Do you ever smell something and immediately you’re thinking of a certain person, or time in your life? Sometimes the memory even surfaces before you realize what you’re smelling, “What is that, smells like Christmas!” A diesel truck goes by and I’m mentally transported to Santiago, Chile. Coconut Lime Verbena body spray…I think of my sister. Chanel Chance Eua Fraiche and it’s a hot summer night downtown with Andy.

If we naturally link scents with people or events, then why not use that to your advantage and be purposeful about your scent during important times?! Since scent is so closely tied to memory, I encourage my brides to pick a new unique scent for their wedding day (bonus points if you wear it on your honeymoon too!). All of the amazing emotions of the day get intertwined with that scent. And every time you bring it out (on a special event or anniversary) you’ll be reminded of all those feelings of love, friendship, and celebration!

I do this in my own life, not just one my wedding day, but whenever there is something significant I want to remember. I recently had a birthday and we decided to celebrate by going on a cruise to Mexico! The perfect opportunity to make a scent-memory connection!

Jenn from Garden Apothecary was sweet enough to send me some birthday treats from her amazing product line. When I saw the Cacao + Cardamom Flower Essence perfume oil I just knew that would be the perfect scent for my Latina Holiday! Its like sugar and spice with a warmth. I made sure to apply it morning and night…Here is a peek into the memories my scent and I made on vacation:

I had never been to Catalina Island before so it was so great to visit a new place. We drove around in golf carts, visited the little shops, and ate ice cream. It reminded me of Sauselito a little!

Mexico was of course great! Full of shopping and delish local food! I even was surprised with a mariachi serenade for my birthday…wow! I felt so spoiled.

Halloween happened while at sea…and it was so thrilled that Andy let me paint his face! So much fun!

It’s not a vacation in my opinion without some poolside sunshine.

I love getting dolled up and going out with my husband. More formal sit-down dining happens every night on the ship, so every night felt like date night! There was a vanity desk in our cabin, so doing my makeup and hair seemed extra fun and my Cacao roller ball fragrance made me feel vintage and swanky!

Of course, vacation always ends too soon…but I returned to amazing friends and family that wanted to continue celebrating, so I really cannot complain!

I think I’m going to bust out the cacao fragrance again at Christmas and add some more memories to that scent! What about you? What scents remind you of good times?

What if you wore the same scent on every date night…or found the perfect fragrance for your wedding…or graduation…or promotion…and the list goes on and on! You’d literally be able to bottle those memories. So stay tuned next week for my fragrance hall of fame top picks so you can find the perfect one!

And special thanks to Garden Apothecary! Jenn, your special scent helped make my birthday perfect!

Cheers to Memories, Mexico, and Scent,

I have successfully maintained all of my New Years resolutions for years…it’s true! I have ALWAYS accomplished them.  How you might ask? Every year I resolve not to make a New Years resolution.  I’ve been quite successful at it 😉

I suppose why I do not make resolutions is because I feel that I am setting myself up for failure.  Also, I like setting goals on a regular basis when I need to.  It’s not uncommon for me to make mini-resolutions on Saturdays for the following week, on the first of the month, or even on my birthday.

Don’t get my wrong…I love the feeling of a clean slate that the new year brings, and I definitely have things I am wanting to accomplish this year! But I simply refuse to call them New Years Resolutions! And while plans are good (I am the QUEEN of planning!) you know, there’s something exciting too about imagining what sort of surprises this year might bring.

I wonder what those surprises might be?! Love these pics by JennaRae by the way…this is from a shoot this fall that I did with her and AshleyB. Our model Katie was so awesome and I just knew I would want to blog these for New Years! Watch the video below to see a quick behind the scenes peek of that shoot!

Big plans tonight anyone? I am under the weather so I will be at home taking it easy…the only bubbly in my glass will be my Emergen-C! Haha!

So Cheers (quite literally this time!) to Clean Slates, Plans, and unforeseen Surprises,

It’s Christmas Eve and I am snuggled up by fire perfectly content…and I cannot think of a single thing I am wanting or wishing for…all I can think about are the things I already have and I the things I have enjoyed this holiday season that I don’t want to end!

Like Christmas lights! And being all bundled up with my Sweetie as we walk around and see them!

 

Hot Chocolate with whipped cream…and better yet: shared with a friend!

 

And this little blurry memory of me and my little sister (Not sure how that red splotch got on the pic! So bummed about that!) Excited over Christmas in our little jammies…and I thought it’d be so fun to put the stockings on our feet!

How nice it would be to enjoy every holiday like I did then…no sense of rush or worry, not concerned with whether I bought enough or planned everything just right…just soaking in all of the Christmas delights…faith like a child!  That is what I wish for each and every one of you.

 

So Cheers to Hot Chocolate, to Bright Lights, and To Child-like Wonder,

I received a great many lovely gifts for my birthday this year…among them: a gift card to Sephora (thanks Ruvi!)! Need I say more? Ok I’ll say more…I could lose a good year of my life in there…it’s like those gravitational pull of that store is greater than any other. And as someone who has quite a few years of cosmetic retail sales under my belt that’s saying a lot! It was not uncommon for me to works full 8hour shift demo-ing lipstick only to spend my lunches or additional time after work in Sephora swatching color on the back of my hand! But I digress…what I really wanted to tell you about was what I purchased!  

Are you familiar with the brand Tarte? If you’re not the you def should be! In addition to making some awesome products, they take a more natural approach which is certainly appreciated! I purchased some of their LipSurgence Liptints and even though it’s only been a few days of owning them, I’m already in LOVE!!!

They’re basically what you would have if a lipstick and a Chapstick had a baby 😉 Smooth, with sheer color, a little sheen, and a minty scent! They’re very much like Clinique’s Chubby Sticks (which are amazing too!)…what I was so thrilled about tho is the deal I scored: 5 shades for $29!!!! Sweet!

From left to right: glitzy, dazzled, perky, flashy, and swank! No parabens, no mineral oils, no synthetic fragrances…what’s not to love?!

Me wearing the shade “perky” (please excuse my end of the day makeup face!)…I can already tell its gonna be an easy fav! They all look great tho…even the bright looking ones are very wearable as once they are on the lips they look like a different form of a natural flush!

Tarte has some great holiday sets…if they’ve already flown off the shelves today then perhaps sephora.com has more. Definitely worth the $29! Love them! What holiday deals are you loving right now?

So Cheers to Sets, Savings, and Gift Cards,