It's a new episode of Hey, Beautiful, and Gia chats (via Zoom) with Anna Cordaro, a hairstylist and makeup artist who got her start in Northeast Pennsylvania before relocating to the Sacramento area. As owner and educator at Coyote Beauty, Anna offers expert beauty services including bridal, balayage, blowouts and more and also works to inspire confidence in her fellow stylists behind the chair through her role as a brand influencer for Eleven Australia and her new IGTV series, Coyote Confidence. Gia talks with Anna about her near decade of industry experience, her love for her home region, her passion for education and why now is the best time to seize a career in beauty. Anna also spilled her favorite products and some pro secrets to optimize your routine.For all of the people, places or products mentioned in this episode, check out the blog post on accessNEPA.com. Crave more beauty content?Twitter: @gmazurTTInstagram: @miss.gia.mEmail: gmazur@timesshamrock.comWebsite: accessnepa.com  

Hey, Beautiful

Episode 9: Wild, wild west with Anna Cordaro

Gia's back with her first male guest! Northeast Pennsylvania native Michael McIlwee is a dancer and actor now living in New York City. He's trained at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and the New School University in NYC and Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. He's also performed all over the country and world. (Though, you may know him from the viral video, "T-Rex does 'A Chorus Line.'") The two chat about his career in the entertainment industry and making his own way in the Big Apple as well as self-care during COVID-19. Michael and Gia also talk about touring and auditions, skin care mistakes in their 20s, the perfect pomade, how to fake a full night's sleep and why men shouldn't be afraid to take care of themselves.Crave more beauty content?Twitter: @gmazurTTInstagram: @miss.gia.mEmail: gmazur@timesshamrock.comWebsite: accessnepa.com  

Episode 8: How to wash NYC off your face with Michael McIlwee

Gia is back, recording this special episode from home and joined (via Zoom!) by Alycia James, owner of the Color Bar Salon in downtown Scranton, and Alicia Mecca, hairstylist at the Color Bar. The three chat about the impact the coronavirus has had on individuals in the personal care industry, as well as how the stylists stayed engaged with clients during quarantine. They go over the safety precautions they’re taking and what clients can expect when salons reopen. Alycia and Alicia also talk about their journeys into the beauty industry, the comfortable, creative atmosphere of the Color Bar and their must-have products. Before and after the interview, Gia gives a little reminder about the importance of patience while dealing with our new normal and why we must take time for ourselves, especially now.  ***Just a note that this episode was recorded before Gov. Tom Wolf announced Lackawanna County would enter the green phase on Friday, June 26.*** Crave more beauty content?Twitter: @gmazurTTInstagram: @miss.gia.mEmail: gmazur@timesshamrock.comWebsite: accessnepa.com  

Episode 7: Going green (phase) with Alycia James and Alicia Mecca

Welcome to 2020 and welcome back to another year of Hey, Beautiful! Gia chats with reporter, copy editor, Access NEPA content editor, pod producer and fellow beauty lover Caitlin Heaney West about their favorite skin care and makeup products of 2019. The two also share their beauty resolutions for the new year. Plus, they discuss how to shop smarter, when to toss your old products and the way beauty is paramount to self-care. Crave more beauty content?Twitter: @gmazurTTInstagram: @miss.gia.mEmail: gmazur@timesshamrock.comWebsite: accessnepa.com

Episode 6: To all the products we've loved before with Caitlin Heaney West

It's been a while but Hey, Beautiful is back! Today Gia chats with hairstylist, makeup artist and all-around beauty connoisseur Koni Bennett, who splits her time between working with big names in New York City to her clients in Scranton, where she also owns one of the only salons in the area that caters to multiethnic hair: Vanity, A Boutique Salon. They chat about Koni's grind to break into the industry, working with big names in beauty and making those in her hometown look as good as they feel. Koni also details her favorite products while on the go, the power of karma and why it's important to follow your passion.Crave more beauty content?Twitter: @gmazurTTInstagram: @miss.gia.mEmail: gmazur@timesshamrock.comWebsite: accessnepa.com 

Episode 5: A beautiful life with Koni Bennett

Ashley Matthews is boudoir photographer and the owner of Simply Lush Portrait Boutique in Plains Twp., where she makes the women in front of her camera look and feel better in their own skin. Ashley talks her beginnings as a lifestyle and wedding photographer, quitting her full-time  “day job” to pursue her passion and the importance of being true to yourself. Ashley and Gia also chat about body positivity, self-love and why everyone should try a boudoir session. Crave more beauty content?Twitter: @gmazurTTInstagram: @miss.gia.mEmail: gmazur@timesshamrock.comWebsite: accessnepa.com  

Episode 4: Soul meets body with Ashley Matthews

Hairstylist by day, pro wrestler by night, Brianna Spindler (also known by her ring name Adena Steele) is in the studio. Gia will chat with Brianna about her work as a hairstylist, as well as her move into wrestling and how her two worlds collide. Brianna explains her in-ring look, her main products to achieve it and how she's mastered the art of getting ready in a tiny public bathroom. The two also discuss how beauty remains an integral part of pro wrestling and why your outward appearance should always match how you feel inside.Crave more beauty content?Twitter: @gmazurTTInstagram: @miss.gia.mEmail: gmazur@timesshamrock.comWebsite: accessnepa.com

Episode 3: The beauty of pro wrestling with Brianna Spindler aka Adena Steele

Gia's back in the studio with Keiera Kisel, makeup artist and Lancôme boutique manager with Ulta Beauty. She talks about her beauty beginnings (re: all the blue mascara), the differences between working in retail and with private clients and how the "Instagram face" shaped our beauty expectations. Keiera also shares what everyone should know before they get an in-store makeover or hire an MUA and the products in her kit she reaches for the most.Crave more beauty content?Twitter: @gmazurTTInstagram: @miss.gia.mEmail: gmazur@timesshamrock.comWebsite: accessnepa.com

Episode 2: Makeup artist secrets with Keiera Kisel

It’s our first official episode. Beauty entrepreneur Carrie Thorne is in the studio to talk clean makeup and skin care, and non-invasive procedures such as eyelash lifts, sub-zero facials and slimming treatments at her store, the Beauty Mark Boutique in downtown Scranton. She also drops an exclusive about her brand, Sexy Stems, a line of organic sunless tan products for legs, and we get real about why beauty is a form of self-care.Crave more beauty content?Twitter: @gmazurTTInstagram: @miss.gia.mEmail: gmazur@timesshamrock.comWebsite: accessnepa.com

Episode 1: Clean beauty with Carrie Thorne

My name is Gia and I’m a staff writer for the Lifestyles department of The Times-Tribune. I’m a complete beauty obsessive and this podcast will serve as an audio companion to the Hey, Beautiful blog. Get to know me and why beauty is more than skin-deep.Crave more beauty content?Twitter: @gmazurTTInstagram: @miss.gia.mEmail: gmazur@timesshamrock.comWebsite: accessnepa.com

Introduction

My name is Gia and I’m a staff writer for the Lifestyles Department of The Times-Tribune. I’m a complete beauty obsessive and this podcast will serve as an audio companion to the Hey, Beautiful blog. Get to know me and why beauty is more than skin-deep.