BougieAF Gift Guide for 2019

What a year it’s been. I launched my own luxury scented product line, inspired by Elle, Whiskey & Woof.  Thanks to Elle, Soho House and my friends who invite me to great events, we remain fabulous during the bootstrapping. 

We’re two weeks away from Christmas. Whether you celebrate it or not, self care is handled as well for all those times when you have to travel near and far. Still overwhelmed? Salvation is a few clicks away and it will cover your entire list. Covered are beauty, pet, home, of course candles. 

Let’s start with scent because it sets the mood more than any other element for a fabulous soiree or night of self care.

CANDLES 

Tis the season for Hedonists and unreason. Embrace your animal instincts, flirt with everyone including yourself and get in the mood with No. 8 Hedonist, whiskey & leather never smelled better. Oh, so clever, you’d like to walk out the door wearing a leather scent, well darlings that would be our No. 5 Captivate, essential oils of leather and amber combined with coconut oil makes you hell bent for your own damn self.

Why hello there

Oh, you want a more traditional whiskey by the fire with holiday cheer atmosphere? None could be better than the No. 12 Bon Vivant. A tree to one side, the fire to the other, you are the life of the party, a little holiday glow in your cheeks, such is the Bon Vivant.

No. 12 Bon Vivant is our Whiskey By The Fire party scent

Never have you ever? Well, self promotion darlings, it’s a necessity in this social media age, but I have one more holiday scent for those of you not allowed to play with matches before we move along to other brands. Our need reed diffusers’ popularity even took me by surprise. The No. 10 Connoisseur (fun party trick to try to spell this after some champagne, but also please do not imbibe this wonderful smelling brandied pear mixture), only wants the best in life, and this is it. It slowly captures your senses without ever overwhelming them. Keep those naughty smells at bay, to keep the beautiful ones present at your soirees.

“I don’t know poo,” and you don’t have to with this delicious reed diffuser.

Have you had enough yet? Then it’s time to talk beauty and nothing is more essential to that than water, charcoal pills and face masks. We don’t know about botox with our blessed Asian genetics.

BEAUTY:

Masks:
Kiehls:  Instant Renewal Concentrate Mask banish any dark bags in minutes. Place the mask in the fridge for fifteen minutes. There’s a top and bottom half, which feels silky on your skin. 

One is $9 but go for the 4 pack for $32 so you can spread the love and have a little refresher with your family. 

Malin + Goetz Detox Face Mask bottle is $46

Good to hydrate your skin. If you prefer a foamy mask, this one is so delightful. Senstive skin types will love this one because it’s gentle. 

The Ordinary: The Blood Mask

What? Why would I do that? Yes, it’s freaking intense. But your skin. Oh baby, it feels like a baby’s soft lotioned skin afterwards. For me, it stings a bit. If you are sensitive this may not be the one for you but if you can handle a bit of sting for a big payoff, at only $7.20 this mask from The Ordinary is worth adding to your arsenal to face those high-definition photoshoots. 

GLOSSIER: Face Conditioning

C:
You didn’t think a bougie palace would go without baby soft skin? Following a sample, I immediately felt my face was ridiculously good looking. Zoolander should be so lucky as to nab the Milky Jelly Cleanser for a large container is $18 and it does the trick.

There are all sorts of bundled deals on the website, free shipping for $30, free product at a $60 spend. Glossier, really, really wants you to like them- and I do. Boy Brow FTW.

HOME:

DOGS: As Elle approaches a decade on this planet, lifting her on and off the couch can be a lengthy game. I trained her as a puppy to wait for me to do that for her after researching hip dysplasia as a common Frenchie ailment. A big of elegance goes a long way, and helps your furbabes stay safe, while giving them a little independance at home. I love the ramp as a smoother transition. Shop it here on sale for 21% off:

Who says pet crates have to be ugly? Modern design and the proliferation of modern dog owners means, better looking crates that are seamless with your decor. This white onewill go adds a bit of elegance when styled. 

 

COUCH: Though Pantone has selected Classic Blue as the color of the year, I’m sticking with my fondness for lush pinks. A little touch of pink reminds a lady her palace is bougie. So, naturally you need a throne, aka a couch, or lounger to reflect such notions.

Now my darlings, no need to be basic, but you comfortable and fabulous. Here’s my selections of two different thrones, including the one we own.

