Girl talk

The Myth of Being a Nice Girl with Fran Hauser

MONTREAL – Being a nice person is not a sign of weakness in the workplace. Not anymore.

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege to have a nice chat with one of the coolest woman in the world. No, I’m not exaggerating.

Fran Hauser is a long-time media executive (dream goal of mine), a startup investor and a best-selling author (second dream goal of mine haha) of my bible The Myth of The Nice Girl. Yep, she is preaching us that it is okay to be a nice and strong person at the same time.

During her career, she navigated in some of the biggest senior positions at some of the world’s largest digital media companies such as PEOPLE, In Style (omg), Entertainment Weekly and AOL.

Here’s my interview with the fabulous Fran Hauser coming at you:

Thank you for my Fairy Media Godmother for being an inspiration!

The Myth of a Nice Girl Book on Amazon – Fran Hauser

http://www.franhauser.com

Belle entrevue avec Audrée Michaud

Rédigé par Sabine Démosthènes

Quand tu es une amoureuse de bijoux comme moi et que tu as la chance de passer un après-midi en buvant des bulles (bon, c’était de l’eau Perrier mais je mets ça dans la catégorie des bulles) et d’essayer pleins de bijoux avec une équipe du tonnerre dans leur fabuleux bureau situé au coeur du centre-ville, tu jubiles et tu rayonnes de joie.

Ce fut mon cas lors de ma visite à la charmante bijouterie Flamme en Rose. Dès que vous mettez les pieds dans leur boutique, vous vous sentez comme Audrey Hepburn dans Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

J’ai eu la chance de discuter avec l’une des fondatrices de Flamme en Rose qui est d’un charme fou. Audrée Michaud a eu un rêve et avec sa co-fondatrice, Michèle Côté de fonder leur entreprise il y a de ça, 10 ans. Je vais arrêter d’écrire et je vais vous laisser le soin de découvrir cette belle entreprise de chez nous.

Merci à toute l’équipe chez Flamme en Rose (Michèle, Audrée et Angie).

J’ai adoré ma première transformation avec mes vieux bijoux. Je suis maintenant une adepte et je porterai fièrement leur création.

Pour les amoureuses de bijoux de luxe, allez-y jeter un coup d’oeil…

Vous n’allez pas le regretter.

https://flammeenrose.com

Don’t judge a book by its cover

Written by Sabine Démosthènes

I have loved fashion since I was young, from the time I realized it was a thing.

Watching my sweet Mamma glamming up for our ritual house parties in the 80s, while she likely wished she was more of an Alexis Colby Carrington because she was a fierce and career-oriented woman a that happen to be a fashionista rather than a Kristle Carrington from Dynasty, our favorite show, was a joy for me.

I was in awe of all of her stilettos, pearls necklaces, giant gemstone rings, and dresses. I couldn’t wait to play with them. I wasn’t the only one in that situation.

My mom worked a 9 to 5 job in a clothing manufacture earning a hourly wages while going back to school to have a better career for herself in the 80’s.

She worked so hard during the day. She wasn’t a lawyer, a journalist, a doctor, or a scientist, but she did her best to provide us with the essentials. And yes, fashion was part of that.

I never took my mom less seriously because she loved to have fun with her style and enjoy it. It was the contrary. I admired her more for not taking herself too seriously and she encouraged me to have the same disposition.

In the 80s, everyone had fun with fashion. From executives (those shoulders pads – uh uh!) to the neon leggings seen on fitness enthusiasts.

Women like Oprah, Jane Fonda, the girls from Salt’N’Pepa and Madonna, even my gym professor and elementary school principal (I loved Mrs. Nantel’s red suit) were having fun with fashion.

In the 90s, Grunge and the streetstyle of Hip-Hop were in full bloom. It was the decade of my ultimate fashion mentor’s style!

I’m still into it today, dressing like her, it is so me now.

Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy! The minimalist goddess of all time.

Did we judge her like we crucify some women today for their wardrobe?

No!

So why do we do it in 2018? I read article that said, for example, you are a prominent human rights barrister, you cannot enjoy being creative with your outfit without being judged for not taking your role seriously.

What the heck?!

I find it ridiculous. People must have nothing better to do.

My clothes shouldn’t speak to my accomplishments but actually, my accomplishments should speak for themselves.

For an example, Diana, Princess of Wales had fun with her wardrobe, but it didn’t stop her from being considered the Peoples’ Princess.

I remember a few years ago, at a convention, I had my Gucci eyewear mixed with a Club Monaco T-shirt and a black pencil skirt. Simple, classic. I was given the look: “OMG you are so materialistic for showcasing your sunglasses”.

Someone actually came up to me and commented.

I wasn’t happy about it at all. I was thinking, I’m not judging anyone, why they are doing it to me?

After that, did I stop wearing my eyewear? Or, if I wanted to wear nice clothes, did I think twice?

Hell no!

We are so lucky to have the opportunity to have fun with fashion. Yes, some things can be pricey and some people may think we are pretentious. But, maybe try to take the time to learn about someone personally and then, maybe you won’t say or write such stupid things.

Ladies and Gentlemen, let’s not be those cynical, sad people that have nothing better to do than judge a book by its cover without reading it.

Let it be.

We call her the SKIN GURU

She is truly one of the coolest women that I had the honor to interview. She is our first Chronicle’s interview of the year and let me tell you, it will be a fun one with The Skin Guru of Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama. She is all about empowering women and taking a better care of our skin and our soul too.

Let’s get this party started.

SD: I’m curious, Jennifer. I need to ask you this question; when you were a young girl, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A) Teacher
B) Rocket Scientist
C) Doctor
D) All of the above
E) None of the above
F) Sabine, you forgot being a ballerina, the next Martha Stewart, or the Prime Minister of Canada…

JB: I have to say none of the above… However I love F!!! I wanted to be a criminal lawyer.

SD: Growing up in the 80’s, the era of air guitar, big perms, and the super glam makeup that we saw Joan Collins, Madonna and the 80’s Supermodels rocking, were you the kind of girl that went through her mom’s and sisters’ makeup bags, trying every lipstick and eyeliner, or were you the type that could spend hours analyzing the family medicine cabinet, touching every bottle of face cream in awe?

JB: You won’t believe this, but I wasn’t. Which is why I dont wear makeup today. I never practiced the foundation, eyeliner etc. That said in grade 5 and 6, I got a perm.

It was horrible!

SD:When did you realize the importance of taking a good care of your skin?

JB: As a teenager. I was fortunate to have easy skin. I noticed all the skincare creams and potions Gillian had (my best friend’s mom).

As a teen, we were pretty addicted to Kool-Aid and Tang…

SD: I sure was addicted to Tang and Kool-Aid as a kid and early teenager.

JB: Gillian always emphasized how sugar would be harmful for our skin.

It got me thinking, maybe the Apricot scrub and the Noxzema wasn’t such a good thing.

SD: You made a 180 degree turn in your career when you launched your company around 2010. What was the turning point for you, leading you to make this courageous and bold decision?

JB: We acutally launched our first business in 2003, called Flip4.

This is where everything began with Max our LED device. In 2009, the world recession hurt us terribly. We made some very difficult decisions. We failed. Then, I decided to get up and open Bella. My first skincare clinic.

I thought, I have a trade skills, lets put them to use.

SD: What did you learn about empowering other women and beng confident from the strong women in your life, like your mother, maybe sisters, friends, daughters, teachers, and high profile personalities like Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama?

JB: Working together, being there for each other is what counts without judgement. Everyone wants to be heard, acknowledged and loved. Even if we disagree. lifting each other up is what will change the world.

SD: Your mission in 2018 is to empower women. Can we have a sneek peak of what we may expect from the JB Skin Guru team this year?

JB: So much to come… but its all HUSH HUSH… The moment I can divulge I will let you know.

SD: This is my off-topic question. If you could throw the ultimate girlfriend party (please, can I be invited??), which songs would be your top 5 party songs to set the roof on fire?

JB: I am so bad at music and songs because I love everything…

Dancing Queen ABBA
Superwoman ALICIA KEYS
Run the world BEYONCE
Formation BEYONCE
Sisters are doing it for themselves EURYTHMICS

SD: I feel like the Skin Guru is a Queen B’s fan! That would be one heck of party.

