Alexis Lee

After eight incredible days of traveling, I’m back my loyal readers! I send out my deepest apologies for not posting while on my travels, but I had very limited Wifi access! Now I am home and semi recovered from what was a bi-coastal whirlwind adventure. Many of you might not know this but I am a full time luxury event planner. I am very fortunate that my job brought me to Las Vegas for The Catersource Event Conference. Now, everyone know’s that Vegas is my happy place. Even if I am there to work, I will always find a way to play and boy did I play.

My days were filled with informative panels, conference discussions, and classes to enhance my event planning business. My day’s passed by in a mere blink of the eye; filling notebooks with information, collecting video footage of special speakers, and passing out an ungodly amount of business cards. But you guy’s know me…there is no way I can be in Las Vegas for six days and not have some playtime.

Usually in true Alexis Lee fashion, I would have hit the clubs solo every night, but there was a surprise guest with me…my mom. Going into this trip I really didn’t expect her to join in my nefarious nighttime activities. But as I was pregaming with my new signature drink, The Moscow Mule (click this link to learn how to make one http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/moscow-mule) I saw a little glint of mischief in her eye. So I asked her, “Are you down to go out?”. Her response shocked me, “I thought you’d never ask!”.

So I immediately contacted my VIP clubbing concierge Dom. Whom whenever I am in Vegas shows me the best time. He let me know that I would have a table at Hyde with bottles. Now I won’t go into detail to protect the people I was partying with…but it was one of the craziest nights I have ever experienced. Now, I am not sure if it was crazy because I was with my mom or because I made all of these super luxe arrangements for so many people and the plan came together perfectly. Whatever it was, the energy was intense and I dont think I have ever had such a good time in my life.

VIP at Hyde ended up turning into an adventure, ending up at  a two story penthouse in The Palms Towers…but I am going to leave you guys here for now. The Hotmess Express Vacation Series will be back tomorrow!

P.S. Thought it would be kind of fun to keep you guys on the edge of your seats!

Good Morning readers! This post is obnoxiously early because I really couldn’t sleep last night. There was just something that was wracking my brain. That something is a struggle I think all men and women go through. This struggle is the constant need to keep up with appearances. The ebb and flow of how people perceive each other seems to be a constant battle that we are all fighting against ourselves.

You cannot tell me that before you leave the house you aren’t thinking about how others will perceive how you look. Now I know this may seem really shallow and ridiculous, but you and I both know it’s a fact. No mater how much you want to tell yourself, “I don’t care about what people think”, we all know thats a load of shit. Of course you care about what people think.

As a girl who lives in South Florida the rat race to keep up with appearances is real. It is a constant battle with waxing your eyebrows to making sure your the right amount of butt cheek is peeking ever so slightly out of your jean shorts. I know for a fact that girls are not the only ones being plagued with this problem. I know guys are constantly trying to have the newest sneakers, the better car, the hotter girlfriend. Life seems to really just be a race of whose hotter.

Ladies and gentlemen, can we please start doing these things for ourselves instead of doing it for our Instagram followers? I know that I am totally guilty of the appearance game, but I think it’s time to break the cycle. It’s time to be comfortable in the skin you’re in (or the jean shorts your’e currently rocking). Let’s do things for the pleasure of self. If you don’t want to wax your eyebrows, then don’t. If you don’t want to get the newest pair of Lebron’s because you know you need to save your money, then don’t get them. If you cant breathe because your waist trainer is to tight, then take it off. If your hungry because you are on some bizarre cleanse, then eat (I bring this up because I am currently on a cleanse). Let’s love ourselves for who we are and for the brain in between our ears. The days of keeping up are over (leave it to the Kardashian family, they do it better).

Let us break the cycle! It’s time to love yourself for who you are! Trust me, self confidence and positivity are all you need… to be completely honest, it’s contagious. Instead of a cycle of shallow image based obsessions, let us love who we are for exactly who we are. It’s okay to have bad eyebrows. It’s okay to be thick. It’s okay to have a bad hair day. Just remember people love you, and before that love your self.

Rolling Loud, by far has set the bar for every up and coming Hip-Hop music festival. I have never been in a room with so many different people who were all about the same thing. The vibe was more than welcoming, from the lack of security to the deep opaque fog that rose from the crowd. Everyone in attendance was there to roll up and be swallowed by the monster that is Trap Music. Trap Music is basically the marriage of Hip-Hop falling in love with Metal. Trap is all about lyrics that speak to everyones inner hustler, mixed with guttural heavy bass infused beats. The Trap culture has taken the country by storm, Rolling Loud knew what they had to capitalize on. For a brand new festival in its freshman year of existence I was more than impressed with what was delivered.

