Monday, November 15, 2010

Beauty: Girl you smell so sweet... You know you should have been a flower.


How long have we all spent looking for the perfect "signature scent"?
How hard is it to find one?!

When Miss Me was 13 years old, her older brother had a girlfriend who was suuuuper cool. She had a little secret to share with the young Miss Me,

She said, she wore a mens scent (Namely Eternity for men) Because then no other girl would ever smell like her.... Ahhhh, smart and beautiful Miss Milla!

She was on to something, if you are going to have a signature scent... It should be very singular, at least amongst your crowd.

For instance, two of the T-W-H girls near and dear girlfriends wear Floret, and while we find it delicious and are green with envy... It belongs to them.

But you, dear readers are safe and can be the first in your group to claim this feminine scent. With hints of sweet pea, lilly of the valley, rose and tuberose you will smell like an angel.

Right now Miss Me is in heartsville with this beautiful Stella McCartney scent,
Stella Nude. Blending Moroccan Rose, Grapefruit, White Peony, Pink Pepper, Precious Vanilla & Grey Amber it is just sensual enough with out being heavy.


Of course, this comes from a long time true blue Stella lover.
I can never get enough of the classic Stella scent.

Rose, Peony Flower, Mandarin, Rose Absolute, Amber all wrapped up in the worlds cutest roll on package. You can get four 0.33 oz. tubes for $50 right now... And they last a really long time! Done and done.
(Note: I stole this scent from my sister... But we can share because well, we are sisters)

The beautiful and always delicious smelling Miss t-w-h meanwhile is in utter heartsville with Faith oil. It smells slightly different on everyone and no two individuals will smell alike. Essential Faith has been described as soft, subtle, and a near aphrodisiac. Wow!
How much does that make you want to go run out and get a bottle today? You HAVE to so you can find out how it smells on you!
Here is a list of retailers that carry Essential Faith.

So, what happens when you mix the most beautiful smelling flower in the world with Things-We-Heart?

Well, we were lucky enough to find out last year at a super beautiful baby shower where each guest got to mix a signature scent.
Gardenia, Vanilla, a touch of spice...
Of course we ended up with the same scent... Jinx!

Memoire Liquide was the company at the shower and lucky for all of us they can mix your custom scent at Fred Segal.
We have a few more scents to share with you, that we have either heard are wonderful or have been in love with in the past... Like an ex-boyfriend, certain scents can instantly bring you back to another time, and that is not always a good thing.


Oh, high school, smells a lot like Egyptian Musk and China Rain oils and some other faint smokey odor we can't quite place... Hmmmm.

Moving on!

For the sake of all things cute and delicious in this world!! Can you believe how amazing the packaging is for the Harajuku Lovers perfumes are!?!

Plus they actually smell as good as they look! Wouldn't these look perfect on your new vanity?

Are you looking for a perfume that just smells clean? That delicious smell that you have when you just stepped out of the shower?

Well, word on the streets is that CLEAN is the scent for you.
the signature scent, is reminiscent of pure soap. It combines the fragrance notes of litsea cubeba, orange, sweet lime, pink grapefruit, passion lily, rose geranium, and white musk. Sounds perfect!


While we are on the topic of Musk... Really, that is an ugly word.. It makes us think of Patchouli at which point we gag a little bit. No offense to the Patchouli wearers of the world, we know you are out there... We smell you all the time at Whole Foods.

Woops, back to the topic at hand... Speaking of Musk, don't let the name fool you because yummy, yummy, yummy!
We LOVE Kiehl's Original Musk blend No.1
originally called Love Oil, it is just musky enough to be super masculine and so dreamy. Yes it is true, my husband does use this, so I may be partial... But it really is the perfect gift for the man in your life.


Rumor has it that Marc Jacobs wanted his name sake perfume to smell like gardenias in a bowl of water. Fake boyfriend!!! How did you know?! Goodness we have so many reasons to love you.
(taken from Sephora "Marc Jacobs Perfume maintains the fundamental aspects of all Marc Jacob's designs. It's classic, luxurious, and comfortingly feminine. The scent is both sensuous and uncomplicated, complementing the wearer without overwhelming her.")
See what we mean? Plus the bottle has a cute little black leather bow. Ugggh! Cutness!

