AROMATHERAPY...

Aromatherapy sometimes comes with a stigma of being hippie-like, alternative to regular medicine, and might even be  hogwash to a lot of people. It can be defined as: a form of alternative medicine that uses plant materials (essential oils) and other aromatic ingredients for the purpose of altering a person's mind, mood, cognitive function, or health. A French surgeon, Jean Valnet, pioneered the medicinal uses of essential oils, which he used as antiseptics in the treatment of wounded soldiers during World War II!!!

I personally like to use aromatherapy just for therapeutic purposes on my own and sometimes I just generally like the smell of some of the essential oils. There is no medical/recorded proof that aromatherapy helps any kind of medical conditions, but I wholeheartedly believe that if deep down inside you believe in it then you will have some kind of positive outcome. To me it just gives me a little peace of mind at the end of a long, and hard work day! Here's a little information on some of the meanings behind the oils...

LOVE, COMPANIONSHIP AND RELATIONSHIP:

The scents of apple, cinnamon, clove, copal, gardenia, jasmine, lavender, musk, orange, patchouli, peppermint, rain, rose, vanilla, white jasmine, and ylang ylang essential oil signify the different aspects of a relationship, such as love, companionship, affection and adoration.

GOALS, GAINS, MONEY AND SUCCESS:

The scents that signify material success, along with money, profits and aims, include the fragrance of allspice, almond, bergamont, basil, cinnamon, clover, dill, honeysuckle, lemon, pine, red ginger and sage essential oils.

PROTECTION, HARMONY AND WELL-BEING:

Signifying the overall harmony of a person are the scents of angelica, basil, bay, bayberry, carnation, cinnamon, clove, coconut, dill, dragon's blood, eucalyptus, frankincense, gardenia, geranium, heather, juniper, lilac, myrrh, narcissis, sandalwood and violet essential oils.

INSPIRATION, PSYCHIC AWARENESS, AND INTUITION:

If you are looking for essential oils with scents that signify inspiration, psychic awareness and intuition; anise, cedar, chamomile, cinnamon, eucalyptus, frankincense, green tea, lavender, lemongrass, lime, lotus, musk, myrrh, peppermint, pine, rosemary, sandalwood, and valerian essentials oils will be the best bet.

MOST POPULAR ESSENTIAL OILS:

Lemon Essential Oil:

It has disinfectant as well as bleaching qualities. Along with that, it also serves as an energizer. The oil is extracted from the rind and juice of lemon and has a rich, fruity and warm scent.

Lavender Essential Oil:

It has stress relieving ability and can be used to treat anxiety, apart from insomnia and stomach ache. The oil is extracted from the flowering spikes of lavender and has a sweet, floral and slightly sharp scent.

Jasmine Essential Oil:

It is known for its relaxing and soothing properties and can be, at times, used as an aphrodisiac as well. The oil is extracted from jasmine flowers and has a heavy and sweet sharp scent.

Basil Essential Oil:

It can be used to treat the problem of upset stomach, headache, flatulence, low appetite, lack of concentration, abrasions, sinus, muscle aches, migraine, gout and bronchitis. The oil is extracted from flowering tops and leaves of basil and has a sweet and spicy scent.

Chamomile Essential Oil:

It has relaxation properties and can be used to treat indigestion, peptic ulcers, nervousness, menstrual cramps, sore throat, burns and skin inflammations, vaginal infections, insomnia, sunburn, hay fever and sprains. The oil is extracted from chamomile flower heads and has a sweet, fruity and floral scent.

Sandalwood Essential Oil:

Associated with spiritual harmony, it can be used to treat depression, dry skin, nausea, skin problems and stress. The oil is extracted from sandalwood itself and has an exotic and slightly spicy scent.

Rose Essential Oil:

It has soothing and calming abilities and can be used to treat scurvy and nervousness. It also promotes the feelings of love and peace. The oil is extracted from petals, hips and root bark of rose and has a light, sweet and floral scent.

Peppermint Essential Oil:

It serves as an energizer and can be used to treat muscle aches, fatigue, pain, gas, sore throat, digestive problems, stomach ulcers and nausea. The oil is extracted from leaves of peppermint plant and has a minty scent.

Eucalyptus Essential Oil:

It is known for its decongestant and antiseptic qualities and can be used to treat nasal and chest congestion, asthma, sore muscles, cuts and abrasions. The oil is extracted from eucalyptus leaves and has a strong, fresh and minty scent.

Just a little background on aromatherapy if you were in the dark! I think a little bit at a time is the way to go and try not to O.D. on them or you will start to smell like those holistic shops in Sedona! ;-)

Here's to happy therapy...Aromatherapy that is!!!

<3 Stacey <3

 

Nadia and Stacey Festivities...

