Employee Profile: Sandra Siegel, Account Executive for New York

How long have you worked for Murad and what do you do?
I have being work with Murad for 2 Years and I am an Account Executive for NY.

What Murad products can you not live without?
IWR for face and eye, skin perfecting lotion, Essential C eye SPF 15 and night reform. It’s the best….

What is your favorite thing about Los Angeles?
The Murad inclusive health center. I wish we have one in NY.

What is your favorite restaurant?
Yokahoma (sushi)

What is your most marked characteristic?
My accent. I was born in Brazil. Once you speak with me, you will never forget.

Who is your biggest celebrity crush?
Brad Pitt. Who doesn’t have a crush on him?

What is your worst fashion faux pas?
I guess was in the 80’s. The big puff hair and the Madonna look a like clothing. I looked like a standard poodle.

What is the last movie you saw or the last book you read?
I read all the Twilight series. Love story, Vampires …. I love all that stuff.

What is your favorite day of the week?
Saturday.

What do you enjoy doing the most?
Love spinning classes. Trying new restaurants.. I love food.

What is your idea of a dream vacation?
Being with Jeff (my hubby) anywhere in a beach without our blackberry’s.

Pick a color that describes you best.
Pink

Quick—what makes you happy? (Don’t think about it—Just answer!)
Being with my family. (My husband, my children)

What do you want to come back as in your next life?
Myself.

What would your best friend say is your motto?
Energetic, lost for life and live spirited

It’s Tuesday. 10 am. You’re boss says, “Take the rest of the day off.” What would you do?
I guess you don’t know Matt. I will continue to work. I love what I do.. I don’t fell is work. I enjoy ….. Maybe in the end of the day I would go for a massage.

What else do you want to share with our Murad fans?
My husband never believes in anything when comes to skin care. He says you ladies put all that stuff on your skin looking for a miracle to happen. Nothing works. Anyway he start to get serious wrinkles on he’s fore head and he was very scared of going for Botox. I told him to start using the Intensive Wrinkle reducer for the face. He hesitated at first, asking how can a serum get rid of his expression lines. Well what a surprise, it did…

Today he is an IWR costumer. Not only does he use IWR for face and eye he also takes the Murad firm and tone supplements religiously. The only problem now is that I also use IWR and my bottle is always missing. Now I just need to get him to use moisturizer with a SPF. This will be next….

Murad Bowling Blast!
By Susan Brogdon, Certified Skincare Specialist, Direct Sales

It’s year two of what’s fast becoming the Murad Customer Care Department’s “Annual Bowling Party Blast!” At least that’s what I’m calling it. Our Customer Care Department (with Magy in tow) burst on the scene at Lucky Strike Bowl last Friday to kick start the Labor Day weekend.

We were pumped! Our teams huddled the week before and chose names like The Gutter Gals, Team Wrecking Ball, The Pin-Up Girls, Bowl’d & the Beautiful, MJ Fanatics and even Team No Name.

To make it even more fun, we had themes with outfits to match. The Pin Up Girls of course wore 50′s get ups making them too adorable for words. The MJ Fanatics donned a Michael Jackson white T-shirt and black pants, kicking their legs high while posing for their photo. Each team looked great and truly showed team spirit supporting each other with high fives and cheers that could be heard throughout the bowling alley. Yes…we were the loudest bowlers.

Of course no Customer Care party is complete without grub–and grub we did! Appetizers at Lucky Strike are Yummo! After eating all we could and bowling till our arms gave out, we had prizes! Some of the categories were Most Spares, Most Strikes, Highest Score and even Most Gutter Balls. Not to name names, but, Laura, we have great hopes that next year you will be handing someone else the prize for most gutter balls, since your prize was a book on Bowling Fundamentals. But toward the end Laura really did improve…really. A big congratulations to Jeremiah Brown for the highest individual score of 149 and receiving the new Zune! I want to say welcome to our new hires. You guys bowled your hearts out. Even my 96 year old mother attended and didn’t hesitate to give out bowling advice since she and my dad bowled every Friday night for at least 45 years!

I can’t wait until next year and hope that when we announce our party that each one of you will not only attend but join in. Thanks for the great afternoon Laura…

We had a blast!