 

 

 

Our Couch:

On sale 50% off from $1350 to $603.99

A dream that can easily be decorated to match your personal style. I love feeling boujeeAF on this lush pink slice of heaven.

 

 

GWYNETH WOULD APPROVE:

The chic light pink couch reminds me of the CB2 and goop collab pink couch ($1999.00). Old Hollywood Glamour, with enough space to eat bon bons and decorate with a cashmere throw and a pillows for your beloved furbaby. It’s elegant enough to impress guests and it’s flirty. I love a flirty piece of furniture. 

 

It’s currently $939.99 vs $999.99

RUG: Shag Rugs are the absolute most luxe feeling to walk across. Elle has spent a lot of time on our rugs over even her Casper Bed.

When many visitors, including her boyfriend Gaston, and our little London Supermodel Activist, Dolly Pawton have visited, it’s their favorite spot to roll around and feel the lush
rug on their fur. 

Now that you’ve indulged in throwing bills in the air, while you roll around on the rug, it’s time to think about what, if anything you’d be wearing. Saucy minx!

(*Definitely not chic to wear a mink.)

 

 JEWELRY:

Bling It On Vehement Supply: How could one fair, without a little flair? Holidays demand a little bling. I was served a bling ad for Vehements and the style was named Elle. Oh, you know, I couldn’t resist this description?: Our Elle necklace is all about sophistication. You’re shining on the inside, let us help you glow from the outside. 

I had to order this little gem on special for Black Friday. And, wouldn’t you know they had a wonderful appreciation for my connection to the name and thus included that they donated to Best Friends Animal Society. Weep! How great is that? They even included a bracelet to match gratis for me since I’d been chatting them up so much. Sadly, I lost it during my epic time at the Pernod-Richard Christmas Party. Oh dear. Too much fabulous company, photos, monogrammed stockings and, of course, champagne. It was my fault, the clasp slides into one another, then you lock from either side. It’s nearly impossible to come off and the Elle necklace has not once come off my neck since I placed it there last week. It’s perfect for every day or to amp up your NYE style. While the gold plated starting at $65 for 18″, the Georgette gold chain is $45 and bracelets for $40.

20% off using code: holiday20 so get on that before the bling disappears.

Sporty Bracelet from FATHOM
I love anything with a little fisherman or outdoorsy feel to it. A lot of Californians are going to be fond of this brand Fathom. It’s so easy to adjust at the knot. And it’s perfect for those matching details when you put on an outfit. Mine is the red and white Santa Marta style below. I get compliments every time I wear it.

There are ones with different clasps so if you prefer rose gold or a leather cord look, there are plenty of those options. It makes me feel lighter somehow, which is nice and I could envision it pleasing those who love the outdoors and even, gasp, TEENAGERS!!!!! How does it manage to be cool and not trite? Good design and options. Since I love it, I managed to get a 10% off gift code for you: click here

New Year, New Skills
Why wait until then? In my business I leaned on a lot of online tutorials when no one has time or inclination to share, myself included sometimes, because you need a good and researched answer, but also one that you can access at any time.

Elle’s account get asked for follows, tips, shout outs over and over. Then I see that organic reach is dead (thanks Facebook), and the askers have vanished as if that has ever lead to a large following and Instafame. HAAAAAa. Don’t forget I found you all Donte Colley when he was at a mere 15K before the celebs took notice and he blew up, that was not an accident but I do not have as much time to give advice, being a small business owner. Okurrr. Instead, here’s a gift of two months free for you to choose what you want to learn from Skillshare 

Here’s the direct URL: https://skl.sh/grrlgenius 
If you prefer a Coupon Code: igamb3872

DOG MOM ESSENTIALS FOR CHIC:

SAINT RUE 

Alright Darlings, every glam dog mom knows they cannot twin without the sophistication of luxury, vegan chic brand, Saint Rue. After debuting last year, founder Nikki Star expanded the line from fabulous leads with two different options (faux fur or neoprene handles) to collars, poo bags and even the most elegant waist belt bag, Le Lolotee.

There are even matching purse straps.  Matching your dogs fashion with your handbag is next level. You haven’t seen or heard this anywhere else because Nikki’s chic style is unique. Been waiting for all the pieces to come together? Shop the holiday gift sets and you’ll be having celebs stop to ask you if that’s Gucci.

