Channel Title: Crystal Clues Channel Description: I'm a Miami based video producer and head of post at Little Dot Studios. Former Miss California and 1st Runner Up to Miss America here to be your virtual pageant coach. <video> 15 Weird Things I Do To Stay Skinny And Other Lifestyle Confessions From a Retired Pageant Winner Description: This is part 3 of a 3-part series on health and wellness. I'm bringing us home with some admittedly odd habits I have developed over the years, but they haven't failed me yet! </video> <video> Finding My Ines Di Santo-Inspired Berta Wedding Dress | Bridal Galleria, Glamour Closet, Nordstrom Description: In this video, I'm laying out my entire wedding dress journey, including what I tried on at every. single. stop. I went to locations in the SF Bay Area and greater DC area. In the end, my pageant mom Mary helped me take my favorite parts of different dresses to make a custom made train on a Berta gown. It's actually pretty easy to recreate almost anything with the right seamstress and fabrics. </video> <video> Ways To Impress Your GF/BF's Chinese Parents While Dining In A Chinese Restaurant (& Etiquette Tips) Description: Chinese cultural norms can be confusing for Westerners. How should you dress? Can you serve others using your own chopsticks? Who pours who tea? Who pays? In this video geared towards a non-Chinese audience, I breakdown what to do during a traditional meal to leave a positive impression on Chinese parents - most applicably those who are first-gen, born in Asia. </video> <video> My Personal Story of Body Image, Weight Gain/Loss, And I What I Do To Stay In Shape Without Dieting Description: This is part 2 of a 3-part series talking all about diet and lifestyle. This video focuses in on my personal journey dealing with body image, weight, and my overall mentality towards nutrition and health. If you'd like to tour my fridge head over to 10:35. Much love to each and every one of you watching! </video> <video> Strategies For Being An Engaging Conversationalist IRL, On the Phone, & Other Interpersonal Skills Description: The best gift competing in pageants gave me was the skill of being able to connect with people from all backgrounds, all walks of life, and at any time and place. This video distills some of the techniques that I've found works really well! The ability to engage others comes in handy from everything to finding a job and making contacts in a new city, to being just a happier more connected version of yourself (something I've applied especially lately since due to the COVID lockdowns in California, I haven't been to go to any get togethers so I've found myself chatting up grocery store staff, the mailman, and my neighbors a lot more!) Special thanks to deerclaudia and Edie for making video topics requests that inspired me to make this video! </video> <video> Dyson Airwrap v. Dupe On Straight Hair | Automatic Curler Side-by-Side Comparison & Honest Reaction Description: How does the $50 Airwrap dupe from Ali Express compare to the real thing? Peep my video to find out :) </video> <video> A Professional Pageant Coach's Overview Of Different Pageant Systems And How To Choose The Right One Description: Kari Volen was my executive director who helped me become 1st runner up in Miss California. She runs a thriving pageant coaching business (www.pageantcoachinganddesigns.org) and is deeply knowledgeable of several systems. I contacted her over Zoom to share overview of some of the different systems out there and how to choose the right one. I only ever competed in one program ( *sad face*) and I honestly wish I could have known about these other programs earlier. The next best thing though is I can at least live vicariously through you! I'm glad I can a video like this in hope that you can take advantage of all the incredible opportunities in front of you. Go get 'em ladies! </video> <video> How To Nail Your Onstage Question And Give Good Pageant Answers While On-The-Spot, Under Pressure Description: When I was 22 years old, I was a Top 5 finalist at the Miss America pageant. On national TV, I was unexpectedly asked about whether the United States ought to intervene in the Syrian conflict. Those 18 seconds made the difference between whether my legacy was going to be "Miss California is an embarrassment" or "Miss California knows her stuff." (Thankfully, the ball landed towards the latter: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/hunterschwarz/miss-californias-answer-about-syria-vs-obamas) Perhaps the most critical phase of competition that separates the winner from her finalists is the all-revealing Final Question And Answer category. This area can be difficult to prepare for, especially if extemporaneous public speaking is not your forte. But the good news is that the best answers have a few simple qualities in common. They're not rocket science, and it's all 100% coachable...even self-coachable! If you practice with these areas in mind, you will be able to handle any question or situation thrown your way. Good luck! </video> <video> How To Do A Runway