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K. Michelle on Her Boyfriend and New Music, Plus Rules for Christmas Gifts
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00:00I'm Akonjovu and today on Essence Now, Kay Michelle is giving us all the tea on her new
00:10relationship, new music and new booty. Plus our girl Patrice J. Williams is back with
00:16some creative gift ideas for the holidays. But right now, it's time for the hot list,
00:21the biggest stories you're buzzing about today. Representative John Conyers of Michigan has
00:30announced he is retiring from Congress and that he wants his son, John Conyers III, to replace him.
00:37Many, including some Democrats, had called for Conyers to step down after several women accused
00:42the 88-year-old of sexual harassment. Although Conyers has repeatedly denied the allegations,
00:47one woman told NBC recently that Conyers, quote, violated her body, touching her and making her
00:53feel uncomfortable. Sharon Walker wrote on Facebook, if he resigns, then Trump needs to as well. Don't
01:00get me wrong. The sexual harassment is wrong, but the same request should be made to all who've been
01:05accused. Yandala Jones wrote, Democrat or Republican, it doesn't matter. Predator ass needs to go.
01:11What happened to our morals? Damn Trump pussy grabbing club is growing by the minute. Who's next?
01:17Fans of Golden Crest are still in shock from the news that the company's founder,
01:25Lowell Hawthorne, committed suicide. There are reports that Lowell owed millions in back taxes,
01:29which may have contributed to his wanting to take his own life. Lowell launched Golden Crest in 1989
01:35by pooling money from family and friends and eventually grew the company to 120 stores.
01:42Back in 2013, he spoke about his success with VVH TV and his decision to keep the
01:47company black owned. Watch. We pride ourselves on quality and community spirit, giving thousands
01:53of scholarships and hundreds of scholarships to students going after college. We reinvest in
02:00our community. We reinvest in our youth because we realize that only through education we'll be
02:05able to transform lives. Wow. Such a tremendous loss. Tanisha Elaine wrote on Facebook,
02:11mental illness is real. Depression is real. For some, it's not something you can just pray away.
02:17Please seek professional help if prayers are not enough.
02:24Shout out to Tammy Roman for this hilarious edition of her Bonnet Chronicles series. Watch.
02:31Listen, I need for people to understand that Christmas is for the kids. And by the kids,
02:34I mean your mother kids, because ain't nobody about to be out here buying these mother gifts for all
02:39these kids these bitches is having. I'm not about to do it. And listen, you take care of your goddamn
02:44kids and I'm going to take care of mine. And by kids, I mean under 18, because if you're over 18,
02:48you's a mother adult. So you ain't get. Okay, this is just another day because you've been getting
02:53all year long. Get into it. Gotta love that Tammy. So after we watched this about 50, 11 times,
03:00it got us thinking. Now that Christmas is upon us, what are your personal rules for gift giving
03:05during the holiday season? Send us your comments using hashtag Essence Now because we're talking
03:10about it next. It's Tuesday, December 5th, and it's time for Essence Now.
03:23Welcome to Essence Now, the only digital show where black women come first. You can watch us right here
03:29Tuesday at 3 p.m. Eastern for the best in entertainment, news, fashion, and more. Hey,
03:34YouTube fam. Hey, Facebook fam. I see y'all. I'm your host, Makon Dovu. And remember, you can talk to
03:39us at any time using the hashtag Essence Now or by emailing us at Essence Now at Essence.com.
03:45Now, we're just a few weeks away from Christmas, which means it is prime time shopping season.
03:51Or is it? In a seriously laugh out loud post to her Instagram series, Bonnet Chronicles,
03:56Tammy Roman went in on the frenzy around Christmas shopping, saying in part,
04:02people's out here going into depth buying all these mother effing gifts. You buying gifts? Look
04:07around. Ain't nobody bought you. Shh. You be with somebody for 10 years and they still gonna get
04:12you some sh you don't like. F that. F these stores. Wow, Tammy. Wow. So we're asking you in today's
04:19viewer poll, what are your personal rules for holiday gift giving? Send us your comments using the hashtag
04:24Essence Now. And we'll read some of them throughout the show. Now joining us in the studio to talk
04:28about their own philosophies towards Christmas gifts are Essence staffers, Danielle Huateng-Clark,
04:34Whitney Gaspard, and Marissa Lewis. Welcome, ladies. All right, let's get right into it. What did y'all
04:39think of Tammy's video? Is there any truth to what she's saying about Christmas gifts?
