to study for a semester, but getting ready to leave made me feel like I was preparing for an extended vacation, rather than a semester of college. Honestly, if you’ve been pining away for a new wardrobe, study abroad. You’ll need loads of clothes and shoes that you could never justify buying for Arizona weather. 

The flight over wasn’t too bad, just thirteen hours from Los Angeles to Auckland, the capital of New Zealand. Thankfully, the 2013 issue of Sports Illustrated Swim just came out and I had Kate Upton to keep me company. It took days for her and the SI crew to get to Antarctica to shoot the cover spread—news that instantly quelled my internal grumblings about long plane trips. Everything went smoothly and before I knew it, my RA was helping me carry my fifty-pound suitcase up to my new dorm room. 

The first day was hard. I successfully held back tears and ignored my homesickness, but they were there, just beneath the surface. I think it’s easy to hold them in when you’re alone because no one’s there to trigger them—case in point: the moment I heard my mom’s voice, I felt myself crack. I’m already facing some challenges: food (trying not to freak out that the only option at dinner was beef lasagna), fitting in with the other kids, adjusting my routine (the gym opens at 5:30 am, thank the Lord)… But it’s been less than two days and everyone keeps reminding me to give myself some time. These four months will (supposedly) be the adventure of a lifetime, or so I’ve heard. Either way, I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Comfort food upon arrival     

Dorm room at Waikato

My year has finally begun and it seems like everywhere I look, I see my own face starting right back at me. Even when I go to the grocery store with my mom or out for a quick Starbucks, I run into a friend, acquaintance, or someone I vaguely know who congratulates me on my win and recounts their personal voting tales. I mean, Tucson is small, but not that small. It makes me realize just how many people were rooting for me. 

My grand prize—the photo shoot for the cover of the January 2013 issue and web header—came up fast, just as I was buckling down for finals. I think I actually lugged one of my textbooks with me to the shoot but, alas, homework took a back seat that day. 

Even though my modeling experience is limited, I’ve come to learn that photo shoots aren’t as glamorous as they seem.  Yes, the clothes are expensive and beautiful. Yes, you get to have your hair and makeup done by professionals. And yes, you get to frolic in front of a camera in heels. But modeling and everything that goes on behind the scenes is genuine hard work. By the end of the day, everyone on the set (myself included) was exhausted.

We began at 7:30 am and after bagels and coffee, I was whisked away by the wonderful Diane Aiello for hair and make-up. As you can see from the pictures, she did an amazing job transforming me into what AZ Foothills refers to as a “brunette vixen.” Very flattering but in real life, I’m just a regular 19 year-old who hasn’t the slightest clue how to apply any kind of makeup and wears sweatpants and UGG slippers whenever possible.

We had seven outfits to get through and wasted no time getting started. Diane and I got into a rhythm right off the bat. She would hand me an outfit, usually something wrinkle-prone—the steamer got a lot of use that day. I would scurry off the bathroom to change (after a couple cycles, I ditched the bathroom in favor of changing in the hallway) and before heading outside, Diane strapped me into my heels (no shoes in the house!) Warren, the photographer, made the whole process easy—his directions were clear and I felt comfortable while he snapped away. Unfortunately, we shot outside and in order to make my hair as voluptuous as possible, a fan was blown directly in my face. After about three hours of trying to be sexy through watering eyes and goose bumps, I started to droop. Thank God for lunch breaks. We sat down for pizza but being a health nut, I brown-bagged it: avocado and turkey sandwich and an apple.

The rest of the day went quickly and all of the images turned out beautifully. I have yet to get my hands on a hard copy of the magazine, but I’m sure they will blow my mind yet again when I see them on the glossy pages of AZ Foothills.

Well, time to wrap things up, but before I go, I’d like to impart some of my wisdom on any girl reading this who wants to be a model. My number one piece of advice is to always be respectful and gracious towards the people working on set with you. The photographer, the makeup and hair artists, anyone helping with lighting, with props, with set-up.  Being friendly and saying please and thank-you can go a long way—they are working just as hard (if not harder) than you. And of course, always bring snacks, unless you enjoy passing out.

See you next month! Or get your fix early by following me on Twitter at @EmilyS_Glynn.

Emily

Hi everyone! My name is Emily Glynn and I will be representing Arizona Foothills Magazine as the new Face of Foothills 2013! I have some big shoes to fill, as I am following in the footsteps of the beautiful Caitlin Wilenchik, who’s face has graced the website for the past year. I can’t wait for all of the opportunities and responsibilities that await me, and this blog will keep you up to date on how my year is going.

 Well, here it goes!

 Nobody was more invested in my becoming Face of Foothills than my mom—she may not be happy with me sharing this with the general public, but during the last round of voting, she logged a solid six, sometimes eight hours a day. She was so serious about making me the new Face that when I told her I hadn’t gotten my eyebrows waxed prior to the Top Ten interview (and that they were starting to look like overgrown caterpillars), she actually reprimanded me for not keeping up with my beauty routine. I suppose when you’ve put so much time and energy into someone else’s success, narrowly missing the grand prize because of a pair of bushy eyebrows is quite an upsetting thought. 

 Thankfully, the judges were able to see past my eyebrows (which I swear are impeccably groomed otherwise) and had enough confidence in me that I was “crowned” the new Face of Foothills 2013! I hadn’t felt nervous all night, until the moment right before the winner was announced.  The day leading up to the party had been packed full with sushi, make-up, photos, rehearsals, and Top Ten bonding, so there wasn’t much time to think about winning. I even managed to suppress butterflies while I walked down the runway—I was having too much fun to think about anything else (other than falling in the pool). 

 When Courtney announced me as the winner, I was surprised and excited and shocked…but I have to admit, I was not surprised to hear the crowd going crazy. My mom had come up from Tucson with a friend and my two roommates, who also happen to be my best friends, organized a giant carpool so I had a solid support team at the W that night. I felt incredibly loved throughout the whole competition, but at that moment, everything sort of washed over me and I realized just how lucky I am. Another plus of becoming FOF2013? My winning distracted my friends from Frankie Muniz. As far as I am aware, they spent much of the evening standing behind him and reminiscing about Agent Cody Banks and Big Fat Liar.

 That’s all I’ve got for now! You’ll hear from me next month, but in the meantime, follow me on Twitter (EmilyS_Glynn) and Instagram (emilysglynn)!

~Emily 

So, the Face of Foothills contest is well underway for the search to be the next me!! I have been glancing at a ton of the applicants, and boy! They are gorgeous! The winner will be able to sign with an agency too this year, and receive personalized jewelry!! So exciting, and my final push is that submissions end June 10^th.