Perfume, Again & An Accidental Miracle

I’ve always been a fan of layering or mixing perfumes, and recently have created a new favorite, albeit accidentally.  It’s the most harmonious amalgam of feminine and hippie.  A few wks ago, while replenishing my tofurkey supply at Whole Foods, I picked up some roll on Patchouli.  I liked it so much that I picked up some Sandalwood by the same brand on my next tokurkey run.  Then I decided to wear them together because P&S is the perfect marriage, IMO, and mix them all the time.  Well, the other night my cousin asked me to go to the theatre with her & I did a quick makeup touch-up  after work and rolled on some P&S.  Earlier that morning I had sprayed on one of my fav work perfumes*  that I picked up at an apothecary in Paris, so I had a bit of Rose lingering around.  Needless to say, I kept sniffing my wrists the entire night and I’m sure my cousin was proud to have me as a date.  Seriously though, I couldn’t have been any worse than the grown arse woman wearing a Belle tiara at Beauty & The Beast.

Roger & Gallet-Rose, Enfusia-Peaceful Patchouli & Sandalwood

Seriously, cannot get enough of this

  

*work perfume=part of my product hoarding sickness  strange classification & usage of products, perfume, clothes, toothpaste, everything....where I tend to never rarely use my nicer, more $ products, clothes, makeup, and use my lower-end/cheaper things most of the time.  I’m always saving those for special occasions, hot dates, weekends.  It’s strange, really..more to follow.

DIY Adventures: Headboard Edition

Ever since I moved into my new place I have intended to buy/make a headboard.  The one I had my eye on from Restoration Hardware was a little pricey, but I figured I could recreate it with the help of the www & an engineer.

Even G’s drunken drawings look fancy ;)

After about 7 months of putting it off, I decided it was finally time to make myself a proper bed.  I recruited my friend, G, and with her awesome engineering skills & power tools we got to work.  I knew the crescent shaped edges would be too difficult to try and mess with, so i just went with a straight edge to keep it easy.  After about 7 hrs of work in alternating hot sun & wind, we finally finished.  I imagine there are a few leaves stuffed in the batting, but I figure it just adds…character?  And a little texture.   Behold, the before and after.

Before

After

Although the nail head trim was a pain to get straight, despite meticulous measuring and marking on our part, we were still very pleased with the results!  It’s one of those hard to tell unless you’re examining up close kind of situations.  And it photographs pretty well, too.  All in all I spent about $150, which is like 1/25 of the total price of the RH one.  So, I’d say it was a success.  Thanks to G for her time, precision and patience!!

Confession/Obsession

Hi, my name is Jana and I’m addicted to baby food.  Yes, glorified baby food. 

Please disregard my junky table and the weird white sunnies I bought for White Linen Night.

I picked these up one day on a random Starbucks run when I was hungry for a little snack.  Now I buy them in bulk.  They are so good for a mid-day snack or sometimes I even eat a few for dinner if I had a heavy lunch.  There are several different brands and variations, but most of them are made with just the organic fruits in the description, no added sugar,etc.  So, I feel like I’m getting an extra serving of fruits & veggies!  Although I feel ridiculous in the baby aisle buying baby food for the baby I don’t have, I’m hoping I’m not the only adult that has discovered these?  Am I alone?

The Stupid Sock Bun, Birthday, Boston & Belize

Welp, blogging is proving to be inconsistent, but I guess I’ve just been busy.  Suffice it to say the sock bun was a major fail and I finally just bought the little round tool thingy that looks like a brillo pad with a hole in the middle.   I managed to create an OK bun, but the jury is still out on whether or not I like it. 

In other news, I turned 31 and to celebrate took a couple trips.  I went to Boston with my mom and we had a great time eating, shopping and seeing a few sights.  I love the beantown vibe and felt like I walking down the streets of the Cosby Show.  Then, on my actual birthday wkend went to Belize with my cousin and her friend.  I thought I might die on the puddle jumper of a plane over there, but sitting in the cockpit somehow made me feel less claustrophobic?   On the island, we pretty much ate, drank and putted around on golf carts.  We went lobster hunting & deep sea fishing (vegetarianism suspended for freshly caught lobster in water you can see through) and met lots of cool locals.   It was a perfect mix of third world and beautiful beach.   

