2009 October | whoorl

The Perfume Diaries

October 16, 2009

Listen up, ladies and gents!

I’m super excited to be working with Leslie Blodgett of Bare Escentuals and Sephora (OMG, pinch me) on a contest that starts today and goes through October 23, 2009. Many many MANY of you all need to enter immediately. Why?

#1 – (1) grand prize winner and a guest will receive a luxurious vacation to Honolulu, Hawaii for 5 nights/6 days and a gift basket of Leslie’s Bare Skin collection (approx. $2000 value).

#2 – (3) second place winners will receive a gift basket of Leslie’s Bare Skin Collection (over $100 value/each).

#3 – The contest involves writing about a personal travel experience, and considering so many of you are TALENTED BLOGGERS, you could totally win this thing. For reals. I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT.

#4 – Because I said so.

Leslie’s brand new perfume line, The Perfume Diaries, is a series of fragrances inspired by Leslie’s travels around the world, and now she wants to hear about the scent memories you’ve created while on your own travels. The official rules and entry requirements are over here. I can’t tell you how incredibly stoked I would be if someone I knew won this contest.

(Even though I’m not eligible for the contest, I wrote about my own scent memories revolving around my wedding in Hawaii.)

Picturing Plumeria

October 16, 2009

Planning my wedding was a little stressful.

Wait, I know what you are thinking. What wedding planning process ISN’T a little stressful? It’s the nature of the beast! I’m sure most brides-to-be have experienced that familiar bottom lip quiver at some point during the process. (Or full-out bridezilla rage…you know who you are.)

My wedding, which was supposed to be a very intimate affair in another country, blew up in my face about 5 months before it was supposed to happen. Chicka chicka BOOM. Suddenly I had no calendar date, no venue, no caterers, and wasn’t even sure if our amazing photographer would still be available.

Like I said, planning my wedding was a little stressful.

I had to start at square one. D and I still wanted a destination wedding, but how were we going to make that happen in such a short time? We dreamed of eloping to Europe, but ultimately couldn’t stand the thought of our immediate family not being there to celebrate with us. And then it hit me like a gigantic coconut in the face. Hawaii.

Several holed up days of internet research, phone calls and faxes later, I booked a lovely hotel on the Big Island.

Those five months flew by, and before I knew it, I was on a plane across the Pacific. Upon arriving on the Big Island, I marveled at the landscape filled with huge lava rocks, but was surprised to see such a difference once I reached the hotel’s grounds. It was absolutely lush. Bright green grass, intensely-colored flowers, the lava rocks mingling with the deep blue ocean. I was in heaven.

I’m pretty sure I was doing pirouettes around the lobby when I got my first whiff of plumeria. To say that it was completely intoxicating would be an understatement, and I couldn’t get enough. Luckily, the lei I received upon arrival at the hotel was made entirely from the flowers. For the rest of the trip, I filled our room with the scent of plumeria leis, and that scent now embodies one of the most wonderful weeks of my life.

There are only a few scents that immediately trigger a walk down memory lane – Opium (the fragrance my mother wore during my childhood), my great-grandmother’s Thanksgiving dressing cooking in the oven, and the smell of a middle school friend’s older sister’s car (a strangely heady mixture of Jasmine stick incense and cigarette smoke). After our wedding trip to Hawaii, plumeria became one of my elite.

From our intimate ceremony,

To the toasts made afterward.

The sweet scent of plumeria lets me hop in my time travel machine and subtract 5 years.

To one of the happiest moments in my life.

hair thursday makeover 79

October 15, 2009

Say hello to Anh.

anh_before

Anh’s hair:

Naturally very dark brown
Normal condition
Thick and straight
Uses styling tools
Spends anywhere between 15 minutes to an hour styling
Uses Catwalk Extra Strong Mousse to hold curl

Anh would like to try a short or medium length hairstyle, so I’ve taken the liberty of picking one of each for her.

anh_options

Be sure to check out other gorgeous celebrity hairstyles and tips at Daily Makeover!

Option #1 - Eva Longoria‘s bob would look perfectly polished on Anh’s thick, straight hair. I love the smooth ends and the shorter layer in the front, which would accent Anh’s cheekbones.

Daily Makeover Key Styling Tip:

Step 1: Combine a dab of styling lotion with a few drops of shine serum and apply onto damp hair. Blow-dry two-inch sections with a round brush applying upward tension at the root for lift, then turn the brush several times to add subtle roundness to the length.
Step 2: Once dry, create a deep side part and run a flat iron over half-inch sections for sleek results.
Step 3: Apply a few drops of shine serum onto your hands and run your palms over your hair to smooth the surface and eliminate frizz. Tuck one side back.

Option #2 – If Anh is hesitant to go that short, Anne Hathaway‘s sleek bob would also give Anh a polished look without taking all of her length off.

Daily Makeover Key Styling Tip:

Step 1: Mix a dime-size amount each of leave-in conditioner and straightening cream along with a few drops of shine serum and apply onto damp hair. Blow dry two-inch sections at time with a vent brush to straighten out your hair.
Step 2: Once dry, set a sleek finish by smoothing a flat iron over half-inch sections and then slightly bend the ends under.
Step 3: Apply a few drops of shine serum onto your hands and then run your palms over your hair to smooth the surface and eliminate frizz.

What do you think? Short or medium?