Denzel Curry, a newer less known artist truly blew me away. He is one of the local founding fathers of the trap scene and when he walked on stage he made sure everyone knew it. I was totally hypnotized by the powerful lyrics being delivered layered with the entrancing beat. By the end of Denzel Curry;s performance I can promise you everyone knew his name.

Curren$y who is a true OG  in the Hip-Hop game, didn’t disappoint. His languid New Orleans drawl paired with his usual conscious rap content was such a perfect respite from the heavy bass and lyric repetition. Another performer that had me stunned was Action Bronson. Action Bronson decided to change up the situation and rapped over layered back tracks of the 1980’s pop hits. Any man that can lay down the most controversial and cutting edge lyrics over Don’t Stop Believing is A-OK in my book.

What would a festival be without a perfect guest appearance? With the Brit awards being the week before Rolling Loud, no one could really pin point which Hip-Hop heavy hitters would be in Miami. But what was delivered was beyond anyone’s expectations. While A$AP Ferg was literally bringing the house down, he pulled up one of his bestie’s…A$AP Rocky. Nothing will ever compare to that extreme excitement and the way the two just tag teamed the whole set. The A$AP Collective is really killing the game right now; from fashion, to music, to print publication. No one in the Hip-Hop industry is working harder than the  A$AP Collective, and it was a pleasure and honor to be able to witness such an incredibly flawless performance.

Last but not least, can we please talk about how Juicy J (featured in the picture above) threw over $5,000 dollars to the crowd during his 45 minute set? It was the perfect conclusion to all of the twerking, burning, and vibing. Juicy J made everyone remember why we love big club bangers and how the Hip-Hop game has evolved. The Rolling Loud festival was an incredible showcase of hood rich meets white boy gangster. Dope Entertainment really has a success on their hands with this event and I hope I can attend it next year!

For the past two weeks with the help of my trusty side kick (my dad), and a couple of close guy friend’s I have carried out a little bit of a social experiment. I made sure that I engaged in things that men love and women don’t really partake in. The reason for doing this is mainly because of the saying “A guys girl”. Most ladies LOVE to preach how they are one of the boys…But ladies have you ever sat through two cycles of watching The Godfather Trilogy? Have you ever shot a 40 caliber hand gun (and not miss your target)? Have you ever drank enough bourbon to question whether you are at Mardi Gras or still at your local bar? Have you ever gotten down and dirty in a garage doing repairs to a classic car?

I myself can answer yes to all of these questions! But it wasn’t an easy journey into manhood (and boy was I exciting to fix my princess crown back upon my head). If you ask me though, it was a necessary journey. I am now a firm believer that with some enthusiasm and insight about the opposite sex I really do know what “A guys girl” truly means. It’s a girl who doesn’t cringe at the sight of gore. It’s a girl who is excited to go an adventure (and not require five hours to get ready with a full itinerary). It’s a girl who can go shot for shot without complaining that her hair is getting frizzy and her feet hurt.

Now I would not totally say I am fully “A guys girl” but I have definitely been inducted into some underground society of manhood based on my experiences the past two weeks. An experiment that started out to see if a girl could truly hang with the big boy’s turned into something completely different. This experiment really taught me how men are almost like loose soaring spirits of adventure. It taught me how boys can watch an entire movie without making commentary on everyone’s outfits. It taught me that men are still chivalrous (when teaching a girl like me to experience new things). It taught me that men really do appreciate a girl delving into their interests. More than anything it taught me to forever keep an open mind to new experience’s. These past two weeks weren’t only filled with first’s but they were filled with self satisfying accomplishment and pride because I tried so many new things! So boy’s thank you for holding my hand and taking me on a walk to the wild side. I would like to raise my glass in honor of all the men out there who love their bourbon, a nice rack, and a fast car; without guy’s like you life would just be boring!

Happy Friday ladies and gentlemen! Last night I was struck with an idea that basically hit me like lightning 😉 . I went to one of my favorite local bars and enjoyed a fruitful ladies night; filled with friends, drinks, and tons of laughter. But there was something that I noticed around me that was a lingering pattern amongst girls. After a couple Bourbon and Diet’s I was able to decipher this pattern and pinpoint the issue.

Girl’s seem to have an overwhelming lack of confidence. Instead of seeing girls march up to the bar by themselves and order a drink they were getting boys to go do it for them. Instead of girl’s going to the bathroom by themselves, they were taking a wolf pack along with them. Instead of girl’s starting up conversation they were just slowly slinking into whatever conversation their men were having. I’m not trying to knock a girl who identifies with her man, but I am trying to point out the sexy edge that comes with a woman’s confidence.

As a girl who really only identifies with herself, I couldn’t understand how so many girls could act the same and with such a lack of individuality. What makes us women special is the ability to turn the head of a man, but when you can’t even muster up the courage and confidence to turn your own head how do you expect to lure a man into your grasp(or anything for that matter).