SD: This generation of bloggers, web influencers and pop cultures junkies, like myself, want to bring this world a little more happiness, laughter, awareness, and altruism into every day, If you could choose one word of encouragement (or more if you want) to keep us going, what would it be?

JB: Authenticity

SD: Since I’m talking to the Skin Guru, I will ask some skincare advice. Here my list of questions. The first one is most important for skincare for a woman in her 30’s like myself in a living in a Montreal type of climate?

JB: Always wash you face every night, even if you are not wearing makeup.

SD: How do you balance acne treatment and aging treatment? Because they are opposite treatments?

JB: Well to be honest they are not opposite.

We have to look at the skin condition and then the skin type, make a list of priorities. Each section of the skin will be examined. From there we can tailor a bespoke approach.

It’s vital to look at the intrinsic and extrinsic causes.

SD: I am taking my next appointment to be pamper from the Skin Guru’s team for sure.

It’s so good to have a Skin Guru! We all need a guru in our life…

A Skin Guru in our life.

https://www.jbskinguru.com

Written by Sab Demosthenes

Our Canadian fashion Godmother. Her name is Jessica Mulroney.

Our Canadian fashion godmother. Her name is Jessica Mulroney.

She is sassy.

She is the ultimate cool Montrealer girl.

You know what, she is our fashion godmother.

You may have known her already for her segment on the CityLine with one of our favorite TV personality Tracy Moore.

But let me introduce you to the talented, fashionable and cool Jessica Mulroney.

The first time I read about Jessica was around 2008. I was a die-hard Hello Magazine. I couldn’t wait to buy my copy of Hello during the lunch hour and eating at a nice Italian restaurant looking to Queen Mary Boulevard. I remember the magazine issue talking about Ben and Jessica’s wedding like it was yesterday. I was alone at the restaurant and next to me, Richard Garneau was having lunch. Richard Garneau was our ultimate sports anchor. He gave so much flavour commenting ice skating competition to the Olympic hockey finals. That Friday was magical.

I still wanted to keep my cool but I wasn’t shy reading my Hello Magazine and reading the love story between two people. I got a really soft spot for romance.

I was so taken by the simplicity of Jessica’s dress and I found her to be so beautiful. During that moment, I was curious about this Montrealer fashion style. As the years passed by, I did see more and more her fashion sense. And I liked it. She can be bold but elegant.

My style has always been minimalist with a preppy touch. But I always admired women that take some fashion chances.

Jessica is Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau fashion secret weapon.

Credits: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

For the bride to be, she is a bridal expert. She is collaborating with Kleinfeld and The Bay to help some brides finding their perfect wedding dress.

What I like with Jessica is that she is showcasing our Canadian fashion brand. And for that, I say a big amen!

Brand like Sentalar (I will get one of their coats in 2018), Erdem, Judith and Charles, Lucian Matis, Di Carlo Couture, Birks, Aldo Shoes and many more are on the map.

Talking about Meghan Markle look, I was really happy to see Sentalar coats on her during this past weekend.

I know that some people may have hoped for a bigger extravaganza look but I love the simplicity of this look. It’s very CBK (Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy).

With the three looks we have witnessed, she is still the same woman that loves our Canadian brand and she isn’t shy of showing it.

TORONTO, ON – MARCH 22: Jessica Mulroney and actress Meghan Markle attend the World Vision event held at Lumas Gallery on March 22, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by George Pimentel/WireImage)

So today, I dedicated this Chronicle to Jessica Mulroney. She is inspiring, she is super cool like I wrote earlier and I’m joining her and many Canadians to showcase our beautiful fashion sense. We have the best of both worlds.

We have the chicness of the French Couture fashion and an audacity of a New Yorker.

Thank you Jessica for being a fashion strength in Canada and surely, you will rock this world.

Jessica Mulroney Instagram

Sentaler Website

Lucian Matis Website

Di Carlo Couture Website

Maison Birks Website

Aldo Shoes Website

Written by Sab Demosthenes

Rod Ortega, our fairy godfather!

There some people that keep you on your toes with their creativity.

Rod Ortega is definitely one of them. He is the fairy godfather of the locks of Blake Lively, Amal Clooney, Jennifer Lopez and many more women.