Dr. Murad’s Pitcher of Health….in sandwich form

I just returned from New York where I was reintroduced to one of the tastiest sandwiches ever invented. I first tried sabich on a visit to Israel, where it has become wildly popular, but it has yet to catch on in the rest of the world. It was so exciting to find a place that makes it here in the states (unfortunately over 2,000 miles from my house). It is a relatively recent creation that combines many of the centuries old traditional dishes of the Iraqi Jewish community that my father grew up in.

Sabich is a totally Murad sandwich. In addition to being the epitome of rich, creamy goodness (think the culinary version of Age Balancing Night Cream), and the ultimate combination of my ancestral cuisine, it is full of cellular water principle ingredients straight out of Murad’s Pitcher of Health and Dr. Murad’s Spices For Life spice rack.

This brilliant concoction is a pita bread slathered in garlicy hummus and tahini, and filled with savory sumac-seasoned Iraqi fried eggplant, Israeli diced veggie salad, and cell-fortifying, lecithin-rich Iraqi eggs baked for a full 24 hours until they are brown. Additional toppings include antioxidant-rich turmeric seasoned pickled mango (much tastier than it sounds – trust me), and circulatory-stimulating chili sauce.

For all of you in NY I heartily recommend checking it out at Taim in the West Village, and if anyone has any suggestions of where I can get some closer to LA, please let me know.

Employee Profile: Melissa Evans, Headquater Account Executive

How long have you worked for Murad and what do you do?
Since February 5, 2001
Headquarter Account Executive

What Murad products can you not live without?
Essential C Eye Cream, Daily Renewal Complex, Renewing Cleansing Cream and Soothing Lip Therapy

What is your favorite thing about Los Angeles?
I live in Ohio, so it has to be the weather in LA

What is your favorite restaurant?
Tra Vigne, Napa Valley CA

What is your most marked characteristic?
I am tall

Who is your biggest celebrity crush?
Colin Firth

What is your worst fashion faux pas?
If on me…My really old sweats I wear all of the time. On others…Open toe shoes without a pedicure

What is the last movie you saw or the last book you read?
In The Land Of Invisible Women by Qanta A. Ahmed MD

What is your favorite day of the week?
Sunday

What do you enjoy doing the most?
Reading

What is your idea of a dream vacation?
Traveling Europe

Pick a color that describes you best.
Red

Quick—What makes you happy? (Don’t think about it—Just answer!)
My life

What do you want to come back as in your next life?
My dog

What would your best friend say is your motto?
Drink Wine!

It’s Tuesday. 10 am. You’re boss says, “Take the rest of the day off.” What would you do?
Have lunch with a friend, take my dog for a walk, take a nap and cook dinner for a group of friends.

What else do you want to share with our Murad fans?
How great a company Murad is to work for, I have made lifelong friends, had great experiences and worked for and with wonderful people.

Summer Daze

As you can probably deduce from my previous posts, I am, admittedly, solar powered. Springing out of bed when the sun creeps through the blinds cascading strips of light across the walls serving as my wake up call, I find I have to exude much too much energy to simply lift my head a centimeter off the pillow when the thick layer of gloom blankets the sky. Undoubtedly I’m not the only one afflicted with this condition, as I’ve noticed more and more people seem to be walking with a spring in their step and stealing away from the office whenever they can to catch a glimpse of the summer sun.

In the midst of a hectic summer of events and engagements, I just returned from a much needed getaway and the perfect summer vacation in the tropical oasis known simply as. . . .Ohio. While Ohio may not see the tourist traffic of Miami Beach or even our own stretch of sand down the street, this quaint little lake nestled between the green hills served as the perfect refuge to relax and recharge while passing the days on the back of a boat. Without a soul in sight, the glassy water and still quiet of early mornings on the lake felt like taking a deep breath, without ever drawing air. Barefoot and bathing suit clad, the days were filled with wakeboarding, hiking and jumping into the water once you’d realized you’d successfully air dried since the last douse. As a native Californian, obsessing over trying to identify what tiny little insect happens to be nibbling on my ankles at any given moment just added to the feeling of living in a real life version of a ‘Country Time Lemonade’ commercial.

Each day, more employees return from their summer time retreats with sun kissed smiles, recharged and ready to work. Short of entertaining the idea of a career change to the teaching profession to maximize summer fun, vacation is a good time to re-center yourself, and serve as a reminder to take a couple moments out of each day to bring yourself back to that tropical oasis, if only for a moment.

