I know it's only the third day of the year, but I already know what I'm obsessing over this month. The "NEW NEW" vibes will linger for me all month long so if you are looking for that vibe, you've come to the right place. There are not just physical items on this list you can purchase, but also podcasts & downloads. Let's get to it!
1| FRESH NOTE PAD | I found it creepy and cool when I used my last piece of paper of my notepad of the 31'st of December. It's was a a quick "To Do" list for the week plus little check list for our intimate gathering for NYE. I like the boldness of a pen, so I need room for error when it comes to writing things out and finalizing work schedules and list and the final product is then transferred to planner or journal depending on the subject matter. It's also my notes for all the webinars and workshops I take at any given moment. What I'm trying to tell you is that it's good to have a note pad for any given moment without stress of scrambling for loose sheets of paper. These days they come with options to "check" things off, have "priority" sections and more. You can find all kinds on Amazon, Target, CVS & more.
2 | PERFUME & BODY CREAMS |I've shared items for skin that are to aid more in keeping skin moisturized and healthy but I've never really shared how fresh and finished I feel just when I'm about to leave the house and spritz perfume or rub on scented creams. Do you have a scent? Have you established " These are my notes". Sounds out there to some, but I think it's just as fun to define your scent as it is to your clothing style. Ask anyone of my family members or friends since middle school and they will tell you Vanilla scented anything reminds them of me. Simply because I've worn a version of it or any scent I've worn will have it somewhere in the mix. As I've gotten older vanilla is still a staple in my life but warm & earthy scents have played a part in my perfumes. I now have scents for day, for evening, for my zen moments and my sexy moments all having notes of vanilla, tobacco, lavender, iris, violet, sandalwood, patchouli, almond, clove, cardamom and other complex notes. These are also the scents I found that work on me and feel like me. There are tons of perfumes I smell on others that work beautifully on them and then I put it on me and I want to puke. lol. Perfumes are a personal thing and it's the finishing touch on any outfit!
SOME OF MY FAVS:
Tom Ford - 'Tobacco Vanilla' [BUY HERE]
Hove' Parfumeur - 'Heliotrope' [BUY HERE] - a local apothecary from New Orleans that ladies in my fam have been buying for years.
Jo Malone - Wild Fig & Cassis [BUY HERE]
Jouany - Marrakech [BUY HERE]
Laura Mercier Body cream- Almonde Coconut [BUY HERE]
3 | WHOLE BEAUTY by: Shiva Rose | [BUY HERE] It's very strange how in sync my sister and I are these passed few months. We've been discovering new inspiration from many forms and she bought me this book for Christmas that not only has recipes for all natural beauty & wellness but Siva dives deep into practices I've been meaning to get into. Specifically Ayurveda holistic diet. "Ayurveda, at the core is the belief that people are made up of three life-giving forces, or Doshas: Vata, Pitta & Kapha." Take the quiz [here], to find out what you are. I am Pitta-Kapha ( it's best to have as equal parts as possible for balanced DOSHA. I clearly need to work on my Vata). It's a really beautiful practices of getting in tune with your body and what it needs. I plan on exploring this more. It's always telling you what it needs, you just gotta learn to listen. When it comes to diets, I don't necessarily follow a specific type except when it comes to personal friend and trainer Dodd Romero. His methods are lifestyle habits that have fast and lasting results in terms of loosing and toning. He's the reason I've been able to maintain a certain aesthetic and health even long after I finished my training with him ( I mean I could be waaaaay more toned, but that's what the new year is for lol). You gotta explore your option and learn what works for your body. Do your research
4 | PODCASTS & INFLUENCERS | I keep my podcasts & influencers to a nice handful, because like any industry, it's a small bunch and they always end up interviewing each other on their own shows/platforms. My favorites right now are ones that inspire me to live my best self and also grow as a blogger, influencer & actor based on their experiences and BONUS, sometimes they have programs that allow you to interact with their host & team making it more personal and beneficial in helping you grow.
SO CURRENTLY:
JULIE SOLOMON - Host of The Influencer Podcast & "Pitch it Perfect" program for bloggers & influencers, she really explains the business side of things clearly, which is the one I got and I love it. She also does free webinars and helpful worksheets.