I love his old school hairstyle vibe he created with twist. I promise myself when I will go to LA, I will go to have my hair being in the hands of this magician.

Now, I’m all excited to see his next creation on the red carpet. He is truly an artist like Leonardo da Vinci.

If you don’t believe, please have a look to the pictures below.

What I really like with Rod is that he is a really sweet and humble person. He sends me some nice words of encouragement for my blog.

Usually our hairdresser is like our therapists. You go to talk about your day, maybe gossip a little bit or just having this very easy-going conversation while you get pampered.

Rod give you this vibe of your perfect hairstylist.

He has a close friendship with his leading ladies and some of them has been a long-term friendship that go for two decades like Jennifer Lopez. I really love and admired that trait of character.

You can see his generosity by sharing the step-by-step guide to achieve those same hairstyles you may have seen on some celebrities and public personalities.

Maybe in 2018, Rod will share with us a few tricks.

At the end, Rod Ortega is our tresses godfather.

Can I get a amen?

Amen!

Rod Ortega Twitter

Rod Ortega Instagram

Caroline de Maigret : La plus cool des Parisienne à mes yeux de Montréalaise

Elle est une des icônes de la mode de notre génération. Elle une mélomane incontournable qui adore la musique. Elle est une des femmes les plus cool de cette planète.

Je vous présente en ce lundi 16 octobre 2017 Caroline de Maigret.

Pour ceux et celles qui ne la connaisse pas, voici l’occasion de faire sa connaissance et de vous laisser charmer par cette belle parisienne.

Née en 1975 en Neuilly-sur-Seine en France, elle est la fille d’un père politicien et d’une mère championne en natation.

Au cours des années 90, elle a travaillé avec les grands du monde de la photographie tels que Mario Testino et Peter Lindbergh (wow) quand elle résidait à New York. Mais qu’est-ce qui m’a impressionné avec Caroline est une fois de retour à Paris au cours de l’année 2003, elle lance sa boîte de production de musique. Je trouve ça audacieux et vu que j’adore la musique, disons que je la vois comme un modèle à suivre en ce qui concerne poursuivre ses passions et son instinct.

Durant la même année, elle rencontre Yarold Poupaud et voilà le début d’une belle collaboration professionnelle et personnelle qui dure encore jusqu’à ce jour. Ils sont juste trop beau ensemble.

Caroline a écrit un livre en collaboration avec ses 3 copines qui sont Anne Berest, Audrey Diwan et Sophie Masqui. Ce livre est un ‘’must ‘’ à avoir chères fashionistas et femmes de ce monde. ‘’How To Be Parisian Wherever You are’’ est un incontournable livre à avoir. On parle toujours de ce style parisien, de cette attitude qu’elle semble à avoir cette Parisienne ultra cool. Le livre le décrit très bien, mais c’est bien plus que les tenues à porter.

C’est une question d’attitude. En fait, tout est dans l’attitude. J’adore le chapitre sur les Simones , Not a wedding (tellement moi), cool or cold et la liste continue. Je ne peux pas m’en passer de ce livre.

J’ai bien aimé lire un article qui décrit parfaitement Caroline sur le site web du magazine Elle France lors d’une entrevue avec la journaliste Françoise-Marie Santucci. Je vous partage le lien de cette belle entrevue.

http://www.elle.fr/People/La-vie-des-people/Interviews/Caroline-de-Maigret-Parisienne-de-tous-les-pays-2862092

Peut-être qu’un jour, je pourrais parler avec Caroline de musique avec un regard émerveillé sur son rôle en tant que productrice.

Et entre une conversation sur Les Beatles et Pink Floyd, on pourrait parler de son expérience de travailler avec Testino, Lagerfeld et Marc Jacobs tout en portant mes chaussures Converse et en sirotant un verre de vino.

Je vous laisse sur ce vidéo super géniale de Caroline de Maigret pour la maison Chanel.

Caroline de Maigret and Chanel Derbies

Son côté super cool ne peut pas passer inaperçu. Que nous réservera Caroline durant l’année 2018?

D’autres belles surprises!

http://www.cdmdiary.com/en/

The Chronicle