SPA AND SHOPPING EXTRAVAGANZA!!!

So my friend Nadia and I get together at least once a month to do a fun spa/shopping day. Our last outing involved a Blow dry bar which I did a beauty profile on and dinner at the Biltmore. This time it was a spa day and of course some much needed retail therapy. Here's how our day went:

BLISS: The 1st stop on our incredible adventure was Bliss located at the the W Hotel in Scottsdale. First on the agenda was a Shellac manicure. For those of you who don't know about the wonderful world of Shellac I will be posting something soon about this trend that is really catching on. I had a bronze glitter Shellac manicure and then next was the 60 minute COLD FEET pedicure which is a MINT WONDERLAND for your toesies!!!!

The trip wouldn't have been compete without scoring some AWESOME Bliss beauty loot as well! The list includes:

• "Bath to School" caddy which is a blue tote filled with a loofah, fabulous foaming body wash and fabulous foaming face wash.
• "Fabulips" which comes complete with a foaming lip cleanser, sugar lip scrub, instant lip plumper, and softening lip balm. (Just as a side note, I'm positively addicted to all of these lip essentials especially as we get closer to cooler temps where my lips start to get chapped!)
• Triple oxygen energizing eye gel (Such a wake-up for your eyes, especially 1st thing in the morning for crazy people like me who get up at 4:30 AM for work!)
• Naked body butter (The best part of this "lotion" is you can layer it with any scent or even work some of your favorite perfume in there and you'll smell like it all day long!)
• Cuticle oil

From there our travels led us to: DRUM ROLL PLEASE...Scottsdale Fashion Square. We parked at Nordstrom's and made our way through the mall to where first: none other than Stacey's 2nd favorite store: SEPHORA!!! A beauty wonderland full of sooooooo much glittery stuff that I just wanted to roll around in all of it. Here's the list of essentials and some samples from Sephora:

Here's what I bought:

• Urban Decay glitter eyeliner in Spandex
• Sephora brand eyeshadow in midnight hour
• Sephora eyeliner in glitter violet
• Makeup Forever Professional aqua liner in #8
• Makeup Forever Professional diamond shadow in #311

Here's free samples that the ever-so gracious Nadia gave me:

• Stila sheer tinted moisturizer in medium
• Philosophy miraculous anti-aging moisturizer
• Ultraflesh panthera mascara
• Benefit "Stay Don't Stray Stay Put" primer
• Bare Escentuals Buxom mascara
• DDF acne control treatment
• Phyto scalp stimulant

On a side note all of these incredible samples came in the MOST ADORABLE hat box you could ever imagine! Nadia was so kind to give them to me because she's a VIP customer of Sephora and some day really soon, at the rate I'm going, I will make that milestone as well!

Then it was off to Express because Stacey was on the hunt for the PERFECT pair of skinny jeans! I have fought the trend tooth and nail since it became popular because I'm a boot cut girl and I found that I wasn't interested in the skinny jean craze nor did I want to take part in it until I decided it was probably time for me to give in so I did! I found two pairs:

• A pair of Rerock skinny jeans
• A pair of Express Stella fit skinny jeans

All in all I was very impressed with how they fit and now I know they're going to look FIERCE with my new Colin Stuart grey suede zipper pumps from Victoria's Secret. Excellent service and now I'm on the skinny jean bandwagon!!!

If the day hadn't already been heavenly enough Nadia had given me a birthday gift that I had the opportunity to dive into when I got home! As if I didn't have enough beauty loot there was definitely more where that came from. Contents of this insanely cute birthday gift package were as follows:

• Beautiful purple scarf from Ann Taylor
• Bliss IN-SPA-RATIONAL scent
• Sephora glitter eyeliner in teal
• Copper nail glitter
• Sephora lip gloss in caramel
• Chanel eyeshadow in mirifique
• Hard Candy glitter cream eyeshadow and eyeliner in Queenie
• Tokidoki perfume
• Deborah Lippmann nail polish in glitter in the air
• Cupcake loofah
• Blue wallet

So all in all a very relaxing, enjoyable day filled with incredible company, lots of money spent, lots of beauty loot bought, and diving into an incredibly generous birthday gift filled with AWESOME stuff! It took me an hour to sort out everything that I had and to re-arrange my bathroom to fit all of the new additions. Sunday night I felt like a kid in a candy store when I was trying to figure out where I should start and what beauty products to try out first...Then yesterday was excruciating trying to figure out what makeup color scheme I wanted to do and what glitter colors to incorporate!

LIFE IS DEFINITELY GOOD!!!

Stacey and Nadia Adventures TO BE CONTINUED....

Drybar: A blow dry bar!

