Blowing in the Breeze

Dress: Macy's Sandals and glasses: TJ Maxx


Some people like to fly kites on windy days; I like to put on a flowy dress and walk around hilltops above the lake. To each their own.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

How I Use Essential Oils

     Sometime in my early 20s I got really into holistic health. I bought a book that explained a few different approaches to this; everything from what teas to drink for various ailments to what acupressure points correlate to what body part. One of the things it touched on throughout though, was essential oils. A little bottle of plant liquid can help relieve a number of problems? Great! Sign me up. I googled 'essential oils' and pretty much bought the first ones I saw. I picked the basic ones like eucalyptus, lavender and marjoram (with hopes of helping with menstrual cramps). I used them a few times and after not seeing (or feeling) any results, discouragingly put them in my medicine cabinet and forgot about them. Until a few years ago.

     That's when my sister invited me to a doTERRA essential oil class. While I was still interested in learning about them, I was highly skeptical considering my last experience was less than impressive. The class was informative, but I still left unconvinced. It wouldn't be until a couple months later that my sister gave me some peppermint oil after complaining about a headache, and being completely amazed that within about 20 minutes the headache was gone. Maybe there was something to this. I ended up signing up as a Wellness Advocate for doTERRA and experimenting with different oils. I quickly realized that the oils I had previous experience with didn't even compare to the quality of what I was now using. Of course that's why they didn't work!

     So for the past couple years I've been using essential oils rather regularly, though I feel I have still only scratched the surface of what they can be used for. It can definitely be overwhelming trying to figure out what oils are good for what types of results. I wanted to start incorporating a bit of their uses on here, to not only share what I think are valuable products that can be helpful to everyone's life, but also to help me along on my own oil journey. And to hold me accountable for actually researching and experimenting more with their uses. You know how even though doing reports in school seemed tedious and boring, you somehow seemed to remember the information better having researched it, and written it down? That's what I'd like to happen. That by writing it down, it might go somewhere in my mind palace where I can pull out at a later time and go, "Oh yeah, ylang ylang oil is good for X, Y and Z.."

    So I'm going to start with the Top 5 things I use essential oils for everyday, so if you're new to oils, you can see the different ways they can be utilized.

Miss Chiquita Banana

Top: Macy's Jeans: LC for Kohl's Sandals: Target

Sometimes the more your outfit makes you feel like Carmen Miranda, the better. 

Poolside Necessities

What a better way to kick off the start of summer here in Southern California than a heatwave of triple digits? This year, I'm going to try to not just hunker down inside with the A/C blasting, but actually embrace the heat and take advantage of the pool. The secret to a good pool day, other than a good bathing suit and the sun, is being prepared. I just bought the trifecta of poolside lounging: lounge chair, an umbrella, and my secret weapon, a mister. I'm not sure how I'd gone so long without one. It is a game changer. 

In addition to your basic lounging needs, here is what else you need for a day of fun in the sun: 

A cute tote bag to carry all the essentials, a pair of shades to protect those peepers, a fun towel for drying off after taking a dip or two, sunscreen and a lip balm with sunscreen to spare you weeks of misery dealing with nasty burns, a stainless steel water bottle to keep all your refreshments nice and chilled, a good book to help you stare at something other than your phone, and a portable charger to keep said phone charged for, ya know... emergencies ;)

So that is what will be in my poolside "kit" this summer. Is there anything I should add? What are the things you can't be without this summer? Let me know! 

Happy Lounging!

Basic

Dress: Adrienne Vittadini via Marshalls Sandals: LC Lauren Conrad via Kohls

This outfit is super basic, but it's also v comfortable; and who says you can't have both and still be cute? I literally saw this dress at Marshall's last year as I was walking up to the checkout, instantly grabbed it, knowing I had to have it and bought it without even trying it on. Thankfully, it worked out because it fits perfectly and is as comfortable as it looked on the hanger. They also say that wearing nude shoes make your legs look longer. I feel like I can't really say that's the case here; but I will embrace my shortness and be on my stubby way. 

Kimonos and Rips

Tank: Kohls Kimono: Target Jeans: Old Navy Sandals: Dolce Vita

Recycled glass and metal earrings from Greater Good

Romper and Feathers

When you've been in your bathing suit all day waiting for it to not be unbearably hot outside, you finally just have to throw on a hand-me-down romper from your sister at 6:30 and deal with it.

Lazy Daze

Tank and Pants: Kohl's Shoes: Old Navy Sunnies: Target

You know those days where you worked all day, and you want to put something on that's just shy of pajamas? And then you throw on some mules because why not? That's this outfit.