My Brothers birthday is in April and I don't celebrate Easter with chocolate
Hi I'm Sminks.
At the end of every month I thought it might be neat to post what I have experienced and learnt and possibly sniffed and loved.
Perhaps it will be a way to remember that I did things and do things, and also a way to experience those shiny new things I hear all the kids are doing these days.
Every month cant be a rehash of how much I love sprouts and tofu (although, to be fair I love sprouts more than anything right now). So, I have an excuse to go and do something strange, wonderful and also of course eyebrow raising to some (I can use 'oh it's for the blog' as my get out of jail card at least once a month.. and hope I don't sound like a complete douche).
I thought the best way to organise this (and not have it be a long long list of how many types of tofu I have tried in the month), would be to categorise experiences into senses of perception-
Hearing
Tasting
Sniffing
Looking
Touching
and that strange lovely I cant describe it 6th sense...
(This will at least give me at least 6 different ways to experience tofu, and you will hopefully gain a new love for the white wobbly wonderful 'meat').
(I'm kidding.. I wont really do just tofu).
(Unless I am requested to do so by someone who really really loves tofu).
On to April... and away we go.
Part one
(as I tend to ramble and you cant be expected to read everything in one sitting without getting a numb bum and cold empty tea cup)
Hear it
If you have been able to be one of the lucky few who know me in real life and see me in my many scarfs with many shades of whatever that is in my hair- you will know that April has been pretty much the month I decided to become obsessed with a Band from Texas. A band of siblings and close folk. I fell in love with Eisley.
I know, I must explain something- I can become crazy lady tin foil hat obsessed about almost any subject if it digs it's way in past the unicorns and clouds for long enough. So having a sudden and complete and no other way to put it- 'mental boner' (ew) on something like a band is not unusual.
Everyone I know can remember the month I couldn't listen to anything but Taylor Swift- yes that girl with the blond hair and the cutest damn everything ever.
Others will recall that I was for most of my teenage years and pretty much secretly quietly now I was/ am obsessed with Tori Amos and everything she will ever and has ever and maybe will never do.
So lets understand, between you and me and that guy reading over your shoulder- I can get hooked. I have been hooked. It is easy to hook me eventually and I have found nothing to stop me doing it.
So why Eisley? I have to admit I knew of them for a long while and I admired them and thought they were quite good. I owned a few songs but I honestly didn't see myself going further than that.
Listening to LastFm on a cloudy day late in March-as I often do when I crochet or zombie my way through fashion blogs, I remember hearing the song Ambulance...
It stopped me in my tracks and I think I actually stopped what I was doing (a sure sign that I sense an upcoming obsession) I even remember saying to myself possibly out loud 'why don't I own more of this?'
... It was but a start to the long long journey I took to now owning all released albums, all EPs, all singles, live tracks bootlegged on websites, and even all songs featuring various members of the band... To tell you how deep into the Eisley rabbit hole I am now would take up all of this blog and possibly another blog and then I would be given a prize for crazy. So I will simply say that I am completely utterly in love with this band and I am deliriously happier for the experience.
So happy that I honestly think you should be able to join me and hopefully we can get matching tattoos together and stand in the rain outside various band members houses. Keeping each other warm with our crazy, telling each other the same stories of how we saw someone who maybe perhaps from a distance looked like Sherri.. Or you know, you might just be curious.
Essential things to know-
1. The links to check out if you are mildly curious as to what I am blathering on about and want to know more.
The website it pretty cute and includes all the basics- tour info, discography and fan forum. It also has some very cool links to other ways to keep track of the band via twitter and facebook. There is even a blog from various band members, although it's pretty stale right now.
Also check out Their Wiki page. This includes all the insides and outsides that you might need to simply be able to say 'oh I know that band, you nut job' when you talk to me.
And of course, you have to check out what they sound like and look like right? The Eisley YouTube account will fix that.
2. The links to check out if you are now more than mildly curious and you think perhaps you may like the band and you now own a few songs, albums and EPs.
