50 things you should have or do by your 50th

Posted on February 3, 2016 by Gigi in 50 ways 1 Comment

Being a wise old 56 year-old, I was thinking about what are the things that are really important to me at this phase of my life. The do or die list. What are the things that contribute to a quality life after being on the planet a half a century or more. So this is what I came up with for me. In no particular order.

1 A pretty shoe that makes you feel beautiful when you wear it. I have quite a few…

2 A nice watch- Yes we all have our phones, but a timepiece is so elegant and old school.

3 A Pretty signature lipstick- mine is one from Bobbi Brown Blondie Pink, that I love, it is the color of my lips.

4 A favorite “work” outfit. I have quite of few black items that I have picked up for work.(I wear black on shoots.)

PS Couture beauty posse

5 Flowers. Learn to arrange- Have fresh flowers in your Living space. I can pick up fresh flowers anywhere and make them look fabulous.

6 Purchase if you have not already, a piece of original art. It does not have to be from Christie’s.

7 Heirloom jewelry that you can pass down to the next generation.

8 Signature scent. I love Tom Ford Cafe Rose and Bond No. 9 Nuits de NoHo

tom ford cafe rose

9. Hair you love.

Finished “do”

10. Ability to say “NO”… or even “HELL NO”.

11 A little black dress that you love. or 2 or 3…

12 Robust 401K- a retirement plan

13 Be a risk taker, especially if you have always been the predictable type.

14 Smile more.

15 Celebrate your birthdays in grand style.

16 Make time to read for pleasure.

17 Have a posse of trusted beauty providers i.e. manicurist, facials, waxer, hair stylist, etc. it takes a village at this age.

18 A current passport.

19 Make time for your friends, they are important for your well being.

20 Hydrate- drink water drink water and drink water…works wonders for your complexion.

21 Be supportive take time to listen to others and be as helpful as you can.

22. Don’t give up and go to the “frumpy” lane…work on you style whatever it is…Don’t give up- yes it does take a little longer to pull it together, but allow for the extra time. Get rid of logo track suits etc.

23 Keep up your appearance. see #22.

24 Mentor someone. Give some 20 something year-old the advice you wish someone would have given you…I was fortunate when I was in my 20’s to have a few 40 year-old friends who saved me big time from stupidity.

25 Forgive yourself and others. Being “mad” wrecks havoc on your looks.

26 Be a little selfish and forget what everyone else wants you to be or do.

27.Be proud of your age. It is much more attractive then trying to pretend to be”young”. Everyone can do the math- and when you avoid sharing your age- it is assumed that you are really “old” anyway.

gigi @ 56

28 Do something daily that makes you laugh- even if it is looking at a crazy video on Facebook or You Tube.

29 Be in love or open to falling in love without losing yourself in the process! It is never to late to find yourself,even if you are already lost.

30 BE HAPPY!

Happy Gigi

31 Be content with your body, weight, shoe size, bra size, jean size etc. OR Do something about it other than complain.

32 Have a pocketful of friends that you can depend on…

33 Have command of your well being. Do whatever it takes to be healthy- keep up good habits or start some now.

34 Have nice stationery and write notes and even an occasional letter to someone…we are not the texting generation-

35 Have the ability to bounce back from adversity.

36 Be able to handle rejection of any kind and keep it moving.

37 Good night cream and sun screen.

38 Minimal DRAMA.

39 A Cause you believe in- I love FACE Forward.

40 Have a love affair with your partner-

41 Continue to Dream-

42 Drink good champagne.

champagne

43 Stop living in the past and embrace the future.

44 Strength Train.

45 Travel.

46 Stay interesting.

47 Less is truly more.

48 Set goals for the next decades.

49 learn something new.

50 Don’t be sad- You are alive and you woke up this morning- make the most of each and every day.

Happy Wednesday!

Xoxo,

Gigi

fresh highlights

Passion

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Gigi in Inspiration Comments Off

quote

What gets you excited about life? Finding your passion is like finding the love of your life. You may have some false starts, a divorce, a second or third marriage, a live in lover, or maybe you are still searching, and that is okay. When you find it, you will know and there will be no doubt.

