NBC BETTER Segment for The Love List

Here is the piece I filmed yesterday at NBC NEWS BETTER. In addition to the live taping there was a great accompanying article that lives on the site as well. Check it out here.

A big thank you to Style Verify who shared this piece on Apple News: Why every female should have a Love List. 

 

ELENA:)

Winter Weekend Reads

Here is a piece that ran for 3 different outlets on 3 wonderful Children’s books (Curlee Girlie, Are you an Echo? and I’m going to give you a Bear Hug!): Tease Tea.com, BELLA LA, RESIDENT Magazine.

ELENA:)

HGU New York

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I’m 4 hours down in a 19 hour flight. I’m heading in the opposite direction I usually head (NYC). I’ve enjoyed watching my favourite fashionistas and bloggers share their IG memories and Snaps for fashion week and I kind of wish I was there! I always seem to miss fashion week for Sept.

The weather has hopefully cooled off from the August’s heat wave, when I stayed at the brand new HGU New York. HGU stands for Hotel Grand Union and it definitely lives up to its grandeur.

The boutique hotel in the NoMad area boasts 90 guest rooms with both style and comfort in mind. I’m in love with all the Frette linen used (pillows, sheets and towels) in the room. (Added bonus – you can request the type of pillow support to aid in your sleep). The grey and white room decor with soft lighting is soothing on the eyes and helped when I had a relaxing/sun shielding 90 min in room massage from Soothe.

I can’t wait to see the roof top (opens summer 2017) and to check out the in house restaurant which opens in the fall of this year. The 1905 Lounge is building upon their weekly events and is hosting some great private functions for fashion week. I love the original ceilings, large sofas and artwork that adorn the intimate and welcoming space.

I can’t say enough about how convenient the location is – on East 32nd in between Park and Madison. It’s not entirely Midtown, but close enough to get downtown in a jiffy if need be. It’s also quiet to assure that you recharge and get a good nights sleep (again – big honourable mention to that linen!)

If you are looking for a hotel with the convenience that doesn’t compromise on comfort, style and design   look no further than HGU New York.

ELENA:)

BELLA LA: Two for Tuesday!

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Two for Tuesday! The first article is a Q&A with LA author Alex Brunkhorst. The second article is a How-To Get your perfect summer braid with Victoria Taylor Hair Extensions and with the help of Bianca Bruno and Nicky from the Trend’n Female.

ELENA:)

NYC Recap

 

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I can’t believe its’ been a month since I was in New York. Time definitely flies by…

I checked into the Q&A Residential Hotel on the Saturday evening to be welcomed to one of the largest hotel suites I have ever stayed in the city. The last time I stayed in the quiet financial district area was 5 years ago, so I was curious to see how the area changed. That night, I settled in by walking around the area – the subway and the huge Duane Reade was across the street. I can’t sing the praises of free strong Wi-Fi and fridge that could hold my Invo Coconut Water for the Sunday morning shoot.

Read my article for RESIDENT Magazine on Q&A Residential Hotel here.

Sunday morning, I had a great time with Bianca Bruno and Nicky Styles (editor from The Trend’n Female) shooting a how-to braiding guide complete with Victoria Hair clip on extensions. I’ve never had extensions before so I was quite curious to see how well they would blend into my own hair. It turned out perfect! They were not heavy at all and easy to take out at the end of the day.

Stay tuned for the How-To Braid guide in BELLA LA and BELLA NYC coming out soon.

After the video shoot, we met up with some friends and had brunch at Gentilly, a new spot in the West Village. I had a great tofu scramble and got schooled on three different ways on how to drink rose courtesy of Maison Marcel. It was great reuniting with Caitlyn from Tease Tea and picking up my favourite Earl Grey tea. My plans fell through for Burger & Lobster that night as well as my attempt to have chicken wings at Pok Pok – so I’ll have to put that on the list for next time.

The next two days were FULL of meetings:

I surprised myself not taking a cab even once! Google Maps is my new favorite friend. The biggest surprise of Monday was meeting Britney Spears’ first tour manager tied with being asked to write a pro Trump article for a magazine for $200 later that night.

Tuesday’s meetings were scheduled back-to-back and being caught in the rain was an unwelcomed surprise. I stopped by CINER to check out some new fashion jewelry and visit the lovely ladies. My friend, Lexicon of Style introduced me to a café called Culture Espresso that had cute wallpaper and fabulous décor. Rare for Midtown. Tuesday night ended by meeting Susan Mallery, NY Times #1 Best–Seller who was launching a romance novel entitled, Best of My Love.

I had two impromptu meetings on Wednesday, pre flight home. I had the pleasure of visiting the beautiful shared working space of Neuehouse. I loved the Restoration Hardware meets NYPL vibe. Such an inspiring space. I grabbed a quick lunch with a friend at Back Forty West before heading back to the hotel to grab my luggage and a package that had arrived in the nick of time before my Luxury Car Ride swept me off to LGA.

ELENA:)

ps: To find out what the package was… scroll to my next post.