Men love a woman who can make her own decisions, sure there is that small percentage of man who wants to order for you, dress you, and treat you like a small designer dog; but ladies it’s 2015. As young women we need to stand up and search deep within ourselves to extract that confidence. Confidence to me is knowing who you are and what you like and sharing that with others without holding back. Living without having to apologize for my thoughts, not being afraid of how I feel.

I promise ladies if you harness who you are there will be no stopping you on any road life makes you turn on. Love who you are and show other people exactly how special you are. Never be afraid to give your opinion untainted with anyone else’s views. Never shut your mouth because you dont think what you have to say is important, because everything you have to say is important. Never cower in a crowd, always walk into a room like you own it. Make who you are important by loving yourself, your values, your thoughts, and your mind.

Girl’s should be confident for themselves, once you do something self serving watch how fast everything else falls into place. Watch how men line up maybe not to date you but to actually listen to what you are saying. Watch how quick you are taken more serious, but more important than that watch how much more you will love yourself. So before you remember to grab your Louis Vuitton this Friday night make sure you put your confidence on first.

In honor of my creative beacon Kanye West (hate on it if you must) Trauma and I have collaborated on a little ode to Mr. West. Last week Kanye premiered his new fashion line for Adidas (also unveiling the new Yeezy sneakers) at New York Fashion Week. He also preformed his long awaited new single Wolves for the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary special. Trauma and I thought since Kanye had such a huge week on all fronts we had to do a little something special. So ladies and gentlemen here is an ode and tribute to the man himself. The old, the new, the celebrated, the bad, the ugly, the forever brilliant struggle that is Kanye West. I mean maybe my mom really couldn’t afford a car so she named me Alexis <3 .

Alexi's Lee Problems Wednesday Music Mashup episode 4 by Carlos Marquez on Mixcloud

“Holy Hangover”, my most common expression used on a Sunday morning…or even a Monday Morning. Now lovely reader’s you no longer have to suffer that nasty morning after, if you take my sage advice (and by sage I don’t really mean wise; I just mean I’ve hung my head over a toilet time and time again, and I have finally devised a plot to foil my hangover). My hangover remedy has worked for most of my friends and myself of course. Don’t worry people it doesn’t involve smelly ass juices or raw eggs, it just takes some normal household items. My remedy has gotten rave reviews and plenty of people out of their houses to conquer the day, instead of sweating in bed with a splitting headache, nausea, and a bad attitude. Follow these easy steps for your road to recovery…and no I’m not referring to a 12 step program, because we all know rehab is for quitters! 😉

Precautionary Measures: If you plan on having a rager of a an evening you must take some precautionary measures. Before you even start pre-gaming, you must drink at least one 1.5 liter bottle of filtered water enhanced with electrolytes. I like to drink Smart Water, because I think I need all of the intellectual help I can get. Make sure you finish the entire bottle before you start slamming cocktails. The water will ensure you are hydrated for the night and the electrolytes will counteract a headache in the morning.

Midnight Snack…No Thanks: FIGHT THE URGE PEOPLE! I know better than anyone that there is nothing more satisfying than a late night snack (My go-to late night indulgence is Colombian food) but you must not give into temptation. Even if your whole entire crew is about that late night munchies life you must stand strong. The reason for not eating so late is because of the sodium content in the food. The more sodium you consume directly after drinking will just dehydrate you further. The more dehydrated you are the worse your hangover will be! So stay strong and when everyone is munching out enjoy a boring ass glass of water!

Anti-Inflammatory’s For The Win: If you are a seasoned party prince/princess like myself you already know how important Tylenol can be. The moment you have officially called it a night pop two anti-inflammatory’s (Tylenol is a personal favorite because it is mild on your digestive system) followed by two 8 oz. glasses of water. This will stop any risk of a morning after headache and reduce gross day after drinking facial swelling. Also if you are a stumbler (I tend to get a little tumbly after a couple drinks) it will reduce pain and swelling to any alcohol induced injuries.

Knock-Out, Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200: This I know is a difficult task within itself, but you must try to fall asleep within a couple minutes of getting home (or you know, whatever house you end up at). Laying down and sleeping will guarantee less puffy eyes the next morning and a fresh face. Trust me I understand after a night out you wanna get your drunk texts written, call everyone in your contacts to tell them how much you love/hate them, but trust me falling asleep right away will minimize your hangover and let you keep some shreds of dignity. If that isn’t killing two birds with one stone than I don’t know what is!

Morning After: If you can let yourself sleep than by all means do so! If you have to wake up early for whatever ungodly reason than do not forget to set multiple alarms! The morning after a night of drinking should be accompanied with a well balanced breakfast and a Gatorade. If you still feel like shit (which I am convinced you shouldn’t if you have followed my advice) you can partake in some herbal remedies (the age old wake and bake can never do you wrong). When your balanced breakfast and Gatorade is done go out and enjoy your day, fight the urge to go back to bed. You will only feel as shitty as you make it, so go out and enjoy your weekend!