04:43Yes. Yes, Whitney, there is. You're grown. It's time to, you're not getting any more gifts. 18,
04:48you're still in high school. So maybe 19, like when you're in college and you come back, you shouldn't
04:54be expecting your cousins and your mom and them to be having gifts for you. Like, no, it's time for
04:59you to give something else to somebody else. But Marissa, what about like your cousins and like
05:04other extended members of the family? If they're 18 and under, can they, or even if they're older,
05:08can they get a gift? I think if we're 18 and over, I think we're about done with that. Okay.
05:13Because at 18 plus, you should also be giving gifts. So if I'm going to be receiving gifts
05:21from my aunt and uncles, at this point, I should be giving them a gift as well. And I don't
05:25know if I'm in a space to be able to do that myself. Okay. All right. Danielle, what you
05:29thinking? I'm even more stingy. I'm going to be honest. I'm all about Secret Santa because here's
05:35the thing. I don't have kids. It's me, my husband, and a dog. So for us, like my sisters keep
05:40having kids. And so there's more kids I have to keep getting things for, but we get one
05:43gift. So I'm all about like, let's like, maybe everybody gets one person a gift. I don't
05:49know, but I'm all about like figuring out right now, currently for the past couple of years,
05:53we've just been giving all the kids gifts and the adults. But at some point, I know it's
05:57because we're not multiplying. Right. Right. Right. So it's like, you know, it gets a lot.
06:02What's the worst gift that you've received? Because you said you do the Secret Santa thing. So
06:05have you ever gotten like a really just terrible gift? Okay. My sister might kill me.
06:09Yes. Don't, don't. Not put your sister on blast, but put her on blast. We're all family. Talk.
06:13And I love her, but like, she got me this scarf that looks like it was like from Chinatown. Like
06:18one of those like $3 scarves with like all the colors that didn't match anything I ever wear.
06:24And I know she thought it was beautiful. And she was, you know, the sentiment was there. So I kept
06:28it. But like, we also live in New York. So it's like, you're getting me anything in like fashion
06:33or accessories. Like I can probably get it here. Yes. Whitney, have you ever gotten a terrible gift?
06:39I don't remember a terrible gift. I think any gift where you like think about the person,
06:43even if it's small, is like really cute. Yeah. Nothing stands out to me as a terrible gift.
06:48All right. Marissa. I can't say I've had a terrible gift, but I stand for like really useful gifts,
06:54gifts that I can use on a day to day. All right. I did get like an Apple watch last year for
06:59my parents. They would be so annoyed to hear, but like neither of me and my sisters have really
07:06like barely used it. Oh no. Not as much use for it. But it's the thought that counts. Yeah. Of course,
07:12I'm super grateful to have it. But like, honestly, socks will get more. We'll get you.
07:18Socks are all right. I'm always here for socks. What about quality time though? Is quality time
07:23better? Like if we all go out for drinks and kiki, is that better than a gift? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I just feel
07:29like when you know when he's shaking her head. You want something. I said the thought counts.
07:36We need a little gift, like a little token, like can a girl get like a bath of body work?
07:41Oh my God. A little lotion, like a candle girl. But what if the money's not there?
07:46The money may not be there. I, it can be expensive, but I will meet in the middle in terms of quality
07:52time. Plus the spa thing. Give me, let's do a spa day. Yeah. Or let's all just pitch in. So like
07:58mom and my sisters and us, like we just cut the bill up and just all get massages and nails done
08:03and drinks. Like I like a moment because it is your one moment a year to hang out with family.
08:08I'm also here for the Secret Santa though. Secret Santa is I think the best budget effective way
08:12to exchange gifts. Speaking of budget though, so for Secret Santa, do you put like a monetary
08:16amount? Like is there a certain limit that you don't go above? Is it $25, $50? What is it?
08:21Or just regular gifts, right? Do y'all have a limit?
08:24I think if we're doing Secret Santa specifically, I do think a price range should be discussed
08:28because you don't want to be giving or receiving like a $10 gift while giving or receiving like
08:34having put out a hundred dollars. Right, right, right. But for regular gifts.
