Last week I spent three days in Boston. There are so many things I love about this city, where I spent my first few years in the US… Fall foliage, the CITGO sign, Dunkin Donuts coffee shops on every corner, Patriots stickers on so many car bumpers, Harvard square, my friend Aileen who has known me since I was 6 years old and lets me stay with her anytime I am in the area, and one of my favorite clients, Beauty & Main, to name just a few. Indeed, last week I was in town for a two-day event with Beauty & Main, to help promote Alchimie and train the team. I took advantage of lunch with Kate Richard, their chief operating officer, to learn more about her. She fascinates me! Not only because she was the decision-maker in terms of adding Alchimie Forever to the Beauty & Main skin care assortment; also because she is gorgeous (she looks like Ava Gardner), has a bar-tending and bar-owning husband, and loves New Orleans almost as much as I do. Here are her answers to my second Beauty-View. Funnily enough, there are some similarities with some of Sarah Kugelman’s answers from last week…
AR: What city were you born in? KR: Burlington, VT.
AP: What city do you live in? KR: Providence, RI. I’m a true New Englander…
AP: What is your middle name? KR: Elizabeth. My mom wanted it to sound royal.
AP: What is your astrological sign? KR: Aries.
AP: What is your favorite thing about the beauty industry? KR: My favorite thing is that I get to meet a lot of powerful, smart, driven women.
AP: Least favorite thing? KR: My least favorite thing also centers around working primarily with women. Sometimes we can be a bit catty…
AP: What is your most prized possession? KR: My child, although I am not sure I can call her a possession. Her name is Ava, she just turned 3.
AP: What is something about you most people don’t know? KR: I overanalyze everything and I fret in private.
AP: Do you wear a watch? KR: Yes, always. AP: If yes, what model? KR: Giorgio Armani.
AP: Diamonds or pearls? KR: Pearls.
AP: If you could have dinner with the person of your choice, who would it be? KR: Either Eleanor Roosevelt, who is my personal hero (for guidance), or Elvis Presley (for eye candy).
AP: What is your secret to work/life balance? KR: I fully embrace the reality that most things can be finished tomorrow. I don’t do it all – I delegate as much as humanly possible and I force myself to put work away and finish tomorrow. The world won’t stop turning because of it.
AP: What are your three top tips for travel? KR: 1. Spend a little more to be comfortable. 2. Do your research and immerse yourself in the local scene. 3. Leave your kids at home.
AP: What is your favorite book? KR: Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris.
AR: What is your cocktail of choice? KR: Old fashioned. My husband JR makes the best one.
AP: What is your #1 beauty secret? KR: Blush. Don’t skip it. Right now, I love the RMS Beauty cream blush.
AP: What fragrance do you wear? KR: I wear Odin #1. It is a unisex fragrance, and I like masculine scents in general.
AP: Botox or not? KR: Botox.
AP: Hair color: natural or not? KR: Not! Not since I was 14… I just went back to red a month ago, I like the Framesi colors.
AP: 3 songs on your ipod right now. KR: Asteroids Galaxy Tour. They are Swedish; their whole album is on my ipod. Johnny Cash is my favorite. And Yo Gabba Gabba… for Ava.
AP: Quote to live by. KR: Whatever will be, will be.
AP: Who is your mentor? KR: My husband. He has been there, done that, and knows me well enough to advise me properly. He also has a cooler head than I do, which is helpful.
AP: Words of advice for young women starting their careers today. KR: Be really smart about the way you spend your time and money. Create a path and stay on it, but do allow for deviations along the way. What has been successful for someone else is not necessarily what will work for you. Be open to compromise but keep your eye on the prize.
