Hi Alysia. (audience clapping)
I Hello.
admire what you do so much.
And how do you see the hope
and confidence that you instill into these girls?
Well, at Sister Cities,
we're all about empowering girls
by building singing communities
that really center their voices.
We've got choirs in Philly, in Baltimore, in Camden.
So we're all about inspiration
and using the power of stories
from our own communities to bolster us.
We performed at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center
but our favorite performances
are the ones for our family and friends right here at home.
And so this is about,
just using the power of community and connection
to build long lasting, empowering communities for girls,
and putting them at the center
of making change in our world.
First of all, I just want to say
that, the community you've built is so powerful
and you give back to these girls,
you give to the community.
Why does makeup give something to you?
Well, for me, like,
especially living in a Zoom box,
Uh huh. Yes, we've been
all living on Zoom.
When girls show up
for rehearsal on Saturday mornings kind of groggy,
the first thing they see is my face.
And I want to make sure
that they see me and they know I woke up early,
I prepared,
I'm excited to see them, right?
I got a little fancy and I am ready
and I've got something special planned for them.
And so that's how I think about preparing for choir.
I really hear that and,
okay.
Just tell me about your makeup area.
What's it like?
Well, my makeup area probably needs a little work.
This is the room where I get dressed in the morning
but my makeup is kind of like high up
on top of these shelves
and there's a full-length mirror of the side,
so I wind up doing a little bit of like dab-dab, color, lean
(speaking gibberish)
Okay, back, back just to kind of get things.
So it's not very well-organized,
but there's great lighting, which is nice.
Alysia, what I think you actually are, is quite organized
but I'm wishing there was more of like a vanity,
a beauty moment, a romance,
maybe get out of the utilitarian and functional
and really set yourself up in a spiritual way for beauty.
So I reached out to design expert
and very good friend of the show, Mikel.
And we actually have a whole new vanity
for you and Mikel is here right now.
(audience clapping) (Alysia laughs)
Hey.
Now, Alysia,
you look like a bit of a diva.
I know that makeup area
that you have right there is not how you want to live,
No, I want to feel diva-ish.
Yes, I do want to feel that. Yeah, look
I'm going to help you,
we're going to help you live your best life.
So let me show you a couple of changes
that we have here.
So, before we even talk about the makeup,
do you notice this wallpaper right here?
You have gray walls
and you don't look like a gray type of girl.
So we have given you some peel and stick wallpaper,
so you can plop it on the wall,
you get tired of it, you can change it out.
Now let's talk about that makeup area.
So, I think the biggest problem that you had was
that vertical challenge.
Too high. Exactly.
So what I've done is I've used a regular round mirror
and I've brought that down one inch below your makeup table.
Now I'm saying makeup table
because you didn't have that before
That frame. But now,
I've given you a desk
and with the desk, I know you're probably like,
A desk? Why would I use a desk?
Well, the great thing about a desk
is it actually has storage.
Drew, can you grab this side over here?
Absolutely.
So with the desk,
we now have storage
and it doesn't stop there.
We've also got like I'm a New Yorker.
So it's all about, like we need to take advantage
of our vertical space.
We're always trying to stack things.
So the same thing with your makeup organizers.
Just kind of getting things up off of the table
and for you getting up off the wall.
Yeah. So we walk around.
And there's like some stuff you want to see
and some stuff you don't.
Exactly, exactly.
And I think the key to this
and you know sitting in your dressing room,
lighting is key.
Now, Alysia, I know you don't have the big,
diva lights that we would have in a studio
but you can create that illusion by adding sconces
to the side of your mirror and just like that, honey
you can feel like Beyonce.
Yeah. Oh, that is very,
yes, that's divalicious right there.
I love what Mikel did.
I don't think this is a design by Drew.
This is straight up a design by Mikel.
And when I got like the renderings
I was about to like get involved and I was like,
I'm not getting involved in any of this.
This is so perfect.
Mikel just nailed it.
Thank you. Alysia,
do you like it, are you happy?
I absolutely love it.
Pink is my favorite color.
And what I like about it is that,
those metallic touches,
I love the flora, but with
the dark pattern in the background to add an adult vibe,
it's kind of sexy
and it's beautiful.
Oh, I love it.
I absolutely love it.
Mikel you're amazing. Thank you.
Alysia, we're going to send all of this to you.
It's going to get installed.
It's going to be done, all taken care for you
as you take care of everyone else.
And I want you to go to our website to learn more
about Sister Cities Girlchoir.
This has been marvelous.
Thank you so much,
I can't wait, I can't wait.
Thank you. Thank you to Mikel.
Thank you.
(upbeat music)