08:38You agree with the limit? Yes, but how do you do that for regular gifts?
08:42It's so hard and it's really hard with kids too because they'll compare gifts.
08:45They will. They're like, well, I got this and I didn't want this and I want, what's yours looking
08:50like. So you can honestly, and let's be honest, if I'm really, really, really being honest about
08:54what we do, I'm honestly like, what do you want? Like, I tell my husband like, here's what I want.
08:59Just give it to me. I think gift cards are a great idea because then you kind of get to do your own
09:04thing with the money. Have you ever given out a gift card? I know some people think it's a little
09:07tacky. Whitney. I don't think gift cards are tacky. I think that it gets expensive. If I'm getting
09:13all y'all a $20 gift card, that's $75. Like, I just went to Macy's, you know, with a coupon and
09:20got you like a cute blouse or something like that, you know, for half the price. Like, so I just think
09:25gift cards, like, it adds up. It adds up. I feel like if you're dealing with kids and siblings,
09:30like I'm the youngest of four, like the best thing to do was probably to get us something that was
09:35basically the same thing. So we're all really excited about it. Maybe like if it's makeup, it's like a
09:40color difference. So you kind of avoid that complaining of like, well, I would. That's a
09:44really good tip for kids. But I think the whole point is to spend time together around the holidays,
09:49right? All right. Thank you so much, ladies. Now let's check in with Kayla to see what folks are
09:53saying on our social pages. Kayla, what's going on? Okay. So we're asking, what are your personal
09:57rules for holiday gift giving? And people have a lot to say. So Tara Meek says, kids only.
10:02Rosalyn Oden says, Christmas is for the kids. Liz Wesley says, I no longer buy gifts after spending $3,000
10:08a few years ago on gifts and didn't get a thank you. Yikes. Yvonne Stiff says, I give my
10:14grandchildren gifts. Everyone else gets PJs. Zonora Harrison is watching us on YouTube. Hey,
10:19Zonora. She says, Jesus is the reason for the season. Oh, I guess she's, you know,
10:23I love that. And Alicia says, she'd rather get given an experience or a practical gift for the
10:30person. So as Marissa said, socks are a viable option. Socks will get used. Now remember to keep
10:36sounding off with your comments for today's viewer poll, which is, what are your personal
10:40rules for gift giving during the holiday season? Well, we'll read more of your thoughts later
10:44in the show. Now coming up, Kay Michelle is here and she's going to give us all the scoop
10:49on her new relationship and wanting twin girls. But right now, here's singer-actress Esther Dean
10:55with three reasons you should see Pitch Perfect 3. Fans can expect from Pitch Perfect 3 more
11:07exciting, more dancing, more singing, more friendship, more Bellas. Just, you know, this
11:12movie is really all about the Bellas getting together and the friendship that we have. So
11:17more Bellas. We've grown. You get to see us. We get to perform with more confidence and
11:24showing different confidence in dancing, but not in life. It's just a great way of showing
11:31strength. One, because you've seen Pitch Perfect 1. Two, because you've seen Pitch Perfect 2.
11:38And three, because you should see Pitch Perfect 3. That was clever. I know. It was good.
11:44This is Esther Dean, me right here. And Pitch Perfect 3 is coming out December 22nd,
11:51kind of around Christmas. It's a Christmas movie. It's a trilogy. You should see it. I'm in it.
11:57You're watching Essence Now. I'm your host, Makon Dovu. And you may know our next guest for her big
12:02voice, even bigger personality. Please welcome Kay Michelle back to Essence Now. Hey, Kay Michelle.
12:07Hello, hello, hello. You look beautiful. Let's jump right into the music. You have a new album
12:11entitled Kimberly, The People I Used to Know. Now, what kind of revelations can we expect from this
12:16project? And who are the people that you used to know? A lot of people. A lot of people I used to
12:21know. I don't want to know them anymore. I try to take some type of lesson from everybody that I meet
12:28or see. So for me, it was like, you're at the crossroads as a woman. Like, who are you? What do
12:36you stand for? And how have your relationships of your past affected who you are now? So that's where
12:44this album came from. A lot of the songs are about people that I'm not angry with them. I'm not in hate.