Employee Profile: Dina Geiger, Certified Skincare Specialist

How long have you worked for Murad and what do you do?
I am celebrating my second year with Murad July 12th, 2009 and I am a Certified Skincare Specialist.

What Murad products can you not live without?
I can never ever live without my Murad Refreshing Cleanser, it feels so good on my skin, smells great and leaves it squeaky clean! Also, I cannot walk out the door in the morning without applying my Murad Renewing Eye Cream, takes the puffiness around my eye area away instantly. Honestly I cannot live without any of my Murad products!

What is your favorite thing about Los Angeles?
The beaches and the great weather all year long.

What is your favorite restaurant?
Houston’s! My supervisor took me there when I first started at Murad and I fell in love with it. They are known for their steak but they have fantastic sushi.

What is your most marked characteristic?
My smile.

Who is your biggest celebrity crush?
Johnny Depp, he’s quirky and I like that!

What is your worst fashion faux pas?
When I was 18 my mother made me wear a suit made of different flags from all over the world.

What is the last movie you saw or the last book you read?
The last book I read was He’s just not that into you. Pretty accurate book I must say

What is your favorite day of the week?
Friday because it’s the start of the weekend!

What do you enjoy doing the most?
Taking my dog Miko to the dog beach where he can roam free and go swimming.

What is your idea of a dream vacation?
Somewhere on a beach with white sand, blue waters, a nice breeze and some good company!

Pick a color that describes you best.
Pink.

Quick—What makes you happy? (Don’t think about it—Just answer!)
Friends.

What do you want to come back as in your next life?
A spoiled rotten cat, I can lay around all day sleeping, have someone feed me and pick up after me. Oh and of course, stare out a window and purr.

What would your best friend say is your motto?
Live each day as if it was your last.

It’s Tuesday. 10 am. You’re boss says, “Take the rest of the day off.” What would you do?
Go to the spa and get a facial and a massage and then head to one of my friends houses and probably go shopping! Gee sure would be nice if my boss did do that haha!

What else do you want to share with our Murad fans?
There are many companies that I have worked for in the past and what makes Murad stand out more than the others I have worked for in the past, is that this company is truly like a family. We all support each other, love each other and provide a real sense of team work . The Murad family is also a very generous and kind family who truly cares for each and every employee and their products.

Summer’s Here!!!

Summer officially started on June 21 at 1:45 AM, otherwise known as Summer Solstice. Summer Solstice is a happy time for those of us who live in sunny California. There’s a Summer of Love SOULstice Festival in Santa Monica. Del Mar celebrates the arrival of summer with a culinary twist. Tahoe hosts its own Summer Kick-Off over 4 days. And Santa Barbara knocks it out of the park with the Summer Solstice Parade.

Murad took part in the celebration with Summer Fun Shorts Day. That’s right. Murad employees were given a free pass to wear shorts to the office in observance of Summer Solstice. Some wore bermudas, some chose cargos, while others classed it up with heels. Regardless of the style or color or flip flops or tennis shoes, we all had a blast seeing our fellow coworkers walking down the hallway looking cool and casual with shorts on. Discovering who rocked shorts to work was like a fun, day-long surprise.

I would like to say a big THANKS to Murad for giving us the chance to celebrate our favorite season (well, my favorite anyway) and a big HAVE FUN THIS SUMMER to everyone out there.

Now it’s time to dust off the barbeques, put on the flip flops, and head to the beach. And of course, we always remember to wear
our sunblock!

Murad Employees: Masters of Skincare……
and the English Language

I’m not sure how the conversation was started, but suddenly, 4 Murad employees (two from the catalog team and two from the eTeam) synchronized their lunches and engaged in a friendly game of Boggle. Each questioned the other as to the validity of their chosen words (totter? frit?). In the end however, Sam Shefrin, our very own SEO Guru, came out victorious (although whether he knew the definition of “covin” as he furiously jotted it down on paper is still a mystery). Do I see a company-wide Murad Boggle Tournament in the near future? That remains to be seen. In the meantime, I’ll get started on memorizing all the three letter words in the English Language.