Longtime favorite of ladies who love all things breezy and island style is Kai.
It is hard to explain but this scent is pretty much Jasmine, Plumeria, Beaches, Sunshine and Laughter all mixed up into an oil and then bottled.

Oh, it truly is heaven.

And last but not at all least, is Lovely. The lovely scent from the lovely Sarah Jessica Parker. Fresh Mandarin, Bergamot, Rosewood, Lavender, Apple Martini, Patchouli, Paper Whites, Orchid, Cedar, White Amber, Musk Woods.

This one is a favorite amongst quite a few beautiful and stylish women we know.
And NO it is not just because we heart our Sex In The City!

Warning: Please try on all perfumes and oils before you buy... Give it a few hours to know if the smell REALLY works on your body.

We wish you luck in finding the perfect potion for your skin.

Here are a few general terms from the perfume world to help you in your search.

Top Note: Top note oils are the lightest, most stimulating and energizing oils. They have a fresh, immediately apparent quality that is intense, but fleeting, due to their fast evaporation rate.

Middle Notes or Heart Notes: Middle note oils usually form the bulk of fragrance blends. They are strong, lasting and potent - not as bright as the top notes, or solid as the base notes. Their scent emerges shortly after the top note's first impression.

Base Note: Base note oils are the slowest to evaporate. Their rich, heavy scents emerge slowly and linger. They form the base of the fragrance and give it staying power.
Need more? Go here.

XOXO- Things-We-Heart



Thursday, November 11, 2010

Decor to Die for: Color Crave, Almost Blue...

The other day I had an moment of inspiration... A stroke of brilliance....
I just knew we needed to paint the master bedroom a deep, dark, beautiful blue!

Then I thought... Hmmmm, maybe I should sit on that for a few days.

And while I love and admire the balls or even better the CAJONES it takes to boldly paint a room this amazing color, I am afraid I may lack them.

A well done navy blue room can be so perfect it hurts, like this tiny kitchen in Ruthie Sommers Venice Beach bungalow... The turquoise doors? PLEASE!

The Matte walls and navy lacquer doors from the Elle Decor (?) feature...
Heaven.

Dark blue can be crisp and clean when mixed with white.
It can be festive and happy when mixed with bright pops of color....
If you do it wrong though... It is gonna be a hot, hot mess!

So I think I am gonna sit on this color crave a little bit longer, maybe in a literal sense.... I could quench my taste for blue with this STUUUPID Anthro Settee that I have been lusting over since summer...

Or for a lot less money, I could fill my house with these beautiful blue Capri Candles that smell as good as they look.
Or, I could put my money where my mouth is and support a budding artist!
Looking around on Etsy for navy blue I found this delicious photo!

I have a feeling it would look great in a master bedroom!
(MINE)

In honor of my "Almost Blue" room... Here is another one of our Fake Boyfriends singing "Almost Blue".... Try not to cry, we know it's THAT GOOD.

XOXO- Things-We-Heart

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Yummies: You're such a pumpkin! We wanna eat you up!


Soooo it's been a year and a 2 weeks since our last pumpkin post! Geez Louise time flies...but our super hearty heartness for pumpkin yummies has not left us. We are still obsessed with all things pumpkin!


As a fatter of mact (pun totally intended!) we made a suuuuper yummy pumpkin bread tonight...slathered it with butter and whoopsie dilly...we made it disappear.

So us being the super loving, nuturing and generous souls that we are thought..."our loyal readers should enjoy all things pumpkin again!"


And away we go!

Oh wait!!! PS Go here to learn all of the benefits of the orange yumminess ...we betcha there are a few things you didn't know :)


OK...now we are ready...are you?

Why don't we begin with the special lil treat we made today for our belly and our boys belly...


Double Decker pumpkin bread! Breakfast, lunch or dinner..this bread is amazing!

Double Decker Pumpkin Bread

recipe from Lisa @ The Cutting Edge of Ordinary

4 oz cream cheese, softened

¼ cup sugar

1-8 ounce sour cream

1 egg

2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger

3 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 – 15 ounce can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup water

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease the bottoms and ½ inch up the sides of two 9x5x3 loaf pans. In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese and ¼ cup sugar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium until combined. Add sour cream and 1 egg. Beat until combined. Stir in crystallized ginger, set aside.