Almost a month ago I had the pleasure of going to my first blow dry bar! My incredibly awesome fashionista BFF Nadia and I had plans to get all dolled up and go to the Biltmore for their Hollywood Wine and Food Festival. The movie they played was Julie and Julia and a guest chef prepared a delicious meal and paired different wines with each course. It was such a fun night and made even more special by the "special treatment" at the Drybar in Scottsdale. Now allow me to elaborate about this concept...

CONCEPT:

So a blowdry bar basically focuses on just that: blowouts! You pay $35 and get your hair washed and then a blowout and then styled! It's one of those awesome innovative ideas that you really wish you would've come up with on your own, but now someone is making millions of dollars off of it! There are no cuts and no colors, but they do offer an awesome "menu" of styles and updo's!

LOCATIONS:

Right now there's only one location in Arizona and that's in Scottsdale at the Scottsdale Quarter. However, there are more popping up all around California and Texas too! I think the concept is super innovative and it won't be long before it spreads like wildfire!

MENU:

There's about 6 different styles you can choose from off of the "menu!" They have a Straight Up which is the signature blowout, a Mai Tai which is messy and beachy, a Southern Comfort which has lots of VA VA VOLUME, the Cosmopolitan which is loose curls, the Manhattan which is sleek and smooth, and finally a Shirley Temple for girls 10 and under.

All blowouts are $35 no matter what kind of hair you have and the wash is included. Tip is not included, but they suggest a $10 tip. Some other services are:


Hair Shots: They help repair and rejuvenate dry, weak or color-treated hair by adding a signature L’Oreal treatment to your shampoo. They're called shots  - ‘cause they’re small, but strong!

Floaters: Those are a 10-minute scalp massage during your shampoo for only $10. Let me tell you that was the best part by far! I had no idea that a head massage could be that stimulating and enjoyable until I got one! I have always loved having my hair played with but this certainly took it to the next level!

Dry on the Fly: If you don't want to come to them, they will come to you! If you don't have time to leave the house they'll come to you and it's only $75. Can I get a Mai Tai blowout to go please? How AWESOME is that? I imagine this service might help out a lot for weddings.

UpTini: Basically an updo and that is $75. Can't wait to utilize that for special occasions, and I'm sure it rocks for proms and special events.

Shirley Temple: For girls 10 and under!!! How cute is that? For $24 bucks not bad!!! I just don't want any Toddlers and Tiaras disasters on my hands! ;-)

Dry Pro: They're available for on-set styling for film or photo shoots! I'll have to remember that when I'm rich and famous and don't have time to do my own hair!!!

Drybar also offers their services to private parties and also offers a membership. This place has it all and I couldn't be happier that they do!

All in all what an experience! Not only was the ambiance AMAZING but the people were great, friendly and super easy to get along with. They also have awesome flavored waters to drink, little snacks, and they play chick flicks on flat screen TV's while you're getting your hair done! Clueless was on while we were there. I love that they keep your back to mirrors too so you can't see the final product until the very end! It's very much like a TA-DA!!!!

They even have a cute little mascot named Buttercup which is an upside down blow dryer! Doesn't get any more awesome than this! LOL!



I will definitely be back for sure not only because I loved the whole experience, but it was affordable and a fun way to spend your night getting all dolled up! It's hard for me to replicate styles at home by mysef sometimes and what should only take 30 minutes usually ends up taking me an hour. So it was really nice having someone be able to do all that hard work for you!

I owe it all to one of my best friends Nadia and I can't thank her enough for turning me onto it! I highly recommend it ladies and anytime you want to go, you have a customer in me!!!

For more info check out the website: Drybar

Until next time beauty lovers and fashionista's!!!

"Taking joy in living is a woman's best cosmetic." ~Rosalind Russell

Your Cupcake "Horoscope!!!"

You might be surprised how the signs of the zodiac sign align with your taste in cupcakes. It's in the stars!!!

AQUARIUS (January 21 to February 19): An opinionated Aquarius knows what he or she likes and tends to have a hearty appetite for worldly flavors.

PISCES (February 20 to March 20): Mystical Pisces prefers flavors entwined with dreamy fantasies. Best to hand over the frosting, shimmering sugars, and sprinkles and let Pisces design their own cupcakes.

ARIES (March 21 to April 20): Energetic, mentally quick Aries needs a cupcake to match a competitive attitude. No plain yellow cakes with chocolate frosting for them. Go exotic and rich with exciting flavor combinations they've never had before.

TAURUS (April 21 to May 21): Classic elegance attracts your down-to-earth Taurus. Forgo crazy colors and sprinkles. Taurus prefers rich earth-toned goodies.