Employee Profile: Casey Cochran, Manager, Print and Retention

(We’re bringing back the employee profile! Now’s your chance to get to know the people who keep Murad’s wheels a-turning. First off: Casey Cochran, the mastermind behind your favorite Murad catalog. Check back often to meet more Murad employees!)

How long have you worked for Murad?
I can’t believe it – It has been 3 ½ years! The last 2 years I’ve managed Murad’s Catalog and Direct Mail Business. Before that I worked in Spa Marketing.

What Murad products can you not live without?
Intensive Wrinkle Reducer for eyes is amazing! I swear it erases lines. I tell all my bride-to-be friends to use it. I’m also in love with Sheer Lustre Day Moisture SPF 15. I’ve never experienced a product like it. It literally melts into your skin, providing deep hydration with a lightweight finish. Even better, the subtle light reflecting minerals in the product make your skin glow with radiance.

What is your favorite thing about Los Angeles?
All the creative people. I came here thinking everyone was going to be made of silicone and discovered that’s not the case. Yes, we do have a higher percentage of ‘enhanced’ people, but, as the entertainment capital of the world we also have the most creative, imaginative people in the universe.

What is your favorite restaurant?
It’s not really a restaurant, it’s a market in Santa Barbara wine country called Los Olivos Grocery and Deli. The Chumash Chicken Sandwich is to die for (grilled chicken breast, peppercinis, avocado, lettuce, tomato… I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!). Whenever we make it up to the Santa Barbara area, Tim (my boyfriend) and I make a ritual out of buying a sandwich and driving to a nearby winery for a picnic lunch.

What is your most marked characteristic?
At Murad people know me for my hair. It’s always been long, but I change up the style regularly. In college my boss called me Madonna because she swore my hair changed as often as Madonna changed outfits. Around here people seem to prefer the 50’s inspired twists.

Who is your biggest celebrity crush?
Jack Black (don’t tell Tim!). Looks come and go but a sense of humor is with you forever.

What is your worst fashion faux pas?
Where do I begin? It was a bad scene all through middle school, continuing into high school. My worst outfit was this patriotic disaster I concocted. I had these giant flag earrings, a red & white striped T-Shirt, and blue shorts with stars on them. My eyeshadow was blue (with stars!) and – this is the worst part – I actually painted my fingernails like flags. It got so bad that my mom hid my blue nail polish from me.

What is the last movie you saw or the last book you read?
Revenge of the Nerds – it’s pure brilliance.

What is your favorite day of the week?
Saturday, of course.

What do you enjoy doing the most?
Singing, wine tasting, seeing the outdoors…and brainstorming the next catalog issue (it’s true).

What is your idea of a dream vacation?
Last year, Tim and I went to Ireland. From standing on the Cliffs of Mohr to hiking the Gap of Dunloe it was an amazing experience. My favorite place was a little bar in Killarney called O’Connors Pub. A local Irish folk band named Paddy’s Arrivals plays there every night. We had the time of our lives playing and singing with them. Some people want to go someplace tropical, but I’d give anything to spend another week in that old Irish pub, drinking Guinness and singing folk songs.

Pick a color that describes you best.
Green.

Quick—What makes you happy? (Don’t think about it—Just answer!)
Karaoke!

What do you want to come back as in your next life?
A Sham-Wow. I’d be indestructible and able to do anything!

What would your best friend say is your motto?
Life isn’t black and white – it’s usually somewhere in the gray.

It’s Tuesday. 10 am. You’re boss says, “Take the rest of the day off.” What would you do?
Work until 11 – then bike along the ocean, through Santa Monica, up to Malibu and back.

This is what long weekends are made for…

Good friends, sunny skies, and Erykah Badu dropping the beat on stage—who could ask for anything more? On Sunday I went to the JazzFest at UCLA. Three of my good friends and I battled traffic, a fender-bender, and crowds of people but we made it. And just in time too. As De La Soul was finishing their set, we trekked through bundles of people and blankets. As we settled in, the crowd rose with anticipation. Then she walked on stage rocking a Public Enemy hoodie. Her energy travelled through the mic and into our dancing bodies. She put on a great show, performing for more than an hour and giving it her all. Even though we missed most of the festival, it was worth the adventure getting there to see Erykah blow us away. Definitely an experience to remember.

What adventures did you get into over the long weekend? We’d love to hear what our Murad fans do to relax over a lazy weekend.