What Luxe do you own that goes beyond its material value?

Everyone has something of material value that extends far past what it actually is and into a meaningful and sentimental thought that reminds them of a person, a place, or a time in their life. Or maybe it was a signal to keep going and strive for that particular goal that seemed so far out of reach. For example, the Christmas before I graduated High School my mom gave me a snow globe that played "New York, New York."  Though the actual value of the snow globe was not that much, the inspiration and feeling of looking down on the city trapped in my arms reach gave me hope of one day working there and accomplishing my dreams. I took the snow globe off to college and had set it on my nightstand to remind myself every night before drifting off to my dreams.  A few weeks before I had completed my freshman year I came back to my dorm room to find the snow globe shattered to pieces all over the floor. I was devastated. It seems so ridiculous to any other human being that I was so upset, but in a way I felt like my dreams had been shattered and that it was a sign that maybe I was too much of a small town girl to make it in a city like that.  I cried to my mom and she promised she'd buy me another snow globe. It wouldn't have been the same if she did and I never asked for it and she never bought it. 

Years later, forgetting about the snow globe, I had moved to Atlanta and gotten a job with Macy's. As we all know the time right now is not the best time for retail industry and the Macy's I worked for decided to consolidate to New York. It seemed like a fabulous opportunity for me, but after calls from New York came and went to the employees surrounding me, my phone never rang. After a lot of hard work and determination (not to mention the incredible people pulling for me) I finally received a call. I figured this is my one and only opportunity. Right before my scheduled interview my co-worker walked into my cube and pulled out a present. This present was a snow globe he had someone get for him from a long time ago that plays "New York, New York" I couldn't believe it. He had no idea of my past falling out with the snow globe my mom got me. This luxe goes far beyond the actual value because it couldn't have come at a better time. It just goes to show when you think things couldn't get any worse, if you are persistent, positive, and never lose hope than things can turn out to be greater than you ever expected. Even if I never reach my dreams in New York, I know it just wasn't meant to be. Sometimes we think we know what's best for us, but everything always works out the way it was suppose to. 

Now I want to know what Luxe you have that goes far beyond it's material value and has helped you in a turning point in your life or reminds you of a special time you will never forget. Click on comments and add it to my page!

Diet is a Four Letter Word

Luxe: The Daily Fix 

Diets are meant to be broken. The word diet suggests a time period in which you are going to change what you eat so you can reach your goal of becoming slim and sexy for some reason or another. A diet does not suggest a change for a lifetime, but rather a time when you are going to restrict all of the "bad foods" out of your life until you see a reflection of yourself that you might be ok with. Then within 2 weeks after you have reached your goal and that chocolate cake presents itself you decide that maybe just this once, after all you have worked so hard and avoided every temptation up until now, you will indulge. That chocolate cake all of a sudden becomes the best thing you have ever tasted! Then after a fight with your boyfriend, you decide to go out to dinner with a friend and the waiter suggests a spinach artichoke dip for an appetizer. Damn it, you deserve it right? After all you have been bawling your eyes out for the last two hours and nothing sounds better than the cheesy goodness of spinach artichoke dip! You indulge again. Slowly but surely your emotions win every time and you start consuming more deliciousness, because you deserve it, and less and less physical activity. Soon you find yourself right back where you started, at the bookstore trying to find the diet book you can "live with" for the next 3 months. 

