I received this email yesterday from a truly sweet woman that had ordered my Anastasia Perfume that was inspired by the Fifty Shades Of Grey trilogy…

“To say Anastasia was a hit would be such an understatement.  From the first kiss hello to the last kiss good night he couldn’t stop wanting to be near me. It was so much fun watching him repeatedly kiss my neck, sigh and kiss it again, and maybe nibble once or twice.  I do believe the words edible were murmured several times that night.  It truly is an amazing fragrance that should make any woman’s inner goddess sit up and her conscious applaud…”

OK, I’ll admit it, this email made me a little teary with happiness.  It also made me realize how rarely I reach out to someone that I don’t know and let them know how much they have affected me.  It’s such a simple thing to do that has such a huge impact on the recipient.  Why don’t we do it more often?

I made a list of fun ways that I can start doing this, and I’m hoping that you will join me!

-Leave a review for a book/cd on Amazon
-Send an Etsy seller/online retailer a quick email about how much you loved the product/customer service/etc.
-Send a letter to a store/restaurant complimenting the service you received
-Leave a comment on a blog with a sincere compliment
-Leave a note on the table after your meal at a restaurant with a sweet thank you

What do you think? Where could you pay a much deserved compliment to someone that you don’t know?

Image Source

I’ll admit it, I’ve never been a big fan of The Clutch.  I always have way too many things to carry and I never seem to go anywhere fancy.  I have to say though that every time I see a woman out and about with a clutch under her arm I look at her with admiration.  They have such a classy and confident look to them, I’m not sure what it is.  Now I want one.

A Little Bit Rock n’ Roll

Super Sweet Vintage

Now This Is Classy

Love This For Summer!

Who Doesn’t Love Chevron?

I have to say, I went crazy over all of your comments.  So many of you mentioned perfumes that I had never heard of, so now I’ve been online for hours researching them.  I also was curious that quite a few of you were big fans of some of the celebrity perfumes that I never would have thought to smell, now I must go check them out!  Thank you so much for all of the comments.

Brittany Smith!  You are the winner of the Anastasia Perfume Oil!  Hooray!  Contact me at misscharmschool {at} gmail.com with your address please!

BUT WAIT!!!  I have put up a (consolation prize) discount code on my Lulu Beauty Etsy site that is just for you.  Use the code SUPER and get 15% off any order through Sunday night.  If you already purchased a perfume this week then just let me know by Sunday night and I will refund the difference.

Have a great weekend!!

Did you enter to win our giveaway yet this week?  No?  Well then you are in luck because I’m not picking the winner until 3:00 PST today!  So basically, this is your special day and it will only keep getting better and better…

Women + motorcycles…Meet the pioneers.  I just love stories about women that kick ass.

This home tour is beautiful.  Uh oh, I have house envy again!

Spicy avocado chicken enchiladas?  Yum!

And for dessert, Salted Caramel Shortbread?  Yes please!

Not in the mood?  Here are some tasty foods that might help you get there!

I just signed up for this 14 day green smoothie challenge.  Who’s with me?

Ever wondered what the rules were for being a Playboy Bunny back in the free n’ easy 60s?  Then here you go!  I would have made a great Bunny Mother.

If you have no time to read then by all means just watch the video!

15 awesome things to do with Instagram photos!  Are you obsessed like I am?

I am loving this behind-the-scenes video from Adele’s Vogue photo shoot.  What an inspiring woman…

Oh Maurice Sendak, you will be missed…This is laugh out loud hilarious!

My friends and business colleagues are always telling me that I don’t talk about my perfume line nearly enough.  Oddly, many people are surprised when I tell them that I even have a line of perfume!  OK friends, you made your point.  So here goes…

The core collection that started it all!

I love perfume.  When I was an adorable little girl I used to take all of my allowance money and spend it on (cheap) perfumes at the drugstore.  My friends were buying candy, I was buying perfume and beauty items.  When I was 18 I spent 6 months traveling around Australia, it was there that I first discovered the art of aromatherapy and perfumery.  I was hooked.  When I was 24 I opened my first store called Aromatica, it was a store dedicated to perfume blending and it was a dream come true.

