Saturday, 28 September 2013
Tuesday, 27 August 2013
Saturday, 17 August 2013
Tuesday, 13 August 2013
SCENTSATIONAL!
People often say their favourite smells are of concrete after rain, or a red velvet cake in the oven, new born babies necks or salt-encrusted, summer skin which also happen to be some of my own favourites, but apparently people also like the scent of Laundromat, Holy Water and Dirt as produced by demeter fragrance house. For the life of me I CAN'T understand the appeal.
I've long been a fan of fragrance, a collector of couture perfume, and an admirer of eau de toilette in all their jewel bottled glory. I can tell you what perfume I was wearing when I met all of my ex boyfriends and I have a long line of signature scents that stand tall and proud like castle sentries - used and abused but never forgotten. My fragrance journey has seen me dance and twirl through all the perfume houses from the classic to the cheap and chic and I have special favourites from each of these genres.
I also adore oils - both essential oils and perfume oils. Their longevity (in the bottle) far outweighs their more expensive counterparts and if you find a great brand, often so does their silage. I've recently found the most amazing perfume oils from Arcana. I find the quality is SUPERB and the fragrances beyond compare. I now have 7 or 8 of their perfume collection and I adore every one of them. You could spend an afternoon just reading the descriptions of each fragrance and trust me, they truly are evocative of all that they promise to be. My favourites (which may or may not be available at this time) are Eleanor of Aquitaine, Last Hours of the Empire and Three Bears.
I'm not just a fan of personal fragrance though. I have long been a slave to incense, oil diffusers and scented candles. My sons have also inherited my love of things that smell good. They all love their male colognes and have expensive taste. They also burn candles or incense, have done so since they were little, and if I was out for the evening always asked nana or poppy or the babysitter to put on some incense or a candle, most likely to remind them of mummy :)
I'm currently in the process of embarking on a new career that's right up my alley! It's a very successful company from the USA that are all about home fragrancing and personal layering of scent and I am seriously excited. Each day I'll be rushing to the door as soon as I hear the familiar chime just hoping that I'll be able to smell a whole lot of divine fragrances emanating from the carton. If you're like me and want to see a catalogue or learn more about my business you can find me here.
What is your favourite fragrance?
Monday, 27 May 2013
What I'm Loving this Week...
I've decided that each week - and I'll aim for Monday - I'll share with you three things that are making me smile....
- I'm absolutely LOVING and almost out of Sweetie Pie Tea which I purchased when visiting Adore Tea while staying with my best friend in Canberra in January. It's a truly beautiful blend of Rooibos with berries and blossoms and it's sugar free and naturally sweet. It truly reminds me of childhood - more imagined than real - where we'd sip pale pink tea out of blue and white striped mugs whilst wrapped in a snuggly blanket in front of an open fire...
- This is not the first time I've used one of Apivita's gorgeous cleansing lotions, but this is the first time I've used the cleansing milk with honey & orange for normal-dry skin. Their products are beautiful - free of parabens and other nasties like silicone, mineral oil and propylene glycol. Instead of the major ingredient being water - as it is in MOST beauty products, Apivita use a green tea infusion for it's anti-oxidant properties. The natural fragrances are beautiful and come from essential oils such as lavender, neroli and geranium. If you haven't tried their products and like me, you prefer natural products, check out their online store.
- The third and favourite of the items I'm sharing with you this week is L'Occitane Verbena Eau de Toilette - I recently got a bottle of this for Mothers Day after coveting it for quite a while. It's such a divinely fresh and sparkling bottle of lemony goodness. Just one spritz of the Mediterranean verbena, geranium and lemon scent truly makes me feel positive and happy and ready to face the day - it's my new must-have, signature scent... (at least until this perfume addict finds another she loves as much) <3
Sunday, 26 May 2013
We Are Family
Family. That one word means different things to different people. Some consider it a plural term to lump all those related by blood into one basket. Others see those people they gather close to their heart, chosen on merit and not DNA to be their family of choice. Far too many are dysfunctional. The storybook picture of what constitutes a family is just not a reality for many people anymore; that doesn't mean that the strong and loving bonds of family are lessened by an absent parent or two parents of the same sex or being raised by parents who chose you but didn't biologically create you. Your family is quite simply - your family.
