bouquet of roses.

Untitled by Krišjānis Kamradzis

I've been on sort of a scavenger hunt lately for a new favorite perfume, reading reviews and description online for hours, sniffing bottles at Sephora until my nose is numb, and even ordering samples of the obscure scents I want to try. I haven't quite found a new signature, but I have found a new love for rose scents. Rose perfume isn't something I ever thought I would like, but I've become sort of obsessed with it (and right in time for Valentine's day!). Rose can go wrong in a hurry, but here are some good ones I've tried and loved. I'd pick any one of these over a box of chocolate or literal bouquet of roses any day.

Serge Lutens La Fille de Berlin eau de Parfum - I can't get this mix of peppery garden roses and raspberries out of my mind

Maison Martin Margiela Replica Lazy Sunday Morning eau de Toilette - the description says is soft skin and bed linen, it's a soft musk blended with a long-stemmed red rose

Lush Imogen Rose Solid Perfume - an earthy, hippie rose in a portable tin

L'Occitane Roses et Reines Hand and Nail Cream - a pure rose that's so old-fashioned it smells modern

Andalou Organics 1000 Roses Soothing Hand Lotion - silky moisturizing lotion with a light, sweet floral scent

when life gets hard, rise to the occasion...

Lately, every movie I've looked forward to has disappointed. Adult World was the opposite, an unexpected gem.

Miami

Last month hubby and I took an actual vacation, just the two of us. (Ok, it was really just an extra few days added on to the end of a work trip, but it still counts.) It was my first time in Miami, not a place I had much desire to visit for some reason, but it was way different than I had imagined. South Beach was much more laid back and grungy than I was expecting, in a good way. Parts of the island felt like  Florida, but other parts felt like a Carribean island or even somewhere in Europe. 

We spent nine nights at The Surfcomber, chosen based soley on Tripadvisor reviews. The beach location was awesome, especially for the price relative to other hotels in the area. Even though the hotel had some problems, the staff was really friendly aat the front desk (although at check-in they told us that each of our credit cards had been declined, leading to a bit of panic, before they realized that the computer was broken). The biggest downside of The Surfcomber was housekeeping. One day they forgot to leave washcloths, the next day they forgot to come at all, and one day they even left the door lock turned in leaving our room door stuck open all day. They were apologetic, and we didn't notice anything missing, but still! 

Most of the time, the hotel pool was really empty. We went swimming several times with the pool completely to ourselves, so cool. The beach itself wasn't very crowded either. The hotel stopped doing beach service at 6 pm, and after that it was pretty secluded. 




My favorite part of our vacation was walking barefoot along the beach at dusk, watching it get dark. I tried to do this every night. There were so little people out, the daytime heat was replaced by a lovely ocean breeze, and the view of the sky changing colors over the buildings was so beautiful. Once, after a few cocktails, we even went swimming in the ocean at dusk. It was amazing, and luckily we didn't get eaten by sharks. 





I wore spf 50 constantly, and, even with all the time we spent on the beach, didn't get the slightest burn. Yay me! The hotel had a free sunscreen bar next to the pool (incredibly helpful since I could only pack 3 oz in my carryon and the cheapest bottle at the nearest Walgreens was $12.99), but it was the really white stuff that doesn't actually ever rub in. Still, I probably used half a bottle a day, at least. 



I packed carry-on only, as always, but maybe half of what I packed. I brought a good bit of nice clothes because I thought South Beach was a fancier place than actually it is. I really only dressed up one night for dinner. Next time I would make sure to bring more clothes that I don't mind wearing on top of sunblock, sand, and saltwater. I had also picked up a bikini and coverup for the trip, but in hindsight, I should have waited and bought them on the trip -- instant souvenirs -- since Miami Beach had beach shops everywhere. 

Another pleasant surprise was the food. The restaurants we went to during the week were virtually empty, especially the ones that weren't in hotels on the beach. Apparently, summer is the down season in South Beach. And there were so many happy hours, I felt like we were still in Austin. Here's the best of the places we tried, in order of favorites: 

Orange Blossom  This was my favorite of all the places we tried. They have great happy hour specials, plus a different daily special every day of the week, and the best seafood pasta I've ever eaten. Plus, the bartender Leo is a real gem. 

Oolite Nothing on the cocktail menu grabbed our attention, so we let Gary make something, and they were the best drinks of the week. I wouldn't recommend the seafood gumbo if you are picky about gumbo (I am!), but we had a shrimp sandwich and chips that were incredible. 

The Bazaar at SLS South Beach The food was really good, as well as the atmosphere. It's small plates, and they recommend 3-4 per person, but make sure to save room for desert. Don't be fooled by the prices, the $55 Secreto was the most expensive dish we tried, and also the least favorite. And pay attention to what comes out; they forgot to send out a shrimp dish that our waiter had recommended as the best seafood item on the menu, and we didn't realize until after we left. It's expensive, yes, but everything in South Beach is. It's really not that much more than dinner at the other beach hotel restaurants, especially if you were to stick to the less expensive ($12-$15) options, and it was a place you can really dress up and feel like it's a special night. 

Cecconi's at Soho Beach House What an amazing atmosphere! We went for an early happy hour and it was beautiful, but the twinkle lights and tree lanterns would be even more romantic at night. The food was amazing, and the happy hour $4 and $7 specials were incredible. You have to go through the hotel lobby to get to the courtyard, so make sure to look around especially at the lobby art. 

Restaurant Michael Schwartz at the Raliegh This was the first restaurant we tried in Miami Beach, and the Sunday brunch was great, especially the Green Egg and Crab (crave-able for sure). We sat outside in a tree-covered backyard and it was really quaint and beautiful (but also really hot, needless to say). 

The Social Club at the Surfcomber We ate the happy hour ceviche and fish tacos almost every day, and went back down for a brownie sundae on a few nights when we got hungry later. The brownie sundae is to die for. The specialty cocktails that we tried were just ok (but the beach drinks were much better, try the Passiflora!), so we mostly stuck to draft beer at the bar. Also, the food was really good through the week, but the same dishes weren't as good on the weekends. 

Gratuity was already added at almost every restaurant, ranging from 17-19%. But hey still leave a spot for a tip and it seems rude not to give one, so we wound up way overtipping unless the service was so bad that leaving a big zero in that additional tip line felt ok. There were one or two restaurants that didn't add an automatic gratuity, so you really have to pay attention. 

All in all, I really loved Miami Beach and I can't wait to go back. If you're planning a trip, I would try to stick to the middle of the week when things are less crowded and I definitely would try not to go in the peak season.

slapper

I decided my summer “wild card” color would be teal blue and this time I tried Butter London’s Slapper. I hadn’t used Butter before, and was wary to spend $15 on a nail polish from a brand I’d never tried, but it’s fantastic. I love the Butter polish so much I’m ready to replace all of my nail polishes with Butter polishes!

Above is what I would consider to be the perfect nail polish wardrobe: sheer pink/nude: Pink Ribbon, opaque light pink: Teddy Girl, hot pink: Primrose Hill, orange red: Ladybird, wild card (teal!): Slapper, bright red: Pillar Box Red, blood red: Saucy Jack, navy: Royal Navy, white: Cotton Buds, and black: Union Jack.

yoga class

photo by relaxingmusic.

I went to a yoga class! This is one of those things that I've been wanting to do forever. 

I was super anxious about going (as I am with anything new or anything that I can not visualize every single detail of). I spent way too much time worrying about the tiny details such as what color mat should I get (what does it say about me to the other people in the class if I have an orange vs a blue mat), clothes (how tight of a shirt is tight enough for yoga, without being too tight for yoga), researching yoga etiquette and reading reviews and comments on every yoga place in town (and there are a lot here in Austin). 

Fortunately, I have a friend who knows how crazy I am and was willing to talk me through what would happen every single second of class and was persistent enough to keep asking me to go to class with her even though I wasn't quite ready. (Who takes years to psych themselves up for a yoga class? This can't be normal.) Finally, I just went, mainly because I didn't want to have to make up an excuse not to and because I had already spent money on a mat and yoga outfit. I accepted that I didn't know what I was doing at all and that that was ok. I admitted that if I didn't do it now, I would never do it. 

And I was so glad I went. I felt unselfconscious and at ease which is extremely rare for me (except for the few minutes we had to dance around the room, literally, which was pure panic for me). I went to an all-levels blend of gentle hatha with Buddist-based meditation. It was the most peaceful, focused two-hours I've spent in a really long time. The instructor has a fantastically soothing voice and she talked through most of the class. People seemed nice and totally not judgmental. I followed as best as I could and didn't worry about it too much. At the end, everyone gathered in a circle and chanted and it felt like singing hyms in church, but better. There was something so nice to be in the middle of a group of people all focusing positive energy in the same direction. I don't know how to describe it, except that it was the exact opposite feeling of standing still on a crowded New York street. I can't wait to go back. And I can't wait to check the next thing off of my forever-been-wanting-to-do list. 

In hindsight, I could have worn anything that I normally work out in and not looked out of place, and I could have just borrowed a mat from the studio, but I think investing in a few things specifically for yoga is what pushed me to actually go. I bought versatile clothes that I knew I would use for other exercise too, for instance tight leg pants rather than boot cut. I bought a low support bra and yoga pants from Athleta, both black, and a tank top from lulu lemon* in black and white stripes, and would recommend them all. I bought a gray mat from Target thinking it was the most nondescript and would match whatever I was wearing. The funniest thing to me is that after leaving I tried to remember what color mats people in class had and I had no idea. I didn't pay any attention to it at all while I was there, and I doubt no one else did to mine. 

full focus bra and high rise chaturanga tight.

studio racerback and the mat in ultra violet.

gaiam granite storm yoga mat.

*A few words on lululemon: I tried on a bunch of tanks at a bunch of places looking for the right fit and the studio racerback tank was by far the best. It was the perfect length with the right curve to the bottom. I would have preferred a solid color, like gray or blush, but the black and white stripe was the only one in my size at the store I went to. The sales person was so, so nice. She seemed genuinely excited that I was going to try yoga and insisted on gifting me the mat of my choice. She was so nice that even thought there are less expensive workout clothes, I would spend my money at lululemon in the future and feel great about it. For my free mat, I chose a vibrant purple - ultra violet - the color that I would've purchased if I wasn't worried about what people might think if I showed up to class with it. Now that I've used both mats, I actually prefer the Gaiam one, even though the purple retails at over twice as much. I find the vibrant color distracts me, and the smooth surface shows marks too easily - my face moisturizer left a greasy mark (that washed off with soap and water) that would have embarrassed me in class and I imagine sweat would leave a mark also. The Gaiam mat is reversible and both sides are similar to the bottom (black) side of the Lulu lemon mat, which has a smooth top (purple) side. I much prefer the feel of the Gaiam because it's softer on my feet and knees. It's also more slippery, so I guess its a tradeoff and definitely a matter of preference.