Photography is my passion! I love what I do- there is something magical about documenting a moment, a smile, a connection in someone’s life- or snapping a stranger on the street and looking at that photo later and being moved for some reason.

Gigi

Once you find your true calling, it is always there. My passion warms my soul and gives my life purpose. I wake up thinking about something photography related everyday. I drive around and I’m always distracted by something on the street that I want to photograph, and next thing I know I’m taking a detour.

I’m so fortunate to have a supportive partner, who gets it, one that has made it possible for me to make my passion a reality with no restriction. Without my husband Reggie none of what I’m doing would be possible.

Finding your passion does not mean you have found your nirvana, it is a growing process, that at times you will question, like when I don’t have a client for weeks, or I can’t master that lighting like Annie Leibovitz. But then there are those days when you put a woman in a ball gown, and she transforms into a princess and you know you have changed her life, watching her discover her beauty that she had been discounting for the past years, because society told her that middle aged women are not beautiful. I shoot for those moments.

If you too are fortunate enough to have found your passion, be willing to share and give to others. Be willing to inspire someone else in their journey.

And if you have not found your passion, don’t give up, like me perhaps you will finally find it in your 50’s and that is okay, just as long as you find it and embrace the process and let it seduce you…

What are you passionate about? How and when did you discover your passion? Are you still searching for your passion?

Happy Tuesday!

Xoxo,

Gigi

Keeping my sanity …

Posted on February 1, 2016 by Gigi in Fitness Comments Off

Gigi yoga

Today I am recommitting to my workout. January was crazy with my 3 trips, totally interrupting my exercise schedule. Of course, I brought workout stuff on all of my trips, but it stayed neatly folded in my suitcase.

Exercising is big for me, I feel much better and overall happier when I work out. Negativity can sneak up on me when I don’t exercise and I get these periods of irritability that I know are from a lack of exercise. At my age a few weeks of being inactive shows up on the body right away, another one of the many side effects that came along post 50.

So I set a few obtainable goals, like drop maybe 8 pounds or so, work on some of the jiggly areas, and work on my flexibility by returning to a regular yoga practice. Of course I want the aesthetic results, like gracefully gliding into my 57th birthday with a nice taut body, strolling on the beach sans a cover up.

So- what is my plan? Basically setting my intentions, putting my workouts on my calendar like any other appointment, sticking to my routine and really watching my diet. Wearing my fitbit, that is just sitting in my drawer collecting dust.

When I think about my life in regards to fitness, I have always been active, the 20’s were easy, things stayed in place, I worked at Jack La lanne, (does anybody even remember that gym) taught aerobic classes at Nautilus Plus (another gym that went under) worked for Jim Kelly, he had a little private gym back in the 80’s and I lived by the beach and rode my bike a lot- those years were good.

I worked for Jim Kelly during the 80’s

The 30’s came along with marriage, and the babies…things were still okay. I Discovered running, did a few marathons, fell in love with spinning, did weight training- the body was good.

LA Marathon 1998

40’s came along with the major diet shifts, no more meat, chicken, fish, it was a slow transition but by 50 all the animal products were eliminated. I discovered bootcamp, Pole dancing, yoga and pilates- the body was good.

Gigi @ 40

And then came the 50’s- things started trying to shift and my waist was becoming a traitor. My diet is mostly vegan, with some slip-ups with cheese here and there, especially when traveling. I joined Equinox, worked on and off with trainers, did classes here and there, hot yoga, pilates, barre, pretty much all over the place- periods of being real consistent and then slip ups- the body just okay.

50’s Gigi

Fast forward to now, I know that for my curvy body type I need lots of cardio, i.e. “sweat”, strength training and yoga or pilates to keep my body together. Cut out all the obvious things, and just eat “clean” whole foods in their original state…and I would be okay.

Do a variety of workouts so I don’t get bored and most of all make it fun.

This month as I recommit I will be mindful of my workouts and focus on being the best version of me.

Did you make any challenges or resolutions for 2016? How do you stay motivated with your workouts? How do you stay on track?

equinox

Xoxo,

Gigi

Not feeling myself…

Posted on January 29, 2016 by Gigi in My Life 2 Comments

pooh…

Yesterday was one of those days that was just off. The morning started with a shower of telemarketers selling services I have no desire for. Everything I needed to do was taking longer than expected, so hence I left late for my LA appointments.

running around sans makeup

Being gone almost 15 days this month has finally caught up with me. I just put up the last of my holiday decor tonight! Crazy, I know- but I could not go into February with 20 nutcrackers on display.

