Our Best Advice

Valentines Day Classic Appreciation

Body Shop Chocomania

Our Best Advice shares great TIPS as suggestions on various topics. Decades of our renowned expertise is famous that ISA makes job referrals for those who have top excellent checkable references and expert experience in the domestic help field, to clients offering a variety of job opportunities working in household help luxury estates jobs.

TIP: romantic chocolate is still the goddess of sweet tributes, and classic for Valentines Day. As a holiday preceded by the Grammy Awards many of our VIP clients attend, we know that celebration and endorsement gift giving is a standard part of both, and often delivered as specialty treats. TIP: Do check ingredients for toxic additives as studies continue to emerge warning of dangers in our food and drinks. Consider too that what we put on our skin (including hair products) is transdermal, and absorbed into our blood stream (and groundwater and oceans..). For a Valentines Day Chocolate Appreciation try adding a romantic body butter like Chocomania to your range of gifts (I’ve not checked ingredients and we don’t get paid for endorsements, but Bodyshop was at the very beginning of spearheading new values in retail trends), or make your own from scratch, including soaps and other luscious things. Your homemade signature is always a classic touch.

Petrossian caviar gift box

For those who love food luxury caviar is another celebration classic. Be creative using it because it has unending pairing possibilities. An Omega3 rich source, it can be served with vanilla bean chocolate chip ice-cream, and a “red” salad. Salty and Sweet with Fat (for fuel) are traditional food combos, ideal for nutrition, protein, and energy delight with your romance. Contrary to myth that it’s bad for you, we do need quality salt, which also  brightens sweet flavors.

At Petrossian WeHo restaurant, Chef Giselle Wellman is fired up cooking with (and without) caviar. They’re always friendly and ready to help with a variety of gifts and price range to choose from. An elegant gift with two crystal vodka flutes, blue-inlay mother-of-pearl spoons, plus the caviar of your choice, comes all wrapped in their signature blue box. Add your endearments with an IOU massage card. As a starter, watermelon squares with drizzled balsamic is perfect anytime for any event. If you don’t know caviar, try their terrific and well priced introductory classes with your lover (or give it as a gift), and you’ll soon be wild about it too.

Justin Timberlake and JZ at Grammys 2013

Always classic, write a love song delivered in neo-vintage glam. Justin Timberlake is pairing with Tom Ford to create his special signature clothing line because there is always time for a Suit & Tie. He’s back with wonderful new retro glam that stands out from the rest, as we watched a sizzling-smooth Justin and JZ duo performe to a wildly cheering crowd (and a sold out performance in L.A. for Justin right after the awards). Smart of them to remind everyone how traditional elegant glamour brings back hot romance. At ISA we’ve had glamorous clients right from the beginning, over the years of Hollywood’s Golden Age (and we know that romance has never gone out of style). Beginning with ladies and gents with impeccable groomed manners. Do keep up with etiquette, makes life so much lovelier.

David Bowie glam “red”

Everyone loves a great love fantasy as only David Bowie delivers with his elegant wife Iman. Lovers married 20+ years in an industry tuff for relationships, it was St. Laurent who famously declared: ‘my perfect woman is Iman’ (who’s beyond glam class).

I just played Bowie’s vintage Let me Sleep Beside You to inspire my mood. Bowie is a crooner poet, so here are  some of the remixed lyrics to launch yours. Remember these are copyrighted, so give credit to the artists if you decide to share them.

… ‘Baby, baby, brush the dust of youth from your shoulder… Let your hair hang down, wear the dress your mother wore .. Let me sleep beside you.. Lock away your childhood and throw away the key.. We shall drink the oldest wine and velvet skies will linger.. Child, you’re a woman now, your heart and soul are free .. I will hold a lighted lamp and we shall walk together… I will give you dreams and I’ll tell you things you’ll like to hear.. Let your hair hang down, wear the dress your mother wore..  let me sleep beside you .. let me sleep beside you..

Nina Simone at the piano – who also inspired retro hair at this year’s ever classic Grammy Awards

Can’t wait for Bowie’s new album. For those who don’t have a Valentine here’s a universal TIP: be your own.  Must listening is the track from legendary Nina Simone, the ultimate in bringing her kaleidoscopic voice telling us ‘You Know How I Feel’ (my lyrics version remix here).

Set your passionate heart to an open Valentine call and sweet memories.

.. Birds flying high you know how I feel .. Sun in the sky you know how I feel .. Breeze driftin’ on by you know how I feel .. It’s a new dawn.. It’s a new day .. It’s a new life .. For me .. And I’m feeling good … Dragonfly out in the sun you know what I mean, don’t you know .. Butterflies all havin’ fun you know what I mean .. Stars when you shine you know how I feel .. . Scent of the pine you know how I feel … Oh freedom is mine .. And I know how I feel …

It does not get better than Simone and Bowie! Add them for your lover’s playlist. 

chocolate-tea infusions from the Tea Room

So back to chocolate (always room for chocolate afterglow) if you crave more TIPS: add an original organic tea-chocolate experience from The TeaRoom. According to their choco-alchemists it’s a premium drink unlike any beverage or other chocolate drink on the market. It can be used in a variety of ways for a hot or cold experience, including added to smoothies, or whatever else your chocolate loving heart imagines. There’s a menu of suggestions with every tin (check out their other award winning gift selections).

Image: Foodies In Love, by artist Vivienne Flesher for The Los Angeles Times

A bit more love is always great. Giving thanks for our food is an international appreciation ritual. The drawing by Vivienne Flesher, captured it perfectly for Kimberly Nichols’ amusing story in The LA Times: ‘they met through an online dating service, but the sparks didn’t fly until their passion for food of all varieties became a shared pastime.’ Our local paper has some great TIPS so check them out weekly.

As to exploring foods and loving a well mannered experience, today fast foods (fast everything), is the same as saying chaos rules. You will get exactly that. Don’t fall for it, only  fools believe our precious lives are disposable. Savor yours, and share farm-to-table food and drink alchemy concoctions served all over town. Don’t forget to gift some volunteer work Valentines (or buy a couple of strangers some chile pepper red drinks). At Rivera we had some amazing things (and I’m still not sure what they were!) 

photo courtesy: Renaud Marion “Air Drive” series

And if you still want more (there’s always room for more love), you can add a commissioned art work for your lover that expresses how fast you want to fly into their arms. See Renaud Marion’s new series “Air Drive”, which commemorates our love with fantasy hover cars. This ‘flying vintage’ (Space I say), harkens back to my love for SciFi. The flying car was a symbol of our eternal optimism that new adventures of discovery await at every turn. We’re a green-jet-fusion red-heartbeat away from flying cars carrying your Valentine Gifts to your love.

Call us to help you find a Chef dedicated to creating your most memorably custom Valentines Day Meal (or any event), an intimate dinner perfectly prepared especially for you. We have “best of the best” private Chefs ready to cook a delicious dining experience full of tempting tastes and exciting flavors. Beginning with whatever you fancy with your creative imagination, that ends with whatever satisfies your personal sweet tooth. Life is an aphrodisiac, so get high naturally on Love!

And we also want you to know, that we appreciate you. Have a great Valentines Day!