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Life Lessons from Madagascar 2
 This week I took my boys and a friend to see Madagascar 2. A very diverse group of zoo animals from NY found themselves in the midst of a dilemma. On their journey, their plane unexpectedly crashed and they landed in a seemingly foreign land. Sound familiar? Well, this group, a zebra, hippo, giraffe, and lion ended up back home in Africa. They were close to their roots but didn’t recognize it as good, because this was unfamiliar territory. Afterall, they had grown up in a different environment – things moved much faster and so much more was possible back in NY.
The majority of the movie focused on their attempt to ‘be normal’ and fit into their traditional roles. However, the scene which stands out for me was the crisis on the reserve. For centuries, water was plentiful until one day the rivers were suddenly dry. The leaders didn’t know what to do and the animals had just come to accept their fate – death. It was at this point, the lion from NY did something crazy. He left the reserve in search of water! The animals on the reserve stood in shock as he mustered up the courage to leave. The other animals wondered if he’d die out there but deep inside they knew this was their only hope for survival. They all had a problem and someone needed to take a risk and venture out of their comfort zone in search of a resolution.
I feel like that lion. I struggled with work-life balance in corporate America. I watched other high-achieving women struggle with work-life balance. I listened to so many wrestle with the decision between having a family or career. Many simply accepted their fate - that something they loved – some dream they’d had – must die. We all felt the pinch but couldn’t figure out how to solve it. Instead, many concluded it just wasn’t possible to have it all.
I refused to accept that.
I still believe women can have both – a strong, healthy family and a successful, powerful career. So, I left ‘the reserve’ in search of a solution – in search of water – in search of the resources needed to help women thrive. I’m not the only pioneer who stepped outside of the reserve. There are quite of few of us out here, building the structures to support work-life balance for those women who long to have it all.
This is what Attaché Services is all about – there indeed is water out there for you women who thirst for personal and professional fulfillment. Alicia Anderson
Founder and CEO
Inauguration
As I watched the Inaguration of President Barack Obama, a lot was going on inside of me. I thought about how great an example of 'having it all' Michelle Obama is. I thought about how surreal it is to see a man of color, just like my dad, my husband, my brother and my sons, leading our country. I thought about the many challenges in our country right now and how new leadership, with new ideas, attitudes, and philosophies creates hope. But then something unexpected happened. I started taking this whole inauguration thing personally. I realized it's time for my own personal inauguration - time for ME to start a new operation - time for ME to assume a position of power - time for ME to initiate a new course of action. As I watched all the coverage of the great day on CNN and MSNBC, the crowds of cold but excited onlookers, the parade, the adorable daughters, the wheels in the back of my mind were turning. What will this day mark for ME? As I witnessed the President launch the new whitehouse.gov website at 12 noon and waste no time getting down to business hours after all the Inaugural festivities ended, I considered my marching orders given. Get to work - no time to waste - be kind, be smart, trust others. So, that's what I'm doing and I encourage all of us to do the same. These times call for new leadership, new ways of doing things, and new attitudes. I invite you to allow Attache Services to support your Personal Inauguration this year. Congratulations on YOUR Inauguration! Alicia
Holiday Eating Regrets? ‘Make-Up’ for it!
We just got over the season where the most food consumption occurs. I have to tell you, though, I am sick of food at the moment. I’m tired of thinking about it, shopping for it, and most of all I’m sick of preparing it! This all comes about because I do baking marathons for Christmas every year. As gifts for my work friends and my best friends, I bake cookies - Lots and Lots of Cookies. It has become a big tradition, and there is no way I will ever stop doing this. However, as I’ve recently shared with you, I am a diabetic now, and having all those delicious cookies around did cause me some problems. I gained about 5 lbs., and it was definitely all cookies. Not to mention the blood sugar went up, of course. So, right now I’m not even thinking about food, except to make sure I eat enough and eat decently.
Instead, I’m going to think about makeup.
Yes, makeup.
You may not have known that I actually am a graduate of a Skin Care school, and I did operate a little spa right out of my home for 4 years. I also was the manager of a very busy upscale salon. I adore makeup, and it makes me happy to discover great products and great tips for my own skin and nails. I am a pretty good makeup artist, and have done people’s faces for years. I’ve even done some weddings. So, to get my mind off food, I’m cleaning out my old makeup and replacing some as well. I thought I would share some time saving tips with you for the New Year, and recommend some techniques.
TIP #1: Beauty does not have to be expensive
Get the free gift
If I am going to treat myself to expensive products, I never buy anything unless I get a free gift. Clinique, Lancome, Estee Lauder, Elizabeth Arden and many other companies offer free gifts several times a year at different department stores. I get emails from the stores announcing their bonuses, and I only buy things at those times.
Shop for yourself AND someone else
I also tend do buy “gifts” as my purchase. I don’t really use expensive skin care products myself, so I figure I may as well get something for someone else and clear that name off my gift list. In the summer months, I will buy sun products as my purchase because I always use those, and I have found that the “good” sun products seem to be a little better than drug store products.
TIP #2: Heed to a few basics
Get some brushes and a tote bag
We all know how useless a cheap toothbrush is. The same is true for make-up brushes. Purchase some decent makeup brushes and throw out those horrible ones you’ve probably been using for years. Also, you can find nice tote bags at these bonus times. I’m still using my Clinique tote from 2 years ago to carry my swim items to the pool.
Ask the experts
If you love makeup like I do, and you want to look good and not scare small children, treat yourself to a little makeover. I like going to a salon rather than the mall, because I truly feel that very few mall employees are paid well or get a decent commission, and the salon employees are better trained and need to be good to make money! Visit an Aveda spa or something similar, and you can have the make up artist show you techniques appropriate for your skin color, age and type.