Follow my steps and I promise you will have a sure fire great weekend, don’t follow my instructions and have fun in pukey headache purgatory!

Seamless, flawless, and perfection; those are the three words I would use to describe Trauma’s mix for today. It has the exact right amount of Snoop Dogg’s “LBC” swag, with just enough of Beyonce’s 7/11 to get your ass shaking. This is the perfect gym banger that will keep you going. The boys delivered this mix to me at 8:00 AM and I have not stopped listening to it since. I guarantee that if you listen to it, it will be the best thirty minutes of your day. Happy Wednesday everyone and I hope this banger keeps you going until I post more tomorrow.

So today would make day five on my incredible Wild West adventure. While on the plane on the way over here I was hell bent on bringing the Miami party spirit out here to Texas…boy does this state make me look like a total amateur! From the second I exited off the plane I was greeted with copious amounts of “Houston Hurricane’s” (A Houston Hurricane is a rum based frozen beverage with 3 different types of rum and thats not counting the additional floater added onto my cocktails.) and oysters prepared every which way you could dream of. The food and booze in Texas is major, and I mean come on who doesn’t love a perfect meal with even better cocktails!

Nothing could really prepare me for Downtown Houston that is for sure. Now you would think a chick from Miami would teach these guys a thing or two about partying…I couldn’t have been more wrong. My best friend’s fiancee is born and raised in Texas so he knows all of the cool spots to hit, so he was our tour guide for the evening. We started out our adventure at a super cool hipster bar called Poison Girl in the Houston Art District, in a city called Montrose. Montrose is known for all of its boutique style stores, specialty cuisine, and artisan craft beer bars.

The moment I walked into Poison Girl I felt a double Jack Daniels and diet calling my name ever so seductively. So trusting my instinct I got my cocktail and we eased ourselves outside to enjoy our drinks and cigarettes. Now everyone know’s how much I appreciate a heavy poured drink, but damn EVERY drink in Texas is poured heavy. I was basically in debauchery heaven. After we all finished our drinks we started heading out of the bar, but one of our friends stopped me as I was walking out. He shoved a tumbler (Apparently in Texas they only serve shots in tumblers) into my hand filled with a brown liquid. Without asking what is was I poured it right down my throat…Jameson my friends, I took a five ounce shot of Jameson. If that wasn’t my cue to begin raging I really dont know what was.

Right after Poison Girl we started out on foot to The Hay Merchant. The Hay Merchant is a super chic craft beer bar that only offers local brews from Texas. I was feeling celebratory so I got my friends and I a round of some delicious brews. Since The Hay Merchant was super packed we decided to chug our beers as fast as possible and see what else downtown had to offer us.

El Carafe was the next stop. El Carafe is the oldest bar in all of Texas, they only accept cash and they obtain a strong belief in good old Texas whiskey. Here we met up with even more people to add to our party squad. Here we had endless shots and awesome conversation looking out on the second story of El Carafe gazing at the luminescent Houston Skyline. But at one point we had enough gazing and it was time to party…HARDER.

Now everyone had a healthy stumble and slur ratio going on as we headed to an awesome lounge called Pastry Wars. Now this is when things start getting fuzzy, hazy, and delightfully faded. From what I was told I had an awesome time at Pastry Wars, but at one point my best friend’s fiancee (who was our DD) walked me to the car and made sure I could take a quick nap.

This nap turned into me remembering nothing about the last two stops of the night and waking up naked in a sea of spicy Cheetos on my best friends couch. I woke up missing my license, $100, and all my clothes. For me kids this is a banner night, these are the nights I live for. I am proud to say we ended up finding my money and license the following day, my clothes on the other hand… Not only is everything bigger in Texas, but I must say it’s better. One person is nicer than the next and the good times never stop rolling! If anyone is looking for a fun metropolitan place to visit I would absolutely have to suggest Houston, Texas. Well I am still here enjoying my time, let us all hope I don’t get into any more trouble 😉

Happy Hump Day ya’ll! Wednesday really snuck up on me this week since I have been preparing for my vacation. Tomorrow I embark on a Wild West adventure, and take my talent’s to Houston, Texas. I will be making my voyage to celebrate my best friends 25th birthday and help plan her more than fabulous wedding.

With all of that being said I had to get a really proper mix made to soundtrack my trip. My Trauma Music boys never disappoint and they hooked it up with a more than awesome mix! This track is all about fun, mistakes, and good times. In my opinion a really good time can’t be achieved without the right tunes. I hope you guy’s enjoy it and jam hard, because I know I will be!

P.S. Don’t worry readers I am taking my laptop with me on my trip so there will be plenty more problems coming your way!