I've been there done that and I by no means am close to my ideal body, however, I have found the perfect book that helps you to alter your way of life, without depriving yourself of those wonderful luxes that makes your dinner, date, or party worth while. Who can enjoy going to a wedding reception and not eating the cake or even half of the meal because it's not on your diet? Even if you're on a diet and you have been depriving yourself up until the wedding and then you decide to give in and eat the meal and cake too, you not only feel guilty, but you also remember everything that you have been missing and eventually will fall off of your diet. The book I found doesn't promise weight loss, but it does provide healthy habits for good nutrition. If you have been eating poorly and you develop these habits then you are sure to lose weight. Losing weight is about the number of calories you put in versus the number of calories you burn. There are many calorie budgets online you can find that you should abide by and a number of calories you should burn each day in order to lose a healthy 1-2 pounds per week. Check those out at www.self.com. If you are eating the foods that are good for you and developing good habits, while still allowing yourself to indulge every now and then, then you will lose weight successfully, keep it off, and not have to think about it again because you have made eating healthy a habit. The book is called The Daily Fix by Alexa L. Fishback, a writer for Women's Health magazine.  

In this book she talks about what might be stopping you from losing weight in your daily life; daily soft drinks, too much sugar and cream in your morning coffee, or not enough exercise. She helps you sort out all of the "little" things you might be eating on a daily basis that are keeping you from your goals. She suggests that you develop a weekly routine and stick with it 5 days a week. When you go to work resist the candy sitting around on people's desks, bring fruits and vegetables to snack on, so you always have something to grab when you just want something to do or eat. She recommends that everyday you shoot for 5 fruits and vegetables. Trust me, when you're busy trying to fit in an apple, orange, carrots, tomatoes, and broccoli into each day you find it easier to turn down those 5 chocolate kisses that used to whisper sweet nothings into your ear. Soon you will notice you have more energy, better skin, and you can sleep better when you are replacing sweets with vitamin rich nutrients. Another good tip she suggests is besides drinking your morning coffee, drink water for every meal and in between meals. Don't drink any other caloric beverage the rest of the day, just for the 5 days a week. The best part is those other two days, the weekends when all the fun happens, you can have fun and treat yourself. Don't go overboard and know that when Monday comes you are back to The Daily Fix. 

Work It Girl

Luxe: JCrew

Whether you are looking for a job or lucky enough to still have one you don't want to skimp on your professional look. The way you carry yourself at work not only affects the way other's perceive you, but it also affects the way you feel about yourself. Depending on the company's culture that you work for, or trying to work for, I have selected some trendy business-casual looks to help boost your esteem and help you land that job or promotion. Please note that sleeveless is not usually acceptable at an office, so you will want to always wear a blazer or sweater on top. The key is to stay conservative and punch up the accessories to add femininity. I really like JCrew for this concept. You can walk into their store and instantly feel fresh with their creative mix of colors and bold accessories. Their catalog is a great source of inspiration when you want to step outside the box, but still keep it professional. Their price-point is a little higher, but so is the quality. Also, because they sell a lot of basic, solid items you can wear them year after year if you take good care of them. It's definitely worth the splurge!

What Luxe Wakes You Up?

Grande skinny vanilla latte, extra foam with 2 splenda or 2 bottles of water and a 50 minute spin class? I want to know what gets you out of bed in the morning. What luxe wakes you up? Post your comments below!

Spring Fling with American Eagle

Weekends

concerts on the lawn • dining alfresco • festivals • reading • falling in love • fireworks • carnivals • searching for seashells • playing in the park • fishing • boutique shopping • cruising • bike rides • picnics

Luxe: American Eagle

This is my new found love. You probably remember American Eagle as the store that tried to be like Abercrombie & Fitch. Their product mix was similar; khakis, plaids, graphic tees, and flip-flops--and heck, even the AE, AF logos were almost the same. You'd have to look twice to see which was which. Well, not anymore! American Eagle has finally found a way to differentiate themselves. From their LIVE YOUR LIFE brand, bold colors, trendy, yet still casual merchandise, American Eagle is my pick for spring weekend wear.  Their low price-points still remain the same, not to mention they are always having a great promotion like, "Buy one top and get the 2nd top 50% off." If you don't have a lot of cash in the bank, but want to find something inexpensive and cute to wear this weekend, then I recommend you run to American Eagle right now and give it another chance. I bet you'll be surprised and happy that you found this little luxe.