APMAs: Awards Show Style, Hair & Behind the Scenes
I promised an APMAs recap, and you’re gonna get an APMAs recap! When I think Cleveland, I don’t necessarily think glitz & glam. But it totally makes sense that Alternative Press Magazine would hold their annual awards show in the city that is home to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!
I was so excited when I heard that Tony & his band Pierce the Veil were not only playing the awards show, but also nominated for a few awards! I was equally excited when I found out that all of the ladies of PTV would be going! I love a good excuse to get dressed up and hang with the girls! It’s also a ton of fun getting to reconnect with old friends and people who you don’t get to see unless a tour rolls through town!
Picking an outfit for an awards show was tricky. It’s that fine line of: I want to look dressy, but not too dress. Sassy, but not too sassy. Comfortable, but not too comfortable. I remember struggling to find semi-formal dresses when I was in high school for the prom and other dances. You try on like a million things and it’s totally draining. Luckily, I found the perfect dress after browsing Revolve for about 10 minutes! I am obsessed with their collection of dresses from NBD because they’re all super chic and simple (without being boring).
Anyways, we landed in Cleveland and got to our hotel pretty late. We stayed at the Westin Cleveland Downtown, which I highly recommend if you’re ever in town. First of all, 24 hour room service. I can’t complain about that. Be sure to order the cheeseburger, you won’t be disappointed. Oddly enough, the restaurant attached to the hotel is one of my favorites in the country! Be sure to check out Urban Farmer, even if you’re not staying at the hotel. They have an ammmmazing cheese plate & their breakfast menu is killer.
The next day, the guys had to rehearse for the show and we just walked around town a bit. I finally got to try Barrio, a taco shop that is really popular in downtown Cleveland. FYI they’re open until 2 AM in case you want a late night snack!
Hair & Makeup Details
When the day of the awards show came, I was surprised by how mellow it was. I did my own hair and makeup and it took me about 45 minutes max! I kept it pretty simple with my hair and used extensions to add volume to my ponytail and just a few products! The key is to make sure to use texturizing spray & dry shampoo! Here’s a breakdown of what I used:
Face:
MAYBELLINE FACESTUDIO MASTER PRIME BLUR + SMOOTH PRIMER (only $10)
MAKE UP FOR EVER ULTRA HD INVISIBLE COVER STICK FOUNDATION
MAKE UP FOR EVER PRO FINISH MULTI-USE POWDER FOUNDATION
Blush, Contour & Highlighter:
BECCA X CHRISSY TEIGEN GLOW FACE PALETTE
Eyes:
URBAN DECAY MOONIEST EYESHADOW (DIAMOND DOG)
TARTE TARTELETTE IN BLOOM CLAY EYE SHADOW PALETTE
ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS ‘BROW WIZ’ MECHANICAL BROW PENCIL (BROWN)
Lips:
URBAN DECAY VICE LIPSTICK
BURT’S BEES LIP BALM – WILD CHERRY
Hair Extensions:
BELLAMI HAIR EXTENSIONS (20″ DARK BROWN)
DRYBAR ‘DETOX’ DRY SHAMPOO
ORIBE WOMEN’S DRY TEXTURIZING SPRAY
Outfit Details
I kept things pretty simple for the show. I normally only wear black, so wearing a red dress was a little outside of my comfort zone. My NBD x NAVEN TWINS Don’t Cross Me Dress was a size small for those asking for a size reference. I also love THESE red dresses from Revolve. If you’re on a budget, Missguided also has some great options HERE.
I fell in love with my studded heels from Steve Madden. I also fell in love with the fact that they were on sale for only $69!
Accessories can make or break an outfit, so I kept it simple. I stuck with my favorite All Saints Jacket, stackable rhinestone rings from Urban Outfitters & a cute gold clutch from Rebecca Minkoff!
The Show
We had to get to the show crazy early. When you see an Awards Show on TV, you don’t see all of the behind the scenes stuff that takes most of the time. After we made it into the venue, the guys had to do a ton of press, so we hung out below the venue in a dressing room for a few hours. It was fun getting to hang out with the ladies and catch up with other girlfriends.
For the show, we had seats up in the balcony. It was kind of annoying because there were so many people walking around and standing in the way. I was able to catch a few performances by ONE OK ROCK and one of my all time favorite’s Something Corporate/Jack’s Mannequin. It was also so awesome getting to see PTV perform. You can watch their performances HERE & HERE!
The highlight of the night definitely had to be watching them win Album of the Year. When you see how hard the people you care about work towards something, it’s always really exciting (and a little emotional) seeing them recognized.
After that, the show was over! We headed to an after party at the House of Blues & hung out with old friends for a few more hours. Just like that, the night was over & I turned into a pumpkin. It was definitely an action packed few days that flew by quickly. Hope you guys enjoyed a little inside look at the APMAs!