Check out the Eisley LastFM profile and you will soon find other bands that they have toured with, have funny little links to and other bands formed through Eisley. I love LastFM for finding obscure and wonderful music I would have never known about. I can spend hours and have gladly done so simply clicking links and listening to tunes.
Also why don't you check out a cool side project already? Stacy (one of the singing sisters and tinkler of keys) has a some what solo project called Sucré.
Although she updates more on her blog this is Stacy's Tumblr
3. The links to check out if you are now 'one of us' and must know all and love all that is related to this band.
I'm just going to leave a small collection of cool things here and hope I don't look like a complete stalker.
Sherri's blog- full of all things awesome Sherri is part singer, part guitarist and part merch maker for the band. There are links to her Tumblr, her youtube and twitter on the site. She also has an instagram- in fact all of the band is on there and Dupree parents too. She draws a lot and her work can be found at her site where you can buy things she doodles and makes or she also has a flickr account too.
After writing all that just about Sherri I am now just going to stop posting links to sites because I am clearly another word for obsessed that has not been invented yet and when it does I will be placed as an example in every journal.
pppssst Ever wonder what the other Dupree kids get up to? Christie's blog check out her band too with Colin who also has a tumblr. Their band is called Merriment and they are actually pretty good too.
I really will stop now... From now on I will simply say I am passionate about this subject and then move on quickly.
Taste it
When you ask me what vegans eat and I say- 'everything that doesn't contain animals and animal bi-products', you better believe that I mean it.
A few of the fellow vegan folk I know and love dearly will happily tell you about how amazing their lunch was, or how unhealthy or even how it was piled high to the ceiling and it needed it's own area code.
A few will tell you that they even bought it and used a microwave to heat it.
A few will admit to making it themselves and using only organic ingredients picked by virgins.
There are so many types of eaters that eat vegan. So it ain't all about the cardboard, the grass and the seeds you may expect to see posts about.
I promise this is not a huge blah about being vegan and the hows and whys and the what the hells do you eat. Instead this is a post about what I ate in April and loved, which is why I posted about being unhealthy.. because I have felt during April that I was not the healthiest eater.
I ate a lot of stir fry sticky and calorie heaped sauces, chip sandwiches and home made pizzas with a million toppings. (oh my days, tomato puree I love you).
My favourite dish that I actually made (I can hear a few gasps and yes I know I even gasped myself when I did it- I don't cook. It is a basic truth.) was a stir fry featuring some of my favourite things to eat right now
Sprouts and spinach.
Yeah, brussel sprouts.
BRUSSEL SPROUTS.
Oh my days, I could happily eat a bowl of grilled sprouts every day until I suffer a fate worse than Sheldon on cruciferous vegetable night. I have had sprouts with everything this month...
Easy sprout sandwiches,
Sprout stir fry,
Sprouts on pizza,
Sprouts in pastry..
If I liked ice cream I am sure I would have tried a sprout topping.
Then there was the love affair I began with spinach, there is no meal that you can not include a sprig of the green stuff. I have had it in everything and anything. Popeye was right guys, it is the best thing ever to munch on.
If I was eating spouts I would of course also be eating spinach in the same meal. I think I made them a couple now and they will hopefully have spout and spinach veggie babies...
..and in case you're wondering I did not feel.. um.. terribly 'gassy' from all the spout love. I also didn't develop huge muscles and an awesomely huge chin from the spinach.
Essential food things for April
1. Basic sprout love
Try both of these and then tell me you don't love those lil green lovelies..
2. The ultimate sneaky spinach recipe...
I need to make this, but perhaps I will look for an alternative to so much olive oil- whenever I have a recipe with olive oil in it always tastes a bit too oily for me..
3. The best way to eat both spinach and sprouts? On a home made bagel with vegan cream cheese or tomato puree..
You own a bread machine? Use it! My boyfriend (the one who actually can cook) made these and.. oh my days- they were so good I ended up eating them all.
Sniff it
I have a wonderful friend that I like to think is a perfume guru. His life is always a scent, an exclusive fragrance and something he made himself.
