Beauty Products

My Spring & Summer Scents for 2023

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Hello!
I have a three-day weekend ahead of me and I am a little excited about it. We have Monday off because it is now a federal holiday. We have a women’s professional group in my office, and we had an event this past week where we had a professor speak and teach about Juneteenth. It was quite interesting and informative. I really enjoyed it! 

Lauren has been working at the antique mall for about a week now and I think she likes it so far. I plan on going antiquing this weekend but not at her job. I don’t want to embarrass her yet. I thought about going to Trader Joes and Whole Foods. It’s been a long time since I have visited those. Lots of ideas but we will see. 

Today I wanted to share my favorite spring and summer scents so far. I really want to keep it to just these scents. I always feel overwhelmed when I have too many scents for the season. It can be a bit much. I did find a new scent and cannot get enough of it!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

Of course, I cannot get enough of my scents from Aerin. I love almost every scent from her collection. Aerin Lauder, granddaughter of Estee Lauder, is a brilliant creator in this industry. She certainly has “nose” for scents. For the spring and summer I am wearing her Lilac Path (which I first purchased in 2015), Rose De Grasse, and Mediterranean Honeysuckle Clementina. All three scents are full of florals and citrus. You can layer these scents together. I have people stop me all the time asking me what I am wearing. 

 

My second set of favorites are my Philosophy scents. My favorites from this collection are Amazing Grace Jasmine and Amazing Grace Lavender.  I love the scent of jasmine and bergamot. You can also smell the lavender, grapefruit, and bergamot in the second scent. 

 

 

My last scent is my newest find. I found this in Sephora about a week ago. I walked in to buy another item and decided to spray this on my wrist and let it sit. I finished purchasing my item, walked out to my car, smelled my wrist, got out of my car and went back inside to buy it! It was that enchanting! I could not leave it there. I have been wearing it all week and every time I spray this on it captures me. Wisteria Blue is amazing especially if you love florals! It has notes of wisteria, Bulgarian rose and jasmine. You must go and try it yourself!

I know that all of these scents are so expensive so I would recommend getting a sampler. Here is an Aerin Lauder Discovery set for under $30. Here is a Discovery set for Nest Fragrances and here is a bonus set for Jo Malone. I hope some of you will try these new scents and let me know your thoughts. 

In boutique news I do have a new plus size arrival. The Rose Blush Midi is a great addition to the boutique. I just love the rose details and the flutter sleeves. It comes in 1x, 2x, and 3x. I maybe keeping one for myself! 

 

 

 

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Beauty Lessons from Living in Paris ~ Thoughts on Elegance Series

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Good Morning,

I am so ready for the weekend! Tomorrow is my last Showhouse shift. I am looking forward to it. It has a really bittersweet kind of feeling. On one hand I am so excited to be there and on the other hand I am so tired! My weekends have been so full because of the schedule. Sunday is Mother’s Day and I really don’t even want to leave my house! But I will. There are some things that I need to get from Lowes. I really need to get my porch cleaned up and I really want some new furniture for my porch. I will be sure to update you all if I purchase anything! 

 

In my quest to find information for my “Thoughts on Elegance series”, I recently stumbled on to this article about what living in Paris has done to this antiques owner from America. I have been following the author of this article since 2020 and I am in love with her antiques account Madame de la Maison. 

 

Aki with her signature red lips.

photo credit: Ajiri Aki

Ajiri wrote a wonderful article about how living in France has changed her views on beauty. I especially loved how honest she was in the beginning of the article. She said, “In 2011, I moved to Paris with a $700 weave and green contact lenses camouflaging my dark brown eyes. I was chasing the superstar-meets-supermodel look I aspired to throughout my twenties when I lived in New York City. I lusted after luscious flowing locks like Beyoncé’s and a long, lean body like Naomi’s. (I tried each and every fad diet to attain that body—most of which required severely unhealthy calorie restrictions and pungent elixirs that left me in a rotten mood for days). What’s more: I hated my wide nose and gap teeth and spent hours researching possibilities to change them”. 

Wow…. I read that paragraph over and over. I think we all have been there. Trying to be something that we are not. You have to finish reading the article. It is truly eye opening and inspiring. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I ordered Ajiri’s new book called Joie A Parisian’s Guide to Celebrating the Good Life. I have been reading it for a week. You guys it is so good! She is really honest about her life in France.

She gives tips and locations on how to enjoy Paris as well. I hope you read the article in Vogue and let me know your thoughts! Have a wonderful weekend! 

 

 

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas ~ Small & Elegant

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Good Morning,

My busy month of May is about to begin. I am serious. I barely have any free time in the month of May. I will be sure to share what is going on but let’s get into some gift ideas for Mother’s Day which is May 14th!

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

 

First on my list is this beautiful lettuce ware candle from Tory Burch. I purchased mine last year and have been slowing using it. I don’t want the scent to go away! I love it so much. The scent notes are jasmine, gardenia, and pink pepper. It is such a lovely gift for the floral lover and grandmillennial at heart. The Oiseau candle would be perfect as well. 