 

FURBO Dog Camera Review…Ramble

It was a Friday afternoon in June, when I came home to find my flat in London had been burgled. Elle, my beloved French bulldog, had been home alone. I had bolted the two locks on my door, which was kicked so hard, the doorframe was violently broken. Neighbors were home and did nothing. Police, carpenters, etc. all told me and showed me how the front door lock was worthless and could be opened with a plastic bottle in two seconds.

Elle was shaking. Adrenalin and calm took over as the appropriate calls were made. Elle has over 16K Instagram followers. She gets email offers on a regular basis. I had been offered several dog cameras which didn’t work out for various reasons. Then, FURBO  reached out post burglary. I was very interested and wanted to spread the joy of community and gift others, so we agreed to a giveaway as well.

For me, FURBO Dog Camera is a Godsend. Even leaving the flat for a ten minute walk without Elle started to weigh on me as even the excellent police recommended lock and London bar (a reinforced bar that goes around the lock, under the doorframe to prevent break-ins) didn’t outweigh the stabbings that started happening in West London- one happened on our block four days prior to us moving. We lived across from the Kensington-Olympia Overground and it turns out any train station will attract a variety of violent people.

The greatest thing about FURBO is not only being able to check-in on Elle when I’m not there, or toss her treats if I’m running late, it’s the alert reminders like “Your dog just took a selfie,” or “Human activity detected, do you want to see who it is?”

As a New Yorker, who is a lot more mild in my approach after living in London, imagine what I would have said if I had the FURBO there and see the human activity alert? I certainly would have run back home as I was a mile away and only gone for under two hours doing a client presentation.

SET-UP: Download the app. Plug in the FURBO. It connects over WiFi and then an update automatically begins. I’ve set it up twice and it never needs the full 3-5 minutes they ask you to wait for set-up.

When you open the app, you can observe, take photos or video, toss a treat and talk to your pet. There’s actually two way talking so imagine this scenario:

ME: GET OUT OF MY FLAT. I’m two minutes away with a Policeman.

BURGLAR: F U #$%#%#$%@. 

Grabs all handbags & stuffs jewelry in pockets, runs out of flat. 

All I cared about was that Elle was alive and uninjured. She was shaking and did get a doggy calming pill that is normally for airplane travel, and even then, almost never necessary. If I had been able to talk to her on the way home, it would have been more calming for her.

If you have a sick dog, this allows you to stalk them, or a colleague that loves dogs and needs a stress break by watching your dog snooze, I highly recommend this, especially if you work long hours. You don’t have to use the treat functionality, sometimes Elle wouldn’t eat the treats until I arrive home. Me talking to her is a bit confusing, so I don’t do that as much as I used to in London.

Elle will take the treats in New York. I’m happy I can check in on her from around the block and get update notifications. FURBO Dog Camera also worked for me in two different countries and cities. It has night vision, so I don’t have to leave all the lights on for Elle. The wide angle lens captures a lot, so clean up your space before you let those co-workers watch your furbaby.

Overall I would say this is totally worth it. You can find one on Amazon Prime.

 

 

 

Back On It…Ramble

The end of the year saw me in Paris for a second time, Miami and New York with London in between all of those. It was a whirlwind of amazing visuals and sights.

Following the holidays, it came to my attention my year of creativity with photography needs a reboot. After purchasing the iPhone 8Plus, my mirrorless camera seemed to fall by the wayside. I’ve been stressed about some life admin items that took focus away from my creative needs.

grrlgenius_ at the Louvre

The last time I used the mirrorless camera was  in Paris end of November. This year I plan on getting back to it and taking some in-person photography courses and finally writing the novel I’ve had outlined for almost two years.

London life can be dull with the dismal weather. I haven’t let it stop us from exploring the incredible parks or keeping me from an intense commitment to the gym. The course is nearly over and I feel better then I have since August. It’s why I’m writing this, to take a moment to reflect. Life can go by quickly and get caught up with toxic people and things that waste time.

While the new year wasn’t a stark contrast to reset, it made it easier to ease into refocusing on my health with all the gym sales. As we get older, it’s more important to get up in the morning and move our bodies. I’m not a morning person, but for some reason morning workouts have always been the best way for me to motivate.

 

 

 

Reconnecting: Where I’ve Been…Ramble

Where have I been since May last year? There have been many life changes in all parts of my life from family to work. Elle was the main reason I got through 2016. How I managed to kick ass at work is down to a disconnection with what was happening outside work hours. I worked for a major entertainment company on several successive contracts.