I can’t believe it is the last Friday of the month, time waits for no one…

I’m looking forward to being home this weekend. Working on the never ending house edit – an edit that is starting to give me so much freedom letting go of random things that at one point seemed so critical to my existence. Like today I got rid of a bunch of suits, from my “office working days” suits that were nice of enough to donate to an agency and some perhaps another woman may be blessed as a result.

So my friends I’ve come to the conclusion being overwhelmed is a way of life for me…overscheduling is what I do- I’m in a race to embrace every second of my life and I don’t want to miss anything.

So are you too overwhelmed? Do you have any secret struggles you are dealing with? I do. Please know you are not alone and we will get through this journey.

Sending love and good vibes and vital hugs to anyone who may need one today.

Happy Gigi

xoxo,

Gigi

Minestrone Soup

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Gigi in Recipes 4 Comments

Once upon a time long ago, before cell phones, text messages, Facebook, instagram, snapchat, twitter, you tube and cable, people spent a lot more time with each other. When Reggie and I were first married, I signed us up for cooking classes. Once a week we trekked to Los Feliz to a home based cooking school where we prepared italian, chinese, french and spanish cuisine, along with 4 other couples.

Fast forward to Food Network, a bajillion online cooking classes and we still go back to some of the recipes we made in those classes 20 plus years ago.

Now that I am home for a while, 3 trips this month was a bit much. I need to get back on my program, so for me the best way to ease back into my routine is to transition with some juicing and soup-ing along with my workouts.

I love this Minestrone soup recipe, I made a big pot this evening. It has a lot of steps, but well worth it.

Genoese Minestrone

10 cups of water or stock ( I use the no-chicken broth stock)

no chicken broth

1 can of kidney beans- drained

1 medium cabbage, cleaned, cored and sliced

1/2 pound of potatoes ( I use the little red ones)

2-3 stalks of celery

2 large carrots, sliced

2 zucchini ( I used the baby ones from Trader Joe’s)

1/2 pound of sugar snap peas

1/2 pound of string beans, topped and sliced

6 ounces of olive oil

fresh ground black pepper

1/2 pound of small pasta (can use gluten free pasta)

1 bunch of basil

6 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup of pecorino cheese grated (omit for vegan preparation)

salt

Put drained kidney beans, cover with 10 cups of stock or water. Add all the cleaned, chopped and sliced veggies. Reserve the snap peas to add just at the end. Add half the oil and simmer 40 minutes, or until the veggies are tender.

Add the pasta. Boil for 20 minutes.

Prepare pesto while pasta cooks. Put basil leaves and peeled garlic in the food processor. Process, adding olive oil and cheese, little salt and pepper.

Just before the pasta had finished cooking mix a little of the hot soup with the pesto and then add all back to the soup. cook until pasta is tender. Serve

veggies for minestrone

rinsed and drained kidney beans

chopped veggies

pesto ingredients

pesto in the food processor

pesto

I’m sure if you were short on time you could buy a ready made pesto.

minestrone soup

Enjoy! Happy Thursday-

Xoxo,

Gigi

Trader Joe’s Recalls Their Triple Ginger Brew

10 things you should do…

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Gigi in Inspiration Comments Off

self portrait #10

I was reading an article about 26 things a person should do for themselves a least once an year.

These were some of my favorites ones-

1 Buy your self a good pair of shoes. The article focused on the comfort aspect, but my thought would be a beautiful indulgent pair- one that makes your heart beat fast and your legs look fabulous.

2 Go on a trip anywhere- even a road trip to a city a couple hours away- just explore something different.

3 Listen to some music from your past- I do that all the time, it mellows me out thinking about what I was doing 20-30 years ago and how simple my life was then. Lately I have been on a Stevie Wonder binge.

4 Edit your space and get rid of clutter. Anything that no longer serves you…let it go- I’m doing this room by room, my daughter left for college 2008 and has not returned- so I think all those clothes hanging in that closet are not serving anyone.

