Bobbi Brown and Me

Bobbi Brown and Me ©

By Michael Casey

I just saw a programme on BBC about Bobbi Brown, the makeup lady, and believe it or not I found the programme very interesting. It was part of the BBC’s 100 Women feature, we saw it by chance, my wife has worked in cosmetics in the past so it pricked her interest immediately. So we watched it, I was really pleased to discover that Bobbi Brown was a nice lady.

I guessed there must be some faith behind her, something that made the kindness inside her, so I did a quick Google and she was raised Jewish. I image any faith, any value system inside you makes you a better person. If I’m wrong and she is just a naturally nice lady I’m sure somebody will tell me. I should say she was here in Birmingham once, my wife was working at the next counter. My wife has a degree in chemistry by the way, so if Bobbi ever reads this she’ll laugh.

Yes I’d love for Bobbi to invest in www.michaelgcasey.typepad.com  just as a side-line for a bit of fun. However what I’d like to expand on is “niceness” if you are nice to your staff then they’ll work harder and they’ll be happier. I spent 3 very happy years at CPNEC Birmingham, it was the hardest work in my life but I loved it.

We were known as the friendly hotel, the guests loved it, and the food too, such a simple thing does make a difference.  Quality rooms with great food, all brought to you by friendly staff. Guests don’t want grumpy people after a hard day at the NEC, I used to say welcome home to them when they got back to us.

So if it feels like a team, then its better all round. My dad said when he was made redundant from his steel works job after 40 years that it was like a little family. My local pizza place they are another little family, if you sit waiting for a pizza you can see  how they gel and how it’s like a well-oiled machine.

The reverse is true too if you sit and observe some places where they are arguing and fighting each other all the time, it’s not my job you hear them say, or I’m going on my break just as things are being swamped. I’ve worked:- reception, concierge, canteen, switchboard, housekeeping, laundry, portering, security to name just some of my roles in the hotel, on a daily basis. So I know what being flexible means. If you are flexible the guests, the customers always come first, then a company prospers. If you are not flexible then the company sinks.

My computer room days were fun and a lot of hard work too, it was more like a club than a place of work. There’s lots I could write about but never have. The thing I learnt about Bobbi Brown though was that she is honest, she makes what is great within women even greater. She uses their natural beauty within them to show just how beautiful women are.

She magnifies beauty within her clients with her makeup, whereas other beauty products conceal and hide. I imagine if ever she meets me she’d improve my beauty immediately. By putting a sack over my head, or would that be Jean Paul Gautier’s idea? 

p.s. I nearly bought my daughter a makeup set tonight, one made of chocolate that she could eat.