Random Beautiful Thoughts

Me in my back yard yesterday....record heat + no rain =  crispy grass

Music: Lana del Rey is on my playlist lately. Ever since my daughter did the Born To Die Lana Del Rey mani last year, we've been loving Lana over here. This song, Summer Sadness, works for me right now especially. As August looms ahead, cosmetic companies are starting to put out Fall 2012 collections. I can smell the change in the air, especially at night. And I can see the difference in the light and sun during the day.....summertime sadness, indeed.

TV Marathon: I decided since I haven't started my new book yet (Gone Girl) I'd share my new series obsesh. PBS Sherlock! There is something so exciting about a marathon showing of something so fabulous. It happened already with Downton Abbey - and that was wonderful. I bought the first season of Sherlock, watched the first episode and am hooked. I was on the edge of my seat til the end, love the twists and the complex damaged characters. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are just terrific.

Sherlock and Watson....

Food: It has been soooo hot this summer (yay!) that cool fresh snack types of food have been on my menu. BBQ of course, delicious sushi and guacamole. I adore guac so much, those creamy avocados are so delicious, and also great for your skin and brain. Good fat! However most corn chips are very salty and caloric so you are almost eating chips and dip (as good as that is....). So my awesome girlfriend turned me on to Sea Salt ChipIns, basically chips made out of popcorn. They are delicious, and its just like eating popcorn without getting anything stuck in your teeth. And, they are gluten free, if that is important to you. And combined with guac? So. Yummy.

                                                                         

Fashion: Maxi dresses, bikinis and flowy silky shorts with platforms. But, mostly maxi dresses, my favourites being the spaghetti strap tanks in stripes and solids from American Apparel. I have a few and plan on getting another one because I love them sooo much. It's basically like walking around in a nightie. Win.

Skincare: Body oils! Summertime is the time to show dewy toned skin and I am addicted to delicious skin oils that sink in, leaving delicately scented and soft skin behind. Bonus- you can use them in your hair as well. This month, it's been Lierac Huile Sensorielle 3 Fleurs. Wow. Smells like sweet jasmine petals.

Make Up: St Tropez Self Tanning Mousse. The ONLY self tanner to own. A teeny weeny blob of this mousse on my face makes me "look" like I've spent the day in the sun. Exfoliate and then moisturize your body, and add a little bit of mousse after the moisturizer has sunk in, and you are just back from beach. Safely. Tips for after application: wash your hands, use a damp cloth to wipe off your eyebrows (important!), upper lip, hair line, knees and elbows. You're welcome.

Perfume: This has been the summer of jasmine and orange blossom for me. My latest delicate fave is Le Labo Jasmine 17, in the "balm" formulation. Le Labo is a cool line of perfumes that are like a store within a store, and the sales associate actually custom pours your bottle for you, also giving your bottle a personalized label. Cool. The "17" at the end of the name means that while jasmine is the predominant note in this perfume, there are 17 other notes complimenting it. This is most likely advertising mumbo-jumbo, and Le Labo Jasmine 17 smells more like orange blossom and neroli than jasmine to me. But it smells amazing, delicate and gorgeous, and the curious gel-like balm formula is like a concentrate that wears very close to the skin. Perfect.

What are you loving this summer? Books? Movie? TV? Spill!

Random Beautiful Thoughts

Music: This time of year makes me a bit melancholy. I need sunshine and daylight and the deep winter doesn't cut it. It is just too cold and there isn't enough light. I can wallow away with Goldfrapp for hours while I drive with my sunroof open to get every bit of UV light I can find. Wonderfully weird.

Book: My daughter Emilie is very good at finding wonderful books. She plucked The Girl With Glass Feet by Ali Shaw out of nowhere and while we were on holiday she rhapsodized over every word. So after her sister read it I grabbed it. I could not put it down, found the writing so beautiful and poetic, and there was a part ( I won't say when) that made me weep copiously. In my Top 10 favourite books of all time for sure. He has another book that we can't wait to get our hot little hands on. The New York Times Book Review says "Fantastically imagined....only a heart of glass would be unmoved". Wonderful.

Food: It's winter so bring on the comfort food. Homemade chicken soup with noodles and of course, bread. And more bread. Crusty delicious bread + soft creamy cheeses and a hot bowl of soup = happiness. Plus, for Christmas presents, Emilie mixed fresh local honey with walnuts, thyme, olive oil and ancho chiles which is pretty much the yummiest thing EVER to meet cheese and bread. 

Mmm...Art Is In Bread from OttawaFoodies.com

I read this to both of my girls....& my dad read it to me!

Emilie's Special Walnut-Thyme-Ancho Chile Honey YUM

Fashion: Here is where I may lose a few of you...Uggs. Haters- to the left please. Let me be clear- I don't wear them outside my house. But when the weather drops below -20 C and the wind and snow are gusting, there is nothing that keeps me cozier. No socks required, feet stay dry and perfectly cozy. Before I had my foot surgery they were one of the only things that didn't bug my foot, now I just love them for their coziness. I put them on upon crawling out of bed in the morning to make my coffee, and when I come home at the end of the day I kick off the winter boots & snuggle into their wooly cozy goodness. Cooking dinner, curled up with my daughters watching movies in leggings, Uggs, a long cashmere sweater and maybe a pashmina too- it is all about The Cozy.

Aritza Eliza Duster Cashmere Cardigan...so cozy

Skincare: L'Occitane Shea Butter EVERYTHING. My daughters gave me a box filled to the brim with all my fave L'Occitane Shea Butter prodz for Christmas. Read my post aka love letter to shea butter on The Kit....

Make Up: Dermaglow Tinted Moisturizer. I wrote about it here, and truly can't imagine being without it now. It is summer glow and even complexion in a tube. The stuff of miracles.

Perfume: Well it's always hard for me to pin down just one perfume...lately I have really been enjoying my bottle of vintage Chanel No22 eau de toilette (thanks Dane!!!). It is a powdery soapy incense bomb but applied sparingly it is feminine and stunning. There is nothing like. My mother wore this in the 70s, and I wore it when my girls were little, so I do have lovely scent memories attached which makes it all the more enjoyable. I feel just like Catherine Deneuve looks in the ad- rawr! Look out. Its so gorgeous I've taken to adding a spritz to my sheets after I spray my wrists. At bedtime there is just a whisper left as I snuggle in, but it's wonderful and comforting, as perfume should be.