Caron

It seems that the older I get, the less inclined I am to sit around for hours every morning and decorate my face with a lot of makeup. When I was sixteen it took me forever to get ready. Start with foundation, add concealer, then powder, then blush, three different eye shadows, eyeliner,mascara, lip liner, lipstick, gloss. Wow, I am exhausted just thinking about all that.

Fortunately I was blessed with good skin genes when I was born and my complexion is clear. On most days all I really need is a little powder plus some mascara and gloss. But I am a girly girl and I still like a little loveliness in my morning routine so I use Caron powder.

Caron is a French perfume house that first opened in 1904 at 10 rue de la Paix in Paris. The scents were decanted into small containers from large Crystal perfume fountains. The perfume fountains still exist today, you can see pictures of the fountains in the New York boutique in this post from A Beautyful Sentiment.

The powders were first created in the 1930's and the same techniques used to create them then are still used today. The powders are scented with Bulgarian Rose and smell heavenly. They are stored in beautiful gold containers which look really gorgeous on your dressing table. Caron also makes lighter than air swansdown puffs to apply the powders to your skin. Even the loose powder compact comes with a miniature swansdown puff, a little bit of luxury hidden in your purse.

I am looking forward to visiting the boutique in Paris. This time, maybe I will try some perfume. If you would like to know more about the history of Caron, the perfumes or the powders click on the link under the "Sites I Visit" section of my blog.

An Expensive Little Habit

As you already know, I love Hermes scarves. There is just something special about them. During a web search for Hermes scarves I stumbled across this video on YouTube, it is one of my favorites.

Simply Nostalgic

A few weeks ago I bought a book called Style Statement. I thought is was just going to be another in a long line of style books that come in and almost immediately leave my collection. I spend a lot of time reading books that ask me a few questions and then assign me a style. Usually the books then give you a list of must have items that someone with your "style" needs for her wardrobe, and life, to be complete. I'd try it out for a while then get bored and go back to the way I was before.

I quickly learned that Style Statement was a completely different idea. Usually style books will ask anywhere between 10-20 questions, normally multiple choice. Not this book, there are tons of questions, most of them requiring more than a one word answer. It is more like a therapy session. You are looking at all different aspects of you. You will answer questions about clothing and things you like to wear but you will also answer questions about your spiritual views, attitude towards nature and feelings about your family. It took me a few days to answer the questions. After interpreting your answers, instead of assigning you one of 6-10 style categories, you get a two word Style Statement. The first word is your 80% word, your foundation, the core of who you are. The second word is your 20%, your creative edge, the part of you that gets results. There are literally hundreds of combinations. This part took me a few weeks. I tried on a few different titles before finally arriving at Simply Nostalgic.

It was the Simply that I couldn't understand. You see, I had never thought of myself as simple. Simple represents clean, uncluttered, pure, tidy and organized. I am not tidy or organized on a regular basis. Then I started thinking, maybe that's why I am always unsatisfied with my life. Maybe I need to take the authors' advice and "live by my own design." Maybe I have to put effort into living life and not just coast along. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that simple is the true me. I am never more satisfied than when my space and life are organized and simple. It is not always easy for me, but it is who I am truly meant to be, the authentic me.

I highly recommend reading this book. It is available at Amazon or you can check your local library for copy. You can also go to the authors' website, carrieanddanielle.com, to get more information.

Writing Letters

Two weeks ago my parents came to visit me and brought a couple of boxes keepsakes that belong to me. Yesterday I decided to sit down and dig through the boxes and see what I could get rid of. There was a lot of junk, some old purses I had when I was young, half used notebooks, some old summer camp awards, etc. There was also a smaller plastic container that was full of letters. There were letters from my sister written while we were in college, letters from sorority sisters, thank you notes, birthday cards and quite a few letters from my parents and grandmother. I opened them up and started reading them. Some of them made me cry and some of them made me laugh but they all made me feel loved.

I saw a report on CNBC earlier in the week about the Post Office and how it needs a bailout. There was a gentleman guest who said no one uses the post office anymore so we should let it die. It got me to thinking, why don't we write letters anymore? Granted e-mail is faster but it loses some of the intimacy of handwritten correspondence. To me a letter is a little like a warm fuzzy someone has sent to let you know they care. It takes time and effort to pull out the note card or stationary, write the letter and then take a trip to the post office to get a stamp and mail the letter. When someone sends you a letter, you know you are loved.

Last Christmas I received a book titled The Art of the Handwritten Note. The author, Margaret Shepherd, wrote this in the preface:

"A handwritten note is like dining by candlelight instead of flicking on the
lights, like making a gift instead of ordering a product, like taking a walk
instead of driving. Handwritten notes will add a lot to your life. You can still
use the telephone or the Web for the daily chores of staying in touch, but for
the words that matter, it's courteous, classy, caring, and civilized to pick up
a pen."

I think I will write my sister a note.

Forty

My best friend and I are both turning 40 this year. I am a little depressed about it because there are so many things I wanted to accomplish before I reached this age. After crying on the phone one night, my friend suggested that we celebrate by renting an apartment in Paris for a week. Her mother agreed to spend the week at her house to help her husband take care of the kids. She is turning 40 before we leave but we will be in Paris on my actual birthday. Our thought is that I can't be depressed if I am in such a beautiful place.

We had plenty of FF miles and were each able to obtain a business class ticket. We didn't anticipate the problems we would have finding and reserving an apartment. After three months of searching, and lots of disappointments later, we finally found the perfect apartment on Monday. I signed the contract and sent off the deposit yesterday. It is a two bedroom apartment in the 5th. When you step out of the door you see Notre Dame. It is perfect and I can't wait to stay there. We have both been to Paris before but never together so this is going to be a lot of fun.

There is still more planning to do but at least we have plane tickets and a place to stay. The rest can wait until much later.

Introduction

Well, it seems everyone I know is blogging so I may as well start too. The title of the blog, A Simple Life, is what I am striving to achieve. I have too much clutter in my life and I need to clear out the bad and keep only what is good. Hopefully this blog will help me discover what to keep and give me the courage to rid my life of the rest.

A little about me:

1. I live in a smallish town in Alabama, I moved here about three years ago from Atlanta. As much as I loved living in Atlanta, it was not conducive to simple living. When the opportunity came to join my family's business, I jumped at the chance to quit my 60 hour a week job and slow down a bit.

2. I am obsessed with France and have been for as long as I can remember. I made my first visit to France when I was 15. I loved it and every time I return I feel like I am coming home. I want to live there one day. I think one of the reasons I like my town in Alabama is that it has a very French feel to it, it was founded by the French in 1702 and remained a French Colony until it's transfer to Britain in 1763.

3. I love Hermes scarves. I first encountered Hermes on that first trip to Paris. I stood mesmerized outside the window looking at all the beautiful scarves. When I turned 21, I purchased my very first scarf and was walking on air when I left the store. When I got home I immediately put it on and felt like a princess. I am fortunate to have received quite a few more in the 18 years that followed. Each one is a work of art.

4. I love books. I have books all over the house. I could probably start my own library with my collection. This is going to be an issue when I try and clear out some of them. But it must be done.