Although Allen stressed to me several times that beauty pageants are about natural beauty and being the "best you possible," she also shared with me some tricks of the trade that didn't feel quite so genuine. Some of her best nuggets of advice:
•When sporting a swimsuit, always wear a panty liner to prevent the dreaded camel toe. This is probably not advice you should heed if you're actually going to go swimming in your swimsuit.
•It's perfectly legal -- and encouraged -- to use enough padding to boost your bust by at least a cup size. Soooo ... in real life? Acceptable?

And, when it came time for Allen to give me a lesson in hair and makeup, I was hardly recognizable at the end. I guess you could say the look was "natural" in that it played up my features, but I'd honestly never worn so much makeup in my entire life. This is coming from a dancer whose had "stage makeup" thrust upon me since I was three. This was a new level of lip liner.

After foundation came contouring, contouring and more contouring. My eyebrows were drawn on and extended out. My lip liner, brought far below my natural lip line to make my lips appear larger and fuller, made me look like I'd had a run-in with Restylane.

After about an hour of hair and makeup, Allen told me that most girls have about 30 minutes backstage to do their own. Later that night I tried to recreate the same look in 30 minutes and deemed it impossible. In 30 minutes I accomplished foundation application (no contouring), one layer of eyeshadow (no shading), mascara (no falsies) and lip gloss (yes, no liner). These women have serious skills. And I work in beauty for a living.

Still, even though I wouldn't wear this face full of makeup on a normal day (or, probably, any day), I did pick up several hints to add to my own beauty routine:
•If you're going to be photographed or under harsh lighting, skip mineral makeup and products that have SPF (we only suggest forgoing SPF for an evening out). That way, you'll avoid that ghostly shine that makes you appear paler in photos.
•To get a wide-eyed gaze, skip the hooded look of downward cast false lashes. Instead, apply false lashes upward, placing the glue slightly more to the top of the adhesive strip rather than the side of the strip.

When it comes to walking and posing for a pageant, "Miss Universe is like the Victoria's Secret runway walk of pageants," says Allen. If you've seen Miss USA, Erin Brady's, patriotic transformer costume (see it here), you'll understand the comparison. Walking is about more than just being able to handle yourself in a pair of stilettos. According to Allen, walking and posing are about projecting confidence -- standing with shoulders back, speaking confidently and showing your personality.

Finally, this was something I could get on board with! I wear heels everyday and unabashedly love the spotlight (the dancer background again). I also like to think I'd be able to answer the questions judges throw at contestants (I have opinions coming out my ears), but I think even the most educated women can get thrown under pressure and sadly, end up a YouTube sensation.

It sounds corny, but by the end of my day with Holly, most of my preconceived notions of backstabbing, ditzy, world-peace-spouting, "Miss Congeniality" pageant queens couldn't be further from the truth. These women wake up at 4 a.m., volunteer in their communities and study politics and current events because they have one quality in immense proportions: Drive. "People always think the girls must be catty after spending long hours together in a competitive environment, but it's not like that at all," says Allen. "Everyone is really just there to better themselves." But while that's all well and good, I stand by my doubts. While I don't personally have the patience (or the $10,000-$30,000 extra dollars to spend on entry fees, wardrobe and coaching) for this particular kind of self-betterment, I can see what draws women to this particular industry. It is glamorous. And while I do have a better appreciation for what these women go through to win the crown, it still seems like the time and energy would be better put to use actually working toward a cause or advocating for a social platform -- because you don't need a diamond crown (or a pound of makeup) to create change.