In another medium bowl stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg and salt, set aside.

In a large bowl combine the 2 cups of sugar the eggs, pumpkin, oil and water. Beat on low speed until combined scraping the sides of bowl occasionally. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until combined.

Spoon 1 ½ cups of the pumpkin batter unto each of the prepared pans. Divide the cream cheese mixture between pans, spreading evenly. Spoon the remaining pumpkin batter onto the cream cheese mixture, spread evenly.

Bake for 60 to 70 minutes on until toothpick inserted tests clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.


What's next? Well glad you asked! In honor of the amazing cupcakes we had this weekend...how about a Pumpkin Cupcake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting?

Yup...we had you at...well we had you at the whole friggin thing!

Can not wait to make these!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You know how they say a way to a man's heart is through his tummy? It is kinda true! I made these a-mazing Pumpkin Gnocchi for my man years ago and I think it's the perfect time to make them again.



Oh and these are waaaay easier and tastier than their OG Gnocchi cousin :)

What goes amazing with a full pumpkin meal? How about Pumpkin Whoopie Pies!!!

Yay! You know how much we love those!

Ingredients

  • Cookies:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Cream Cheese Filling:
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 6 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar


Directions

  1. For cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease or line four baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large mixer bowl on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin and vanilla extract; beat until smooth. Stir in flour mixture until combined. Drop by heaping measuring teaspoons onto prepared baking sheets. (A total of 72 cookies are needed for the recipe.)
  3. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes or until springy to the touch. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
  4. For cream cheese filling: Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
  5. Spread a heaping teaspoon of filling onto flat side of one cookie; top with flat side of second cookie to make a sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. Store in covered container in refrigerator.



2 delish soft pumpkin cakies sandwiching a crazy good cream filling! Yes Por Favor!



So which one or ones are you gonna try? We promise it will be amazing and you betta take a pic and send it to us!

P.S. In case you are itching to make Ice Cream don't forget about this amazing...go to recipe that we posted before. It's sooo easy and good we are doing it again...




Happy Cooking!


xoxo things we heart


Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Random Hearts: We heart the right to vote!


We hope you all (those cuties who are over 18 that is) went out, sent out, and just plain ol' got your vote out!

If so we hope your candidate won!

And if you are lucky enough to be able to vote, we hope your candidate was the winner!

You are registered but didn't vote? Well then you deserve a SPANKING! It's sooooo easy now to make a difference...

We are sooo lucky to be able to get our voices heard and counted. You know all of those times we complain about our Government and Leaders?

Well thank the leaders before us, those who fought for our rights, we get to complain...then 2 - 4 years later we get to vote and make our complaints known!


OK...now a wee bit of an importante history lesson...
Sorry people...we know...who wants to sit through a lesson if we aren't in school...but this is sooo important!

1776White men with property have the right to vote but Catholics, Jews, Quakers and others are barred from voting.
1856Property qualifications for voting are eliminated in certain elections in North Carolina, giving all white men there the opportunity to vote
1869
(February 26)
Congress passes the Fifteenth Amendment giving African American men the equal right to vote.
1882Congress passes the Chinese Exclusion Act denying citizenship and voting rights to Chinese Americans.
1920
(August 26)
The Nineteenth Amendment, adopted by Congress on June 4, 1919, is finally ratified by the states and becomes national law, giving women the right to vote.

1923
(February 19)
The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Bhagat Singh Thind v. The United States that Asian Indians are eligible for citizenship, which technically gives them the right to vote.

1964
(July 2)
Congress passes the Civil Rights Act of 1964, making it illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, religion, and gender in voting, public places, the workplace and schools.


1971
(July 5)
The 26th Amendment gives 18-year-olds the right to vote.

How crazy is it that only 90 years ago women were still considered less equal and could not vote!

Now we have women as Governors, Speakers of the House and Secretaries of State!

Oh and P.S. all of those things were changed because of voting!


So enjoy your rights in this glorious (yes, we know sometimes this country can be coocoo mcgoo too) country and make your voice heard!