What was hilarious to me was another ex-pat American, who told me early on she was intimidated by me because she was a figure head and she didn’t have my skill set. She often bullies others and threw hard candy at my head in front of my boss. When I discussed it privately with him, he did nothing. The only time I saw him swing into action was when I privately sought advice from people in the Talent Department on who to handle that this executive had used a racial slur in a meeting. Should I expect anything more? Racism is usually loudest and most covered when it involves African Americans, not Chinese people. Casual white wash casting is

The ex-pat executive used that “c” word in a staff meeting of thirty people. Not one of the other senior team members said anything. Four junior staff came to me to express how uncomfortable this made them, especially as they all reported to her. This is one of those ex-pats who takes advantage of the less PC nature of the UK, which has mostly been exited from the work place, at an American owned company. Originally from California, this contrarian usually arrives in a loud bluster to work, late every day. Why late? She admits she has no real job except to meddle.

I discussed the issue with a friend at 12:30. I was given my walking papers at 5:30 PM. There was a sudden evaporation of budget for my position. My boss told me I didn’t have to come in for a few days, but he hoped I would at least work two of the four weeks for my notice period. Hilarious. The terms for any contractor at that company,  is termination can happen for any reason, at any time and it does not have to be explained,  so I had no recourse. Fortunately there was another role in the company that was turned out to be within a group that exemplified the values  (fun, partnership, collaborative and social, as well as hard working) I had hoped to see displayed when I aspired to work at that company as a child. And if you need to understand white washing, my sister’s entire blog can help you understand. 

 

While work has been up and down, and budget cuts have made my life a roller coaster, it’s been great to create opportunities for myself. 2017 included being the end Keynote Speaker at the OI (online influencers) conference in Wales. Wales!? YES! Very exciting as there is a small amount of genetics for me that are Welsh. I’m the only member of my family that has been there so thank you OI.

I was able to take on some new social/sales platforms that had fallen outside my realm of responsibility at larger companies who like to break social up to give people something to do.

More importantly, Elle is doing well minus another influencer being responsible for making her have bloody poop for ten days. It’s disgusting what thirsty climbers in the influencer world will do just to get ahead. Despite that, she recovered in time to go to Paris, fulfilling a dream. I don’t use her Instagram account to create drama, it is to document dreams and connect with the community and celebrate whimsy and fun. Take the $1 treat ads, I do not want them.

Excellent brand work this year for Elle included Happy Socks, Malin + Goetz; The Body Shop; ADT Home Security; Tangle Teezer; Radley x Dogs Trust; Pets at Home, wheresthefrenchie.com, Mercure Hotels, a video cameo in Tom Chaplin (Former lead singer of Keane, now solo); and Save The Children Christmas Jumper Campaign. There are a few others, but these were true highlights – a mix of charity and great, solid brands. I couldn’t be happier about how wonderful Elle makes life.

It’s because of that love and bond we share, that I will probably be mentioning her more in this blog. xx

 

Goodbye ClassPass…Ramble

When I moved to London last year, I was worried about missing the classes at Equinox. I used to goto my gym 5-6 times a week. Not knowing which area I be based in, I had a phone interview for a part-time reception job in the London EQ club, but was told I was overqualified and they were worried I would leave within a week.

As a digital professional, I’m always interested in checking out digital solutions. One of my favorite spin teachers had a day job at a company ClassPass acquired, in the U.S., so I heard about them long before I joined.

The rules are simple: a monthly membership allows subscribers to attend 3 classes in a billing cycle at anyone of the gyms within the app. If you goto the gym 4 times a week, that means you will have to find at least 6 different gyms. Committing to one gym, without trying the classes can also be a bit of a gamble, as some gyms I have found to be great at HIIT (high intensity interval training), but terrible at spin classes, therefore I would only use my three monthly allotments for the HIIT classes and know, that if I got a club membership, that was the only class I would actually take, thus making ClassPass more valuable. Those gyms in return are given subscribers’ email addresses to contact them about promotions.

Being new to living in London, ClassPass helped me not only stay fit and stop me from face-planting on cement.

 

(*yes, that happened, I had too much on my mind while running and came within an inch of hitting my head on a brick wall. Did you know that moving is listed as one of the top stresses in life? I was very stressed when I got here due to a number of factors, not the least of which, were all the “rules” Londoners provided of how to behave and what to wear and how to conform to their standards. When I fell I was wondering if I had made a huge mistake moving to London, a place I dreamed of living since I was 12. There have been many dream moments for the record, and I was extremely happy, at the same time with a little healthy fear.)

