In My Bathroom Closet- Niven Morgan

I am obsessed with fragrance as much as the next girl. I could stand for hours at the perfume counter sniffing and get lost in bath stores for days, so I was immensely thrilled with the Niven Morgan items I received for Christmas!

These are products from the Gold Scent. Each note is so distinguished and clear! The vanilla and amber aroma comes on beautifully strong but clean and immediately settles into a much softer bergamont and eventually, a rich musk. This clean separation of the scents is exactly what I look for in a fragrance bouquet and I love "dissecting" them. (I tend to do this with food too.)

While I've only tried the Gold Scent, Niven Morgan's latest fragrance, Jean Baptiste 1717, is inspired by New Orleans and I'm very intrigued...I love New Orleans! His other scents, Blue and Mustique sound just as amazing.

Thankfully, his products are much easier to find than I would have thought, (it's actually a Texas company,) and there are a few places around here that I can get it and it can be ordered from any of these on websites.

What fragrances have you coming back for more?
J.

New Hair

I have always wanted Cindy Crawford's hair...

(Photo from google.com)
The volume, the curl, wanting what I don't (but my sisters do,) have. But after years of fighting with curling irons, pink sponge rollers, braiding for volume, etc, I have finally come to terms with the fact that I have straight hair. Hair so straight that when ever I did attempt some type of wave it would be gone within 5 minutes of leaving the bathroom. An utter waste of time. So I ended up doing lots of hair experiments on my youngest sister, J4.

But I made a new (and promising) discovery over Christmas...

Hot rollers!!!!
Yes, hot rollers! Why had I never tried them until recently? I watched my friend Lori use them but never had myself. My interest had sort of been peaked by an article while I was leafing through a magazine last month. Then, I had a discussion about them with my boyfriend's mom and she told me that she rolled her hair all the time, and had a few sets of her own. So we decided to try it on my head...

And a miracle happened...I had curly hair!!!!!
So she sent me home with a set of rollers and some thermal spray to try it on my own. I've worked on it a few times, it's not an everyday thing for me, (I'm really not a person who does much more than throw my hair in a ponytail,) but I'm working on it. Last night was the best turn out so far...

I never thought it would be possible but it is! It's no where near Cindy's hair, but I love the results.

What beauty experiments are you interested in trying?
J.

Stepping Out of My Closet Against The Grain

I know I know I know that color blocked is the look for s/ss11. I've been color blocked for a while now, and I'm glad to see that people are getting it. I'm always against the grain. I had a boss that would always tell me that I was "too forward," with my style. So true to my "against the grain" nature, I recently sported a look more patterned, colorful and bohemian than I normally choose.

I sort of feel like I should be part of a gypsy caravan, skipping around with a ribboned tamborine ushering in the new year in this outfit. But I actually like all the elements of the look...

Close up view of the skirt. Small and tiny details and lots of color...what doesn't go with this skirt? The classic pencil shape makes it perfect for a blouse or simple tee on top.

This vintage belt came my way from one of my boyfriend's great aunts. Until now, I have only worn it with a basic black shirt dress. It works perfectly with my boots, which I love but don't wear very often...the heel isn't as high as I like to wear, but yesterday (when I wore this) I had a lot of running around to do and they worked out perfectly.

The knit vest I purchased about 4 years back or so in an attempt to go for the vintage bohemian style and it just hung in my closet until last month...I've been wearing it with a lot of billowy sleeved tops and it's just one extra layer of warmth without having to throw on a coat. The necklace is a bit special to me. The vintage pendant was from my Grandma Grace but the chain it was on was awful so I sewed it onto a black velvet ribbon and used velcro to attach it in the back. I like how it sort of mimics the shapes in the skirt.

I probably won't go too far in this style direction, but I enjoy stepping out of my "box" every now and again...change is good and refreshing.
J.

Closet Of Resolutions

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful New Year's Eve and you're ready to make 2011 better than 2010. I know I am. (Doesn't that top most everyone's to do list at the beginning of each year?)

Anyway, I don't usually make resolutions because A) I have very little will power and B) I hate to fail at anything, especially a goal that I set for myself. For example, as some of you may know, I used to smoke and thankfully I have given up that habit, but for several years I promised myself that I would quit when the new year arrived and for several years, I failed miserably. And I mean MISERABLY!

Photo from gearfuse.com
Well, not this badly, but I'd be fine for about the first 3 hours after waking up on January 1st, but then I would hide in bathrooms, garages wherever I could to sneak a smoke, not wanting to admit that I had been beaten by a Camel when I had so proudly (and drunkenly) proclaimed the night before that I would be quitting. Yes, it's been over 5 years since my last, and I don't plan on picking one up anytime soon, but I have to say I miss it. I really don't mind a manly fragrance mixed with a little tobacco and maybe tend to breath in a little more deeply than normal when encountering a cloud of this combination...

But I digress. This year I have set some goals for myself and I really intend to follow through. The first, which I know is on many lists, is to up my physical fitness. Fortunately I got what I wanted for Christmas...

Photo from amazon.com
Yup. I too will get to dance along with a simulated Michael in the privacy of my own home. I've already tried it and I can tell you not only will it leave me with some great moves but also a firmer butt. Super fun, but super hard! On one of the trailers it shows a group of people at a house party playing along, but I've decided that maybe this isn't a good idea with a drinking crowd...I have visions of broken limbs, heart attacks and possibly a smashed TV...

I've also decided that I need to keep track of my money a little bit better. So not only will I be keeping and recording my receipts on a daily basis, but I'll be cutting back on my shopping as well. (This might be harder than quitting the cigs!) Although I made sure to do it right and during the last shopping hours of 2010 purchased a great Ella Moss top...

Sneak peak of the tribal print....Outfit post to come. What can I say? I had a little Christmas money and it was on sale. (And oh yeah, I scored a great skirt the day before this.) One extra item I'd love to to add to my closet is a new pair of flats (I can't believe I just admitted to flats...) but that's really all that's left on my list. This means I'll have to be a little more creative and finally take care of all the alterations that have been sitting in my closet for the past year. I'm hoping to save enough money to take a proper vacation this year...

All right, 2 resolutions is enough for me. I don't want to set myself up for complete failure.
Anyone have any tips on how to pass that 50% off sale sign that happens to be shouting at me every time I walk by Ann Taylor Loft?

J.