12:51I'm just acknowledging, you know, how they affected me. So the pen on paper, people from your past,
12:59are they friends? Is it ex-boyfriends? Or is it just everybody? Everybody. Everybody. It's friends.
13:05It's boyfriends. It's business associates. It's people who make me feel a way. Like they always say,
13:13you can learn to forgive, but you never forget how people make you feel. So these people have made me
13:19felt some type of way within my life. What lessons have you learned, though,
13:24from those interactions and is that captured on the album? The lesson is you need to find the lesson
13:31because it's kind of like you go through these things and no one quite can understand because
13:35they're not in your shoes. And you try to tell people your story so that they can understand and
13:40they can not be in your shoes. But a lot of times we're hard-headed and we have to go through it,
13:45you know, on our own. So I had to learn my own lessons. And that was that a lot of the stuff
13:51that people do, it's not about you. Your love life is popping. You're married? No. You're not married.
14:00No, yes you are. Tell me about your husband. No, I'm not married. I'm not married. You're not married?
14:06No, I'm not married. Really? Um, I made a relationship. We've been friends for over 19
14:13years now. And, you know, I just looked at him and said, you know, this is the type of man
14:20that I should be with and somebody that's my friend. And we've been dating and dating and,
14:26you know, we want to go elope and then I want this big wedding. So I feel like I'm married because I
14:33could be and I feel like I'm married because he's been attached to me for like 19 years.
14:39Mm-hmm. How did you two meet? Because I know you said you met 19 years ago. Did you meet while you
14:43were in school or? School. Okay. We went to different schools and he always had a crush on me since high
14:48school. Yeah. So he went off, you know, to college and I went off to college and I went to do my thing
14:55and then he's doing his thing and now we're this thing. And now you're this one unit. So you and Dr.
15:02Kastan Sims. Kastan Sims. Kastan Sims. Make sure I get that name right. So you guys are from two
15:07different worlds. You're a singer. He's a doctor. How do you guys connect on? What level do you
15:13connect on? Oh, nothing with business. Like nothing with, he really like doesn't know anything. Like
15:20with music and all of that, he doesn't care. We just connect with us. Like he knows who Kimberly
15:26paid us. He knows my government name. He knows me as that. So we never linger in music. We don't
15:32serve Instagram together. We don't, we really just have to talk about what's in our face and how we
15:38feel. So that was a great balance being with someone who was not in my world, who had something else
15:43going on that had nothing to do with the music industry. That was really important for you.
15:47That was very important for me. The next progression of your relationship, I think most people would
15:51think are the babies, right? The twins. Is that something that you guys are working on?
15:54We're doing that now. That's crazy. Um, he doesn't have any kids. You know, I have my son
16:01and it's like, I want twin girls. You want twin girls. Okay. And I never thought that I was going
16:08to end up going to a doctor and they were going to tell me, oh, you know, your fertility, your follicles
16:13are really low. And this is not, it doesn't look, that doesn't look good for you. So I went through
16:20IVF shots and everything like that. And just like two weeks ago, we were able to have two strong eggs
16:28and combine them. So we have two embryos that are freezing. So it sounds so crazy. It does.
16:34Sounds like a science fiction movie. But it's the truth. So I have two embryos and I'm going to do
16:39one more round and we'll see, you know, they can determine if it's a girl and a, and a boy.
16:46So you're going to go the surrogacy path or do you? Um, they said I could carry. They said my
16:50uterus looks strong and they feel like I could carry. So I'm really debating going back and
16:55forth. We have filed a surrogate and I was happy about that. And now I'm debating.
17:01Right now, my age, like you don't have to wait to be, you know, they think when you get your 40s and
17:0650s, you know, being in your 30s, you have, you can get low fertility. Absolutely. And you can have
17:12different things going on. I never thought that like at my age, I would have any of that.
17:17I thought I could just pop up every day. Right. But no, I have to pay attention.
17:21Absolutely. Lipo doesn't help eating healthy.
17:24No, it does not. Lipo does not. But you don't regret any of that though. Do you regret
17:28the lipo? Do you regret any of that? Um, no, I like the lipo. You like the lipo. Okay.
17:34Yeah. But like when I did my butt and did all of that, you know, it gets heavy.
17:41You know, it does. That's real. That's real. Like it does. I'm, you know, I've been
17:47taking it out and getting it together. I want to be back to my original state.