ClassPass also helped me to get familiar with different areas of London. However, there was a lot of misinformation of addresses, available facilities (a handicap staff toilet does not mean there is a shower available-putting an end to meeting a friend following the class following a particular grueling spin class- and then having to get on the tube an hour home-sorry straphangers!), and odd gyms (in the basement of a nightclub, a meeting room in a banquet hall, etc.)  You can write reviews of classes and gyms, but they are not displayed. I don’t know what ClassPass is doing with that information, most likely the back-end isn’t there to support reviews or they are worried a bad review could mean they lose a gym from the service.

In March, two of my favorite clubs sent out emails stating they were meeting with ClassPass executives because they were unable to stay in the service with discounted pricing. I was surprised how open the gym owners were, to the point where they sent out emails “we’re going to meet with them at 2pm, we’ll let you know what happens.” Both gyms did resolve their pricing with ClassPass. It made me wonder when ClassPass would pass that pricing difference along to members.

Two days ago I received the answer, along with the rest of London’s members. The monthly subscription was going from £79 to £110. That’s right, up £31 in one jump.

Start-ups can go from hot to not and lose support in a blink. And so, being a digital person, I understand that underestimating costs and trying not to lose your top-tier partners is essential to growing your business, but for passing all of that extra expense to the consumer, the dude sums it up the best.

Ah, ClassPass, you helped keep my body healthy and experiment with barre classes, pure air chambers, and even electronic stim vests (*totally amazing) but raising the price by  38% is a bad business move when there are other gym class memberships available like GymBox.

I’m going to use up my remaining month of membership with all the great gyms I love including Core Collective, 1 Rebel, PHIIT, Transition Zone, Bootcamp Pilates, Project Fit and Exceo Training.

Sharing is Caring & Helps Avoid Management Mistakes…Ramble

As Yahoo!’s incredibly dysfunctional management skills are all over the news, I can attest it is not an easy place to work. As a former Yahoo! I’ve had my share of challenging situations, including a boss who compared his getting pushed out of the company, to my dear, larger-than-life friend, movie critic Anderson Jones passing away, while watching “A Mighty Heart, “(Andy loved Angelina) to a heart attack at 38-years-old. “I hope it won’t add to your pain that I’m leaving.”  As Andy would have said, “OUTRAGEOUS!”

• 

I have lead teams ranging from one person to ten. Sometimes managing one is the hardest, so when I saw the Girls in Tech breakfast topic was “Managing A Growing Team,” I signed up immediately for a refresher, part of my own personal belief that you can always learn something new.

Highlights included Facebook manager, Eric Sun, saying he prioritizes monthly one-on-ones for everyone on his team. It’s something I did with my team at Yahoo! and found it invaluable, sometimes what is not said is the most telling. Eric starts by asking his reports what is going on in there life and ending with asking what he can do to help them.

Here are the seven behaviors of a good manager according to Eric and Facebook:

1. Find people who car about people. For instance, if you are just applying to be a manager because it’s a pay raise, but you’d rather write code in a dark corner, that’s it’s not helpful to anyone to make you responsible for managing a team. Facebook recognized this issue and made two tracks: one for engineering and one for management. A move to management would be lateral.
2. Provide opportunities for growth tailored to the individual.
3. Set clear expectations and goals. Performance reviews should not be a surprise.
4. Give frequent actionable feedback.
5. Provide helpful resources for growth.
6. Hold people accountable for success.
7. Reward people for success.

The second speaker, Karen Law, a director at Medallia, our hosted space, was fascinating.
She discussed second level thinking. Instead of asking an interview candidate directly “do you work well with others,” try asking “what does your ideal team look like” and then have a candidate describe when they had to deal with a challenge to those believes and the result. She recommended reading “Surely, You’re Joking Mr. Feynman,” by Nobel Prize Winner Richard P. Feynman to get into more of the interesting way of looking at situations past the surface level.

The Q & A afterwards revealed there are a lot of managers struggling with the politics of start-up teams and several dealing with cultural issues at international companies. Eric shared Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg, implemented, which was talking through the “Unconscious Bias” test, where decisions are made based on instinct, which are often wrong, instead of using analysis. It’s explained below. The test results are to help you acknowledge and be aware, which is a good way to bring difficult conversations to light.