Top to bottom:  Harvard, in front of Julia Child's house, Mom rubbing John Harvard's shoe for good luck, Mom on Newbury St

Top to bottom:  view from breakfast, me flying the plane, deep sea fishing, cousins at the palapa bar

But now, I’m back to reality and itching to go somewhere again.  But, I’m super excited for fall and cooler weather.

Beach Hair Blunders

Oh, beach hair.  That damn elusive Parisian chic  my hair looks dirty and messy, but it’s really not , bed-head look.  The carefully sculpted mess made to look effortless.  How does one achieve that?!  Please share, bc my attemps ended in what can only be described as an EPIC.FAIL. 

 Dang, I'm really bad at inserting pics, bear w me.

 Apparently, all you have to do is spritz on some magic in a bottle a la  Bumble &Bumble Surf Spray and get to scrunchin’.  Knowing full well this endeavor  wouId probs be futile, I went for a cheaper version to test the waters.   Call me a pessimist, but whatev, it ended up being the case. 

I.am.so.sure.  I spritzed, I scrunched, I looked like a hot mess.  Just a wet, scrunchy, cat chewed on the end of my hair, hot mess.  Evidence below..

Next up, follicular fail #2…the sock bun. 

P.S.-how do I rotate pics??

Princess Perfume: A Review

http://www.luckyscent.com/shop/section/1/item/54100/brand/Illuminum/White_Gardenia_Petals.html

I’m a perfume whore connoisseur.  I owe it to my mother, who is quite the nose.  She can tell you the history of the Annick Goutal Pefume House better than the Battle of the Alamo. Needless to say, when we heard about Kate Middleton’s wedding day perfume, we knew we had to try it.  I am drawn more towards masculine/androgynous, woodsy, tobacco, as opposed to the more overtly girly/floral scents. Something esoteric and not worn by the masses.  My usual rotation consists of:

Tauer-l'air du desert marocain, Hermes-elixir des merveilles, Hermes-le jardin de nil, Chantcaille-vetyver, Jo Malone-pomegranate noir, Penhaligon’s-Bluebell, Roger & Gallet-rose, Fragonard-dix parfums.  (Pardon the pic, couldn't rotate??)

So initially, white gardenia petals turned us away.  But then, my mom and I reasoned, if it was good enough for a princess it can’t be that bad, so we took the plunge and purchased the biggest bottle available.  Go big or go home, no? 

As soon as I sniffed the bottle I wasn’t impressed.  But, I pressed on and sprayed away.  My mom was not a fan.  But, I found as it died down I was surprisingly pleased with it.  According to the description, “The top note of Lilly evokes a tropical seaside location, whilst the heart notes of White Gardenia, Muguet and Jasmine bring a trio of white flowers into play. Amber Wood underscores this light and capricious bouquet.”  The gardenia wasn’t headache inducing, which I usually find to be the case & I caught more of a subtle, baby powder die down?  Either way, I’m glad we decided to try this, but it’s a bit pricey to buy again if you’re not in love with it.  I don’t think it will make the cut into my usual rotation, but it definitely grew on me.  And it’s prob the closest I’ll ever be to becoming a princess!

And, just for kicks, if there was a man in my life he would most def be wearing this.  And he would totally have to share w me ;)

http://www.luckyscent.com/shop/section/1/item/49309/brand/Creed/Millesime_Imperial_.html

Stay tuned, am lusting after some Serge Lutens & am always up for suggestions!

Hello, World!

Going to try this blogging thing that everyone seems to be doing .  I love blogs.  I’ve been reading the same blogs for years and have discovered some new ones recently, too.  But, I’m one of those blog lurkers that never comments.  I have been entertaining the idea for quite some time, but never pulled the trigger.  For whatever reason, now seemed like a good enough time to start.  Just keep in mind I’m not a writer.  My mom always wrote helped me write my award-winning speeches all throughout junior high, back when I wasn’t terrified of speaking in public, but I digress..I appreciate a well written book like no other, it just doesn’t come naturally to me & I don’t take the time to construct beautifully written sentences.  So, there’s that.  Follow along (my one reader!  Hey T!) as I discuss topics like fashion, beauty, travels, and general life in Houston!

p.s.  If you’re wondering "why the banana blog?,” my name just happens to rhyme w fruit and have been called Jana Banana all my life.  Shout out to teri for thinking of that!