JASMINE STAR - Business strategist & photographer with the focus of helping you grow social platforms with free webinars, tutorials & more.
GABBY BERNSTEIN - She's been featured on the blog before, but I don't get tired of her. She's not afraid to talk about hitting it rock bottom and using faith and your intuition to pick yourself back up. She is the one who created the book "The Universe Has Your Back" [Buy Here] followed by her affirmations deck [Buy Here] plus many other books I have on my list to read.
JENNA KUTCHER - Host of the Goal Digger Podcast , business strategist and photographer. She has courses about growing your business and helpful tips not to mention she, like the rest of my lists of gals are true girl's girl.
RACHEL HOLLIS - Host of Rise together, Podcast & N.Y. Best Selling Author , and life coach. She is considered the female Tony Robbins of our generation. More about her in number 5 of this month's "TOP5".
5 | PLANNERS - JOURNALS - BULLET JOURNALS| Journals and Planners have always been a safe haven with me. The days I feel most overwhelmed, I find that organizing my "to do's" in planners and venting or writing my intentions down in a journal quiet my mind. After writing everything out, I realize 1) It's not as overwhelming as I thought it was in my head and 2) "Ahah, this is my focus! This is what I came here to do". I also learned a long time ago, that some days you will write more than others and some weeks are just heavier "must do tasks" than others. Whenever I found slow days or slow weeks, I would pull out my "Month to Month" bullet journal and look at my list of goals for the month. I know it sound excessive as I would write in my planner weekly what I have to get done that week, but the extra stuff like "organize & dump/giveaway clothes" , "Dump old makeup &/or old beauty products" "Read __insert title___ Book". Those extra tasks, that aren't time sensitive but just as important and then when you get to check them off- YAAAASSSS QUEEENNNN!!!
You've seen me post my 2019 planner from Anthro [Buy Here] since September, and you've seen my monthly bullet make it's way throughout the last year and change, now let me introduced to you my "Start Today Journal" by Rachel Hollis from the Hollis Company. She's the author of "Girl Wash Your Face" [Buy Here] & the upcoming "Girl, Stop Apologizing"[Pre-Order Here] , married, mother of four, blogger at The Chic Site, co-host of "RISE TOGETHER" podcast and well the list goes on. She's a B.A.M.F. and best part is, she's super down to earth. Basically that is what I've looked for in all my podcast finds and bloggers on my IG. They be the most fabulous, firecracker, skilled individual, but I need a " I'm a real human that needs a minute" moment person as well. She is one of those and someone you will enjoy, if you are into that. Back to this "Start Today Journal" it reminds me of my new moon & full moon intention/manifestation rituals, except this is everyday and with some extra guidance. She walks you through an exercise to really search within what the pit of your soul truly seeks. My favorite part is how she emphasizes on writing goals as if you've already achieved them. A simple example " I have 5K extra in the BANK" versus " I'm going to save 5k this month". Because our minds are programmed to the word " I'm going" versus the previous statement word "I have". The idea that eventually you'll get there versus I'm making it happen now. I also love that she believes in parallel tracks. I've mentioned this before in my "Crafting you Best Life" where you imagine all the things you want in life 10 year, 20 years etc (though Rachel focuses on 10 year plan) and you note every goal that will get you there. Also finding the focus that when you do hone in on what it is you want, everything around you grows and develops into to something greater. I truly believe you can have both career and a loving person and family by your side. DON'T LET ANYONE TELL YOU OTHER WISE (Also don't hand with those people, because they are lazy and don't want to put in the work). The trick is learning how your focus positively effects all areas on your life. That's something I've been focusing on the last 5 years and it works. Put the intentions into play- START TODAY.
PLEASE NOTE: The Start Today, journal is currently "Out of Stock" but will return in March, read more about "The Start Today Journal" Here. These were also a great stocker stuffer for my friend's this year and could be a great Birthday gift or Mother's Day present this year so keep on eye out!
Well, this concludes our TOP5 January list and the continuation of "NEW NEW" vibes. There's more where that came from and looking forward to a beautiful year ahead with all of you.
XO,
Caro
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