Místico: Healing Aromas

We had the idea to start a series of posts about the scents we are wearing at the moment and their healing properties, similar to our purse dweller posts. Problem being is that Mary is a one note girl and that one note has been vanilla since she's been in the 6th grade. Candice, on the other hand, mixes it up and always has a new dreamy scent that she is wearing. So we decided to start the series with vanilla and focus future posts on scents we are favoring but not necessarily wearing, because although Mary always wears vanilla and don't get us wrong, Candice has her favorites too, we have a strong connection to all kinds of aromas. It is fascinating to us how, like crystals, you will be drawn to or notice a scent more, only to find out that the healing properties are exactly in line with what you might need at the moment. So... to start...

Derived from orchids of the Mexican species, vanilla was called "tlilxochitl" by the Aztecs which means "black flower". According to Totonac mythology, the tropical orchid was born when Princess Xanat, forbidden by her father from marrying a mortal, fled to the forest with her lover. The lovers were captured and beheaded. When their blood touched the ground, the vine of the orchid grew.

Drawing of Vanilla from the Florentine Codex (ca. 1580) and description of it's use and properties in the Nahuatl language.

Vanilla has been known to be an aphrodisiac although there is controversy as to whether mens' reported arousal was gastronomic or sexual. Mary seems to think it's gastronomic as she has been stopped several times and told she smells like freshly baked cookies or donuts, depending on the variety of oil she is wearing! 

Among Vanilla's biggest healing properties is that it is an anti-depressant, a sedative and has relaxing and tranquilizing effects. According to Joni Keim and Ruah Bull in their book "Daily Aromatherapy," vanilla essential oil can promote feelings of connectedness and integration, and may help to alleviate feelings of depression in some people. No wonder it is one of the most widely worn and used oil and one of Mary's (who tends to run on anxiety and stress) favorites.

Next time you are feeling slightly down or anxious, dab a bit of vanilla essential oil on and notice your spirits lift. Since it evokes a sense of well being, others might report feeling especially calm or happy around you.

Sabroso: Harvard Cookin' Girl

With our cousin Adriana's recent (fantastic and beautiful!) wedding, our upcoming trip and visiting family in town, we've been neglecting our dear blog. There have been several blog posts started, with each of us writing a bit here and there so this post is long overdue!

One of the bridesmaid duties a couple of weeks ago was throwing the bachelorette party. Adriana wanted a low key girls night and she is a total foodie (so are we if you couldn't tell). Candice had gone to a cooking class with Adriana and Tia and fell in love with Bibi, the owner and chef at Harvard Cookin' Girl in La Jolla. We couldn't think of a better evening to celebrate Adriana than to enjoy a wonderful meal and learn some new recipes along the way.

Bibi is well versed in all cuisines but since she is Persian, we figured we could not go wrong with that choice! We were so engrossed in Bibi's fantastic stories about herself, her cooking and tidbits about each spice and dish (not to mention the food itself!) that we did not take nearly enough pictures. We plan on returning for another class soon after we get back from our trip so we will try to capture more of her beautiful dishes. 

We started with Mast-o-Khiar, a yogurt and cucumber dip similar to tzatziki. It was a refreshing appetizer and paired perfectly with the main dish as well. 

The entree was out of this world, a Chicken Plum Braise. Along with the Bokhara plums, Bibi added very generous amounts of saffron with pinches of cinnamon, rose petals and cardamom. I mean, are you kidding me? Dream dish, right there. She chose this as the entree as it is a warm, comfort food that is often served at celebratory events. Her close friend, Marjane Satrapi, wrote a book named after the dish, Chicken with Plums, which was made into a film, Poulet aux prunes, last year. We can't wait to read/see it now.

What we love about Bibi is that she truly caters the entire night to you, engages with you and takes everything into account. The planned dessert was actually Persian Wedding Cookies which we learned are very similar to Mexican Wedding Cookies with the addition of cardamom. We went off course though when she was telling us about another dessert she had recently made that had us all drooling. Roasted pineapple with black pepper and Kahlua, served over vanilla ice cream. To die for.

We ended the meal with Bibi's own blend of tea to which she added orange blossom water. 

We cannot recommend Bibi's classes enough. She is so passionate and talented, a true delight. Thank you Bibi! And Congratulations Adriana! 

Web Trésors: MAEVEN

Joseph Magnin Caftan

Arte e Cultura: Alexis Arnold

Crystals and books! Two of our very favorite things.

The Complete Book of Houseplants

The Catcher in the Rye

Cookbook

Crime and Punishment

Soviet Genetics

Snow

Allure Magazine

San Francisco Phonebook

Monopoly money

This reminded us of the Roger Hiorns installation "Seizure". Everything looks so much more magical covered in crystals...

Moda: Stealing Beauty

Stealing Beauty is a film we watched over and over again when we were younger, entranced by the Tuscan countryside, Liv's youthful and subtly sexy attire, the soundtrack, the love story... We watched it again last week and we're still in love.

This was our absolute favorite look. We each had a pair of those red velvet mary janes.

Although we're sure our demographic was supposed to fall in love with the cute, young Italian, we walked away with huge crushes on Jeremy Iron's character.

A pretty perfect summer wardrobe in a pretty perfect place, no?

Moda: Levis

While looking for some new pairs of vintage jeans, we saw this photo. Ladies, let this serve as a reminder that nothing compliments a woman's derrière better than a good old pair of Levis.

French Madeleine

Happy May Day!