17:52Because just, just me, I don't think I need any add-ons at this point. I like who I am.
17:57Well, you look good. So we're going to switch gears for a second. Now, you've never shied
18:00away from sharing aspects of your life with your fans. Can we clear up some rumors?
18:04Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. So you recently tweeted this.
18:07At the strip club, getting cast down a girlfriend, negotiations are going smoothly. And then one of
18:14your followers responded, don't try to be slick. We all know she's for you too. Okay, Michelle,
18:19explain. Would you be really into sharing your husband? And are you looking for a girlfriend
18:23for yourself or is it for your husband? Oh my God. I'm fun, man. Yes, you are.
18:27I don't get like, I don't, you know, get caught up in a lot of different things. Like I'm a little bit
18:33different. You know, not only am I a college graduate when I took on the face of a dancer,
18:38I was a dancer. I paid for like all of my demos and everything through dancing. So my perspective is
18:45different. A little different. A little bit different. Yeah.
18:48Yeah. Um, yeah, we were at the strip club and I was like, oh, do you like her? Sometimes I'm okay
18:53with contracting out the work, you know, um, less for me to do. So, um, we were at the strip club.
19:01So you would be okay with it. Yeah. Like, you know, we flirt and that's just our relationship.
19:06Me and him have this, um, we'll compete to see who can get the most numbers. Really?
19:12Yeah. Keep that union exciting. Yeah. That's us. Like we, we've always said this and we define the
19:19terms of our relationship, you know, not society's norms or what it's supposed to be. Me and him
19:26decide what is our relationship? What is it about? What do we value most?
19:31What's the most important for y'all? Cause y'all are in it.
19:33We value having friendship, honesty, you know, that's what we value. So.
19:40So speaking of stripping and sort of that past as a love and hip hop alum,
19:43what do you think of Cardi B's success? Oh, wow. I think that is amazing.
19:48You know, and I love how she's herself, you know, like you see so many times on different
19:54shows and things where people don't be there. They aren't who they are. She's herself.
19:59She's working hard. She's out here grinding. You can't do anything, but commend that.
20:05And if you don't, you're just a hater. So I'm very, very happy because she took that
20:11and I know what that's like, you know, to be in it and, and, and want to do this and that.
20:16She took that and she's doing it.
20:19So what misconceptions going back to stripping, you talked about that was the way that you paid
20:23for your college. What misconceptions do you think people have about strippers?
20:27I think a lot of people think strippers are just sex workers or they're having sex. I never slept
20:35with a man my whole, my whole time as a dancer. I never sold my body. I never did any of that.
20:43And I knew people in there. I even knew a kindergarten teacher. Wow. Like honestly,
20:48a real kindergarten teacher that was just trying to take care of her kids. You know what I'm saying?
20:53You can have your opinion on it. But for me, I learned in college and I learned from that also.
21:00So I don't take any part of me out of me. Yeah. I embrace both of them.
21:04And I can honestly say, yeah, I got both of them. I was able to know how to talk to them or hustle,
21:11you know, in the street. And then I was able to go to school and I graduated at the top of my
21:15class and I got a law school. So I was able to do both of them. Graduated at HBCU, Florida A&M.
21:21Yeah. You know, it's so such a treat to sit here and talk to you because you're so outspoken and
21:25you're so honest. There are ever things that you said that you regret. Do you ever regret being so
21:30open and you do? Yeah. When I've hurt people, you know what I'm saying? Like some people just ask for
21:38it. You came around messing with me. But sometimes I feel like you can be so honest where it can affect
21:46other people's lives. And as tough as I try to act or whatever, I still have one, you know, a big heart.
21:54Yeah. And I regret some things that I might have said that might have affected someone. Just like
22:00I said with my album, I probably have said some things that affected somebody's life.
22:05So if those things weren't positive, that's something that I regret.
22:08That you regret. Well, that's growth. And that's why you've arrived at the person that you are and the
22:12people that you used to know. Michelle, thank you so much for coming through. Now you can get Kay's
22:17new album, Kimberly, The People I Used to Know, anywhere music is sold. More Essence Now is up next.