5 Clean up your email inbox- I’m ashamed to say, but I have over 100,000. I know part of this is from subscribing to different mailers, so my inbox is flooded daily.

6 Take yourself to dinner or lunch alone- I do this a lot when I go into the city. I have by phone or iPad and I’m good.

7 Write down a list of things you are proud of…

a.I am proud of my growth as an artist- and pursuing my passion as an old lady. hehehe

b. I am proud of my unconditional love for my family-because at times it can be a real challenge.

c. I am proud of being able to say “no” and being able to speak and listen to my authentic self and let her guide me…

8 Prepare dinner for friends- It is so easy to go out and meet at a restaurant, but there is something intimate about preparing food for guests.

9 I love this one- “do something unbelievably kind for someone who will not expect it” I have been on the receiving end of this one- just blown away by unexpected kindness, especially this past year.

10 I loved this one too “on your birthday make it a point to review your year” and then reflect and make improvements.

Read the entire list here.

Happy Wednesday!

Xoxo,

Gigi

My favorite purchases of 2015

Posted on January 26, 2016 by Gigi in Shopping, Uncategorized 2 Comments

I don’t shop as much as I used to- It’s not as if I don’t like “stuff” but after a while it becomes a question of “do I really need that”? My lifestyle dictates a more relaxed look, when shooting I wear all black, I like dressing up on the weekends occasionally, of course I have my gym clothes and yes I still love shoes, but there is really not much else that I need. Maybe it is part of growing up or getting to a point where you love certain items and you don’t mine wearing the same thing over and over.

I was thinking about what were my favorite purchases of 2015 and here is what I came up with in no particular order…

1. Bernardaud Victoire china- This was my china pattern that I registered for when we got married. I never completed my set and now it is discontinued. So I have been finding pieces here and there on eBay and other antique online stores. I have almost completed my set-and yes I’m not waiting to use them.

Bernardaud Victoire

2. Paul Smith glasses- I confess I need reading glasses- either that or print is getting smaller and smaller! Since I have accepted this fact of life, I have graduated from the drug store reading glasses and I now pick out frames that I like and have them made with my prescription.

Paul Smith Glasses

3. Valentino Rock Stud Pumps- I love love love this shoe! I started to get black or nude, but I decided life is short… get pink instead- I have no regrets.

valentino rock stud pumps

4. Color corrector by Bobbi Brown- I love this product- it corrects those little blemishes, in my case discoloration that appeared out of nowhere in the last few years.

Bobbi Brown color corrector

5. Mui Mui cross body bag- this little colorful bag makes me happy. I love having my hands free, it is roomy and can hold quite a bit.

mui mui

6. Old fashioned champagne glasses, that I found on One Kings Lane. The gold motif looks like leopard print.

glasses

7. Cordless vacuum by dyson- I can’t say enough about this little gadget- I am able to stay on top of kitty hair with this powerful little tool.

vacuum

8. Tom Ford Tobacco Vanilla- I love this spicy scent for winter. My friend Molly gave me a bottle of this for my birthday, when she noticed I was using a little sample. Love my friends…

Tom Ford

9. Sergio Rossi Black sparkle pump- I wanted a classic timeless evening pump and I found one on sale no less!

Sergio Rossi pump

sergio rossi pump

10. Evening gown that I had made- I always buy off the rack, but this time I decided to have a gown made- Emiliano Moreno designed my gown and it was so nice to put something on that fit perfectly…

my gown

11. Cam-ranger -This gadget allows me to shoot and immediately upload to my computer so I can see the image right away. Really works well for self portraits.

camRanger

12. Sevi towel- I picked this towel up at a craft fair, and it is perfect for drying my hair without creating frizz- it is big enough that I can make a turban-after years of wearing my hair natural I have learned that each step is critical to the end result.

What were your favorite purchases this past year? Do you have any vices? Please share- so I know I’m not the only one…

Happy Tuesday,

Gigi

Vegas Weekend

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Gigi in Travel 2 Comments

Gigi January 2016

We spent the weekend in Las Vegas, with a few friends celebrating the January birthdays of our husbands. I have a love hate relationship with Vegas, I don’t gamble- (afraid I may be one of those who would become addicted) and at times it is just to over the top. The focus of this trip was the J Lo show at Planet Hollywood, which opened a couple nights ago, none of us had ever seen her in concert.