Dame EDT, yummy!

About 10 years ago I created Lulu Beauty which is still going strong and making women smell beautiful all over the world.  All of my perfumes are blended by hand in small batches with lots of love.  For a time I was selling to Sephora, Nordstrom and boutiques all over the country.  I had celebrities like Madonna, Tori Spelling, Debra Messing, Josie Bissett, Virginia Madsen and Teri Hatcher anointing themselves with MY fragrances!  Yet another dream come true.

She Belongs There solid perfume

I still have the same core collection of fragrances that I love and adore, and every year or so I can’t help but add another one!  Last year I launched She Belongs There, and just this week I launched Anastasia which was totally inspired by Fifty Shades of Grey.  I could literally smell this perfume as I was reading the books so I had to make it!  I have given samples to 6 of my girlfriends this week and they have all turned around and bought a bottle saying it was the best thing they have smelled in forever.  Hearing someone say that about a perfume I created is yet another dream come true.

I sell my current collection at boutiques all over the country, as well as at Olivine and my Etsy shop (the only place to buy samples).

And hello GIVEAWAY!!!  Leave a comment below with your favorite fragrance of all time below (it doesn’t have to be one of mine to win!!) and you will be entered to win a full size bottle of my new Anastasia perfume oil.  I swear, it should come with a stick to keep the boys away when you are wearing it!  I will announce the winner on Friday, so be sure to check back and see if you won!

If you want to know more about me and my businesses then you should sign up for A LOVELY VENTURE!  It is my online class for women that want to start a business, or take the business they already have and make it sparkle.  And I must say, it totally ROCKS!

Found Here

You are absolutely double-take gorgeous.  You know that, right?  Underneath that to-do list and the worries about carpool, there is a bombshell waiting to flip her hair and bat her eyelashes.  So why not put away those lists and worries for the day and embrace your inner sex kitten?  Put away your concerns about being too sexy/too loud/too fun/too juicy.  Embrace that delicious too-muchness.  Embrace big hair and tall shoes. Slip out of those layers and into something sexy.  It’s time you showed the world (or just your partner) exactly how gorgeous you are.

My new website, Julie Wray Photolove has launched!

It’s here.  It’s done.  I can relax now.

photolove

xo…Julie

Aloha!  I just got back last night from a week on the North Shore of Oahu.  We spent 7 days in heaven with 5 of our most favorite people in the world.  Trips to Hawaii always go by way too fast!

Yes, I will admit I have succumbed to the “mommy porn” of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy.  I read all 3 books while we were in Hawaii and I almost cried when I finished the last one and realized that it was all over.  You can make fun of me all you want!

My incredibly talented and awesome friend Sabrina wrote this article about hatin’ on skinny girls.  It’s a must read!

Want to get rid of some clutter?  Read this article, then spend 20 minutes clearing a path in your closet.  It might just get you started…

Will someone please make me one of these macarame bracelets?  I would love you for forever.  I promise.

Do you want beautiful, glowing skin?  This is a great blog post about how to get it, finally!

These photos?  Amazing!

I had a request for a new green smoothie recipe, so here you go sweet Aubrey!  This one looks yummy.

Please promise me, if you ever find yourself on the North Shore of Oahu that you will go to this bakery for a sandwich and a banana bread pudding.  It will change your life.

xo…Julie

You.Are.Amazing.

As. you. are.
Stronger than you know.
More beautiful than you think.
Worthier than you believe.
More loved than you can ever imagine.
Passionate about making a difference.
Fiery when protecting those you love.
Learning. Growing. Not alone.
Warm. Giving. Generous.
Quirky. Sexy. Funny. Smart.
Flawed. Whole. Scared. Brave.
And so, so, so.much.more.

Be Strong. Be Confident. Be You.

-Tia Sparkles Singh

Photo found here