 

 

My second suggestion is the Fresh Floral Recovery Calming Mask. I have been using this for a month straight and I have seen great results! So I wash my face with my normal facial cleanser then put this cream over my face and go to sleep. In the morning I follow my normal skin care regimen. Everyone has been coming up to me asking me what foundation I am using or makeup! I just look at them and say ” I am not wearing anything”! It has really changed the tone and texture of my skin. It’s a wonderful gift to help mom moisture at night! 

 

 

Another beauty suggestion. I love Sally Hansen nail products and I use this product on my nails at night. This is the Color Therapy Nail and Cuticle oil. It has a light scent and I just rub it on my nails and cuticles at night. Such a small but glorious luxury. 

 

 

Fourth is a new tote organizing luxury. I have been eyeing this pencil case from Notiq for quite some time now. I am so glad that I ordered it. I can now find my pens pretty easily and it stops my bags from having pen mark everywhere! Mom might move this! I think the Notiq water bottle is a wonderful gift as well. I love using mine!

 

 

Last on my list is a wonderful pair of mules. This is one of my weekend outfits and I paired it with my Ann Taylor patent mules. These are so elegant as well as super comfy! I have the plaid print coming soon. It’s a perfect, elegant, low heeled shoe for mom or you for that matter! 

There is also the glorious Amazon wrap! I love this and will be ordering it in black and gray this week. This quilted tote from Amazon is still a favorite and mom might like the size as well. There is also my Vintage Vanity Collection! It has launched on the boutique website! Please go and check it out! One of those vintage items might be great for mom as well! 

I hope you enjoyed my Mother’s Day gift guide. Please let me know if you have purchased one of these items for your mom. I would love to know. 

 

 

Please note: some links are affiliate links and if you make a purchase through this link, I will receive a small commission for referring you to the product. Thank you so much in advance if you decide to make a purchase through my link.

New Beauty Product- Dove Lavendar Bar

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Good Morning Everyone,

These last few days have been really rough for my family and I. We had to put down our second dog on Monday. He was diagnosed with cancer in October and just became very sick and did not eat hardly any this past weekend. It has been really hard but the good thing was he was older so we were a tad bit more ready for him. We are not getting any more dogs for a while. It is just too hard to say goodbye.

So I plan on doing some things that make me happy this weekend. I plan on visiting a consignment store called Simply Chic. We have three locations and I need to decide which one I will visit. We have Monday off for President’s Day and I have house duty that day for the Guild but after that I want to go and visit Surroundings again. I just love that store!

In today’s post I wanted to share a new beauty product find for me. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

I was in Walgreens looking for other products and spotted this. I use a Dove pink bar every day and have for years. I have seen different scents but I don’t think that I have ever seen a lavender bar scent. I had to buy it to give it a try. 

 

 

Now I will start off with the color. Isn’t it just so pleasing to the eye? It looks wonderful in my bath bar dish. The scent is wonderful, and I have using it all week and I will say it smells “very clean”. It’s not a strong heavy perfume scent. It is very light and smells really clean. 

If you love bath bars I would say give Dove a try. This is not sponsored but I genuinely love their products and have for years! I am really curious about the pomegranate and hibiscus tea scent as well. 

Speaking of scents my husband got me a very fragrant and beautiful rose bouquet this year for Valentine’s Day. I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day or Galentine’s Day. Have a great weekend!

 

Beauty Firsts ~ My First Facial

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Good Morning,

I hope you all had a great weekend! I got a lot of housework done and took a look at my home binder. There are so many things that I want to update in my home! It’s going to take a lot of time and money! We did receive some good news! Lauren got accepted into the college that she wanted! We are so excited for her! All weekend I just kept thinking about how fast 20 years went by. Rick and I met in 2003 and now it’s 2023. It’s incredible! Really it is. 

I am still unsure about 2023 but I know one thing getting my first facial this year has been a highlight that is for sure! It was one of the best beauty experiences that I have ever had. I went to Woodhouse Spa of course to get my first facial. 

 

 

The girl that did my facial her name was Allison, and it was phenomenal! We tied up my hair and she had me lie down on the bed that eventually got very warm. Once I did that, she turned on the steam and began to cleanse my face. I removed my eyelashes so that I was free to enjoy the experience.

She exfoliated my skin, got rid of some blackheads and massaged my face, neck, and shoulders! It was a dream for sure! It lasted for about an hour, and I tell you I could barely get up out of that bed to go get my pedicure! I was so relaxed and sleepy! 

I can’t wait to get another one this year. I may wait until the summer or maybe the fall. I am not sure yet but I will be planning another facial for sure. I am also interested in their waxing services. Please let me know in the comments section below if you have ever had a facial or waxing services. I would love to know your thoughts!

Don’t forget to shop the boutique! Most of the dresses are on sale and shop my favorites page as well! 

