The Ladies of Castor & Pollux - Lady no. 2

Welcome to the second installment of The Ladies of Castor & Pollux! This post features Wini McBride. I met Wini when Castor & Pollux first opened in Brooklyn. New York was quite different then. John and I had just moved to Prospect Heights from DUMBO, which at the time was mostly empty (one bar, two diners... if we ran out of anything essential at night, we walked 15 minutes up the hill to Brooklyn Heights to get it). There was quite a community in DUMBO back then and we missed it greatly when we first got to Prospect Heights. Meeting Wini was a great introduction to the new neighborhood.

Right after C&P opened, Wini's husband, db, walked into to the store, had a look around and bought her a huge overstuffed comforter. It was literally our first large sale! Wini was a staple on the Prospect Heights scene(!) back then because her first child, Max, had colic. She walked and walked and walked... passing by often enough to say hi and for me to learn her story. She grew up in an Irish Catholic section of the Bronx to recent Irish immigrants. She has excellent stories about her teenage years in the Bronx, sneaking out to Studio 54, and then living in the city hanging out at The Mudd Club and Area. Talk about New York being different!

She owns and runs McBride Beauty, a pure and natural line of beauty products inspired by her mother's Irish home recipes and remedies. I particularly like the Cucumber & Aloe Soothing Body Lotion. Meet Wini:

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The Ladies of Castor & Pollux
Lady no. 2
Wini McBride of McBride Beauty

Photo by John von Pamer
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Favorite recipe?
Marlon’s Frittata.
Last great book you read?
Dunne, Dominick. People Like Us.

Summer drink of choice?
White wine.

Animals-names and breeds?
I want doggies when my kids get a bit older.

Do you exercise? What do you do, if so?
I should but not really. I do walk a lot, some swimming and
trying, trying to get my head around machines.

Salty or sweet?
Not really feeling either these days.

Who inspires you and why?
My mom. She was so generous and kind. Even though
the last few years of her life were very
difficult (due to illness), she never stopped smiling.

Pool or ocean?
Pool. The ocean has crazy things living in it.

Favorite city?
New York.

Last great vacation?
Can’t remember that far back.

Favorite tv show?
Curb your Enthusiasm, MythBusters, and some bad reality TV.

Weirdest job you've ever had?
Fish fry girl at Howard Johnson's. I smelt like
clams all the time. And since it was
all you can eat, people were such greedy pigs.

Favorite restaurant?
Currently, Minetta Tavern.

Favorite object in your home?
The Pink lamps in my bedroom from my
friend Sara. And my Aya Takano
print that my husband, db, bought me.

Favorite piece of clothing?
"Support Your Local Hells Angel’s" T-shirt from the
'70s that I “borrowed” from db. When
I wear it, I feel like my old Bronx bad-ass self.

Favorite blog or website?
I can’t get my head around blogs or the computer.
I still use a wall calendar.

Something you're scared of?
Driving.
Favorite record?
It changes all the time but Mary J. Blige is
and will always be my #1.
All my hubby’s deep house mixes get me going.

Favorite popsong?
Soul to Soul's Keep on Moving still gives me chills.

Your Ideal day?
Sleeping till 10:00, spa treatments, sit by the pool, early dinner
with my hubby, then sleep again.

Favorite gift you've ever received?
My two kids.

Favorite flower?
Anything fluffy and big, pink/yellow/white.

Astrological sign?
Scorpio.

What do you do for a living?
I own a skincare company called McBride Beauty.

Where do you live?
Brooklyn.

Your lucky number?
27.
What piece of art would you buy if you had no budget?
More Jose Parla please.