Velvet Sugar

At the end of the day,

anyway i go in to see paul one week in the summer of 2016, and i’m doing my usual bullshit which consists of me talking shit about myself, and paul is staring at me, and then he cuts me off and says that he’s got a new tool for helping people recognize when they’re using negative language, and gets up and goes over to his desk

and i’m like alright hit me with that sweet sweet self-help article my man, because i’m a linguistic learner and whenever paul’s like here i have a tool for you to use it’s pretty much always an article or a book or something

paul opens a drawer, takes something out, and turns back around. i stare.

i say, paul.

is that a nerf gun.

yeah, says paul.

i say, are you gonna shoot me with a nerf gun in this professional setting.

he happily informs me that that’s really up to me, isn’t it. and sits back down. and gestures, like, go ahead, what were you saying?

and i squint suspiciously and start back up about how i’m having too much anxiety to leave the house to run errands, like it was a miracle to even get here, like i’ve forgone getting groceries for the past week and that’s so stupid, what a stupid issue, i’m an idiot, how could i–

a foam dart hits me in the leg.

i go, hey! because my therapist just shot me in the leg. paul blinks at me placidly and raises an eyebrow. i squint again.

i say, slowly, it’s– not a stupid issue, i’m not stupid, but it’s frustrating me and i don’t want it to be a problem i’m having.

no dart this time. okay. sweet.

so the rest of the hour passes with me intermittently getting nailed with tiny foam darts and then swearing and then fixing my language and, wouldn’t you know it, i start liking myself a little more by the end of the session, which is mildly infuriating because paul can tell and he’s very smug about it 

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” ― Charles William Eliot

Makeup, fashion and hair

Jet Set Ready: 7 easy Steps to your Luxe, Affordable and Ready-to-Wear Style

About Face: Celebrity Makeup Techniques

Elegance - Kathleen Tesaro

A Guide to Elegance: For Every Woman Who Wants to Be Well and Properly Dressed on All Occasions

 Pretty Honest: The Straight-Talking Beauty Companion 

Better Than Beauty: A Guide to Charm

The 21st Century Beauty Bible 

Your Beauty Mark: The Ultimate Guide to Eccentric Glamour

Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual: For Everyone from Beginner to Pro 

Making Faces

How to be Chic and Elegant: Tips From A French Woman  

Dating ( general)

Get the Guy: Use the Secrets of the Male Mind to Find, Attract and Keep Your Ideal Man

The Art of Seduction

The Men in Your Life

How to Make Anyone Fall in Love With You: 85 Proven Techniques for Success

New Rules of Attraction: How to Get Him, Keep Him, and Make Him Beg for More

Why men loves bitches

Love The Psychology Of Attraction

Mama Gena’s Owner’s and Operator’s Guide to Men

Dating wealthy

HOW TO MARRY THE RICH: The Rich Will Marry Someone, Why Not YOU?

Lucrative Love : An Insider’s Secrets to Marrying Millions!

HOW TO MEET THE RICH for Business, Friendship, or Romance 

Ho Tactics: How to MindF**k A Man into Spending, Spoiling, and Sponsoring

How to be Irresistible (Agent Provocateur) 

How to get a rich man

How To Date Like a Courtesan: Attract, Seduce, and Manipulate Men for Love, Money, and Marriage

Etiquette/ wealthy lifestyle

Luxury: A Rich History 

http://eatlovesavor.com/

UltraLuxe Hotels: The Experience Awaits

https://www.instagram.com/cnbcsuperrich/

The Jetsetter Guide: The glamorous guide to living the life ( I wrote this. It is a on amazon)

http://www.legrandmag.com/

http://www.wealthcollection.com/aboutus.html

http://agenceluxury.com/

http://www.realitysense.com/

http://www.departures.com/

http://robbreport.com/

Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic: Lessons in Everyday Elegance

  The Little Book of Etiquette

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Career

The Insiders’ Guide to Becoming a Yacht Stewardess 2nd Edition: Confessions from My Years Afloat with the Rich and Famous 

The Yacht Guru’s Bible: The Service Manual for Every Yacht

How To Become A Flight Attendant: The Ultimate Guide

The Jetsetter Guide: The glamorous guide to living the life

Property Investment for Beginners 

A Modern Girl’s Guide To Networking: How to win friends and influence people - from the office to the party,from the boardroom to the bedroom 

Nice Girls Don’t Get Rich: 75 Avoidable Mistakes Women Make with Money

 http://www.cnbc.com/2014/02/04/ith-the-coolest-super-rich-jobs.html

 The Small Business Start-up Workbook: A step-by-step guide to starting the business you’ve dreamed of 

The Financial Times Guide to Investing:The Definitive Companion to Investment and the Financial Markets: )

Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor: The New Way to Fast-Track Your Career 

The Millionaire Real Estate Agent 

Mrs Moneypenny’s Careers Advice for Ambitious Women

Knowledge

1001 Restaurants: You Must Experience Before You Die

1001: Ideas that Changed the Way We Think

Knowledge Encyclopedia

Art: The Whole Story

How to Sound Cultured: Master The 250 Names That Intellectuals Love To Drop Into Conversation

The Business Book (Big Ideas

50 Paintings You Should Know

500 Words You Should Know

The Philosophy Book

The Economics Book (Big Ideas)

I Used to Know That: General Science

A Classical Education: The Stuff You Wish You’d Been Taught At School

Psychology/Social

Uncensored Sales Strategies: A Radical New Approach to Selling Your Customers What They Really Want - No Matter What Business You’re In: A Radical New … Really Want–no Matter What Business you’re in 

No B.S. Marketing to the Affluent: The No Holds Barred, Kick Butt, Take No Prisoners Guide to Getting Really Rich

Talk Like TED: The 9 Public Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds

Honey Money: The Power of Erotic Capital

The Charisma Myth: Master the Art of Personal Magnetism

How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships

This elephant was caught on camera tidying up trash: