Earlier this month, I went out to dinner and had an “Italian Margarita”. I had no idea what that was but when it came to the table it was a basic margarita with a shot of Disaronno. I’d never had Disaronno before so I was pretty hesitant to try it but wow am I glad that I did. Let’s just say that after that margarita I fell in love with Disaronno. It’s most definitely the most amazing Amaretto I’ve ever had! So, naturually, I had to stop at the liquor store and pick some up. If you love Amaretto, you must try this! If you’ve never tried Amaretto, you must try this! Seriously, go try this! Amaretto is amazing and tastes so much like Almonds (one of my favorite tastes/smells… I probably should have named this blog Almonds & Rose haha)

As for the Hendricks? I’ve seen Emily from Cupcakes & Cashmere rave about Hendrick’s so many times that I finally gave in. I hate gin but the recipes I’ve seen online always look so amazing that I decided to give it a try… now, what recipe to start with?

Is there anything more gorgeous than a good neutral polish? I’ll answer that for you – No! Definitely not! These photos seriously just make me generally happy! I mean, look at them, they’re so gorgeous. Anyways, so what are they? From left to right : Sally Hansen – Celeb City, Ulta – Lotsa Luxe, Goldie – unknown (label lost), OPI – Alpine Snow, Essie – We Can Do It Pink, OPI – Bubble Bath. The first two are definitely a little off from the typical neutral but I still consider them in this collection. They are a great basic color that brings a little pop to your nails. They’re basics and I love them. I rarely wear the Celeb City but around the holiday season (and even sometimes in the summer) you can catch me with the Lotsa Luxe on. The Goldie polish is a gorgeous shimmer! I bought this years ago and honestly it’s like brand new! Goldie is unfortunately extremely difficult to find now days. When I first started retail and worked at Bath and Body Works they carried a huge selection which is why you’ll see Goldie featured on a lot of my nail polish posts but since then the brand has pretty much disappeared from the beauty industry! On the plus side, if you enjoy this specific shimmer I know that Essie now carries very similar shimmer polishes including a Shine of the Times color that I think is almost the same. As for the far two to the right? Definitely some favorites of mine. Fiji is one of my go to polishes and OPI Bubble Bath is absolutely amazing as well!

** Also, don’t forget to enter my e.l.f. giveaway going on! Ends TONIGHT at midnight!

If you haven’t heard of Dr. Bronner’s soap then this post is a must read! I love this stuff. It’s amazing. I had been seeing things all over the internet about it and it’s all over Pinterest when it comes to homemade soaps for your face, body and even laundry. So, I finally gave it a try and wow! I’m pretty much in love. The above are two of the bar soaps I purchased a little while back and haven’t gotten around to using. I typically use their liquid soaps. I have a big bottle of almond right now. I’ve been using it for months and I would dare to say that less than a tenth of it is gone! A little really does go a long way with this stuff. I use it for everything… seriously. An every day hand soap, face wash, makeup brush cleaner… you name it. It’ll do the job! I’ve also used the lavender and I have a mini bottle of peppermint which came into a lot of use when I had bad allergies at the beginning of spring. Next on my list is the liquid soap in rose! After all, I love my rose fragrance!

Dr. Bronner’s is known for being an 18 in 1 use soap. Here’s what their website says about that…

Dr. Bronner’s version:

Always dilute for Shave-Shampoo-Massage-Dental Soap-Bath!

1. Always dilute for Shave-Shampoo-Massage-Dental Soap-Bath!
2. Peppermint is nature’s own unsurpassed fragrant Deodorant!
3. A drop is best Mint Toothpaste; brushes Dentures Clean!
4. A dash in water is the ideal Breath Freshener & Mouth Wash!
5. Peppermint Oil Soap for Dispensers, Uniforms, Baby, Beach!
6. Dilute for ideal After Shave, Body Rub, Foot Bath, Douche.
7. Hot Towel-Massage the entire body, always towards your heart.
8. Pets, silk, wool & body tingles head to toe – keeps cool!
9. 3 dashes in water rinse most Sprays Off fruit & vegetables!
10. 1/4 oz in qt H2O is Pest Spray! Dash, no rash Diaper-Soap!

Paraphrased:

• For everyday body-washing: Get wet and pour soap full-strength onto hands-washcloth-loofah. Lather up, scrub down, rinse off, and tingle fresh & clean.
• For other uses, dilute from one part soap into 40 parts water for light cleaning, to cutting it in half or using it full strength for heavy-duty grease-cutting jobs.
• For shampoo, though we now recommend our new Shikakai soaps for this, many people are fond of using it as such. The method of application is to wet hair and scalp very thoroughly, squirt some soap into hands and work into a lather. Wash hair, then rinse well. Afterwards use our new citrus hair rinse and leave-in conditioners as directed.
• For the laundry, use 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup for one regular load; adjust as needed depending on hardness of water. I’ve been told that adding a dash of baking soda makes it even better.
• For toothbrushing, apply a drop or two of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap to a wet toothbrush. Brush as you normally would, rinsing accordingly. Be careful about using more than a couple drops of soap, as you might start foaming at the mouth. Many people with sensitive or softer teeth like to use our soap as a toothpaste because it lacks abrasives.

** Also, don’t forget to enter my e.l.f. giveaway going on! Only a couple days left!

** Also, don’t forget to enter my e.l.f. giveaway going on!

 {Passport cover and matching luggage tag}

Speaking of Etsy, I’ve had my eye on a few other shops as well! Here’s some of my favorites.

 One of my favorites is ayofemijewelry. I’ve purchased some bracelets before and I’m always getting compliments when I wear them. My current favorite is this gilded bracelet.

 How amazing is this floor cushion! lacasadecoto has this and so much more!

AthenaCreates makes amazing towels that replace using paper towels. I love this idea and definitely hope to pick some up soon!

I’ve had my eye on these beauties for awhile now from Onestonenewyork!

 Even more ring love at StreetBauble!

What about you! What’s your favorite Etsy shop?

** Also, don’t forget to enter my e.l.f. giveaway going on!

Right before my Bahamas trip last month, I made a purchase of e.l.f. It was mostly items that I’ve wanted to try for some time now and I’m glad I did! The above photo has a Studio SPF 45 Sunscreen, Eyelash & Brow Wand, Shine Eraser blotting cards, 2-in-1 Sponge, Translucent Matifying Powder, Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder and lastly the 3-Piece Eyeshadows in Romantics.

I had already used the 2-in-1 sponges and the Eyelash & Brow Wand before and loved them (especially for the price) so I decided to repurchase. All of the other items were new though. My thoughts? The Studio SPF 45 Sunscreen powder was amazing in the Bahamas! I used it instead of a translucent powder while on vacation. I wanted a great SPF without having to use a lotion on my face. My back and upper body got burnt BAD but my face was perfect after using this! It’s amazing stuff! I definitely plan on using it throughout the summer! I also used the Shine Eraser blotting cards while on vacation and they were perfect. The Translucent Matifying Powder is amazing as well. I actually finished it up yesterday! Since the weather has been the typical, rainy, non-sunny spring weather, I haven’t found the need for the strong SPF like the one mentioned above so I had been using this! I’ll definitely be re-ordering it as well. As for the Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder… another awesome product! The shades are perfect for me and I could see it working for others as well. I love both of the colors and have honestly used this every day since I got it. Lastly, the 3-Piece Eyeshadow & Brush Set in Romantics is another great purchase. Unfortunately, I thought it would encourage me to use eyeshadows more often but I just rarely find the time to do it in my morning routine. Overall, they are both great products and lovely colors but I rarely use them.

The second part of my purchase was lipsticks! I’ve wanted to start wearing more lipstick and at $1 a piece I figured that this would be the perfect way to try different colors! So, I got them all. Seriously, all. (Minus the ones that were out of stock) So, above you’ll see Fantasy, Classy, Seductive, Gypsy, VooDoo, Post, Nostalgic, Flirtatious, Sociable and Fearless. 10 total! I love them all and for their own reasons. Some of them have amazing summer tones, others are perfect for getting all dressed up and others are just amazing for day to day wear.

 {These are not the lipsticks for the giveaway. They are mine for color reference. The giveaway lipsticks are unopened.}

So, what goodies do I have for you! Well, due to a shopping cart error, I got a few doubles. Ops! So, I figured why not host my first ever giveaway for my readers. The best part? They’re some of my favorite items! The first item is the Studio SPF 45 Sunscreen powder and the other three items are all lipsticks including VooDoo, Fearless and Posh.

The giveaway is for ALL 4 items. Please do not ask to seperate them. There are multiple ways to enter. Two of the entries you can do every day to enter, so be sure to come back every day to earn an extra entry to win! I will announce the winner shortly after the giveaway ends. Also, continental U.S. entries only please. To enter, go to the link above (WordPress can be a pain about html codes so all giveaways will be hosted on my blogspot account). The giveaway will end on 5/31 at midnight. I will announce the winner shortly after that.

