2020 was a year of transformation – for better or for worse. COVID-19 threw plenty of wrenches into the career paths {and lives} of many, forcing individuals to adapt quickly. The impact that COVID-19 had on Jersey City resident Julie Morgan’s career was significant. The celebrity makeup artist was a frequent flyer, primarily beautifying on-screen experts, celebrities, and chefs while on set. As one might imagine, the pandemic eliminated much of Julie’s upcoming plans. But, the businesswoman that she is, Julie decided she would turn these sour lemons into sweet, sweet lemonade. Julie leveraged her unexpected free time and shift in lifestyle to create a business with a purpose – Outdoor Dining Happy Bags. Learn more about this leading beauty expert, celebrity makeup artist, and now, a local entrepreneur.
All About Julie
{Photo credit: @foxyfleet}
Prioritizing natural beauty, glowing skin, simplicity, and comfort, Julie believes make-up should be an empowering experience for women both on and off-camera, at home, or on-the-road. As the go-to make-up artist for leading ladies like Bryce Dallas Howard, Ricki Lake, Chelsea Handler, and Giada De Laurentiis, Julie has traveled the globe getting her loyal clients camera-ready.
Through her impressive career in television, editorial, and advertising, she’s established a trusted reputation for giving women the best versions of themselves. Whether she’s running around on location in Italy or Hawaii, braving the kitchen heat for a Food Network show, or prepping a star for a major red-carpet moment, Julie’s magic begins with the calm, light energy and sense of humor she always brings to the set.
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Foxyfleet, the name she uses for her beauty business, was born in a career-defining moment. Julie tells Hoboken Girl, “I’ve long been known to pull together beauty looks on the fly. One day on the set of foodCrafters with Aida Mollenkamp, I found myself doing make-up from the hatchback of my Mini Cooper. As Aida sat on the bumper getting blushed, she said, ‘Julie, you need a Foxyfleet: an on-the-go artist team that can do hair and make-up on site.’”
{Photo credit: @foxyfleet}
Needless to say, it immediately clicked. She loved the name so much I started using it as my social media handle, and soon enough, people were asking Julie if I was “THE” Foxyfleet. Julie shared that she knew the name was really catching on when she walked into work at the Food Network, and Bobby Flay announced, “Foxyfleet is in the house!”
A Happy Pivot
{Photo credit: @foxyfleet}
While Julie is certainly still providing beauty and makeup expertise to her clients new and old, she was yearning to do something more when stuck at home last year as a result of the pandemic. With a lack of production sets to bring her energy or makeup bag to right now, Julie decided to create a new on-the-go, a dining-focused bag that everyone could use. What started as a humble holiday project at &co {the Jersey City coworking space in her apartment building Charles & Co.} has turned into a budding business.
{Photo credit: @foxyfleet}
Imagine this – it’s cold outside and you’re debating whether or not you want to adventure outside for dinner in the winter {our new normal}. But, dining out has become a chore. Something that was once so exciting and normal, looks very different now. There’s so much to think about before you leave your house nowadays. Did you remember your mask? Sanitizer? Will you be warm enough? Is this worth it?
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The Outdoor Dining Happy Bag makes that decision easy for locals. Filled with all of the essentials you need to stay cozy and fresh, her curated bag makes outdoor dining something to look forward to, versus stress over. Grab your happy bag. Grab your girlfriends, your significant other, or the kids and embark on a safe culinary adventure.
Inside the Bag
{Photo credit: @foxyfleet}
Julie’s newfound passion is quickly becoming her career reinvention. The Happy Bag brings together her “passion for beauty, food, and exploration.” Each bag is filled with the essentials, some surprises, and a little bit of Julie’s joy. After years of sitting outside at random cafes and doing makeup on-the-go, Julie is an expert at packing the perfect items for any excursion.
Julie crafts the Outdoor Dining Happy Bag out of her apartment in Jersey City, handwriting the notes that go into each bag. They retail between $50 – $65 and include:
- A recycled polyester bag {with long and short straps}
- A charcoal wrap blanket {51” × 67”}
- Fingerless mittens
- 2 sets of hand warmers
- Pack of plackers mint dental flossers
- Lumion non-toxic hand sanitizer
- 2 plain white masks
- 1 mini tissue packet
- …and, always a small, surprise treat from Julie!
Bags can be customized for large orders, as well. Julie has plans to introduce custom “Littles” and “Furries” bags for children and pets on-the-go, too. She hopes to create multi-person, seasonal, and beach variations over time and as requested.
{Photo credit: @foxyfleet}
Through her network, Julie has sold bags in bulk to local organizations, corporations, and businesses. In fact, her first order on December 4th was for 100 bags for a corporate team at L’Oreal! Once, Julie even hand-delivered a bag to a woman in NYC {during a snowstorm} who was being gifted a bag from a friend that was worried she might be lonely. Happy bags are for everyone!
They are available for purchase on OutdoorDiningHappyBags.com. You can also learn more about Julie and her beauty background on her Foxyfleet website. Follow her on Instagram @FoxyFleet for behind-the-scenes beauty content, as well as more to come on Outdoor Dining Happy Bags.