 

 

My First Spa Visit~ Woodhouse Spa

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Happy Friday!

It’s finally a little chilly here. The colder air came in last night. I am ENJOYING IT that is for sure! This weekend I wanted to attend the Fall Festival in Franklin, Indiana. I have never gone before but it’s now on my radar. I hope that we can make it. It is still unbelievable to me that my 40th is next week. Wow… I feel like it came so quickly this year.  I am starting to get really nervous about my first birthday cake. Please keep me in prayer! I did receive one of my items on my birthday list already. I have been using it and will share it later. Now I want to share my very FIRST spa visit that I had this past week!

 

photo credit: Woodhouse.com

 

I forgot to take a photo of the outside of the spa but this is pretty much what it looks like on the outside. It’s called Woodhouse Spa. I found out about it from my boss. She has a monthly visit scheduled and I always wondered about it so I decided to look it up. Once I saw that they did pedicures I decided to give them a call and make an appointment. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

Relaxing room…

 

My last pedicure was a nightmare. I have been going to the Asian nail places for years and they have always been just fine. But my budget was not what it is today, so I just settled. I got a pedicure last month and it was dreadful. The girl was under 18 and did not want to do it nor was she trained. Plus, I have been asking them about gel polish and telling them that I want to try it, but they just kept putting that acrylic powder on because they don’t speak English well nor understand it. The nail place that I have been going to for the last five years was purchased by a new owner and I don’t like it. They are super young and play techno music the whole time! They rush you out and in and don’t take time to talk to you about your services. I am already spending just as much on my nail services there as I did at the spa! I am done! Time to move on! 

Once I walked into the spa I was greeted by a hostess, checked in and, taken to the “relaxing room”. The environment smelled of beautiful soothing scents and the relaxing room was sensational! The floors were a dark mahogany color and the furniture looked like it was from Restoration Hardware. They had water with fresh orange slices, hot herbal cinnamon tea, and granola! You sit in the relaxing room for a few minutes until your services gal arrives. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

This faux fireplace makes the noises that a real burning fireplace would. I am sitting drinking my fresh citrus water and relaxing. I always bring my own flip flops. 

 

photo credit: Woodhouse Spa.com

 

After having my relaxing time, the nail technician comes and retrieves you from the room and takes you to the pedicure room. They only had a few chairs so I knew at that moment that it would not be crowded. 

It was the best pedicure I had ever had! She did the normal services. It was the products that she used that were very high quality. The Moroccan foot scrub… oh my gosh the smell was heavenly. Then the agave oils had a smell that I can’t ever describe. It was that marvelous! On top of the services, it included a food massage! I was in heaven! After my services, I was taken back to the relaxing room! So happy. You sit there and relax while your feet are drying. A slice of heaven! 

I have already booked my appointment for next month in addition to a manicure. I cannot wait! I am also going to be getting a facial. I am looking forward to that as well! Please let me know in the comments section below if you go to the spa or have gone. If so what services did you get? I am curious. Until then have a great weekend! 

 

 

 

Linnea ~ A New Company Discovery

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Good Morning,

Well I have some exciting news that I have been keeping to myself for the past 2 weeks. I shared about a month ago about my new opportunity to be a brand ambassador for Sarah Flint. A few weeks ago they sent out emails about the company coming to Chicago for a brand ambassador meetup and truck show at the Four Seasons hotel and I am happy to say that I will be attending! The event will be this Monday and I will be driving up to attend. I am so excited! Chicago is about 3 hours away from me and I have not been since 2012. So it’s been about 10 years! 

I am not sure what to expect but I am looking forward to the networking opportunities that will be presented to me and hopefully meeting some of the Sarah Flint staff! I hope that after the meeting and truck show we can have dinner or I can have dinner with some of the ambassadors! It will be nice to meet people. I just received a new order of business cards so I am ready to go! I am hoping that they will let us take photos and I will be sure to share if I can. 

Now on to this new company that I discovered during my visit to the peony festival called Linnea. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

While we were at the peony festival two weeks ago, my husband and I found this beautiful, serene booth full of sophisticated candles and body care. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

We listened as one of the representatives explained how they made their candles and the scents that they offered. I have to admit I was not listening like I should have been. I was so caught up in the smells that I barely heard her. They smelled so good.

One of my favorite scents was Petals. The notes in this scent was peony, green stem, and ambergris. They had me at peony. 

 

 

The second scent that I purchased was Nectar.  The notes for this scent were apricot, wild jasmine, and white musk. They also gave me a hand lotion sample for this scent. I have been loving it so much that I am considering buying a larger bottle. It’s that good! I also received a free tote with my purchase!

 

 

I have been burning the nectar candle in my bedroom. I will light it while I am reading a book. I love smelling that wild jasmine in my room at night. It’s so relaxing and elegant. 

Well I hope you all enjoyed this new company find! Have a great weekend and I will see you all Monday with my gorgeous new vase!