22:24Thank you. Thank you. It was so much fun. I mean, how are you facing that? Because you seem to don't
22:29care, which we love. I love it. Because I'm watching the show like, finally somebody's saying it.
22:34Yeah. Finally. Well, that's good. Yeah, I don't care. And I think that some of our dirty laundry
22:41need to be aired. And it's killing us that we don't air some of it. It's literally killing us
22:46genetically, medically, emotionally, spiritually. And here's my thing. I'm not saying I'm going to go
22:53out there and tell all our secrets as black people and stuff like that. But at the same time, I'm also
22:58not going to let people abuse young black women. Yes. And I'm not going to stand by while that's
23:02happening. How can I in good conscience? We've all known about this. We've all made jokes since Aaliyah.
23:06Like, it's the worst kept secret. Worse than Bill Cosby. Worse than Harvey Weinstein. Worse than
23:11everything. Like, everybody knows about R. Kelly. He made Aaliyah sing. Age ain't nothing but a
23:16number. What? You guys.
23:18I'm your host, Malkon Jovu. And we all know holiday shopping can be challenging. Like,
23:26what do you get those people in your life who you may not know as well or just don't want to spend a lot
23:31of money on? Well, our next guest says that gift baskets can be a creative and affordable solution
23:36to your holiday shopping list. Please welcome back to Estes Now style expert Patrice J. Williams. Hey,
23:42Patrice. Hey, how are you? All right. Gift baskets, right? So if you're looking to get one,
23:46what tips or how, what do you put in a gift basket for that special person in your life? First off, I
23:50think it's all about personalization. So gearing it towards a specific person and presentation. So we have
23:55cute baskets here. So do you want to start off with? Let's start off with number one. Dive right in.
23:59First, we've got the co-worker. Okay. So hopefully this is someone you know pretty well, or even if
24:03you don't really know the person that much, the first gift is the Verilux lamp. Now this is a
24:08therapy, a UV light therapy lamp. It's meant to boost your mood, your energy, your focus. So this is
24:14something that everyone can pretty much use, especially now that the nights are like getting
24:17much longer. It goes dark at like 430 in New York. Okay. What else is in there? So this is something to boost your mood. And then we have some cocktail ornaments. Okay. Now each
24:25ornament is individually wrapped, nice and cute, right? Great presentation, but they're filled with
24:30cocktail mixers. So inside each one, so they have different themes. So it'll be a mistletoe margarita
24:36or a candied appletini. And they have name cards as well. So you can put them as place cards. Because that attention to detail, that
24:42personalization. Nice attention to detail. So for co-workers, right? Is there a certain amount that you should spend on a
24:46co-worker? Like should you spend under 50, under 40? What are the tips and guidelines around that? I think it depends on how well you know the person. Okay. If you don't know the
24:53person too well, spending over $100 might seem a little bit weird. Yeah. But everything here is
24:57under 50 bucks. 50 bucks. So this is really good here. We love that. So this book right here, it's called
25:03A Book That Takes Its Time. Literally, that's the title of the book. Really? Okay. So it's filled with
25:08inspirational quotes and like articles and like journaling prompts that make you think, what are your
25:13values? What do you want in life? So it's collaging available at Barnes and Noble. So super simple and
25:18easy. I love that. And really insightful. That is awesome. All right. Let's move on to the next. And we
25:22actually have one more. Oh, we have one more. I'm sorry. I like. The basket is so full. It is. All right.
25:26What's in here? So one more mug. Of course, a co-worker can use a mug, right? So this actually has an
25:30infuser basket on the inside. So you can put in your loose tea leaves, your coffee. This is much cheaper
25:35than going to the coffee shop every single day. So coffee, tea are for those really rough nights. A little bit of
25:39wine too, right? It's amazing. If you need to. No judgment over here. Do what you need to do. This is a great gift. I love this. All right.
25:45What do we have here? Now, so our next basket here. Now, again, all about presentation. So these baskets
25:50are all from Marshall's. It's all about a cute basket. This here is for the new parents. Personalization.
25:56Yes. These cookies, you can upload a photo, photo of the child, of the family, and they'll print the
26:02photos on the cookie. How cute is this? It says Essence now. It is absolutely. Isn't it adorable? Adorable.
26:09And you can put sprinkles on it too. They have up to seven different types of sprinkles. So really cute,
26:13really fun. And everyone loves a sweet treat. So can you get like different flavors? Is it?
