Birmingham Archives - Inspired Southerner

Alabama Entrepreneur giving away 300 book bags to students

July 3, 2019 By Kara Kennedy

Inspired Southerner TC Counseling — Tammy Cauthen is making a difference in Birmingham.

Tammy Cauthen, entrepreneur and owner of TC Counseling, has a passion for transforming individuals and families by helping them make the necessary changes to enhance their quality of life. To help families start the new school year right, TC Counseling is giving away 300 book bags to students during their first-ever back-to-school Carnival on July 13.

Giving Back to the Community

Tammy recognized that some students in the Birmingham, Alabama area may not have the supplies necessary to start off the new school year on the right foot, so she came up with the idea to ensure students are prepared for their classes when the bell rings on Aug. 8.

Unfortunately, some parents can’t afford the basic supplies for their kids to go back to school which presents an undue burden on them. It also can take a toll on their children.

“We want to take the pressure off of parents, so we’re hosting this Back-to-School carnival on July 13 so families who may need a little help can get a running start into the new year,” said Tammy Cauthen, owner of TC Counseling. “We want every child to be prepared so that they can focus on and feel enthusiastic about learning.”

Inspired Southerner — TC Counseling is hosting first-ever back-to-school carnival

Back to School Carnival

This fun back-to-school carnival will be held at the Shields Conference Center at W.C. Patton Park in downtown Birmingham from 12-4 pm. It will feature carnival rides, a gaming truck with Laser Tag, XBOX, Playstation Nintendo and other video games, food, educational and safety programming.

In addition, and the best part of all, families will leave with brand-new school supplies and book bags. Parents who want a book bag must register at noon the day of the event to be eligible.

Company Mission

The mission of TC Counseling is to make an impact on the community by engaging with individuals and families through community outreach. The company also partners with other Birmingham-area companies to host events. For this event, in particular, she is seeking donations of supplies or money from those who may want to donate to the event or companies who may want to partner with TC Counseling.

“I hope to make this an annual event to celebrate families before they start the new school year,” Tammy added.

If you would like to make a donation or more information about the Back-to-School Carnival visit TC Counseling’s website or call (205) 601-6195.

In addition to the back-to-school event, TC Counseling hosts an annual luncheon for Jefferson County social workers.

Alabama singer-songwriter Alvin Garrett celebrates the release of his new album ‘This Hill’ on June 7

June 3, 2019 By Kara Kennedy

Alabama makeup artist turns childhood dream into a rewarding career

February 7, 2019 By Kara Kennedy

Aware Cosmetics, Inspired Southerner — Jestina Howard is founder of Aware Cosmetics and a well-sought after makeup artist.

In elementary school Jestina Howard used to do her classmates’ makeup in the bathroom in exchange for snacks. It was pretty lucrative for her, exchanging snacks for doing makeup, until she got in trouble for it. Later when she was in her 20s this childhood business led to a professional career as a makeup artist. That’s when she was invited to do makeup for a photoshoot.

“My friend asked me to do the makeup for the models for a magazine photoshoot,” said Jestina Howard, Founder of Aware Cosmetics and Makeup Services. “After that shoot, I was referred to others to do makeup for companies throughout the Southeast.”

Jestina created her own makeup line after a client suggested it to her. “When a client mentioned that I should develop my own line, a light bulb went off. I started researching how to make it happen,” she added. Now she has a full line of makeup she uses on her clients to enhance their look.

Celebrity Makeup

Prior to creating Aware Cosmetics, Jestina worked as a full time makeup artist for M.A.C. Cosmetics after they launched at Parisian at the Riverchase Galleria in Birmingham, Alabama. She also was the staff makeup artist and manager of Deborah Stone Day Spa in the Collonnade.

She has had many opportunities during her career to do makeup for dignitaries, models, celebrities and corporate power players. Her portfolio includes doing makeup for SpikeTV, Nike and The Food Network.

She also has done makeup for CBS Sports anchors and Richard Petty during a Talladega race. A few of her other famous clients include: Coach Nick Saban, baseball great Willie Mays, actress America Fererra, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, musician NeYo, fashion designer Sigrid Olsen, model Emme and actress Nicole Ari Parker.

Inspired Southerner Aware Cosmetics — Jestina donates a portion of her sales to the American Lung Association.

Working Creatively

Now she not only spends time doing makeup, but also taps into other creative passions in fashion and event planning. Exploring other passions makes her feel fulfilled. She also volunteers her time by serving on several boards within the Birmingham community.

One of those events is on Sunday, Feb. 10 where Aware Cosmetics is sponsoring Glow App’s New Year New Year Makeup Lesson event at Innovation Depot. This app helps supports achieving excellence through beauty. Jestina also is sponsoring the You Can Get the Business event that focuses on the makeup industry on March 3 at Birmingham’s Creed Co-Working Space.

“To me beauty and fashion go hand-in-hand. As a makeup artist, working in fashion allows me to have an impact on the latest beauty trends, locally,” she added.

Aware Cosmetics has a wide-range of foundation, eyeshadow, blush and lip color options available. Jestina’s favorite product is the Runway Lip Glosses because of their staying power.

Aware Cosmetics Inspired Southerner red lipstick. — One trend for spring is red lips and minimal makeup.

2019 Makeup and Color Trends

According to Jestina, effortless glamour will replace the heavy looks seen on Instagram. Other makeup trends include smoky eyes, red lips, berry stained lips, coral eyes, cheeks and lips. Another big trend will be polished skin with bold pops of color and neutral tones in tans and taupes.

Inspired Southerner Aware Cosmetics invest in good makeup — Investing in good makeup will give you a richer pigment with more staying power.

Why Invest in Good Makeup?

Jestina states that investing in a good set of brushes is key to having a flawless look. A good brush set will last 10 years if stored properly. She also recommends investing in a more expensive makeup line also will give your more pigment and staying power.

Life’s Inspiration

Jestina gets color inspiration from flowers that bloom in the spring and from leaves that change colors in the fall. Artists use many colors creating their artwork Jestina finds inspiration in Italian, Dutch, African, Native American and Asian contemporary art.

Another passion she has, is advocating to bring awareness about lung disease for the American Lung Association in Alabama. In fact, she donates a portion of her cosmetic sales every year to the organization.

“I have family members who suffer from lung disease and asthma,” she said. “That’s why I give a percentage of my annual sales to the American Lung Association for education and research.”

All photos are by Kassady Gibson, Focus Creative. Special thanks to Ellen Hart for modeling.

Partner Content

Focaccia Bread For Days

April 11, 2018 By Jennifer Daniel

Just bake this one pan, and you’re set for the week. The whole process takes about 24 hours, but it’s easy and makes your kitchen smell like bread heaven.

Inspiring Violins of Hope events come to Birmingham, Alabama to spread messages of hope

April 9, 2018 By Kara Kennedy

Violins of Hope Inspired Southerner — Photo courtesy of Violins of Hope Project

I heard about the Violins of Hope about a year ago, but it wasn’t until I attended a presentation about the project two weeks ago, that I fully understood the significance it. The culmination of all of the work to bring Violins of Hope to Birmingham comes together this week when four days of concerts, educational programs and interfaith dialogue surrounding historic violins played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust. Yesterday, I got a glimpse of the events when I attended Karim Shamsi-Basha’s Hope, Harmony and History exhibit at the Levite JCC of Birmingham. [Read more…] about Inspiring Violins of Hope events come to Birmingham, Alabama to spread messages of hope