v. Pageant Walk | Catwalk & Ramp Walk Beginner Basics For High Fashion Modeling Description: In this video I cover the key differences in how to walk for a pageant versus in a high fashion runway. In this tutorial I demonstrate the primary differences and the choices you'll have to make as a model, whether it be in your facial expression, positioning of you arms and legs, how long you hold your poses, etc. </video> <video> 30 Social Interpersonal Tips & Tricks For Becoming More Likable, Approachable, Charismatic, Magnetic Description: Strong interpersonal skills help you connect with others, grow a positive reputation, and ultimately help you persuade and influence those around you in a meaningful way. Years of pageant training have helped me test and hone many of the tips I share in this video, as well as observing the most charismatic and likable people I know in social settings. If you're already socially gifted and have high EQ (emotional intelligence), many of these tips will be things you do naturally. But for the rest of us, here's a summary of new ways to become a better socializer and communicator. What do you think is the most valuable tip in this video? Let me know in the comments below! </video> <video> Proper Arm + Hand Movement Onstage: Body Posture Basics & Top 5 Common Arm Problems And Their Fixes Description: Hello my lovelies! Here's a video covering a tutorial on how to accomplish proper arm movements for your pageant walk. Special thanks to Edie and Falguni Khatri for making this request. 05:25 - Demo of the Top 5 Most Common Arm Issues and How to Fix Them Follow me on Instagram: @crystalclues </video> <video> Pageant Styling For Interview, Evening Gown, & Fun Fashion | Colors, Fabrics, Cuts, Trends Teen/Miss Description: Wardrobe is a huge part of competition even if it's not explicitly judged. In this interview with Kari Volen of Pageant Coaching and Designs, we go over every phase of competition and how to look age-appropriate and on-trend. Kari has over two decades of experience in pageants from multiple vantage points as a contestant, judge, producer, director, and coach. It's worth noting however that every organization is different so there will be slight variations according to "the look" of that system. But Kari's guidance in this video is a terrific starting point for all programs. </video> <video> Pageant Headshots, Portraits, & Close-Ups | How To Maximize Your In-Studio Glam Photography Session Description: In this video all about pageant headshots, I discuss my top tips and tricks for getting the most out of a headshot session. For maximum retouching capability, Adobe Photoshop is the gold standard and always worth learning. But that program has a lot of features and doesn't have the easiest learning curve because it is designed more for professional use. But if you're up for a challenge, that's the best program to use because you have a lot of more granularity and control. If you prefer something a little lighter, here are additional resources for how to retouch your own photos and modify color. As a titleholder, you're in charge of your own branding and content strategy so I highly recommend you download different photo editing apps and learn to use them. Snapseed is my personal favorite. IOS: Color Blast (https://apps.apple.com/app/colorblast/id380588086) Android: Change Color ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.inglesdivino.changecolor&hl=en_US&gl=US) If you look up "color change" in your respective device's app store, a bunch of different apps come up. Other examples: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/lightx-photo-editor-retouch/id1400740705 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/color-pop/id1437605303 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/color-pop-effects-photo-editor/id940508574 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/color-change-r-recolor-pop/id1146054512 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/change-color-of-photos/id1280712659 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/photo-splash-photo-editor/id417582128 Have fun trying them out and please leave a comment with the one that works best for you! </video> <video> How To Lose Weight For A Pageant The Healthy Way & Tried-And-True Techniques For Staying Slim Description: This is part 1 of a 3-part series talking about one of the most important topics related to pageants: developing and keeping your figure. </video> <video> What All Brides Need To Know Before Wedding Gown Shopping | Key Learnings, Tips, And Takeaways Description: If I could re-do bridal gown shopping, I would certainly go back in time and do a few things differently (like starting earlier, you knucklehead, Crystal!) If you're about to get married, these tips will save you a few headaches and make the process more efficient and fun. </video>

Contacts and Links

Description

I'm a Miami based video producer and head of post at Little Dot Studios. Former Miss California and 1st Runner Up to Miss America here to be your virtual pageant coach.

Videos from channel