My family is the single most important thing in my life. I'm fortunate to come from a family who all feel the same way. From outsiders we have as much criticism as we have envy from those who wish they were a part of our large, encapsulating embrace. My family consists of my three teenage sons, my parents, my sister and her son and myself. I live with my two younger sons and my parents in a large home with more than enough room for when the rest of the family are here a few nights a week for dinner or sleep overs. My older son lives with his partner and she is the daughter I never had and although they are only 19, she has been a part of our lives for many years. Our lives are full and chaotic, certainly never quiet or lonely and I would never want it to be any other way.
But family doesn't stop beyond these walls. My ex husband and his partner and her children are also a part of my family. We go out for dinner as a big group every few weeks and I think my boys love the fact that they have both of their parents together, accepting one another for who we are, enjoying the company, forgetting the expectations of society and generally having a great time. My ex has been with his partner for around 10 years now - longer than we were together - and I can honestly call her my friend. Letting go of those ideas set by society that there should be some kind of cold war between the new partner and the old is damaging to all concerned and I can tell you from experience it's so much nicer when everyone gets along.
I think most people would agree with me on this... when thinking of childhood memories, many of the best ones involve siblings, cousins, and trips to grandparent's homes and generally centre around traditional family gatherings. I know for me this is true. Cousins are another interesting topic. I have friends whose cousins are as close or closer than their siblings and other friends who have cousins they rarely see or haven't even met. My cousins are great (for the most part) and thanks to facebook we have actually grown closer as distance had been an encumbrance.
There is something to be said for the blood ties, even as watered down as it becomes as generations spread their proverbial wings and plant seeds on diametrically opposed sides of the planet. I am passionate about genealogy, well, family history to be more accurate (as I like to put leaves on the trees and flesh on the bones) and my incessant search for fleshing out my own tree led me to discover a few of these kin united by blood. In particular I found (actually she found me but that's by the by) a fifth cousin once removed who is so much like me that it's as if we were identical twins separated at birth and not by a protesting brother torn from his sister and shipped to The Colonies in 1831. She is my soul sister, my dearest friend and my family. Her family is my family too. Actually, sinking your teeth into your ancestral roots not only gives you a great understanding of where you come from but it helps you to understand who you are and why you are the person you are. It also helps you to realise that we are all connected.
My family is the single most important thing in my life. I'm fortunate to come from a family who all feel the same way. From outsiders we have as much criticism as we have envy from those who wish they were a part of our large, encapsulating embrace. My family consists of my three teenage sons, my parents, my sister and her son and myself. I live with my two younger sons and my parents in a large home with more than enough room for when the rest of the family are here a few nights a week for dinner or sleep overs. My older son lives with his partner and she is the daughter I never had and although they are only 19, she has been a part of our lives for many years. Our lives are full and chaotic, certainly never quiet or lonely and I would never want it to be any other way.
But family doesn't stop beyond these walls. My ex husband and his partner and her children are also a part of my family. We go out for dinner as a big group every few weeks and I think my boys love the fact that they have both of their parents together, accepting one another for who we are, enjoying the company, forgetting the expectations of society and generally having a great time. My ex has been with his partner for around 10 years now - longer than we were together - and I can honestly call her my friend. Letting go of those ideas set by society that there should be some kind of cold war between the new partner and the old is damaging to all concerned and I can tell you from experience it's so much nicer when everyone gets along.
I think most people would agree with me on this... when thinking of childhood memories, many of the best ones involve siblings, cousins, and trips to grandparent's homes and generally centre around traditional family gatherings. I know for me this is true. Cousins are another interesting topic. I have friends whose cousins are as close or closer than their siblings and other friends who have cousins they rarely see or haven't even met. My cousins are great (for the most part) and thanks to facebook we have actually grown closer as distance had been an encumbrance.
There is something to be said for the blood ties, even as watered down as it becomes as generations spread their proverbial wings and plant seeds on diametrically opposed sides of the planet. I am passionate about genealogy, well, family history to be more accurate (as I like to put leaves on the trees and flesh on the bones) and my incessant search for fleshing out my own tree led me to discover a few of these kin united by blood. In particular I found (actually she found me but that's by the by) a fifth cousin once removed who is so much like me that it's as if we were identical twins separated at birth and not by a protesting brother torn from his sister and shipped to The Colonies in 1831. She is my soul sister, my dearest friend and my family. Her family is my family too. Actually, sinking your teeth into your ancestral roots not only gives you a great understanding of where you come from but it helps you to understand who you are and why you are the person you are. It also helps you to realise that we are all connected.
Saturday, 25 May 2013
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