I am a very juvenile sniffer, I have only really let my nose love a few fragrances and have only owned really 4 or 5 different brands in all my life-
One of those was Avon when I was but a wee Sminks and very much pre-gan,
One was gifted to me by my boyfriend in the early dating years again pre-gan,
Two were by two brands I worked for and ended up falling in love with their whole collection for many many years.. all vegan.
Lastly I own a handmade fragrance from a clever Etsy seller who I admire greatly which is also vegan.
I must say that although I have owned only a hand full of brands I have owned so many many perfumes within those brands- I own over 20 wonderful bottles from one brand for example and proudly and often wistfully look at the vintage style bottles on my dresser each day.
However I rarely step out of my comfort zone.
I have made it a bit of my own personal mission to start to expand my brand awareness and actually own a few of the more collectible brands. Vegan and Animal friendly collectible brands that is..
It is important to me that I know where and what the who the ingredients I put on my skin were tested on and collected by. This makes a lot of impulse purchases harder to do for me but it also gives me the chance to really research and create brand loyalty to products I admire.
April has been a month of simple fragrance, it has been the month that I decided that I will purchase something new to sniff each month. Therefore it was the month I wore my favourite fragrance almost every day and celebrated it before it will be joined by other smells who battle to be the top sniffed.
So, I have been mainly wearing..
Vanillary from Lush.
It smells like cake, sunshine, warm blankets, youth, friendship, hugs, cake.. and um.. yeah cake.
I wear it and feel like myself.
I am transported to times when I wore it and felt accomplished and strong.
I am also transported to times I wore it and also wore some floaty skirt and danced happily in sunshine..
Some folk may wrinkle their nose at the thought of wearing something that you want to eat as a fragrance- and believe me I used to be that way. I would avoid anything with vanilla in for years until I bought this fragrance. I think what changed for me was that I was able to smell real vanilla and real sweet essential oils and extracts instead of synthetics. My nose was thankful and I was able to open a whole new way of enjoying life.
So after recently realising that I love any smells that are how I imagine certain sweet food to taste or smell I am now searching for anything with cake smells, bubble gum, cherry, vanilla, ice cream, chocolate, or maybe even melon...
With my food you will see me most likely snacking on salty goodness than a sugar cube. So with the strange happening of me liking sweet smells I am stepping into new and exciting territory.. I have no idea what some of the cakes I see created into fragrances are supposed to smell like. I honestly have never smelt a melon or a kiwi in real life, so this is fun. I am hoping to dip into everything sugary and dotted with sprinkles for my next perfume.
Essential Vanillary
1. The perfume but of course would be the perfect way to start-
Lush do 3 sizes and one of those happens to be a handy pocket sized solid version. You can wear this in your hair and use the wax to style your bouffant. In my experience I find that the solid lasts up to 3 hours on skin, the spritzer lasts up to 6 hours on skin and that beautiful big bottle of wonderful lasts often 24 hours on skin. I find myself still smelling the tinkling tones of this fragrance well into the next day on my skin.
From the UK? Buy it here.
2. If perfume is not your thing how about indulging in some light soft moisturising lotion?
The UK site with wonderful inventors story too
I love this body lotion, I think its the perfect combination of light fluffy silky buttery moisturiser that doesn't leave you sticking to everything.
3. Hate moisturiser and perfume? Go Go magic dusting powder
Vanilla Puff on the UK site
I fully recommend using a dusting powder to mattify any super oily moisturiser and I recommend this one in particular because whatever it is mixed with it means you smell like cake. For example, use a strawberry moisturiser? Sprinkle a wee bit of this magic puffy powder and you instantly smell like strawberry cheesecake. I also use this as dry shampoo in a pinch and inside my shoes and bedsheets too keep that lovely sweet smell everywhere. It's also surprisingly gentle and silky on the skin less cakey chalk and more pleasing powder puff. Very vintage. Mix a smidgen of glitter in there and you can even make your own glitter powder too.. magic!
And so, this is the end of part one check back in a few days for the rest of my April happenings.