Awhile back I started reading Southern Weddings magazine online to get photography inspiration. Little did I know I’d fall in love with everything southern within a short period. Not only did I find amazing photography inspiration for VRP but I also found inspiration for my daily life. Between gorgeous floral displays, seersucker, lace, burlap and cotton arrangements I’m not sure what I love more. And then there’s mason jars… don’t even get me started!

Another thing that I fell for was china. Yes, just china in general. And long story short I ended up finding this gorgeous pattern some time ago and fell in love. Since then I’ve seen multiple pieces at garage sales and other little shops and I, of course, had to pick up a few pieces.

Today, I thought I’d share my collection. I didn’t realize I had so many until I went to put this post together! So, here you have it. My collection!

Thousand Island Winery is by far my favorite in my collection. I love their sweet wines and as you can tell they take over my collection! I honestly can’t even begin to pick a favorite! Pictured above are : North Country Red, Delaware, Raspberry Isle, Niagara, Vignoles and Seaway Blues.

Ashley Lynn Winery is new to my collection. We have a few different wine events throughout the year in this area and I actually was introduced to them during one of the events this winter. They are very similar to Thousand Island in the fact that their sweet wines are amazing! Pictured above are their Elderberry Mist and Blueberry Burst. Lakewood Vineyard is another old favorite. Between their Glaciovinum (pictured above) and Vignoles, I’m not sure which I’m more in love with! Lastly, in this photo, is Seven Vines Winery which is another newbie in the group! I found them this past winter as well. They still seem pretty small but I found this Winter Peach wine and had to have it.

Yea, there’s still MORE! So, this Concord is from Eagle Crest Vineyards. I’ve yet to try this one but it was given to me as a gift from my mom and she knows what I love so I’m sure it’s amazing. The Regatta White from Cascata Winery was also a gift but, once again, I am sure it’s great! Lastly, in this photo, I have my Black Cherry from Knapp which I love. I’ve had a few different wines from them but Black Cherry is my last one left in the collection. If you ever get a chance, make sure you check out their Loganberry, Superstition and either Kat Knapp!

Next up, some old favorites from Catherine Valley including The Lost Irishman and Seneca Steamer. Also, the far right bottle is a wine made by my mom!

And now, my newest favorites! First up, I have to mention Bully Hill Vineyards. If you ever come to Upstate NY then you’ll definitely hear about their wine! I recently picked up these two lovely wines! The first is Banty Red, which I got while at a hockey game and fell in love. The second is Ravat 51 in which one of my friends would not stop talking about so I gave in and purchased it as well! And last, but not least, is my Cupcake Vineyards wine in Red Velvet. This was given to me as a gift as well. I love wine and I love a good cupcake so it only makes sense. It’s a much more dry wine than I usually prefer but there’s something about this wine that I am enjoying!

If you love dark polishes then todays post is just for you! I have some amazing finds to share today! The first two to the left are both black polishes. The first Cover Girl – Midnight Magic is an older polish I purchased while on a mission to find the perfect black. I failed. It’s more of an off black which is fine if that’s what you’re looking for. It really is a pretty shade of black with a very light hint of shimmer to it. The second, Pure Ice – Black Rage, is the perfect black. It’s the purist of blacks and absolutely gorgeous. The American Eagle navy blue wowed me to say the least. When AE originally came out with polishes, I purchased a few and some were (to say the least) horrible but this one is OPI/Essie quality! It’s a rich, thick polish and a great color at that! I’m not usually one for blue nails but it won my heart. As for the last, OPI – Russian Navy, this is a great dark blue as well. It’s definitely more for someone who is looking for an off black polish with a little twist! (I also have this in crackle which I’ll share later!)

And a little added bonus! Check out this gorgeous blue I found while creeping on Pinterest!

Pretty random post today but I wanted to share two things I’ve been loving lately. The first is this amazing WoodWick Candle. I purchased it a little while back and I’m definitely glad I did. I’ve wanted a WoodWick for some time now but just never really got around to purchasing one. I saw this fragrance and decided to pick it up. I also love the sound it makes while burning. It took a little time to get use to the cracking but after that I really started to enjoy it.

The other item that’s stolen my heart lately is L’Occitane Almond Supple Skin Oil. I had heard many things about this little beauty but after hearing Vivianna rave about it time and time again I decided I must try this! And wow! Like I’ve mentioned many times, I have pretty oily skin so I don’t find the need to use lotions and moisturizers on a regular basis but when I do need something this is just perfect. It’s a little on the pricey side but well worth it.