My advice to those who haven’t been a manager, consider your boss most likely has  information about projects and priorities you do not, before assuming the worst. They are usually too busy to plan to torment you. I had an indirect report who was capable, but slow. The first conversation we had one-on-one, that person told me their main issue was how to prioritize. I tried to work with them on the issue, but that person was often on another floor, complaining, instead of doing work, causing many delays and angry senior management. After I left, a management spot opened up, my co-worker could not understand why they had not been promoted, and went on their daily complaining route.

Take a step back, ask what you can do to improve, set expectations going both ways, on what is a priority for you and the team. Managers are there to help, but you have to take responsibility for your success and actionable items.

What to Watch: Winter Movie Round-up

Oscar season has folks running to the movie theater. Is this the year Leo DiCaprio finally takes home that golden statue? Will he ban it like some members of the African American community think he should in order to support the black community or take after Marlon Brando, have someone else accept and then reject it for him? Either way, Leo deserves to win.

Office politics on a global scale are aside from the point, here are some of the films I’ve seen this winter:

1. The Revenant: no one is laughing. The White Walkers would be no match for Leo’s depth of spirit and determination to get justice served. There was no snickering or leaving the theatre for this battle of the elements, man and the politics of the era. Never has Tom Hardy been so revile. We also got to see my quiet crush, Domhnall Gleeson as the sweet, yet naive captain.
2. Joy– now before you join me in the when-is-Jennifer-Lawerence going to be likable, haven’t we had enough of her for the time being table, let’s say I watched this one because my family wanted to watch it. I was reluctant, aside from J.Law, the trailer didn’t wow me, and I kept thinking really? Bradley Cooper, DeNiro & J.Law? Ugh. We’ve been there…with the same producers. However, I watched it and damn. Shazam. I was wowed. It was damn good and inspirational. Everyone who has had an idea or a dream they left on the table due to a misstep in their youth, should watch this film.
3. Train Wreck– There is a spoiler alert in here. It was more enjoyable then any other Judd Apatow-involved film. Amy Schumer was great, to a point. Then, it reverted to the same devices any other rom com uses to resolve, with a charming ending, but still why must we always find that the only way for a woman to be happy does she half to be half-naked? Is that a distraction for eating humble pie or just another distraction showing the character hasn’t grown that much, just enough to make everyone in their life who always forgives them, love them enough to go another ten rounds.
4. Hateful 8 – was a snowy, miserable, painfully slow bloated Tarantino film. My boyfriend loved it. I tried to not fall asleep. If only he wasn’t as indulged, there could have been half an hour less to this movie, no intermission – the last time I remember hearing about one was vaguely as a child, Ghandi had one. This is not Ghandi, it will not give you inspiration but some of the acting is excellent. The overuse of racial slurs towards Samuel L. Jackson, were a bit much to take. We got the point Quentin. If you want to see Channing Tatum be horrible in a charming way, the second half will reward you, but when the break came I was ready to leave.
5. Brooklyn – thought this one would speak to my Irish heritage. Instead, her millennial indecision annoyed me to no end. I kept waiting for something to happen, so did she. Don’t let life make your decision, make them for yourself. I would rather sit through the uneven, should-have-been-an-SNL sketch, Tina Fey & Amy Poehler  comedy “Sisters” again, then watch this. Perhaps I was annoyed she left my ginger crush, Domhnall Gleeson, to believe she was interested when she was being selfish. What I didn’t like about this film was that there were no consequences to the characters lies by inaction. She left a wake of tears, but she was happy. Well, isn’t that uplifting? No.
6. In The Heart of The Sea– swoon hard, swoon in 3-D at Mr. Chris Hemsworth, but don’t expect a lot of plot in this one. Ron Howard expressed his excitement at using 3D, inspired by the film “Life of Pi,” which was an excellent film. Mr. Howard, you abused 3D in this film, as if you were an NYU film student learning how to use a camera. There was a serious lack of character developement but oh Thor, you are handsome and you have beautiful blue eyes.

RENTALS: This is winter. Finally.

1. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation – all the banter and fun that was missing from James Bond, can be found in this great romp of a movie. Two thumbs up, a little sad I missed this one in the theaters, but it was gone fast. It’s definitely worth watching over say The Avengers: Age of Ultron.
2. The Women in Gold – another film, but smaller that I had wanted to see in theaters. The story of the rightful owner, Maria Altman, who fled the Nazis in Austria seeking the Klimt’s painting of her Aunt Adele (pronounced A-dell-ee, not like the singer), which was claimed by the Austrian government and placed in their museum. It’s a wonderful film starring Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds. I love when a film showcases a relationship and determination of two people, who are unlikely to come together, thinking neither party will teach the other one.
3. Everest – another true story. Why climb it? Because it’s there. I can’t imagine what would make me want to climb Everest after seeing this film and what you could happen to you as you climb, your body literally dying with each step. This film showed some of the worst and selfish parts of humanity. It showcased ego wanting to triumph over nature, and then getting ego’s ass being thrown off a mountain by its pure arrogance. The hero of the story for me was Peach, the wife left behind in Texas who rallied her minions to get a helicopter for her dying husband to get him off the damn mountain, where he had been left to die by people he paid $65,000 to be there.

NETFLIX & CHILL:

1. Jessica Jones – (series, not a film) Turn it into a drinking game by taking a shot every time Kristin Ritter pouts or there is some serious hot sex…so maybe you can have some too. Not something I could power watch because of all the pouting. Still, love a deviant, reluctant superhero- yes, that means I’m going to see “Deadpool,” despite how awful Ryan Reynold’s Green-Film-He-Got-Blake-Lively-From-As-Well-As-Paid. Ritter pulls it off and manages to pull back my interest just when I think I can’t take her pouting anymore. Great plot twists.

2. The ReWrite – this is a charming film helmed by Hugh Grant. Hugh plays a washed-up rogue writer and does it well. If you are looking for a fun film with banter insert Marisa Tome. Add reluctance, social missteps, a few literary quotes and Hugh Grant and you’ll be laughing with this one.

TV (Bonus):
Tyrant – I loved the first season. They went so far in each episode it was truly well-timed with all that is going on in the Middle East. The second season started off the same, then got quite annoying, so much so I started going back and catching up with British reality TV like “Come Dine With Me” and the ever-entertaining “Don’t Tell The Bride,” which is a great concept and never disappoints for awkwardness and dreadful “oh, hell no, he. Did. Not. Do. That! She can’t marry him!” But, after the holiday season, I caught up on the last episode and it’s back to a place where I can be intrigued again, leaving out a lot of the soap opera and focusing on the action of political decisions. This series explores the tricky lines of moral compasses, with less cursing and jazz than “Homeland.”

Music (Bonus):

X-Ambassadors “Love Song, Drug Song” may be Brooklyn’s answer to The Kings of Leon, and I love it.

King Charles–  one of my favorite artists I’ve ever worked with, is also extremely talented. I’ll never forget how all the women in the office found a way to come to my office when he was in there for two hours. He is highly entertaining. He was an absolute dream when we trekked through the living hell that SXSW can be to manage and gave his full KC charm to a small room of people at his showcase there. A true talent.

Hope you enjoyed that. Note, as much as I love film and TV, I am reading two books about product management and a novel called “Smoke,” which is riveting.

Dog Stylist Officially Added to My CV…Ramble

I met the incredible bright spirit that is Suzanne Donaldson, aka Mrs. Sizzle, at a pop-up shop for Love Thy Beast. I was a fan of their reversible gold puffer jacket, and had read The Dogist was going to be there. I took my French bulldog, Elle, and we head to the LES to try it on her. Thus, we set out on a dark winter’s night.

Walking out of the gloomy night, into the Love Thy Beast (now permanent) shop, this blonde spark plug extended her hand, “Hi, she is gorgeous,”she said pointing at Elle. “I’m Mrs. Sizzle!”

I thought, ‘Damn, what have I been doing with my life? I want to introduce myself as Mrs. Sizzle! Who is this amazing lady?’ I spoke with Suzanne and her interns while The Dogist slipped out the door, never to return. (All good because that story ends with Elle in the center of the “Sassy” section on page 127 of his book. Stage mom moment out….)

We went on to join Mrs. Sizzle for a Santacon shoot at Penn Station. She teamed up with street photographer, Jeff Mermelstein, quite a character in his own right, renowned for his New York images.  I love this noir photo Jeff got of Elle for Mrs.Sizzle.com which included our dear friend @chloekhardoggian.

Fast forward to this past April. We say goodbye to our NY dog friends at a charity event including Suzanne. We stay in touch on Instagram. Get asked by another friend of Mrs. Sizzle’s to part take in a London Fashion Week street style shoot, that wound up not happening, but gave me the idea to pitch Suzanne a few ideas to showcase the Best of British Dog Designers with our London dog friends, Winny & Noodle (who unfortunately couldn’t make the shoot due to scheduling issues, but we love quite a bit.)