26:17It's shortbread. They're all shortbread cookies. So yeah. Okay. All right. Nice and simple. I love
26:22this. This is great. Yeah. It really is. And now personalization again. We have a necklace here
26:26from Love D. It's a name plate or actually it's a date necklace. So you can have the month, the day,
26:31the year. And it comes with the cubic zirconia stone that correlates with the day. So it can be the baby's
26:36birthday or maybe even a date that's just special to the couple. So really simple and sweet and something
26:42that will really make them think of you every time they wear it. That is awesome. So that's,
26:45we have the shortbread cookies and we have the necklace. And we have a gift card from Lyft. Okay.
26:50Now I know sometimes people think gift cards are impersonal and really last minute. Yes. Not
26:54necessarily. If they're really useful. Anyone can use Lyft. I mean, it's a ride sharing app. So if the
27:00couple's going out for date night, maybe they know they want to have a few drinks, so they don't want to
27:03drive. Put some money on the Lyft gift card and you can put up to $250 on here. That's great. So even if you just do
27:09$20, 25 bucks, it'll give them a ride somewhere. That is awesome because you know when that new
27:13baby hits, mommy and daddy need alone time. You need a lot of alone time. Absolutely. Okay. What do
27:19we have here? So our next basket, I just love this basket. How cute this is. Like you can even just
27:24decorate with the basket after it's all done. So this right here, you can keep the basket. Yeah. So this
27:29is for the new homeowner. Okay. So first off, we have the toka diffuser. I love candles, but sometimes you
27:35may not want to light something. Candles burn out pretty quickly. This lasts for up to a few months,
27:39actually. It smells amazing. It smells really good. I can smell it like from here. It smells great. It has
27:43hints of like lavender and vanilla and nutmeg. So this is really awesome. And it's cute too. Yeah. Like
27:48it's a great display. Yeah. And then of course, speaking of displays, we have a keepsake box here.
27:52It has an antique feel to it and it's meant to store your photos. Like I think all of us are used to taking
27:57photos, but we don't actually like print them out. We don't print them out anymore. Yeah. So this is a way to
28:01encourage them to do that. It has an antique feel to it. A really nice display as well. So put your photos
28:06or your trinkets or anything. Love that. And what do we have here? This right here, it's nice and luxe.
28:11This is actually a wine sleeve. Now it keeps your wine cool. So it keeps your wine cool. Okay. This is the
28:18crocodile one. This is made in Italy. So really fancy here for your wine, for your champagne. Comes in
28:24different colors, varieties. And this one right here is 86 bucks, but for the essence viewer. Talk to me.
28:30Tell me. All right now. Tell me. We're the essence viewer. We have 25% off. Amazing. So if you use code
28:35ESSENCE25, you get the discount. Okay. I need you to say it again, because this is really important
28:39information. We need that discount. We need that discount. The promo code ESSENCE25 for 25% off the
28:44wine sleeves. I love it. Different colors, textures, everything. I adore that. I love it. So for this gift,
28:50right? Is this for a new homeowner? This is for someone who's just moved in. What tips and guidelines do you have around that?
28:54And guidelines do you have around that? I would say this is for a new homeowner. Yeah. You know,
28:56something to really jazz up their apartment, something to make them feel really great. And
29:00like you said, the basket, super cute. You can put this in your bathroom, the bedroom. It's a nice
29:05display in itself. So even after they're done using these gifts, the basket is still a gift in itself.
29:09I love the gift that keeps on giving. It was. And this was like less than $10 for Marshall. So super
29:13simple and affordable. We love that. 10 for it. All right. The last but not least. Yes. What do we have here?
29:19Patrice. So for the new guy in your life. So someone pretty new, you still want to give them
29:23something though, right? This is all about products that are useful. This right here is by Pacific
29:27Shaving Company. They're shaving pods. Shaving pods. I never knew this existed. Yes. I didn't know
29:33either. What is that? So they're individual shaving minis. So if a guy likes to travel a lot,
29:37or if he goes to the gym from gym to work, instead of bringing an entire can of shaving cream,
29:41these are little capsules of shaving cream. You just run them underwater. It lathers. This is just
29:46$8 and it comes with 40 pods in it. Wow. So yes. So this is a gift. Okay. Genius right here. Yeah.
