What fragrance to gift this Christmas? Ask MicroPerfumes!

Hi ya Gorgeous! 

OMG. I. LOVE. PERFUME!  I just met an incredibly easy way to find out what fragrance  to gift - by - actually gifting a mini version of it. I just found out about MicroPerfumes. 

Remember the inch of fragrance you would get at the department store for a sample? It let you try before you buy to see how the scent wears on you, dries down and lasts. I loved getting these samples because some bottles of perfume can be a significant investment.

I received samples of: Good Girl by Carolina Herrera, which I like. I wear Chic by Carolina Herrera weekly.

A sample of Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel, and any and nearly all Chanel scents are a favorite to me. I really like French fragrances.

A big surprise came in a sample of Baccarat Rouge 540! Wow and pow. It has a complex note to it and I swear I get 3 different scents as it dries down from bold, to powdery floral to a soft amber.- in my opinion.

Black Opium by YSL was another sample that in my opinion is as classic as  Chanel. I like this scent though it is not a scent I would buy for me. Having a sample to try, wear and experience before buying is crucial when investing $100 or more per bottle. 

This is where MicroPerfumes comes in!

Enter MicroPerfumes, the premier online store for 99¢ fragrance samples from every brand, along with the option of buying the full-size bottle directly (plus free shipping!). Whether it’s just one sample or 16, fragrance-deprived shoppers can sample as many as they want. Spray into your face without fear, but be careful, or you might end up addicted to the scent.

Camron Collard, Chief Growth Officer at MicroPerfumes, explains: “We understand that some people are still reluctant to enter stores, and with e-commerce still the preference, we can provide a fragrance sample before you commit hundreds of dollars to the full-size bottle, in the comfort and safety of one’s own home.”

 Now - if you need a stocking stuffer for a Christmas gift, a purse size or travel fragrance, getting stocked up at MicroPerfumes is the way to go! I'm getting samples of Creed now - this is one of the scents that I have heard about for some time though have never purchased due to the investment. Now, I can try it, and decide after wearing if it's something I want to guy. 

Final note. This lil' gem! 

I love the Tom Ford brand, and their fragrances and getting one is quite the treat. I don't think I ever would have picked up a bottle called "Bitter Peach" - though, it is my new best friend and favorite. Oh the spicy, sweet, glowy, warm lingering of a bitter peach! 

So glad I met this fragrance through MicroPerfume and now it is officially on my Christmas list!

What perfume is on your Christmas wish list?

Remember: you are beautiful! Thank you for visiting the blog and check back for promotions and beauty giveaways!

Mardi Gras - King Cake Recipe - and Why!

Hi ya Gorgeous!

Happy Mardi Gras! Laissez les bons temps rouler—let the good times roll!

This is the story, of King Cake, and why! It's so beautiful! Enjoy!

 

 Now make this cake and celebrate! I am sharing this recipe from the Betty Crocker website 

Ingredients

3 1/2

cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

1

package (2 1/4 teaspoons) Rapid Rise yeast

1

cup milk

1/4

cup sugar

1

teaspoon salt

2

eggs Save $

6

tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, cut into 12 pieces

Cinnamon Filling

2/3

cup packed light brown sugar

1 1/2

teaspoons ground cinnamon

4

tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Icing

1

cup powdered sugar

1

tablespoon milk

1/2

teaspoon vanilla

Decoration

Dark green, purple, and yellow or gold sugars, if desired

Miniature plastic baby, if desired

Powered by Chicory

Steps

• 1

  Mix 2 1/2 cups flour and yeast in mixing bowl of stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, on low for about 30 seconds.
• 2

  Heat milk, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and milk is between 120°F to 130°F.
• 3

  With mixer on low, pour in liquids and mix until incorporated. Add eggs one at a time. Continue mixing until a shaggy dough forms. Clean off paddle and switch to dough hook. Mix in the remaining 1 cup flour a little at a time, adding more or less flour as needed to make a soft dough. Add the softened butter, a piece at a time, kneading until each piece of butter is absorbed.
• 4

  Knead for eight minutes on low. The dough should completely clear the sides of the bowl. If it is too sticky, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing in thoroughly before determining if more flour is needed. If the dough seems too dry, spritz with water from a spray bottle a couple of times, mixing in thoroughly before determining if more water is needed. Every 2 minutes, stop the machine, scrape the dough off the hook, and then continue kneading.
• 5

  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times by hand to be sure it’s smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball. Place dough into a greased bowl. Turn once so greased surface is on top. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• 6

  While the dough is chilling, make cinnamon filling. In small bowl, combine the brown sugar and ground cinnamon. Combine butter with cinnamon mixture and mix well.
• 7