In a bit x
I am a very juvenile sniffer, I have only really let my nose love a few fragrances and have only owned really 4 or 5 different brands in all my life-
One of those was Avon when I was but a wee Sminks and very much pre-gan,
One was gifted to me by my boyfriend in the early dating years again pre-gan,
Two were by two brands I worked for and ended up falling in love with their whole collection for many many years.. all vegan.
Lastly I own a handmade fragrance from a clever Etsy seller who I admire greatly which is also vegan.
I must say that although I have owned only a hand full of brands I have owned so many many perfumes within those brands- I own over 20 wonderful bottles from one brand for example and proudly and often wistfully look at the vintage style bottles on my dresser each day.
However I rarely step out of my comfort zone.
I have made it a bit of my own personal mission to start to expand my brand awareness and actually own a few of the more collectible brands. Vegan and Animal friendly collectible brands that is..
It is important to me that I know where and what the who the ingredients I put on my skin were tested on and collected by. This makes a lot of impulse purchases harder to do for me but it also gives me the chance to really research and create brand loyalty to products I admire.
April has been a month of simple fragrance, it has been the month that I decided that I will purchase something new to sniff each month. Therefore it was the month I wore my favourite fragrance almost every day and celebrated it before it will be joined by other smells who battle to be the top sniffed.
So, I have been mainly wearing..
Vanillary from Lush.
It smells like cake, sunshine, warm blankets, youth, friendship, hugs, cake.. and um.. yeah cake.
I wear it and feel like myself.
I am transported to times when I wore it and felt accomplished and strong.
I am also transported to times I wore it and also wore some floaty skirt and danced happily in sunshine..
Some folk may wrinkle their nose at the thought of wearing something that you want to eat as a fragrance- and believe me I used to be that way. I would avoid anything with vanilla in for years until I bought this fragrance. I think what changed for me was that I was able to smell real vanilla and real sweet essential oils and extracts instead of synthetics. My nose was thankful and I was able to open a whole new way of enjoying life.
So after recently realising that I love any smells that are how I imagine certain sweet food to taste or smell I am now searching for anything with cake smells, bubble gum, cherry, vanilla, ice cream, chocolate, or maybe even melon...
With my food you will see me most likely snacking on salty goodness than a sugar cube. So with the strange happening of me liking sweet smells I am stepping into new and exciting territory.. I have no idea what some of the cakes I see created into fragrances are supposed to smell like. I honestly have never smelt a melon or a kiwi in real life, so this is fun. I am hoping to dip into everything sugary and dotted with sprinkles for my next perfume.
Essential Vanillary
1. The perfume but of course would be the perfect way to start-
Lush do 3 sizes and one of those happens to be a handy pocket sized solid version. You can wear this in your hair and use the wax to style your bouffant. In my experience I find that the solid lasts up to 3 hours on skin, the spritzer lasts up to 6 hours on skin and that beautiful big bottle of wonderful lasts often 24 hours on skin. I find myself still smelling the tinkling tones of this fragrance well into the next day on my skin.
From the UK? Buy it here.
2. If perfume is not your thing how about indulging in some light soft moisturising lotion?
The UK site with wonderful inventors story too
I love this body lotion, I think its the perfect combination of light fluffy silky buttery moisturiser that doesn't leave you sticking to everything.
3. Hate moisturiser and perfume? Go Go magic dusting powder
Vanilla Puff on the UK site
I fully recommend using a dusting powder to mattify any super oily moisturiser and I recommend this one in particular because whatever it is mixed with it means you smell like cake. For example, use a strawberry moisturiser? Sprinkle a wee bit of this magic puffy powder and you instantly smell like strawberry cheesecake. I also use this as dry shampoo in a pinch and inside my shoes and bedsheets too keep that lovely sweet smell everywhere. It's also surprisingly gentle and silky on the skin less cakey chalk and more pleasing powder puff. Very vintage. Mix a smidgen of glitter in there and you can even make your own glitter powder too.. magic!
And so, this is the end of part one check back in a few days for the rest of my April happenings.
In a bit x
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