29:52And then of course we have the ice mule. This is a foldable, packable and hands-free cooler. Okay. I
29:57didn't even know that existed. But they come in different colors. You can, this is great if a guy
30:02likes to go backpacking or tailgating, or even if you just want to have a little picnic with your man alone.
30:07This fits your drinks in here. You put some ice in here, your food, everything you need. This is really,
30:12it's seamless. This bag even floats. I love that. So if you're the adventurer type, this is really
30:16great. All right. And what's the last item in there? And then finally, something super useful.
30:20Everyone can use a pair of earbuds and sometimes they're really expensive. These are just $50,
30:24sweat resistant. They have the ear grip, so you're not going to lose them. So these are great for the
30:28gym. Again, everything that's really simple, but useful. So this gift is really great for the new
30:32bae in your life. Yeah. Would you also recommend it for a husband or for somebody that you've been
30:36with long time, or this is just for the new bae? I think it's great for a new guy, but also if you know that
30:40your guy needs stuff like this, but would never buy it for himself, which all too often happens
30:44with guys. So I think this could be great for a guy, a new guy, or even a guy who, you know,
30:48he needs this stuff. These gifts are all genius. Patrice, thank you so much for giving us these great
30:54gift ideas. Now, keep it right here. The results of today's viewer poll are up next. But first,
30:59we've got all the details of what you can expect from the 2018 Essence Festival. Yay! I love this.
31:07I can actually. You think the festival is only about the concerts at night? You're wrong.
31:14You also have access to some of the most amazing events during the day at the convention center for
31:20free. All weekend, come to the Essence Empowerment Experience to hear words of wisdom from some of our
31:26greatest minds. And check out the beauty carnival at the Essence Beauty and Style Expo. You'll get free
31:33product giveaways, style consultations, mini makeovers, and much more. You got the Essence
31:39Eat Stage, which features a variety of chefs that show you how to make those southern delights.
31:45I can taste it right now. I can't wait. Then there's that entertainment all-access experience.
31:51You can see your favorite celebrities and Essence Fest performers in live interviews at center stage,
31:57meet them at the Fan Zone, and watch exclusive content at the screening room. Where else can you
32:03be face-to-face with your favorite celebs? Nowhere. Plus, you can get financial tips from industry experts.
32:10And if that wasn't enough, there's even more.
32:17Trust me, you don't want to just hear about this year. You have to be there. See y'all in order, baby.
32:23You're watching Essence Now, and I'm your host, Makon Lovu. Now, before we head out,
32:29let's check in one more time for your comments on today's viewer poll, which is,
32:34what are your personal rules for gift-giving during the holiday season? Our girl Kayla has been manning
32:39social media all show long for your comments. Hey, Kayla, what are people saying about buying
32:44Christmas gifts? All right, more personal rules coming in. Eleanor James says, we do Secret Santa with
32:49three things you want under $20, and you get one of the three. So that's interesting. Valerie
32:54Richardson says, we used to do gifts for kids and grandmothers. Now, we began pulling names. I try
32:58to do graduates and babies. Everyone else gets food. Mickey Harris says, the rules to giving anything
33:03is giving you what I can afford, kids included. My personal rule, don't buy anything that you
33:08secretly want for yourself, because then you'll always be thinking about it and wishing you had it.
33:12And if you've been giving the same people gifts, and they never got you anything back,
33:15I say, by the second time, cut them off and just give them a nice holiday hug.
33:20That's a good tip, Kayla. I love that. My personal rule is, it depends on my bank account.
33:25If the money is funny, y'all are all getting hugs, like Kayla said, and that is about it. But if my
33:30money is right, you might get a little nice something-something, but it's going to be on the
33:33low. It's going to be on the low. I thank you so much to Kaye, Michelle, Esther Dean, and our very
33:37own Essence staffers for coming through. Now, remember, if you missed any of today's show,
33:41you can catch the replay shortly on Essence.com. Now, subscribe to our YouTube channel to see all
33:47our videos, and tune in next Tuesday at 3 p.m. Eastern for a very special episode of Essence Now,
33:53as we look back at some of our best moments from 2017. I'm Maquan Jovo, and I will see you then. Bye!
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