GEMINI (May 22 to June 21): The sharp, clever Gemini appreciates a cupcake appealing to his or her dual sides-the creative and slightly decadent and the quiet and simple.
***That is most definitely me!***

CANCER (June 22 to July 23): Moody Cancer craves comfort and purity. So go with an all-white cupcake to coax the cautious crab out from under the rock.

LEO (July 24 to August 24): Center-of-attention Leo demands strong flavors and cupcakes with humor. Something to make the lion roar with laughter!

VIRGO (August 24 to September 23): Health-conscious Virgo won't be tempted by sinfully rich triple chocolate anything. He or she will lean towards delicate fruit flavors and more healthy cupcakes.

LIBRA (September 24 to October 23): A bohemian at heart, Libra likes artistic cupcakes. Cupcakes you can talk about and savor as a group.

SCORPIO (October 24 to November 22): Scorpio is drawn to dark, rich flavors like chocolate-raspberry and anything topped with luscious whipped cream.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 to December 21): Energetic, sporty, gregarious Sagittarius requires nonconformist type cupcakes such as Red Velvet or a Ricotta Cupcake with a Marmalade Buttercream. Innovative!

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 20): Quiet, dignified Capricorn is uncomfortable with conspicuous consumption, so stick to the tried-and-true cupcakes.

Hope you enjoyed that fun little post! More to come soon! Have a WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY everyone! <3 Stacey <3 

Birchbox for August 2011...

For those of you who don't know much about Birchbox the concept is this really AMAZING place where you can get deluxe beauty samples delivered to you for a subscription of $10 a month. The website offers tips and tutorials and you get discounts on full-sized products. To me, being fascinated with beauty, it's an AWESOME way to try new products and find out which one is perfect for you. Sometimes we feel the need to be loyal to a certain brand and buy all products within that brand, but I find it's rather helpful to vary your selection and pick from a lot of different places! That way you have a lot of different things to add to your beauty repertoire.

Birchbox

This months Birchbox inspiration was beauty innovations. These are products that are hopping boundaries, rethinking the compact, and shaking things up! Here are my reviews of the products...

1. Amika Obliphica Oil Treatment: This is a blend of nourishing argan and jojoba oils that calms frizz, hysdrates fried ends, and smells downright delicious! I did love the smell for sure but didn't notice a major difference in the texture of my hair! A lot of it could be that I don't blow dry my hair much anymore I just let it air dry so there wasn't much frizz to calm down. I would definitely try a full sized sample, but it's not on the top of my beauty must haves.

2. Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Lifting Mascara and Line Erasing Serum: The volumizing mascara formula acts like hairspray for your lashes, keeping them curled and perky all day! I don't know about any of you ladies but I'm on the quest for the perfect mascara. Right now my favorites are Falsies by Maybelline, Million Dollar Lashes by L'Oreal and soon enough I will be trying the new Lancome Doll Lashes. This trial size mascara was pretty AMAZING and definitely made my eyelashes perky! I think I might be purchasing the full-size of this one which is $22! The line-erasing serum was nice, but I'm fortunate enough right now not to have a lot of wrinkles or lines to erase so it's not something I'll be using in the future. (I might change my tune once I reach 40 though!)

3. Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine Cologne Absolue: The description of this perfume says it doesn't get sunnier than this juicy scent, which is a modern update on the classic eau de cologne. I have to say the fragrance was a bit too strong for me. It'd be if I bathed in orange juice and topped it off with some orange extract also. The French tend to be a little dramatic and intense with their perfumes which I appreciate however it's not for everyone! The smell was definitely refreshing but a bit too strong for me! I prefer to stick to the floral, flirty type perfumes with notes of passion fruit or hibiscus!

4. Earthen Instant Face Peel: This all-natural peel whisks away dead skin without using any harsh chemicals, and comes in handy single-use packages. I don't really like to use face peels and I was skeptical to use this one. It is rather nice that it comes in a single-use package, but I don't enjoy the redness that I have after I use it. I know it's a sign that the peel is working, but I prefer to use just a gentle facewash before I go to bed. I prefer St. Ives Invigorating Apricot Scrub. Seems to do the trick just the same and for much cheaper!

5. Twistband Hair Tie: This soft elastic gives the hair tie a sophisticated makeover-it looks as good on your wrist as it does on your hair. This statement might be true, but to be honest I didn't see all the fuss about it. It was a basic black hair tie and it was nice, but you still have to tie it and I find that I like the Goody one's just the same. Not going to switch anytime soon but a set of 3 is only $5!!!



Okay those are my beauty reviews for my most recent Birchbox! Hope you enjoy the info! I know I enjoy receiving them! It's like Christmas in a box every month! Until next time everyone!

<3 Stacey <3

Beauty comes as much from the mind as from the eye. ~Grey Livingston~