It's been around for quite sometime now but the cute little names like Purity, Hope, Miracles and Amazing Grace did not impress me one bit. I'm usually experimental and I typically follow the trends but, in this case, I just didn't for no apparent reason that I can recall. Until recently I hadn't even considered trying
Philosophy products, which is very atypical because bath and body products are by far some of my favorite things.
But yet again my girlfriend
Alicia enlightened me. She and I are always sharing beauty tips. She knows that I love bath and body products so I shouldn't have been surprised when I received my first batch of Philosophy shower gel as my Valentine's Day gift. Well, I simply loved it.
Then for my birthday she sent me another installment, Amazing Grace. The clean feminine smell of
Amazing Grace won me over for keeps. I'm not sure what I loved most about it; the blend is not too woodsy and not too floral. Typically, I choose floral in the spring/summer and something heavier in the fall/winter. However, I feel complete wearing this fragrance.
I love to layer my body products because it increases the staying power of the scent throughout the day. I start with the rich
creamy shower gel. Then I'll reach for the
lotion or a body cream.
I shy away from
body butters because they are way to thick for my liking. But Alicia took a chance and I have to be honest, it's one of the best body butters I have ever used. The consistency has a whipped richness that goes on smooth.
I then top my body regime off with the same fragrance. A woman should always wear a fragrance! That's a Diva Rule! It should complement your personality and it speaks volumes to the woman that you are.
Alicia not only sent me a bottle of
eau de parfum with the shower gel and body butter, she added the
roll-on perfume oil that I can throw in my handbag.
I treasure my friendship with Alicia for so many reasons. We share so many things in common. The fact that she does it Diva Style is all the better. It was a wonderful birthday gift that came at the right time. During the last two weeks I have been on IV medication. At the end of my two hour IV drip each morning, I head to the bathroom and indulge myself in Amazing Grace. It is a small pleasure that I cherish that AIDS nor this IV medication can take away from me.
I think that
Amazing Grace is a lovely fragrance. And the name, well let's be honest about that too. It reminds me of how wonderful God really is.
Post Script: By the way, the name of my first book is
Amazing Grace. It's a wonderful book of letters that have been sent to me over the years. It chronicles my life and work through letters and at the same time the attitudes toward HIV/AIDS over those same years.
Tea began as medicine and morphed into a beverage of choice!
I don't quite remember when I fell in love with tea but I do remember the most 
Until recently I had never drank Peppermint Tea made with loose leaves. And Honestly, I will probably never go back. The freshness of loose Peppermint Tea cannot be denied. When I open the can of 
I love to read! Inside a book I escape into someone else's life. There is something wonderful about turning to the next page of a wonderful story. Something intoxicating about the smell of the book and the story it brings to life. Reading brings me joy, and these days with my health in the balance, I find solace in my books.