P.S. Not registered? That's ok...go here! It's super fast and easy breezy!

P.P.S. How come young people don't vote as much as the older generations??!??! It's crazy! We are the ones who are effected the most by these outcomes!!! Don't let others define your future!!!!!!!



xoxo things we heart

Monday, November 1, 2010

Beauty-fuls: Wash...Wait NO...Wipe away the days sins!!


( A repeat post.. Because we all need to be reminded to get that Halloween makeup OFF!)

Ahhhhhh....there is nothing like slithering out of your tights, bra and heels then jumping into your yummy and almost too cozy bed after a late night of fun...

But wait!!!!! You forgot to wash your face!!!!



Yikes!
How in the heck are you going to get out of bed now? But you do have to take off the nights sins, right?

Sure we all wish we would look like this after sleeping in our makeup after a late night..


But you know it really ends up looking like this!!!


Sorry to scare you but it's true!

But cereal... sleeping in makeup causes soooo many problems we do not want...

Like...
Missing eyelashes...getting zits and clogged pores...wrinkly and dry skin...eye styes...the list goes on...


Sooo when those all too fun nights happen... just reach over into your bed side table and grab a makeup removing wipe!



Voila! Makeup be gone and skin refreshed...

Here are our faves and a few that get the all the raves...


First and super foremost we wanted to tell you about Yes to Carrots (Cucumbers) Facial Towelettes...
Not only is this one of the most animal and earth loving cosmetic companies ever...their products actually work...and ding ding ding...they won't cost you a new pair o' shoes!!!

SYTC Natural Glow Towelettes are over 98% all natural and made with organic ingredients like green tea and Dead Sea minerals to detoxify, exfoliate and rejuvenate your skin in a quick wipe! Done and earth angel-y done!
And for under $7 for 30 wipes we say...Yes!

Miss Me can thank the folks over a Neutrogena for their amazingly well working wipes (say that 5 times fast after a late night o' dancin!). The ridiculously stunning and great skinned Miss Me has been known to reach for these after a long day...
They are best sellers for a reason. Neutrogena's Cleansing wipes are super quick and effective at removing all your makeup and eye makeup in a fast swipe!
They are gentle and soft and for $6 for 25 you can't go wrong!
PS They have a patent pending for the ingredient that removes waterproof mascara! Yup..we are sooo in...


We are koo-koo for Korres makeup and now we are krazy for their Pomegranate Make Up Removing Wipes...
These soft wipes remove dirt, makeup and oil super fast and effectively and leave behind totally toned, tightened and anti-oxidant protected skin!

Plus they are natural and made with out Parabens, sulphates, dyes, and gross chemicals.

A certain someone I know all too well...(hint..I see her in the mirror every morning) just started to use Comodynes wipes after her uber beautiful friend SM forced her to buy them.
And they are scrumdidilyumptous!
After a super late night filled with friends smoking (GROSS) and flowing champagne, these soft and gentle wipes totally cleanse, hydrate and tone stinky and dirty skin wiping away the evenings sins...
Only $6 for 20 sin wiping wipes...

From the people that continue to bring us amazing makeup and even better ads...MAC has their own line of wipes that are just as fantastical as their make up is...
Their HUGE wipes are super saturated with deep cleaning MAC cleanser and Vitamin E for gorgeous glowing makeup free skin in no time flat.
You can get 100 of these incredible wipes for only $25!!! Hello bargain!

What do you get when you combine powerful anti-agers (yay!!), deep cleansers and Vitamin C with a textured moist towelette????
These bad boys are loaded with stuff to wipe away the grime, makeup, eye makeup and oil to reveal clean, moisturized and maybe younger looking skin. (well that last bit remains to be seen but it does have Vit. C in it)
And at $6 for 30 you can't go wrong...

There are tons more out there ...like... E.L.F., Boots, Garnier, Olay, Klorane just to name a few.
We can't wait to try the Josie Maran ones....but ... let us know your faves and maybe we will post about your success! Or try the ones above and let us know what you think!

P.S. Although most of these say you can use them as your skin care regime...it's best to only use these in a pinch.

Be dirty...get clean...



xoxo things we heart

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