We discussed fashion pieces – once we both admitted to being obsessed with Ware of The Dog’s Pink Bobble jumper, we knew we were aligned in aesthetic and Suzanne said “let’s go for it.”I have to admit being let loose in Mungo & Maud was a styling dream come true. Elle crawled up into one of the dog beds, snuggling toys while I picked things out for the shoot.

The result has been an incredible collaboration and curation with British designers including the aforementioned Mungo & Maud as well as rising stars Ruby Rufus, Hiro + Wolf and Fetch & Follow.

It was wonderful my very talented friend photographer, Rachel Oates brought the vision to life with her photography. Rachel’s muse, her wonderful Pembroke  @Winnythecorgi and Elle brought the clothes to life alongside our pal, Bodhibulldog.  Thankfully we were quite focused, when recapping as we left the location, otherwise how would we have survived a freak hail storm, Winny’s paw bleeding, and me face planting while trying to keep the designer goods from hitting mud? All in the name of producing incredible fashion moments like those below, which you can see on Mrs. Sizzle.com right now. A huge thanks to everyone involved.

The world is a strange and dangerous place these days, so it gives us the further kick to be able to add some color and fun into this holiday season.

How I Would Recast The Role of James Bond’s Q…Ramble

SPOILER ALERTS CONTAINED

As I walked out of Spectre last night with two friends, we recast the movie. While we enjoyed different aspects, it became clear that while classic Bond in many ways, when setting up characters of the past in this current franchise, there was a lot to be desired.

I tried to shake my head of internal quips about the appearance of Grumpy Cat’s cousin popping up and ten other camp moments in the film. It’s Bond, but it was lacking intentional jokes in one key area, which always added charm to Bond’s character.

Q – a classic role, which always led to great, cheeky banter, looks laughable when standing next to Bond. The jokes fell flat- he orders Bond a detox drink, then doesn’t even get to stay in the scene while Bond tells the server to skip a step and throw it down the drain.

When Q is faced with two dangerous men from Spectre, an organization which encourages members to present their resumes by killing one another, Q evades them rather than engages them entirely. Previous Quartermasters were older, but all would have had to go through combat training. How about we stop with the stereotypical nerd who has to hide in a closet as he method of self preservation? Instead, add some diversity and gravity to the role by casting Sendhil Ramamurthy (Heroes; Covert Affairs).

It would be a lot more interesting if Q and Bond physically sparred with some of the cool toys (*quite devoid, due to the ‘department merger/cut’ battle faced as part of the plot line.) Let’s envision a boxing match between the two of them, Q chastising Bond about plummeting another car off a mountain/river/speedboat, etc. – now I’d really want to watch that. Q could have at least used his laptop to smack one of the bad guys in the head- mind over matter.

Let’s hope the next Bond film will “get the 007 program out of the Dark Ages,” the way the evil C (as in careless, not C*nt we were all thinking, come on now, M leaves the crud quips to Bond) intended by giving a little more meat to the supporting cast.

P.S. Applause to the wink-nod-homage to  ‘Jaws’ when Bond takes down the new Jaws character with four barrels. High five for that moment Sam Mendes.

Top Ten Reasons To Hire Me…Ramble

I’ve been in London for six months. I am staying and building a great life, all that’s missing is a job. I’m open to start ups and established brands. Here are reasons to hire me:

1. I break down a project and process so you can understand it.
2. Tailor unique brand and story ideas for your platform – there’s no repeated formula.
3. As a generalist, I’ve worked with the global brands and household artists who go by one name, so your temper tantrums won’t scare me.
4. There will always be a choice of paths to take
5. Data is fun. I worked at Disney and Yahoo! Numbers are my friend.
6. You get a digital marketing expert who has worked for global brands like Sony Music, MTV and Universal Music, Tribeca Film Festival, American Express and travel, food and fashion clients.
7. I’m a writer. Words are my friend. I have interviewed artists, authors and local business people. You can read some of my five question interviews with a diverse group of people from Internet legends to Dog Trainers.
8. Legally here as an Irish citizen.
9. I will program your social media feeds.
10. My dog, Elle. Two interviewers told me at the interview they wish I had brought her with me.

LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM

TWITTER