J Lo

The weekend started Friday, rushing to the airport- we both worked that morning and barely made the flight. This was the one time I should have worn my slip on shoes instead of high heeled boots, but my friend told me to bring my “sexy game” on- it’s Vegas! At 56, it is not as easy to do that, it takes lots of thought and planning…what can I get away with and not look ridiculous or look as if I’m trying to hard.

my glitter boots I got in Italy

my date night outfit-

my Princess shoe…rena caovilla-one of those outlet finds that I knew would come in handy-

We checked into the Mandarin Oriental, a gorgeous property with no casino. Our room was spacious, well appointed and the bathroom was like a little spa retreat.

spa bath

welcome tea service-

We had dinner at Twist- I was so happy that they had nice vegan options, and were so willing to accommodate our requests.

yummy salad

birthdays are month long celebrations…

I had never seen J Lo in concert, but I must say she did not disappoint. She was full of energy!

The evening ended at a roulette table observing my girlfriend magically grow a hundred dollars into quite a few.

moi in the casino

the posse-

The rest of the weekend was low key, sleeping in late- something we both needed, an indulgent breakfast, a little window shopping, and spending time just doing nothing, something we rarely do…

blueberry pancakes

crossed the bridge to mecca

Las Vegas

Hope you had a good weekend as well. Happy Monday!

Xoxo,

Gigi

Weekend Getaway

Posted on January 22, 2016 by Gigi in Travel Comments Off

What are you doing this weekend? We are going to Las Vegas to celebrate a friend’s birthday, and I’m looking forward to spending the weekend away with Reggie.

Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas

Tonight we will be having dinner at Twist and then going to J Lo’s show at Planet Hollywood Resort.

The rest of the weekend we have no agenda and I’m looking forward to that. The Mandarin Oriental will be our abode for the weekend. We are not gamblers, but there is plenty of stuff to keep us busy on the strip.

A few meanderings on the web-

Why do I want this? Even more than I want this?

So many places to go so little time…

I love short stories…

I love this product.

This shoe is so so comfortable …even though it is not my typical style- but I like these.

Take time to do a little exploring this weekend…

Xoxo,

Gigi

Mr. & Mrs.

Fear of Failure

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Gigi in My Life 3 Comments

I have a little secret that after this post it won’t be a secret any more.

I have a fear of being a failure. A loser.

I think it stems from being overwhelmed and at more times than not unorganized. I have this feeling that I’m racing against this big stopwatch that is my “life” and soon the timer is going to go off and I’m not going to be finished.

I have had my share of loser/failure moments.

In elementary school I was the slowest person in PE. I remember always being last in all of the fitness tests.
In high school I tried out for the cheerleader squad and I didn’t make it- cut in the first round .
My senior year of high school I was in a relationship with a guy that could have been part of ISIS- I was terrorized for 3 years and nobody knew.
See #3 I dropped out of college.
Worked weird odd jobs- like delivering delinquent reports of people who were behind on their property taxes to a company that was headquartered on a nudist colony up in the mountains.
Finally got a “good” job at IBM and one day I just quit- no notice-
Started a chocolate brownie business with a friend, everything was going good and then due to a host of complications we closed the business.
Started interior design school, took a bajillion classes, but never finished the program.
Started a home decor business and after a couple of years it fizzled.

Gigi

Fast forward to my photography business. I’ve spent thousands and thousands of dollars on all kinds of equipment, classes, marketing etc.. So yes I’m scared- sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and I question myself. “what the hell are you doing?” The good thing is I think about this quote-at those times.

quote

I have to believe that it is true. And yes in between all the shortcomings, there have been lots of highs as well- like I did go back to school and I finished my degree.

Gigi finishing college

I successfully mothered two children and have been a wife for almost 27 years.

Bar Acuda

I’m the person I am today that is a combination of all those experiences. I am resilient and if I do give up, I quickly reinvent myself and keep it moving!

What are you afraid of? What wakes you in the middle of the night? How do you deal with your fears?

Xoxo Gigi

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