  Roll the chilled dough into a 10 x 20 inch rectangle. Spread the filling on half of the long side of the dough. Fold the dough in half covering the filling. Pat dough down firmly so the dough will stick together. Cut dough into three long strips. Press the tops of the strips together and braid the strips. Press the ends together at the bottom. Gently stretch the braid so that it measures 20 inches again. Shape it into a circle/oval and press the edges together.
• 8

  Transfer the ring to a parchment lined or greased baking sheet. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled, about 1 hour. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350°. Bake the cake until it is golden brown, 20 – 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes on baking sheet and then place it on a cooling rack to cool completely before icing. To hide the baby in the cake, if desired, make a small slit in the bottom of the cake and put the miniature plastic baby in after the cake has cooled.
• 9

  Icing: In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth (add additional milk if mixture is too thick or powdered sugar if too thin).
• 10

  Spoon icing over top of the cake. Immediately sprinkle on colored sugar, alternating between the three colors.

• This recipe uses Rapid Rise yeast which eliminates the time consuming first rise in a typical brioche recipe.
• Use a pizza cutter to easily cut dough into strips.
• The cake can also be made without braiding. Just roll up the dough jelly roll style after spreading the filling.
• Mardi Gras conjures up images of fun, frivolity and feasting and no Mardi Gras celebration would be complete with a colorful King Cake. A brioche or sweet roll dough is braided, baked in a circle and decorated with icing and purple, green and gold sugars. Kind of like a crown shaped cinnamon roll all dressed up for a party.

Remember: you are beautiful! Thank you for visiting the blog and check back for promotions and beauty giveaways!

Happy Resurrection Sunday - REJOICE!

Hi ya Gorgeous!
Raise a hallelujah! Rejoice! He is risen! The tomb is empty. The plan has worked.
This is the best day of the year - ever.  There are so many days in a year whether on the gregorian calendar or the Hebraic calendar - though this day, is the most significant because it's the day that all of the trust put into the plan of God, even when it didn't make sense to the human natural mind, made sense when Jesus Christ rose from the dead three days after being hung on the cross.

For where ever you are in your faith journey - today is a day to shout and dance! Celebrate and sing! If you are new in your faith, this day marks the beginning of the new covenant journey. If you are seasoned in your faith, then today is a day to receive fresh fire and belief in your walk with the Word.

Amen! Amen and amen.

Yes, enjoy peeps and chocolate bunnies - though know, that the real reason we celebrate is the blood of the lamb that was shed for us. Jesus Christ died on the cross at Calvary for you, me and all of us - and then he rose again on the 3rd day, alive, spotless and our risen Savior.  It's why the gospel is called the good news.  And it's good.

Happy Easter!
Happy Resurrection Sunday!
Happy Passover!


Remember: you are beautiful! Thank you for visiting the blog and check back for promotions and beauty giveaways!

How to make more love memories with Gnoments

Hi ya Gorgeous!
OMG.
I was going to use this for the Makeup University 12 Days of Giving gift guide that posts later this month, but, I just love it to much to wait!

Meet Gnoments!


Our lives are so filled with to do's that, as couples, we don't take the time to do the little things that keep our relationships fresh and fun. We may remember the big occasions, but it's the moments in between, the small gestures, that make us feel special.

These little gnomes are here to help you!






Get your Gnoments gnomes now and start investing in your relationship! You are worth it!


Remember: you are beautiful! Thank you for visiting the blog and check back for promotions and beauty giveaways!

What is your pocket fragrance for Generation Beauty at LA Live this weekend?

Hi ya Gorgeous,
Well the packing strategy has begun and though I have my new Versace to take for my fragrance-I need a pocket fragrance.
Something to take the edge off of an early morning and long day mixed with warm weather and lots of meetshops.

So I'm going to pack 0.2 or in other words 0point2.

Get it? Learn more here...

Post ACM and pre-prom Nailtini nail polish with Love Roxie

Howdy Gorgeous
Happy Monday to you!
So, the ACM's were amazing!

Now let's talk prom. All over the state of Arizona, there are young girls getting ready for prom. A manicure and matching pedicure is a must for a perfect, pulled together prom look.

I just did my nails with the Nailtini "The Lacquer Cabinet" February edition from Love, Roxie

Happy Monday-did you get your daily dose of wisdom and encouragement yet?

Happy Monday Gorgeous!

I get more accomplished on a Monday than most other day-why do you think that is? The fresh start to a week? What is it?

Perhaps the daily dose of Word and encouragement I get? I start each day with a Bible verse or sometimes a devotion from this book Wisdom For Everyday  Living by Steve M. Woods.