TIP #3: You can do it!
Putting on make-up doesn’t have to take all morning (if you know what you’re doing)
Face
Once you have a nice makeup selection, you can learn to minimize the time you spend every morning applying makeup. I can put on my face in 5 minutes, 10 if I’m going out at night. Here is what I have found minimizes time and mistakes:
* Apply your moisturizer with sunscreen
* Apply your MASCARA (I know, this seems backwards, but bear with me)
* Apply your foundation, if you use it, and use concealer just where needed. Blend well.
Cheeks
Use a touch of blush or bronzer in a very neutral color. I think this is the one place where women tend to really mess up. Did you see Hilary Clinton’s cheeks while she was campaigning? Her make up artist should have been shot. She has very prominent cheeks and she invariably looked like a clown. THIS WAS DONE BY A PROFESSIONAL ARTIST MAKING TONS OF MONEY!!! I am fair skinned and have light eyes and dark hair, and I barely use blush, if I do I always keep it very neutral and never PINK.
Eyes
Apply neutral eye shadow to most of eye area, avoiding the arch of the brow. Use taupes, browns, greys, peaches, sand colors. You can use an angled stiff brush to line the lower lash area if desired. It is not really necessary to use eye pencil, but if you must, be very gentle and “dot” it, then blend with your finger. For evening, you can get funky and use more exciting shadows like metallic, and more liner. I have never mastered the art of liquid eye liner, so you are on your own there!
Now that you haven’t gotten glops of mascara all over your freshly applied shadow, do you see why you put it on first? If you do get mascara on your bare lids, it wipes off really easily with a moistened q-tip. I will freely admit that I lick my q-tip, but hey, that’s just me.
Very important tip coming up. EYEBROWS MAKE YOU WHOLE FACE LOOK EITHER REALLY GOOD OR REALLY BAD.
If you have thick brows, find a good esthetician and keep them neat. If you have thin, light brows have an expert teach you to fill them in. What seems to work for me, and I have patchy grey brows ( hormones, my friends, hormones), is the stiff angle brush and light brown shadow. Ido use a pencil sometimes, but I find the brush easier to manage. The pencil is fine, just a little harder to erase mistakes. I feel like my face looks completely different when I don’t do my brows. I will always get asked if I don’t feel well. I once had a manager who was born without eyelashes or eyebrows. You would think that she would have learned to apply perfect brows, right? No, she drew a single brown line shaped like a reclining bracket over each eye. It was so startling that you couldn’t help but stare at her, and she looked like she was “amazed” all the time. If I had been older and had more confidence, I would have said something.
Lips
Apply some lips, ladies. You don’t have to commit to any dark colors, but find something that works for you and use it! Just a little color really brightens up and finishes your “face” for the day. Lip liner is ok, just don’t fall back into the 80’s and use a dark liner and a light lip color. I personally love a very light makeup all over, and a dazzling lip color. I do love red and brick and burgundy, and I’m not a big fan of really shiny lips. Must be my mom haunting me, she only ever wore a smear of red lipstick and a little brow color.
Maybe we couldn’t all control our eating, but we can all do make-up!
Since I have “mature” skin, I have really started to lay off the face powder. I still use it a little if I look shiny, but it probably can be skipped unless your skin is young and firm and moist! Powder tends to settle in lines on your face and can age you. We don’t want that.
Ladies, have fun with makeup. It doesn’t have to be a chore, and you can find great stuff at drug stores that are just as good as the expensive products This January, when you are feeling fat and out of shape and are sick to death of Nutrisystem commercials (that is the grossest looking food I have ever seen, and that’s on their own advertisement….) take yourself and $10 down to the drug store and treat yourself to a new lipstick. No calories, instant spirit lift! Peggy Sparks Personal Attaché
Take a Stay-cation Today!
In this economic crisis, what working woman juggling a family and career, has the time to just drop everything and disappear for a week, especially with kids in tow? The new trend right now is a "stay-cation". A stay-cation is a new idea of staying home for your vacation vs. going out of town. Some of the benefits of a stay-cation are: - Cost effective - Time saving - Stronger families Stay-cations can mean a number of different things, from an overnight stay in the neighborhood town to taking more frequent long weekends instead of weeks. More and more Professional Women are adopting this approach, giving them the added health benefit of stronger long-term relationships with their families and a more stress-free life. Need some ideas? Here are some available resources in the local areas for you to start your stress-free stay-cation today! -VisitAlexandriaVa.com - restonmuseum.org - www.washington.org
The New Power Woman
In 2008, we served some fabulous clients. We worked with women who had the guts to get help. Women who resisted the temptation to do it all single handedly. Women who no longer let guilt or excuses keep them from getting things done. Here's to you, the 'New Power Woman'. Power Women last year hired Attaché Services to: - Create a packing checklist, including how to get a rental car and cell phone, for a trip oversees
- Create a filing system for a thriving business serving 200+ clients
- Create a mail management system to eliminate unwanted mail and identify important mail quickly
- Restock and organize a newly remodeled kitchen
- Organize personal files
- Purge and organize closets, cabinets, bookshelves, CD collections, and storage rooms
- File flexible spending account reimbursements
- Drop off charity donations
- Shop for and purchase products to solve household problems
- Preserve memories through digital photo management
Kudos to all of you women who decided in 2008 to work SMARTER and not HARDER. Our search for women ready to make the plunge in 2009 has begun. Contact Attaché Services today. We can help you simplify your life in 2009. Become the New Power Woman.
Attaché Services, LLC Helping women thrive in their personal and professional lives 11951 Freedom Drive #1300 Reston, VA 20190 www.attacheservices.com703-251-4526
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